Disciple Making Starts with an Invitation
by Mike Killebrew
Are there any deer hunters out there reading this?
If so, you’ll connect with this next part. Even if you don’t hunt, I think you’ll understand, but if you’re an outdoorsman you can also read between my next few lines and relate in a special kind of way.
I enjoy most things outdoors, and deer hunting is one of those activities. I don’t make it out very often, but when I do, I deeply enjoy my time in the woods. I'm often encouraged by the relationships formed while hunting—time with family and friends. I also enjoy the extended silence and solitude, sometimes lasting for hours. It gives me time to think, pray, and listen—not only to the sounds of the woods but also to the gentle whisper of God, like that described in 1 Kings 19:11–12.
Surprisingly, one subject that often comes to mind while hunting is discipleship. Why? Because someone discipled me to become a hunter.
I didn’t grow up hunting and didn’t have the opportunity until my early 20s. A friend invited me, and he began to teach me the ways of deer hunting. I’d spent all kinds of time in the woods, but I knew nothing about deer hunting. I had to learn, had to be shown everything, and I asked many questions. He loaned me gear. He helped me pick out the right equipment as I began to purchase my own. He gave me a place to hunt and taught me the many tricks he had learned over time. I’ve been hooked ever since. Now, 25 years later, I’ve passed along what I’ve learned to many others. My favorite hunting moment of all time was sitting in the stand next to my son for his first time. No other hunting experience made my heartbeat faster than in that moment.
Discipleship is like hunting—not something you easily pick up on your own, but something that is often shared from someone else, an invitation, requiring time, patience, and purpose.
Throughout 2025, we at e2: effective elders have been blogging on the theme: “Live Like Jesus.” The month of June focuses on “Living like Jesus in Making Disciples.”
As we read the Gospels, we see Jesus modeling exactly what it looks like to make disciples. He didn’t just teach from a distance—He invited people close and walked with them.
One example (of many) is found in Matthew 4:18–22, when Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He didn’t give them a lecture—He gave them an invitation: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He met them right where they were, in their everyday world, much like my friend met me and invited me into the woods. Jesus called them to follow—and promised to shape them into something more.
This was the educational model of the day: a teacher (rabbi) would invite a student to follow closely, observe, learn, and then begin to practice what they saw their teacher doing. Jesus and the twelve disciples clearly modeled this method for us.
Another example is found in Luke 24:13–35—the story of the road to Emmaus. After His resurrection, Jesus walked with two confused and discouraged disciples. He joined them on their journey, listened to their questions, explained some Scriptures, and ultimately revealed Himself in the breaking of bread. It’s a beautiful picture of what discipleship often looks like: coming alongside someone in everyday life and patiently helping them see the truth, one step at a time. Sometimes it takes a few miles of walking with someone and some intentional time before the truth becomes a reality.
If someone hadn’t taken the time to introduce me to hunting, I may have never experienced the joy, growth, and reflection that come with a quiet morning in a tree stand. In the same way, if we don’t invite others into life with Christ, they may never experience the freedom, purpose, and hope He offers.
So, here’s the challenge:
Who are you discipling?
Who have you invited into your life to see Jesus up close?
Who are you walking with—guiding, encouraging, and equipping?
Making disciples isn’t reserved for pastors, elders, or spiritual veterans. It’s the call of every believer.
Let’s live like Jesus.
Let’s make disciples.
