Matthew begins with announcing that Jesus is the Messiah, establishing where Jesus comes from with an ancestry stretching back to David and to Abraham. He ends with the Great Commission, where the disciples are commanded to go out and make disciples of all nations. It is a force multiplier, they went to make disciples, of which we are the legacy, and we are called out to make disciples in turn. This is done by baptism into the Trinitarian name of God (as revealed to us in the Bible) and in teaching obedience to all Jesus taught.
But we are not left alone. Jesus is there with us to the end of the age. (When He comes again).
So how do we disciple people? Is it the stereotype of buttonholing someone into an uncomfortable demand of them knowing where their soul is headed after death? If we are looking for a place to start, how about where we pray? When we pray for others, either in need or the job of thanksgiving for what God ahs done. There is a place that I have come to Jesus as a disciple. It is a place where I am convinced Jesus will work. It is a place to share with another in need.
But if we are not there yet, where would we imagine, where would we hope, where would we dream that Jesus would help? Perhaps for us that is the place where discipleship begins.
Pastor Peter
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