What's the Best Way to Make Disciples?

Christian martyrs are honoured for their loyalty to God, despite threats and violence. And we honour those who died defending their faith.

Jesus tells all Christians to (1) go and make disciples, (2) baptize them, and (3) teach them (Matthew 28:19-20). What's the best way to make disciples?

Two Ways to Try to Make Disciples

1) The hammer means destroying idols and pagan temples, disrespecting indigenous religions, and changing national laws to force conversion and uniformity.

2) The carrot means treating others as you would like to be treated, loving others as you love yourself, showing love, planting seeds, and leaving it up to God to water and grow faith in people. It means accepting plurality.

The church, especially during the rise of colonial powers, has a history of using the hammer. The hammer was famously used during the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. The hammer is also seen in any nation that requires residents to conform to the government's view of Christianity. Orthodox records state that Junia and Andronicus preached the gospel throughout Illyricum, Pannonia and Dalmatia, Roman provinces east of the Adriatic Sea. They did miracles, drove out demons, healed the sick, destroyed idols, closed pagan temples, brought many to Christ, and were eventually martyred.

Were Martyrs Guilty?

While the church has historically honoured Christian martyrs for defending their faith and being loyal to God, it is also possible that some Christians became martyrs because they were unloving, disrespectful, and asserted power and authority that brought about their death.

Were they faithful and innocent, minding their own business? Were martyrs guilty of breaking the law? Was it wrong that the government and religion united their powers to force religious views? Did early apostles go to prison or death because they broke the law of the land by destroying symbols of the nation's religion? Do I dare ask if martyrs acted to bring it upon themselves? Were they guilty as charged? Did they do something intentionally to cause their death, thinking it would mean they would receive an eternal crown? Were they imitating Paul?

Did Paul go to prison because others unfairly punished his freedom of religion--or because he forced his ideas on people who did not want to be converted? Paul knew the Jews in Jerusalem were planning to arrest him and went knowing and showing he was willing to die for the name of Jesus (Acts 21:10-14). Were these accusations against Paul true:

“Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man [Paul] who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” (Acts 21:28)

“We have found [Paul] to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. (Acts 24:5-6)

Did early European colonizers follow Paul's example, bringing Christianity as hope for the indigenous peoples? Or did they follow Paul's example of forcing ideas on people or societies that did nto want a new religion preached? Were colonizers motivated to spread Christianity as a means of gaining power over indigenous peoples?

What about Junia?

St Junia, wife of Chuza https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joanna_wife_of_Chuza.jpg

In writing my historical fiction about Junia, I needed to decide if she was going to use the hammer or the carrot on her first apostolic journey .

Junia is named in Romans 16:7 as an apostle in Christ earlier than Paul. He used his Hebrew name (Saul) in Judea and his Latin name (Paul) in Gentile areas. The Latin name Junia may refer to the same person as the Hebrew name Joanna, the Galilean disciple and patron. Today's scholars largely agree with our church fathers in acknowledging that Junia was a female. I discuss Junia as a female apostle here. That article reviews some of the places she may have gone on her fictional journey to Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Philadelphia, Sardis, and Smyrna.

This photo depicts Joanna, wife of Chuza, as Junia in one of over 100 life-sized statues in the 2024 Good Friday Catholic procession of Baliwag, Philippines. She is carrying a censer, a metal container used by altar servers for burning incense during liturgy. In her other hand is a black cloth, which appears to be a maniple, a symbol of her liturgical authority to serve the Eucharist.

The Historic Record: The Hammer in Evangelism

The Orthodox Church kept records of the accomplishments of Junia and Andronicus:

"[they] preached the Gospel throughout the whole of Pannonia. With St Junia, he was successful in bringing many to Christ and in demolishing many temples of idolatry. Both of them had the grace of wonder-working, by which they drove out demons and healed every sort of sickness and disease. They both suffered for Christ, and thus received a twofold crown: of apostleship and of martyrdom."

Perhaps past Christians thought that demolishing worship places and holy objects of other religions was a good way to spread God's word. Perhaps Christians understood that martyrdom was a goal deserving a crown, and took action to earn that crown.

Today, many Christians understand that destroying the holy objects of other religions is not the best way to make disciples for Jesus. In fact, it makes people close their ears to the Christian message. In my novel, I wanted to show Junia's urgent call to evangelize as well as her exploring various means of evangelism. Did she destroy idols? Was she like Paul? Did she follow Jesus's example?

Jesus's Way: The Carrot in Evangelism

If we look to Jesus as our example, he did not demolish Roman idols or fight to make Christianity enforced by Roman national law. Jesus attracted people by showing them love, healing their illnesses, and bringing hope. He overturned hierarchies and uplifted the weak. He showed them God's love.

However, Jesus did challenge the corrupt hierarchical religious structures of the day. He did call himself equal to God. While Jesus was sinless before God, he may have been guilty of breaking the legalistic practices, working on the Sabbath, and blaspheming by calling himself God (since religious leaders did not believe he was God).

The parable of the sower shows that some seed will fall on good soil while other falls on the path, the rocks, or is choked out by weeds. In a similar way, some people are just not interested or receptive to hearing the Christian message. Jesus knew and accepted that.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Some are not hungry for a new religion. They are not ready to hear about Christianity.

"Come to me, all who are thirsty". Jesus left it up to the listener to decide whether they wanted the living water Jesus offered. They were free to decide whether to come and drink. We offer a drink of water; we don't put a hose into someone's mouth and force water in! No one wants to be proselytized.

Loving means letting each make their own choice. Let each person work out their own faith. Peace comes from accepting plurality, not forcing uniformity.

Conclusion

If we want to go and make disciples, which method do you think would be more effective?

Jesus shows us to spread the seed of God's word far and wide - and leave it up to God whether the seed takes root. This is not something that can be forced by smashing idols, disrespecting other religions, or making Christianity a national religion.

Jesus showed us how to invite people to drink of the living water to find freedom, joy, and abundant life. If Christians offer limitations, restrictions, guilt, and a meagre life, they are not offering Jesus. If Christians offer exclusion and division, they are not offering God's love.

So, in my historical fiction, should Junia smash idols like the old-fashioned martyrs the church has honoured? Or should Junia show God's love, and allow her listeners to take down their idols when they are ready? Or should she go through a growth and change in her understanding of the best way to make disciples?

Find out about the various ways Junia finds to make disciples in my upcoming historical fiction: Finding Her Voice, from Broken to Bold: A Novel of the Earliest Female Apostles.

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Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:

• Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)

• The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)

• Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)

• Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)

• Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, A Novel of the Earliest Female Apostles (coming October 2025)

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Sources:

"May 17th - Holy Apostles Andronicus and Junia", Holy Ascension of Christ Orthodox Church, Accessed May 7, 2025, https://www.holyascensionofchrist.org/post/may-17th-holy-apostles-andronicus-and-junia

“Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia”, The Orthodox Church in America, Accessed May 7, 2025, https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/05/17/101405-apostle-andronicus-of-the-seventy-and-his-fellow-laborer-junia..