What’s the big deal about discipling others?
“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20.
Because Jesus said it was…
Why is discipleship hard?
- Insecurities
- Imposter syndrome
- Fear
- Apathy
- Frustration
- Time
These are all legitimate cause for hesitation, but not a long-term reason for disobedience.
Why discipleship isn’t always as hard as we make it.
Becoming a disciple maker is not as hard as we make it out to be. Here is how to do it in 5 simple steps:
- Follow Jesus
- Be changed by Jesus
- Be committed to the mission of Jesus
- Tell other people constantly.
- REPEAT
It really is that simple:
- The Samaritan woman in John 4. Immediately after meeting Jesus, she runs to town to tell people about Him.
- "And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:42.
- The moment she met Jesus, she was a disciple-maker, bringing the whole team to Jusus.
- The Lord sent Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch to share the Gospel. The Eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, and Phillip…
- The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture. Acts 8:34–35.
- Philip had the dream scenario. He was in the right place, at the right time. The eunuch pretty much led himself to Jesus.
Best Practices for Discipling Others:
Do it in Community:
24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24–25.
One of the many purposes of the church is to meet together for the sake of spurring one another on in our faith.
Be a Disciple first:
12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12–14.
17 Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. Philippians 3:17.
Don’t forget the Holy Spirit:
Jesus didn’t immediately release the disciples into the wild after issuing the Great Commission. He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit(Acts 1:8). Why? Because the Christian faith isn’t just a matter of human effort or intellectual belief; it’s a supernatural reality. If you are a follower of Jesus, it’s God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, living inside you who fills you and enables you to live out and grow in discipleship and disciple-making.
How to be discipled in this area:
- Make sure the person that is discipling you is challenging you to disciple others.
- Fear, inconvenience, or past hurts are not excuses for PROLONGED apathy when it comes to making disciples.
- Be ready for whatever comes next…
How to disciple others in this area:
- Model what biblical disciple-making looks like.
- Be faithful and consistent through trials and hardships.
- Encourage the person that you are discipling to become a disciple-maker.
