Make decisions or disciples?

When seeking to bring the gospel to the lost, are we seeking to get people to make decisions or to become disciples? While I can't deny that one must make a decision to become a disciple, surely many different decisions are made regarding Jesus, that don't lead people to actually being His disciples.

If it is the decisions that we want, whether it be "a decision for Christ", a decision to "ask Jesus into their heart" or even a decision to "follow Jesus in faith", it means very little if they don't actually end up as disciples of the one they decided for! 

Jesus said - John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Some Jews evidently believed in what Jesus was saying, they decided it was true, but Jesus said they would not be true disciples unless they did as He taught!

Consider the passage below as one asks Jesus to help them find eternal life:   

Matt. 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” ¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  

This wealthy young man was willing to do whatever it takes to inherit eternal life, whatever decision Jesus required he seamed ready to make, until Jesus asked him to do too much.                                                

Look at this example of one wanting to make a decision and Jesus almost discouraging Him, and another "disciple" being called to follow at all costs - 

Matt. 8:18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”  ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ²¹ Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  

Jesus seams uninterested in soliciting  decisions about who He is, but rather calling people to follow Him at whatever cost necessary, because of who He is! 

Possibly the most shocking case of Jesus not seeking mere decisions is in John 6, as Jesus says you must eat His flesh and drink His blood if you are to have life - 

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”  ⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” ⁶⁶ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” ⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” ⁷¹ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Peter makes a powerful profession of his faith in this passage, he had decided that Jesus was "the Son of the living God", and he would continue to follow Him. However, Jesus makes it clear that Peter's profession hangs on God's decision not his, as "no one can come" unless it is by the Father and in Jesus' response to Peter's confident profession, "did I not choose you". 

Did Peter make a decision to follow Jesus? Yes, but it is only in his continued following, even when to do so  seams unreasonable, that his identity as a true disciple is validated, because that is where the calling of God and the work of the Spirit are evident and necessary.

So, should we ask people to make decisions regarding Jesus? Yes, we should ask them to decide if they believe Jesus is who He says He is in His word, to decide to get to know Him more through His word and to decide to follow Him wherever He leads starting now.

Of course our job is too treat all who say yes like disciples by teaching them to obey all Jesus' teaching (Matt. 28:19-20) and those who are disciples will continue to follow and those who aren't will walk away, proving their decisions were not valid.  

Asking for decisions regarding Jesus, without attempting to disciple in Jesus, is asking a question that can't really be answered!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."