Something about discipleship

Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV) says,

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

This brief passage of scripture shows how Jesus called the first of His disciples. After calling the disciples, Jesus spent the next two to three years preparing them for the work of ministry. Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Great Commission.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

(Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)

Almost all of the preaching I have heard on the subject of the Great Commission focuses on verse 19; the evangelism by Christians to non-believers so that God can work His grace and transform them into believers. However, I have not heard a lot said about verse 20; which talks about the teaching of the newly converted. I think that we should look closer at verse 20 and how Jesus, during His life, spent years preparing new believers for life as a Christian and for conducting the works of ministry. We should be focused on both the acts of Evangelism and the acts of Discipleship. This is what Jesus taught us by how He lived His life.