Making Disciples
As Christians, we must always remember the command Jesus gave to all of us after His resurrection and before His ascension back to heaven. We call it our Great Commission. That commission is for us to make disciples and to teach them to observe all that we have been commanded by the Lord. This is an ongoing process of multiplying disciples of Jesus. We see this being done over and over again in the early church and in the history of Christianity. One good example is seen when Barnabas was dispatched to go to Antioch after the Gentiles began to be saved there. (Acts 11:25,26) Once Barnabas saw the situation, he left for Tarsus to find Saul. He brought him back to Antioch, and for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers of disciples. The result was that believers were first called "Christians" at Antioch. That is a very impressive example of the Great Commission being fulfilled.
We should be great encouragers for our brothers and sisters in Christ, like Barnabas was for Saul. We should help them accomplish what they have been saved to do. This process takes time. Yes, we can begin to tell others about Christ immediately, like Saul did when he was saved. However, it takes time to grow in our faith to become fully mature disciples and to practice all of the things that make us complete. This is why we continually meet together as the local church to learn God's Word and to help each other grow. This is why we have small groups, worship services, Bible studies, and discipleship groups. We all need to participate in these things all of the time to grow strong in the Lord. Then, we can truly become conformed to the image of Christ. It happened in Antioch, and it will happen any time we follow this pattern. The lost people in Antioch gave the believers a derogatory title. They called them Christians, which means "little Christs." This was fitting because each one became so much like Jesus that everyone around them could see Jesus in them. That should be our goal for ourselves and for as many people as we can help become fully mature disciples.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Acts 13-16.