You had one job!” became a catchphrase after the 2001 movie Ocean’s Eleven. It has come to epitomize both the humor and costliness of taking our sights off the priority.

If Christians want a priority, Jesus’ final directive to the leaders of the church just before ascending to heaven is clearly that: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-19).

We have a whole Bible to give us counsel as Christians, so we can scarcely ignore the rest as we focus on this priority. We have many things to heed. But if this priority of “going and making disciples” isn’t a priority matter for each day of your life, it is time to ask some probing questions. All the more so given that discipleship is closely tied to other priority matters like evangelism and missions. It is closely connected to sanctification. And the list goes on.

If a now-retired RPCNA pastor experienced a lack of discipleship training when he was in our denominational seminary several decades ago (Finding the Men), we cannot ignore the possibility of blind spots today. Look at your life in the past week. Has disciplemaking been a priority in your mind and in your schedule? If you have children, are they being discipled not only by you but also by others as they go through their week? Is making disciples a priority in your congregation?

I don’t mean just saying the words. Discipleship means more than lecturing, more than passing facts down the line. As you think of Jesus’ final directive before His ascension, think of how He prioritized His time during His ministry. There was teaching time, but there was a lot more time spent living His life as an example with those He was discipling. How are you doing? You, your family, and your church have one job.