“So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (John 13:12-20)
I want our church to be focused on these actions throughout 2026. I opened God’s Word to you in January to John 13. We read the passage above, and then I tried to explain that these verses are core to our discipleship as followers of Christ, and key to fulfilling the purpose of making more disciples. These activities alone do not make up our discipleship, but if they are absent, we shortchange the transformation of the heart to Christlikeness.
That after all is the goal of disciple-making – to progressively think and act more like Christ on a daily basis. In this text Jesus shows us that He is intentional about each of these three activities and is expressing the need for His followers to pursue them as well. Disciple-making disciples search for the lost or straying sheep, serve one another faithfully, and send followers of Jesus out for the furtherance of the gospel and the glory of God.
1 John 4:4-15 says, “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” God sent Jesus to be the Savior. The apostle John was one of those Jesus was sent to save. He personally saw Jesus seek him out and call to him from the side of the sea and from the life of fishing to become a fisher of men. John had heard the command of Christ to go and make disciples. He knew he was sent to seek as His Savior had done.
For whom does Christ want you to search? He wants us to search for all who are lost, but that is impersonal. So, He places you in a family, in a neighborhood, in a school, in a job, in sports, in hobbies, in coffee shops, in gyms, in grocery stores, and in restaurants where you meet people who are in need of Christ’s saving work. The task of disciple-making begins with you and I searching for the opportunity to speak of the hope of the gospel to those within our reach.
As you have those opportunities tell the story to your Sunday School group and to your circle of friends in the church. They can pray with you, becoming part of the gospel process. And they will be encouraged in their own effort of looking for opportunities to bear witness to the mercy of God in Christ.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
