“Lord, would you give me someone I can disciple?”
Growing up, I heard countless sermons on the Great Commission. “Go make disciples,” the preacher would proclaim. But what exactly did that mean? At first, I thought it meant leading a Bible study with a new believer. That seemed efficient enough, but maybe it was something more “organic,” like “doing life together.” That sounded really cool, but how exactly do you “do life” with others? That doesn’t even make grammatical sense. I was confused, but I knew that God wanted me to make disciples. So, over fifteen years ago, I asked the Lord to give me someone I could disciple.
By God’s grace, I’ve learned a lot discipling since then. I’ve learned that discipling is simply helping other believers grow in grace and Christlikeness. In three words, discipling is about:
1. Instruction
Teaching God’s Word is the heart of discipling (Mt. 28:19). By teaching, I mean helping someone understand the meaning and application of God’s Word. This can be formal or informal. It can take place behind a pulpit, one-on-one over a cup of coffee, or through a timely text message to a discouraged friend. Teaching is the primary duty of church leaders (2 Tim. 4:1-4; Col. 1:28-29) and the God-given responsibility we all share as members of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16; Rom. 15:14). Each of us has a responsibility to prayerfully proclaim the truths of God’s Word to our fellow believers in order to help them mature in Christlikeness.[1] This is how we help other Christians grow in grace.
2. Imitation
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Brothers, join in imitating me. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (I Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9). From the life of Paul, we see that the ministry of discipleship is not merely informational, but profoundly relational. It demands that the truth be both proclaimed and modeled. God designed it that way because we learn by example. Yes, we need to hear the truth, but we also need to see the truth in action. We need flesh-and-blood examples to show us what holiness looks like in the trenches of life.
You might be thinking, “How on earth can I ask people to imitate me when I have so many struggles of my own?” Thankfully, we’re not called to model perfection. Instead, we are called to humbly model a life of repentance and faith following Christ as encourage others to do the same.
3. Intentional Initiative
Sorry, I used two words here, but both are necessary. Discipling others doesn’t just happen. It requires a great deal of prayerful thought, deliberate planning, and ongoing care. The book of Hebrews tells us to “consider how to stir one another up to love and good works (10:24).” I love how the Amplified Bible translates this verse: “Let us… give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities.”
Be intentional about how you’re going to disciple others. Take the initiative to see and respond to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Set aside Cain’s dismissive “Am I my brother’s keeper” mindset to continually care for the spiritual wellbeing of others. If we’re not intentional in taking initiative, we’ll miss out on the joy of being used by God to help others grow in grace.
Conclusion:
Discipling is more than leading a Bible study or doing life together. It’s a deliberate lifestyle of prayerfully proclaiming and humbly modeling the truths of God’s Word in order to help other believers grow in Christlikeness.
By God’s grace, my desire to disciple others hasn’t changed over the past 15 years. But my prayer certainly has. Today, it looks more like this: “Lord, would you give me wisdom, strength, and grace to intentionally help someone grow in Christlikeness today? Would you help me to not merely proclaim but model the life-giving truths of your Word so that others might be equipped to follow You?”
May God grant each of us grace, wisdom, and resolve to daily disciple others.
[1] This discipling ministry of prayerful proclamation is built on two key Biblical convictions: 1) God uses His Word to build His people. Through the power of His Word, God redeems and transforms a purified people for Himself (I Peter 1:23; John 17:17; 2 Cor. 3:18; etc.). God’s Word is what nourishes, sustains, and strengthens us in our pilgrimage to the celestial city (Mt. 4:4). We could go on, but suffice it to say, we cannot live in the truest sense without God’s Word. 2) Spiritual growth is primarily the work of the Spirit. Nothing spiritual happens apart from the work of the Spirit. He is the One who makes the Word come alive to us, enabling us to see its manifold glories (Ps. 119:18-18). He opens our eyes to the significance, meaning, and application of God’s Word (I Cor. 2:11-16). He assures us, comforts us, teaches us, and empowers us to grow in Christlikeness. In prayerful dependence upon the Spirit, we are called to take the truths of God’s Word to one another.
