Neil Silverberg opens the new year and the Discipleship Matters series by reframing the Great Commission around its true engine: make. He explains that Jesus’ command is not primarily about travel but about intentional, relational disciple making in the normal flow of life—workplaces, classrooms, neighborhoods, and homes. Drawing from John’s unique record of Jesus’ first year, Neil unpacks the simple yet profound invitation “come and see,” showing how discipleship begins with presence. Two seekers asked where Jesus was staying; Jesus answered with an invitation into his life. That pattern—finding, inviting, staying—becomes the seedbed of transformation.
Neil traces how John highlights seven “signs” that point beyond the moment to the Messiah, building belief and anchoring disciples in the identity of Jesus. Signs aren’t ends in themselves; they are road markers to the person and glory of Christ. From there, he explains why Jesus moved away from the crowds to shape a few: internalization and multiplication. Values and practices take root through proximity and honest relationships; then they spread as those formed by Jesus form others. With vivid clarity, Neil contrasts addition and multiplication—one decision a day looks impressive, but two grounded disciples who each disciple two more eventually outpace addition and produce depth that lasts.
A moving story brings it home: Neil recounts a friend named Gordon who discipled two men. Years later, Gordon was flown across the country to meet dozens who had come to faith and growth through multiple generations of those two initial relationships. This is the quiet power of spiritual offspring that keeps reproducing long after the first meeting is over.
Neil also lays out four stages in Jesus’ pathway—come and see, follow me, be with me, and go and make—that offer a clear map for growth. To make it practical, he offers six steps: dare to be a disciple yourself, assess your current relationships, pray about whom to invest in, invite them into your life, teach them to follow Jesus in everyday habits, and equip them to multiply from the start. Expect a gentle push out of comfort zones and into the harvest where you already live and work. If you’re ready to replace programs with presence and crowds with a few who will change many, this message will help you begin. Who will you invite to “come and see” this week?
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