A Strategy for Making Disciples

People of all ages are looking for someone who will walk alongside them on life’s journey. Someone they can look to for wisdom and spiritual guidance. Someone who is ahead of them in life’s experiences and won’t judge them for their failures. People have questions and are searching for answers that are both practical and Biblical. That’s where you come in. Essentials is a simple one-on-one discipleship strategy laid out in the pages of the Bible. We supply a 20 part Bible study curriculum that you can download from our church web site to use with those you wish to mentor.

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Discipleship is Biblical Instruction

A disciple is a student of someone. He is learning to accept and put into practice the views of his teacher. The most common use of the word disciple, is to identify a person as a follower and adherent of Jesus. We are called to “make disciples of all the nations” by teaching people to know, understand and obey the Word of God. This is the mission of all individual Christians and all of us collectively as the church.

Initiate a Relationship

Titus 2:2-4 NIV Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children.

Paul lays out a plan, “…teach the older women… then they can train the younger women…” This can only happen purposefully in the context of a trusting relationship. Few young women will receive advice on how to love their families from a person they are not connected with. They might even consider such an attempt as meddling. How do you overcome this resistance? First, don’t leave it to the younger women. Few younger women will initiate a relationship with an older woman. But those who are older and wiser need to take the initiative to establish a relationship. Within that trusting relationship, godly life skills can be taught. This does not only apply to women, but to every gender and every age group. The Disciple Maker must be the one to initiate the relationship with the one needing to be taught. The Disciple Maker will also need to schedule the Bible study appointments.

Again, it’s up to you to initiate the appointment. Set the time and place. The advantage of conducting the Bible Study in the home of the one to be discipled is that other family members may be pulled into the study, and you might double or triple the effectiveness of your efforts. The disadvantage is possible distractions. You could meet at a coffee shop.

How to Disciple One On One

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 KJV 7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: 8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

Ultimately every Christian needs to become a Disciple Maker. There are many resources available on how to be or become a disciple. But discipleship is not merely an intellectual pursuit. It is about you pouring your soul into another. In the game, “Follow the Leader” the objective is to go places others can’t follow. But in Discipleship, the objective is to help others go where you are going in Christ. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Your disciple will learn from YOU and will follow your example no matter how intensely to try to convince him that he should not follow you, but follow Christ.

The Essentials Curriculum

The following Essentials curriculum is being written by Pastor Dave Taylor, but will be made available to you for download from our church web site (you will need a password). Because it is undated, you can use the studies in any order that seems appropriate, although the order listed below builds one lesson on the other. With this, you have the tools you need to be a Disciple Maker.

Spiritual Poison (Leader’s Copy)
The Price of Blood (Leader’s Copy)
Water Baptism (Leader’s Copy)
Temptation (Leader’s Copy)
Church Attendance (Leader’s Copy)
Prayer Basics (Leader’s Copy)
How to Study the Bible (Leader’s Copy)
Sharing Your Faith (Leader’s Copy)
Personal Ethics and Honesty (Leader’s Copy)
Responsibility (Leader’s Copy)
For the Love of Money (Leader’s Copy)
Accountability (Leader’s Copy)
Family Relationships (Leader’s Copy)
Addictive Behavior (Leader’s Copy)
Sexual Immorality (Leader’s Copy)
The Christian Work Ethic (Leader’s Copy)
The Holy Spirit (Leader’s Copy)
Strongholds (Leader’s Copy)
Un-forgiveness (Leader’s Copy)
A Servant of God (Leader’s Copy)

Endeavor to Hand Off Your Disciple

Paul had disciples. Barnabas had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples. And you should have disciples. But at some point, concerning our disciples, like John, we must say “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Many of Jesus’s disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist.

Jesus met the woman at the well and changed her life. She went back into the village and told the men of the town who she met. They believed and came out to see Jesus because of her. After they met Jesus, they believed because of Him. John 4:42 NIV They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” When you have successfully made a disciple, you can hand them off to the Lord, and they will be His disciple.