There is much talk about strategy in discipleship.  Books have been written on the topic of how to find great leaders and who one should invest in.  Even much talk is given concerning pastors and who they ought to invest in with the majority of their time.  I find it interesting, however, that we are never told why Jesus chose His twelve.  Did Christ see something great in them that made them exceptional choices for His team of leaders?  Did He see some leadership potential in these men that no one else had discovered?  While it is possible that Christ saw something in them that nobody else could see, we are never told that to be the case.  What I think Jesus saw in these men is their willingness to follow.  They were all eager and ready to learn and follow Him when He called, and I believe that to be a chief quality in those who follow Christ.  

So how does all of this relate to our call to make disciples?  Well I think this helps us solve the issue of who to invest in.  In counseling classes, I have learned that in order to counsel you need a “counselee.”  What that means is you need to have someone willing to hear and take counsel; if they are not ready to do that you do not truly have a “counselee.”  This holds true for discipleship as well.  If you want to be involved in discipleship, you need to have someone willing to be discipled.  You need someone who is ready to be trained and willing to commit the time and energy necessary to give themselves to becoming a better follower of Jesus.  I think the way we find these people is by following the simple model of Jesus.  Jesus offered a call.  He gave an invitation.  Those who accepted, He invested in and trained as His followers.  We can follow this model as well.  If you want to help someone be a better follower of Christ, begin by offering a call.  Ask if they would be willing to meet with you regularly, have a Bible study, or read a book together.  You might be rejected, but that is ok!  Jesus did not invest in everyone, He gave the most of His time to those who wanted to learn.  In offering the call we will find who those people are, and when we find someone willing to learn and grow we have found someone whom we can help make into a better follower of Jesus.  Will you commit to following the model of Jesus and offering a call and then investing in those who accept?