Jesus gave his followers one final assignment before he left the earth, and many Christians have quietly handed it off to pastors and missionaries. In this episode, we return to the mountain in Galilee in Matthew 28, where Jesus gave the Great Commission to eleven men—some worshiping, some still doubting—and sent them anyway. We unpack a small piece of Greek grammar that reveals the heart of the command, paint the picture of a full circle follower of Jesus, and walk through a simple three-step process for conversational discipleship: engage, establish, and empower. Along the way, we revisit the dropped batons of the 2008 Beijing Olympic relays and take on the honest objection that disciple-making is just recruiting with nicer branding. The big takeaway: if you can have a conversation, you can make a disciple.

Key Scripture References

1. Matthew 28:16–20 (NLT) — The Great Commission: Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth, sends his worshiping and doubting disciples to make disciples of all nations, and promises to be with them always.
2. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) — Spiritual truth only makes sense through the work of God's Spirit, which frees us to be patient and pray as we engage others.
3. Matthew 10:19–20 (NLT) — God promises to give his people the right words at the right time.
4. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT) — Paul's vision for four generations of disciples in a single verse.
5. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT) — Paul shared not only the Good News but his own life, too.

Episode Takeaways & Highlights

1. Some Doubted, All Were Sent: Jesus commissioned his followers before their faith was airtight, so the thing you think disqualifies you probably doesn't.
2. One Main Command: In Greek, "make disciples" is the central verb. "Go" carries the force of a command, while baptizing and teaching describe how disciple-making happens.
3. The Full Circle Picture: A mature follower of Jesus trusts Jesus for salvation, honors God with their life choices, and makes disciples.
4. Engage: Start with what the other person cares about. Use the topics and built-in discussion questions at pursuegod.org to build a rhythm of real conversations.
5. Establish: When their questions turn spiritual, walk through the basics together using The Pursuit, PursueGOD's 12-part series.
6. Empower: Like a relay handoff, the goal is a disciple who makes disciples. Help them get connected to someone, then run alongside them for a few strides.
7. Not a Sales Funnel: Real discipleship gives people away instead of building a downline, and it keeps loving people even when they say no.
8. This Week's Challenge: Write down one name, pray for that person every day, and ask them what's going on in their life.

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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

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