All disciples of Jesus Christ are believers, but not all believers are disciples. Too often, churches are long on membership but short on discipleship—they stress numbers but place nowhere near enough emphasis on spiritual growth. And yet, if a church is trying to follow the New Testament model, it should be discipling God's people.

     When we hear the word disciples, we usually think about the twelve apostles who were fortunate enough to know Jesus personally. However, the Lord intended for every believer to be in that category. Before He died, Jesus commanded all of His disciples, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). I take His charge very seriously.

     Disciples are people who have received Jesus Christ as Savior, yielded to Him as Lord, and appropriated His Word as the guide for their life. They are learners who so hunger and thirst after God that they apply what they hear and eagerly share the Good News. In other words, it is not enough simply to believe in Jesus Christ or even to be content with learning about Him; we are also to be disciple-makers.

     While discipleship ought to be the norm for every Bible-believing church, that is too seldom the case. The majority of Christians live their faith in isolation. They have little impact on others and miss out on an important purpose God has for their lives. They prefer to sit in the pew, enjoy the message, go live their life, and return to church the following week. They want just enough Gospel to keep them out of trouble. Then if hard times hit, they run to church and find some counselor to help them out of difficulty.

     That is not what the Christian life is all about. Rather, it is a commitment to the Lord which transforms us so much that the overflow of Christ's life within us makes a definite, eternal difference in other lives.

     I certainly do not preach every Sunday merely for my flock's enjoyment. My intention is that at the end of each message, listeners will have heard something convicting, whether it concerns a particular sin or a commitment requiring attention. My desire is that as they apply spiritual principles to their own lives, they will also share these truths so that others will grow stronger in their faith. For the Christian, success is not simply the avoidance of sin; it is a life so yielded to God that it makes an eternal difference to another person.

     Throughout history, Christians have taken seriously the charge to make disciples. In the first century, Paul discipled people by traveling from city to city and preaching the Word. Scribes preserved the Gospel texts by executing a rigorous program of copying Scripture from one manuscript to another. As time passed after Christ's death, the Gospel spread in various forms. The Gutenberg press put numerous copies of the Bible into circulation, translators made Scripture available in different languages, and radio technology allowed for the global broadcasting of the Good News.

     There are countless ways for a Christian to disciple other people today. One-on-one Bible studies, home groups, and seminaries have for a long time provided opportunities for spiritual growth. But new, surprisingly effective methods of discipleship are being discovered every day. Teleconferencing, for example, allows pastors to preach sermons or teach seminars that can be transmitted into host churches all over the world. A group in Kansas City may study and pray about spiritual bondage while their Christian counterparts in the Dominican Republic are doing the exact same thing. Can you imagine the power and fortitude of Christ's global army united together in prayer? The thought is truly phenomenal!

     Today, In Touch Ministries is committed to discipling believers all over the world. We are currently able to broadcast our daily program in 52 different languages; by the year 2007, that number will reach 100.

     God's blessing on our work has been bountiful. In just a few weeks, we will open the doors to a new building that will serve primarily two purposes: the translation of languages and the discipleship of students globally through the Institute for Christian Living. Six language labs, including two editing suites, will enable translators to work on-site in the dissemination of the Gospel to people who have until now never heard it.

     Our new building is not merely a structure of brick and mortar. It is the launching pad for cutting-edge technology that will enable us to penetrate previously unreachable places. From the desert-dwellers of Songhai to the Himalayan Kumauni and the ancient Kikongo tribe of Angola, no people group is so remote that we cannot touch them with the eternal truth of God's Word.