Discipleship Begins with a Name

The Bible is a book full of names. Every story includes the names of the people involved. When the story of Jesus is told it begins with a list of names (Matthew 1:1-17). Every name is significant because every name represents a person.

When Jesus wanted to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the world, he chose a group of twelve whose names are listed in Matthew 10:1-4. After his death and resurrection Jesus stood on a hill with the remaining eleven disciples and commanded them to make disciples of all nations. The United Methodist Church expresses that commandment with the mission statement to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

At the Iowa Annual Conference meeting in June a goal was lifted up that every United Methodist Church in Iowa would have an intentional disciple making process by the year 2020. I have a coach, (his name is Steve) who has reminded me that discipleship is not so much a program as it is a name.

So how are we doing? How are you doing? How can we tell if we are being successful in that mission? Disciples are people and people all have names. I want to suggest that there is really only one way to measure our success: names. As a church we are in the people business and names are important because they represent people.

So what are the names of the people who are walking with you in life that are helping you to see Jesus and become more like him? And at the same time, what are the names of the people that God wants to touch through you? Who are you helping to see Jesus and become more like him?

I have become clear that the task of every pastor is to raise up disciples who can carry on when they are gone. And pastors are to set an example for their congregations because it also the task of every follower of Jesus to raise up disciples who can carry on when they are gone. That means being able to identify the names of the people who you have shared your life with and invested in them so that they can carry on when you go.

Relationships are everything. It is when our relationship with God is the foundation of our relationship with other people that discipleship happens. We must earn their trust, cast a vision of God’s preferred future and then help them to become more like Jesus. But we first must know their name.

I invite you to write down the names of the people God wants to touch through you. Then pray for them, spend time with them, listen to them, serve them, earn their trust and help them to become more like Jesus. We can rejoice for every name written in heaven (Luke 10:20) and we can add our names to those who are continuing the mission that Jesus gave to his disciples.