For many Christians, the notion of making disciples is incredibly intimidating. This task is almost designed to be intimidating, as it is a process we cannot complete on our own. We need the power and the presence of Christ in order to carry out true disciple-making. Even followers of Christ in the early Church experienced timidity surrounding this daunting task. In this video, Pastor David Platt encourages a posture of boldness as Christians press into disciple-making. When we experience intimidation while making disciples, it should drive us to pray, press into Christ, and allow his strength to be demonstrated in our weaknesses.
- Intimidation and the Spirit
- Sharing the Gospel
- Relying on Christ
If somebody feels intimidated when it comes to making disciples, my encouragement would be, that’s how you should feel. That’s how I feel. This task of making disciples is designed in such a way that we cannot do this on our own. That we need the power and the presence of Christ in us to carry out this task. That’s the beauty of what he said in Matthew 4. “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” He didn’t command us to fish for men. He said, “I will make you. I will cause you to do this. I will live in you. I will transform you. I will enable you to carry out this command.”
Making Disciples by Trusting in Christ
So let your intimidation drive you to Christ and your need for him. And even when we look in the New Testament Church and we see these early Christians praying for boldness to proclaim the gospel, you can tell they’re scared, they’re worried, they’re timid.
And that’s for many people feel when it comes to sharing the gospel with somebody else. Oh, it feels awkward, or they’re timid or worried about what about this or that. And so these are natural things that have been around for 2000 years of followers of Christ. But where they drive us is to trust in Christ. Jesus, I need boldness to share you with my friend, coworker, neighbor, classmate, whatever it is. I need you to give me the strength. I need you to give me the words. I need you to give me the confidence.
Jesus Will Show Himself Faithful
And as we press into him, Jesus will show himself faithful to make us fishers of men. The problem is when we let intimidation just drive us into disobedience and we miss the whole point. Instead of letting intimidation, our weakness drive us to rely on the strength that only Christ can provide. And the beauty is when we trust in him like that, in this task of making disciples, only he can get the glory for anything good that comes out of it. And that’s the way it’s designed.
Witnessing, sharing the gospel, making disciples, it’s all intended to put our weakness on display so that he alone gets glory for the strength that he provides to bring it about. So let intimidation drive you to pray. Press into Christ and rely on him for the resources that only he can give to carry out this task in your life.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
