Discipleship: More Than A Buzzword (3/5)
Welcome to part 2/5 of a series called: Discipleship: More than a Buzzword.
Once you answer the question what the command of discipleship? And you answer the question what is a disciple? The next logical question to move toward is what is discipleship? This is an extremely important question. Definitions matter. How we define something affects how we pursue it. Disciple means follower. So discipleship is creating followers.
Discipleship can mean a lot of things. I pray our Sunday morning gatherings are a time of discipleship. I pray our small groups are a time of discipleship. I pray conversations with our friends, family, and coworkers are a time of discipleship. But here is a simple definition for you to think about that I pray can bring clarity and give you a framework of discipleship.
Discipleship is taking the necessary time to win, involve, and teach someone how to follow Jesus.
I like this simple definition. It comes straight from Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus tells us to (1) Make Disciples (2) Baptize them (3) teach them. Often we are alright at number 1 & 2 but ignore number 3. We share the gospel. We involve them in our church. But we don’t teach them truly how to read God’s Word, walk with God, and live the life God designed them to live. What is it called when we obey 2/3 commands? It is called disobedience.
At the heart, discipleship is, we who are further along in our walk with God, helping those who are less far along. Too often people give their lives to Jesus, we baptize them, give them a Bible and say, “Good luck! We will see you every Sunday & Wednesday for the next 20 years.” And that is where discipleship stops when it is actually where it should begin. We should be walking alongside people in our lives teaching them how to be self-feeders of the Bible, how to to pray, how to walk daily with God.
To walk with God means that we yield our lives to His control. We follow His lead. We align our lives to Him. And we allow Him to influence every part of our life. Simply, it mean to be where God is and to follow Him when He moves.
1) To walk with God I must KNOW GOD.
2) To walk with God I must LEARN HIS WAYS.
3) To walk with God I must COMMUNICATE WITH HIM.
4) To walk with God I must OBEY HIS COMMANDS.
5) To walk with God I must SERVE along the way.
6) To walk with God I must TELL OTHERS of my journey.
7) To walk with God I must PRACTICE PERSONAL HOLINESS.
People don’t learn how to walk with God on their own or by simply sitting in church - though church is critical & commanded. They must be invested in. The must be instructed. They must be discipled.
Discipleship is not just a time to hang out, shoot the breeze, and vent about life (Although it is important to talk about life)... It is a time help someone follow Jesus more closely; a time to help them take their first step or their next step - one step closer to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
1) It is an INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIP.
2) It is a time of PRACTICAL teaching & training (weekly meeting time is best)
3) It is a time of MODELING.
4) It is about GROWTH & MULTIPLICATION.
A tool we use is called the 6 C’s to help identify where someone is spiritually and how to help them take their next step.
Once you identify where someone is you are able to chart a way forward to help them grow, to help them take one step closer to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ - through God’s Word, good discipleship resources, conversation, etc. It gives you a map. Again, discipleship is a 3 fold goal. Win them to Jesus. Involved them. And teach them how to follow Jesus. This is not just a responsibility of the local church. This is our responsibility as Christians. Not everyone will preach a message. Not everyone will lead a small group. But every growing Christian can make disciples.
Next we will tackle the goals of discipleship & the process of discipleship. As always, if we can help, don’t hesitate to reach out.