Does “disciple all nations” not call to mind how Jesus himself “discipled” his men?  They were, after all, his “disciples.”  And when they heard him say, “disciple all nations,” would they not think this discipleship is what he did with them — investing prolonged, real-life, day-in, day-out, intentional time with younger believers in order to bring them to maturity as well as model for them how to disciple others in the same way?

… Discipleship, seen in this light, entails not merely the pursuit of spiritual maturity but the need for personal connection and substantial intentional investment of time, the kind of investment for which there must be going to accomplish.  Jesus spent three years with his twelve disciples.  He called them to be discipled at the outset of his ministry (Matt. 4:19), and he gave them the lion’s share of his life until his departure in Matthew 28.  He invested his life in these men.  It is amazing to track in the Gospels how much Jesus gave of himself to his disciples.  The crowds pursued him, but he pursued his disciples.  He was willing to bless the masses, but he invested in the few.

(John Piper, A Holy Ambition: To Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named, pp. 24-25)

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