Who Is Your Apprentice?
When Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, He didn’t simply tell them to gather people into a church. He told them to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18–20). As I think about my own journey of faith, that command keeps coming back to me again and again in the form of a question: Who is my apprentice?
We can have people who speak wisdom into our lives. We can have mentors, teachers, pastors, and friends who encourage us along the way. But discipleship is something deeper. It means coming alongside someone, investing in their life, modeling what it means to follow Jesus, and helping them grow so that they can eventually do the same for someone else.
1. Discipleship Is More Than Teaching—It’s Apprenticeship
When Jesus said, “make disciples,” He was calling His followers to something active. A disciple doesn’t simply collect information; a disciple learns by following, watching, imitating, and living alongside the teacher.
That is what we see throughout Scripture. Moses had Joshua. Elijah had Elisha. Jesus had His disciples. The pattern is clear: what God places in us was never intended to stop with us.
There are things God has placed in your heart, your experience, and your walk with Him that someone else needs. We aren’t meant to hoard those things. Jesus tells us to pass them on.
2. Fear Can Keep Us From Taking the First Step
One of the biggest obstacles to discipleship isn’t a lack of opportunity. It’s fear.
Sometimes we’re afraid that people will reject us, make fun of us, misunderstand us, or think we’re strange. Sometimes we’re simply too busy. We have jobs, families, responsibilities, and full calendars. But if we’re honest, there are often people around us whom God has already placed within our sphere of influence.
I was reminded of this in a conversation with my nine-year-old daughter. She told me that sometimes it’s scary to share the gospel because we don’t want people to make fun of us. I understood exactly what she meant. But it made me think: What if our fear of rejection is keeping us from offering someone the hope and life we’ve freely received in Christ?
Jesus said in Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give.”
We’ve received so much from Him. We aren’t called to keep it to ourselves.
3. We Are Called to Build the Kingdom, Not Just Our Own Church
I love the local church, and I would love to see our congregation grow. But my desire is even bigger than that: I want to see the Kingdom of God grow.
If we only focus on building our own congregation, we can miss the larger mission Jesus has given us. But if every one of us begins investing in another person—helping them know Jesus, grow in faith, and become a disciple who makes disciples—the impact can multiply far beyond what we could accomplish on our own.
Jesus didn’t tell us to build our own kingdoms. He commissioned us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
4. Who Is Your Apprentice?
So I want to leave you with the same question God has been asking me:
Who is your apprentice?
Who is the person you could call and invite for coffee? Who could you encourage? Who could you pray with? Who could you come alongside and say, “Let’s walk through this together”?
It doesn’t have to consume hours every week. Even committing a small amount of time—a couple of hours a month or perhaps an hour a week—can make a difference when we intentionally invest in someone.
Here’s a practical challenge: write down five names. Pray for all five. Then ask God to show you one person you can intentionally come alongside and begin building into.
We are not without excuse; we are surrounded by opportunities.
Jesus has freely given to us, and He calls us to freely give. So let’s listen for His voice, take the next step, and ask ourselves:
Who is my apprentice? And what does God want to do through me in their life?
Song Credits:
Worthy
Words and music by Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick
© Music by Elevation Worship Publishing
(Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Used by permission. CCLI License #300400 and
CCLI Streaming Plus License #21254836