In America, we have a lot of churches, but not enough disciples making disciples. Our churches are orphanages for new believers, and if we’re really following Jesus, we’ll put away our fears about what it means to disciple someone else and obey His calling to just go out and do it.

Some people heard the stories of the Bible before they were even out of the womb, and they grew up knowing the Gospel message by heart. But for many others, the words of Scripture are brand new. If we’re in the first group, may we never make new believers feel stupid, but always be ready to graciously answer questions and help to teach; if we’re in the second group, may we never stop asking questions or lose excitement about the miracle of the Gospel!

Our lives are marked by millstones and milestones. Millstones are the times of tragedy, trial, and tough circumstances; milestones are the monumental moments that we celebrate. Part of the job of the Church is to help us turn our millstones into milestones so we can help others do the same — that’s the process of discipleship.

God’s design for His family is for each of us to be growing with the help of another — while also helping others to grow. He emphasizes the necessity of teaching His Word to our children, and that includes those in both physical and spiritual infancy. When we lead another person to Christ, let’s not abandon them to figure out the discipleship journey on their own; let’s take them by the hand and help to grow disciples who make disciples.

You’ll never be truly hands-on in the Church until you hand on what God’s given you to others. A major component of spiritual maturity involves making disciples and passing down what we’ve learned to newer Christians. As we grow in our faith, we teach others to do the same, and we grow the Church in the process.

After receiving the free gift of God’s forgiveness through Jesus, what’s the most important next “life-task”? To grow up in Him through being discipled by a mature believer, becoming mature in our walk with Christ, and then to raise up others in the same way! Trust. Accountability. Maturity. Family. Love. Jesus.

The late theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ.” As followers of Jesus, it’s critical that we learn two things: first, what it means to be discipled, and second, what it means to disciple another person. The greatest “legacy” we can leave on this earth is the gift of leading someone else as they grow in their relationship with Jesus, in such a way that it equips them to lead others, in turn.

Scripture tells us that when we surrender our life to Christ, we become a new creation in Him. He doesn’t just refurbish our existing self. He makes us completely new! But as new Christians, it takes time for us to grow and mature — and to fight off our old ways of doing and thinking in exchange for a new life in Jesus.