Last night, I had an awesome experience. I went to a dental office for a discipleship group. Yes, you heard me right: I went to a dental office for a discipleship group. I did not go to a church, a house, or a restaurant. I went to a place where they work on teeth! In thirty years of ministry, this is the first time I have ever sat in a discipleship group meeting in a dental office. It was beautiful.
A dentist who attends the church where I pastor has taken the mission of making disciples seriously. He has decided to be obedient to Christ’s command to “make disciples.” He has eliminated a multitude of excuses and obeyed Christ’s command. Here are a few observations and thoughts from my experience with a disciple-making dentist.
Anyone Can Make Disciples!
My dentist friend has only been a Christian for a few years, and he will tell you that he has had his ups and downs in disciple-making. He will also tell you that he is growing and trying his best to obey what Jesus commanded two-thousand years ago. Similar to a guy named Peter, my dentist friend is not letting his past mistakes be excuses for his present obedience.
Disciples Can Be Made Anywhere!
My dentist friend is not waiting for the perfect setting to make disciples. Actually, he has found the perfect setting for him. He is using the resources God has given him, and he is making disciples in his market place. Imagine what could happen if disciple-making left church buildings and ventured out into dentist offices, doctor offices, classrooms, fitness centers, and office complexes.
Anybody Can Be a Disciple!
The discipleship group meeting in this dentist’s office was not what I expected. It was a mixture of men. They were different ages, races, and professions. They were all at different levels of spiritual growth as well. They had one thing in common: they all had a desire and hunger to grow. Desire is all that you really need to start making disciples. We will see what God is going to produce from this rag-tag group of guys.
I love seeing people make disciples, and I love hearing stories of disciple-makers. If you have story to share please share it with us in the comments!