Disciplemakers: Set Free to Set Others Free
Disciplemakers are used by God to set people free—and help them live free.
Key Scriptures
Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
John 8:31–32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (ESV)
Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Luke 11:28 “But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’”
Matthew 4:19 “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”
Freedom Day: Then and Now
On July 4, 1776, the citizens of the United States of America declared their independence. On that day, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United Colonies announced themselves as a free country. A few months later, on September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the name “United States of America.”
However, this declared freedom became experienced freedom only years later—on September 3, 1783—when the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the American Revolutionary War. The treaty recognized the United States as a free, sovereign, and independent nation.
The Continental Army, formed by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington, fought to win that freedom. They suffered hardships, endured long campaigns, and faced overwhelming odds—but ultimately won the war.
The Freedom Jesus Declared—and Delivered
Jesus Christ began proclaiming freedom from sin and the rule of Satan around 27 AD. He offered liberation from spiritual slavery and invited people to follow Him as disciples. Over the course of His three-year public ministry, He trained a group of disciples to live in freedom and to spread that freedom to others.
In 30 AD, Jesus secured ultimate freedom by dying on the cross and rising from the dead on the third day. His resurrection was the decisive victory over sin and Satan.
Before He ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples the mission we now call the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20). Then, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower them to fulfill it.
His disciples endured many hardships. Most were persecuted. Many were killed. Yet all lived with unwavering hope and supernatural endurance. They had been set free—and they lived free in all circumstances. Jesus discipled them: He taught them how to live free and to make others free.
Disciplemakers Multiply Freedom
The disciples Jesus trained became disciplemakers. Everywhere they went, they made more disciples, who then became disciplemakers themselves. The movement multiplied—and it still multiplies today.
Every person who repents of sin and believes the gospel is set free from the rule of sin and Satan. But it doesn’t stop there. Each believer is also given a new assignment: to make disciples.
Fathers and mothers are to disciple their children.
Children can disciple their friends.
Adults are to make disciples of those they live with, work with, and play with.
No one is exempt. All are empowered. And Jesus promised, “I am with you always.”
Freedom Worth Celebrating Daily
Americans celebrate national freedom on Independence Day, once a year.
But disciples of Jesus celebrate a greater freedom every day—freedom that wasn’t purchased with muskets and treaties but with the blood of Jesus Christ, freely given and graciously received.
We are free.
We are sent.
We are not alone.
Where Do We Start?
We start where Jesus started:
Matthew 4:19
“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”
We follow Jesus, and He forms us into disciplemakers.
Next Steps
Looking for help in becoming a disciplemaker?
Visit the Plethos Resource Library for tools, training, and practical guides.