The problem and danger in talking about “How-To’s of Disciple-Making” is that people start thinking in a highly rigid and structured system that they try and implement the same way with every single person.
*Disciple-making is not formulaic or “cookie-cutter.”
Disciple-making must be Spirit-empowered and Spirit-led! Every person is different, and as a disciple-maker, we have to do the hard work of investing in the individual with specific attention to where they are spiritually. Disciples can’t be mass-produced! These principles ought to be guidelines for us as we are being led by the Spirit in giving truth and life to those we are investing in. *Often the missing piece is an emphasis on reproduction.
1) The first thing we need to do is identify the right people...Identify the Right People. •Dawson Trotman has coined an acronym; we’re looking for F.A.T. people.
•Faithful - they will not waste your time.
•Available - they’re willing to spend time with you.
•Teachable - they want to learn.
*If you don’t find the right kind of people when you’re looking to invest deeply, you will be frustrated and the impact typically seen in disciple-making will be seriously hindered.
Saying that we’re looking for faithful people does NOT mean that we are neglecting those who aren’t faithful or that we don’t care about the lost, it’s a matter of your focus with the best and most intentional time God’s given you. Remember that sometimes a faithful guy is often an “under-the-radar” type of guy who is showing a budding hunger to grow. To ask it simply, are they hungry?
2) The second thing is Meet Them Where They Are. Everyone you disciple is different: age, family background, finances, life stage, maturity, etc. Have a heart for people and discern what they need rather than coming in with a preprogrammed teaching plan without first knowing them. Disciple-making begins with a love for people, they aren’t a project, and part of your love involves figuring out the needs of those you’re discipling. *Develop the skill of asking good questions, continually learning about those you’re investing in and how they can grow!
(3) Thirdly we need to Start Small & Raise the Bar. If you are trying to disciple someone to maturity and reproduction, it is going to involve a lot of time together, and some strategic challenging. Many people could attest to the magnitudes of spiritual growth that occur during times where people have “upped” the standard on us. This same principle is true in disciple-making, and we must be intentional about challenging those we disciple in this way, though it needs to be in small steps incrementally. The disciples watched Jesus do ministry (Lk. 6:17-19; 8:26-33), then he sent them out to minister and return (Lk. 9:1-6), and finally he commissioned them to be witnesses throughout the world (Acts 1:8). This principle is also helpful when you begin to invest in someone. It often works better to begin with someone for set time periods, rather than simply agreeing to indefinitely disciple them. By doing this, you get to see how faithful they are, if they are hungry to keep going, continuing to raise the bar, etc. Tom Nelson examples… meet for 6 weeks then finish. Let’s do 12 weeks, and you raise the bar. Let’s do 6 months, keep raising the bar. Full on discipling, going overseas together, etc. *Doing all of this slowly passes off the buy-in to the person you’re discipling.
(4) Number 4 Spend Time. As churches, pastors and followers of Christ we continue to emphasize over and over again that disciple-making is not merely education, it cannot happen in a classroom, there must be life-on-life and that involves a lot of time. You cannot microwave this process. From the outset, Jesus invited the disciples to be “with him” (Mk. 3:14). We love mass production in our culture, but disciple-making never happens this way, it’s slow and growth happens gradually. Everyone is busy, so it seems the most strategic way to do this is figure out what you’re already doing, and never do it alone.
Family dinner? Invite them.
Working out? Invite them.
Serve in a ministry during the week? Invite them.
Going to a ball game?
Watching your team on TV? Invite them.
It’s about maximizing what you’re already doing for Kingdom impact! What better way to make the normal patterns of your life more strategic than inviting those you’re investing in to be with you? Perhaps the easiest place to start is eating. Everybody eats, so don’t do it alone!
(5) The fifth thing is to Teach Unto Change. *Don’t fall into the trap of only teaching for intellectual gain (1 Cor. 8:1-3)! Make sure you are targeting:
•Belief - our conduct usually follows our convictions, so forming biblical and theological depth in those we disciple is vital! (Remember Rom. 12:1, therefore…)
•Behavior - all the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word means nothing if we are not bearing fruit and growing in our obedience (Matt. 3:8; Jas. 2:14-17; Eph. 4:1)
•Purpose - belief and behavior without grounding in a transcendent purpose misses the mark, we need to help people get on mission, making disciples for the glory of God (Matt. 28:18-20).
We must make sure we move from Orthodoxy (belief in GOD's word) to Orthopraxy (practicing GOD's word)
(6) Sixth is to Teach Unto Leadership *We must continue to teach people not to be consumers. Teach towards future leadership… Jesus called them to “become fishers of men!” (Matt. 4:19) You have to discern the right time to communicate this, but telling them, “this can’t end with you” is a good reminder that you want reproduction! If you make disciples by (only!) sitting and talking at Starbucks, don’t be surprised when those you discipled (only!) sit and talk at Starbucks. You’re not just teaching him, you’re bringing him to a place where he can influence others. Talk about RagTags here
(7) Number seven on the list is to Stretch Them. The growth that happens when we are challenged and stretched is exponentially greater than when we are in comfortable and familiar territory!
“Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.” •Tom Landry
“Put ‘em in a spot where their hands sweat.”
•Get them in a situation where they will desperately need God to show up.
•It’s not hard to imagine the learning involved for the disciples at the feeding of the 5000. Jesus involves them in ministry, and teaches them a valuable lesson about the power and provision of God (Matt. 14:13-21). Could you do any of the following with those you disciple?
•Mission trip together?
•Give them a teaching responsibility?
•Go to a park or college campus and do some evangelism together?
•Think of experiences that might be uniquely stretching to them specifically.
(8) The eighth thing is Expose Them to the Faithful. You don’t want those you disciple to think you are the wild exception of godliness, we need to help expose them to lots of other people passionately following Christ. You’re not the only one who follows Christ, so give them a window into the lives of other mature believers. It’s worth noting that Paul writes 1 & 2 Thessalonians, yet in the introduction of both books he includes Silas and Timothy. Paul had actually sent Timothy to work with the church in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:6). While we may be a primary influence in someone’s life, we should not be the only influence. Now what does this look like practically?
•Teaching them about marriage, work, evangelism? Have them get lunch with someone who is a model of faithfulness in that area!
•Go to a conference together to expose them to a prominent Christian leader.
•Read the works of a great leader from church history (Augustine, Wesley, Calvin, Luther, etc.)
(9) Involve Them in the Body of Christ *The local church should be the greenhouse of discipleship. The author of Hebrews makes it unmistakable, we are supposed to encourage one another towards godly living (Heb. 10:23-25). There are far too many Christians today that don’t value the local church or think it’s a negotiable in the Christian life when actually local church involvement is a vital part of the Christian life, both individually and corporately… we need to model that the local church should be a priority in our lives! We need to show them how we serve, show them how we give, show them how we take initiative in the local body. We need to take them with us to serve where we're serving, we have to model this for them!
(10) And finally we're at #10 which is a Good Curriculum *Our primary curriculum is and always should be the Word of God.
It would be easy to get mixed up and start teaching using books about the Bible rather than the Bible itself. It's acceptable to use supplementary resources, but keep the main thing the main thing. One of the hugely overlooked areas of resourcing for us are Sunday mornings. Our pastors are spending a significant amount of their time preparing a sermon every week, so it sure seems like bad stewardship if we are not coming with a Bible and notebook ready to be equipped with what they have spent so much time preparing for us (Eph. 4:12)!
