Too Many People Stumble Over The Simplicity of Discipleship - Are You One Of Them?

Too many believers think they need a special kind of qualification or training when it comes to making disciples. We have a saying around here – “Discipleship is simple, it’s just not easy.”

You have heard me talk before about the model and method of discipleship that Jesus gave us in the gospels. We call his model relational discipleship. After Jesus called his disciples to follow him, he lived alongside them for three years as they watched and helped him minister to those in the communities they traveled through. He used his relationship with them to determine what they needed to learn and show them what to do. Then he engaged their help as he ministered to others, and eventually he sent them out to minister without him and debriefed with them when they were done.

Too many believers think they need a special kind of qualification or training when it comes to making disciples #discipleship Share on X

I know you might look at this and think “But that was Jesus we are talking about. He not only knew exactly what to do, he did everything right. I am not him, so how can I make a disciple of his?” Well, it must be possible for us to do so or Jesus wouldn’t have left us with the commission in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples. The truth is every Christian is a disciple – and we are all called and equipped to be disciple makers.

In John 17:4-9 Jesus is praying to God before he was arrested and taken to the cross. In his prayer Jesus says “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (vs 4) This was before Jesus went to the cross, so what completed work is he referring to? The answer? He had completed the work of making disciples. The disciples were ready to go on and make disciples themselves; all they needed was the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had died on the cross for our sins but did not make disciples who could deliver the message none of us would have heard the good news!

The truth is every Christian is a disciple - and we are all called and equipped to be disciple makers. #discipleship Share on X

So what qualified these men to go out and make disciples? Did they have any special training before Jesus asked them to follow him? We don’t know for sure what all of them did to make a living before following Jesus, but we know at least a few of them were fishermen.

Acts 4:13 tells us this: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” From this scripture it appears that Peter and John had no special training to explain their words and actions. In fact the people were left with the conclusion that what made them stand out was less about what they knew and more about who they knew and had spent time with.

When Jesus left he knew that his disciples would have his example and the Holy Spirit to equip them for what they were being called to do. We have that same Holy Spirit and the Word, and that is all of the equipment we need to share the good news about who Jesus is and what he has done for us. And that is where discipleship begins.

A great disciple maker will always take their disciple through a process. It starts with “You watch; I do” and moves to “Let’s do it together” and then to “You do; I watch” finally, the disciple starts this same process with someone else – someone who watches while the disciple does.

This reproducible process of Relational Discipleship that Jesus modeled for us is timeless. It transcends geographical and cultural barriers. #discipleship Share on X

This reproducible process of Relational Discipleship that Jesus modeled for us is timeless. It transcends geographical and cultural barriers. This process does not require a Bible degree or complete knowledge of every spiritual issue. Now I am not saying there is something wrong with having a Bible degree, or a lot of Biblical knowledge – those are both good things. What I am saying, is that they are not prerequisites to being and making disciples. You are able to disciple another, no matter where you are in the process, to the level of maturity you yourself have reached.

You are able to disciple another, no matter where you are in the process, to the level of maturity you yourself have reached. #discipleship Share on X