If the task of making disciples was meant to die with that first generation, someone didn’t get the memo. The second-generation Christians—the disciples of the first who knew and met with Jesus—took the task of reaching the world very seriously. They were the first to carry the Gospel to Africa, Asia and further north in Europe than Rome. They led their disciples to do the same. The Gospel spread so rapidly in the first 300 years of its existence that the Roman Emperor gave up resisting and adopted Christianity as the religion of the Empire. If the task was meant to be assigned only to the ‘trained’ leaders of the Church, Jesus messed up with the first batch. Every single one of His original 12 were known as untrained, ordinary men. The only thing that set them apart was the fact that they’d been with Jesus. In fact, as Christianity grew, some of the aristocracy adopted the faith, but the majority of its growth was among the poorer, untrained, unschooled classes. And amongst that group, the Gospel spread like wildfire. And how did that happen? Just like the original 12, these new, untrained disciples passed the Gospel on like a hot potato. 

It's not too hard to trace the movement of the Gospel through the centuries. Young, old, rich, poor, alongside every color and nationality imaginable have all been key players at one time or another in shouldering this task. Carriers have included at one time or another lots of different nations. The US seems to be sliding back as a frontline, present-day carrier. We are still by far the largest mission sending force, but our Christian population is aging, especially as opposed to countries like Nigeria. In the US, Christianity boasts about two thirds of our population as adherents with a median age of 42. Nigeria can claim 90% of its population as Christian and their median age is 19! That means that Nigerians will be sending missionaries long after you and I are gone. Right now, South Korea, the Philippines, China and Brazil are sending huge numbers of missionaries to the world. What does all this mean? 

Disciple making is a task for every believer, regardless of background, training or age. And it isn’t an unbearable task! Making disciples doesn’t mean sending people to ‘Jesus University.’ While there is plenty of structure within the Church, making disciples isn’t bound to rules and regulations. To make a disciple is to introduce them to Jesus and share life with them as they grow in their faith. It’s not difficult or burdensome. Disciple making allows the Gospel to move from house to house, like we read about in Acts. And its movement is natural, not forced or rigid. The Gospel moves best when based on relationships. 

The Church has throughout its history believed that every Christ follower is tasked with the responsibility of sharing their faith. All that means is if you have a relationship with Jesus, you have been given everything you need to tell someone else about Him. We make it too hard with classes and instructions. Really. It is as simple as asking your friends and family if they know Jesus. If they say “Yes,” ask them if anyone has shown them how to walk out their faith. If they say “No,” point them to the Bible to meet Him. You don’t have to have a degree to do that. Neither are you required to set aside huge amounts of time. Literally, as you go about your day to day life, talk about Jesus. 

If you think back to the influential Christians in your life, I think you’ll find they were disciple makers. Most of them were not fancy, loud or super learned. They were probably simple people who’d been changed by Jesus and weren’t afraid to tell their story. 

What about you? When the people who know you look back on their lives, will you be listed as one who showed them how to live out their faith? Just what will you be remembered for? The task is yours. I challenge you to share what you know. Don’t feel burdened to share what you don’t know. Better yet, share WHO you know.