“Disciple making isn’t something we do; it’s everything we do.” (discipleship.org) I read that statement recently, and it blew me away. Not because it was a new concept, but because it is said in such a compelling way. I have said this in so many different ways: discipleship is our prime mission; making disciples should be our first priority; or making disciples in the most important thing we do.
We need to take it to heart, “Discipleship isn’t something we do; it’s everything we do.” Discipleship is everything we do. That means we must always be looking for people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. (Matt. 28:19-20) But with bodies that get tired, food that must be bought, work that must be done, minds that wander, relationships that demand attention, floors to clean, dishes to wash, lawns to mow, cars to repair, trash to take out, and on and on, how can making disciples be everything we do.
Because we can make disciples “as we go,” which is what the beginning of the Great Commission is really all about. So, we do not abandon the other things that life requires so we can be about seeking people to make disciples. Instead, we use all of life to be disciple-making activities.
We explain the purpose and joy of our job as “serving as unto the Lord.” We feed our families and pray before we eat to remind ourselves, our family, or our guests that we know from where all good gifts come. We clean our floors and teach our children that “cleanliness is next to Godliness,” and that our God is a God of order, while it is the enemy that sow’s chaos. What we do becomes tools by which we are making disciples.
We are used to compartmentalizing our lives into work, pleasure, rest, and worship. But we should not compartmentalize life. We should live for Christ and bring all things into subjection to Him. Work, pleasure, and rest are ways of worshipping the One who created everything. So, take your jobs, your chores, your errands, your hobbies, and your relationships to seek ways to make disciples. It’s everything we do.
