Wednesday, March 23, 2011

What to cover in discipleship



I think the scariest thing for me when I, as a student and a new believer, was first encouraged to start discipling people.  I had the fear because of not knowing what to do.  That fear paralyzed me for a few months until I finally confessed to the person who was discipling me about my fear.  She gave me a few tips and pointed me to some materials and told me to not trust in my own abilities or inabilities, but to trust in God to disciple others through me.  It’s a joy and a privilege for me as I continue to help others grow in maturity in Christ!

What to cover
Matthew 28:18-20
o    Jesus commands us to teach others about Him and His commands
o    press upon those you disciple the necessity of obedience
o    help them apply Christ's commands in their lives 

Matt.4:19
o   help others follow Him (deepen in commitment to walk with God)
o    let Him make them ‘fishers of men’ (to become able to tell others about Him)

Col.1:28-29
o    completeness/maturity in Christ (help them grow in likeness in Christ)

2Tim.2:2
o    if we aren’t passing onto other generations the truths about God, then how will Christianity continue to grow?!

Where to start
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by these topics?  I know that I am. 

1.    Don’t pass over the foundational truths!
Keith Davy, a staff member with Campus Crusade in the United States, points out, “I have seen that spiritual growth requires establishing a solid foundation and building on that foundation. It is living and breathing the basics…” 

I started out meeting with believers for Bible study – we began with the foundational truths of Christianity.  Some good materials, if you are looking for something to use, are: Your New Life in Christ or Life Concepts.

We occasionally met between our small group Bible study times to talk about what God was teaching us through the study.  It can be a smaller group of people or it can be a one-on-one time. 

2.    …moving onto more ‘solid food’ (1 Pet.2:2)
Keith continues…”The word disciple means that we are people who spend our lives apprenticed to our master, Jesus Christ.  We are discipling and being discipled to be lovers and learners of Jesus.  He is our foundation and our focus.” 
         
After a few weeks, we began to delve a little deeper into God’s Word to discover what it   means to be a lover and a learner of Jesus and what it means to be apprenticed to our Master.  And we began to meet more often outside of our small group time to discuss the truths we were learning, specifically how to apply them specifically to our daily lives. 

Need something more practical?
Is this still too elusive for some of you grasp?  I’m the sort of person who needs clear tracks.  Attached are 2 documents which list out some of the more important things to cover in a discipleship relationship. 

·         Помогая другим расти в их отношениях с Богом [sorry, not available in English]

Even more practical!
CruComm basics and CruComm training are specific Bible studies that cover many good topics that our disciples need to understand.  Don’t feel like you need to go through these lessons in the order presented – ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in choosing which lessons to go through.  Listen to your disciples – they are probably giving you some very good hints as to what they need to learn (or learn again) as they share what is going on in their lives right now.

Over the years I have had the privilege of helping many believers as they grow in their love for Jesus and in their usefulness as His servants.  It has been one of my great joys (it bears repeating) and I pray that the Lord gives you many disciples who will bring joy to your hearts as well.

No comments:

Post a Comment