As I reflect back on my own life, I’m somehow reminded of the apostle Paul’s writing in the second chapter of Colossians, especially verses 21 through 23.

In verse 21, Paul clearly describes my life as it was before 1968 when, at age 41, I met Jesus Christ for the first time.

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior” (verse 21). That was me. “But now he (God) has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death, to present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusations” (verse 22). Despite my checkered past, I came to Christ, asked his forgiveness and was set free – and somehow became a brand new person. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

But Paul doesn’t stop there. “If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospels” (verse 23). My conversion to Christ was a huge decision, but it was just the beginning. Then the question becomes: What should I do with my new life in Christ?

As I’ve tried to figure out the Christian life, I see it broken down into four phases. Phase 1 I label pagan. I was born Nov. 14, 1926, in St. Louis, and no thanks to Adam and Eve, I was born an 11 1/4 -pound pagan. Forty-one years later I came to Christ for salvation and became a convert to Christ (Phase 2). Then, because of some faithful Christian friends, I was prodded to move on to Phase 3 and became a disciple or learner. Then came a vital period when I gradually began moving from being a disciple to become a disciple maker (Phase 4).

Paul gives an excellent description of a disciple maker when he writes Timothy, his friend and companion. In 2 Timothy 2:2: “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

To me this is Paul encouraging Timothy to be a disciple maker. In effect he is challenging him to pass on to others all that Paul has taught him so that hopefully the others would do likewise.

This has been my desire and that of my wife, Ann, over the years. We have tried our best to pass on to others some of the treasures faithful people have passed on to us.

In “Experiencing God Day-By-Day,” Henry and Richard Blackaby define discipleship as “transferring the full dimensions of your relationship to Christ to the person you are walking with. It is acquainting another with a person you love.”

Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest” writes: “Our work begins when God’s grace has laid the foundation … we are not to save souls but to disciple them until they are wholly devoted to God. One life wholly devoted to God is of more value than one hundred lives simply awakened by his spirit.”

Christian activities are an important expression of our relationship with Christ. They can lead us to a relationship, but the danger is in assuming that our religious activity is the relationship. If you are only encouraging those around you to attend Christian activities, then you have not discipled them. There is a huge difference between Christian activities and Christian discipleship, leading to maturity.

As a Christian, you cannot control the length of your life, but you can control its width and depth. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”