Staff Meeting on Discipeship Strategy

Discipleship

Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.

Billy Graham

I want to clear something up though — discipleship has always existed — Jesus commanded it

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The term “make disciples” is Jesus telling us that we should be making disciples or going through the process of discipleship

Definition

Disciple: an apprentice of Jesus, who will be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did

Let’s break down what that means

Apprentice: actively working to become like Jesus through the process of sanctification

Be with Jesus: spend time daily with Jesus through reading/studying the word, prayer, meditation, music, relationships, etc.

Become like Jesus: in the manner of sin; flee sin; crave the things of God and not the world such as his love, mercy, etc.; more like Jesus’ character

Do what Jesus did: actions of Jesus; showing love, mercy, etc; evangelism

So if that is what a disciple is, the next question we should be asking is how do I disciple someone?

If you are going to disciple someone you must be willing to walk with the person

Disciple Simplified: walking with a person daily; living life together actively not passively

Walking with them in daily life — seeking to be an active part in their life, not just passive bystanders shouting directions

Discipleship is often messy, difficult, and can burn you

If you are trying to pour into someone and help them seek Jesus it’s never going to be easy

Four keys

Intentional: spend intentional time with them

If we are going to be discipling someone we must be intentional with them

We are not like Jesus and the disciples (i.e. we don’t live together for 3 years)

We must be intentional with the questions we ask and how we act/react to things that come up in discussion

You can’t disciple someone in secret and you can’t be discipled in secret

Purpose: have a purpose and plan

We must have a purpose when it comes to discipling someone

The person you are choosing to disciple must know the purpose of it. If they think you are simply meeting together they will never take it serious

Think about the question:

What is the reason behind picking that person?

Why are you choosing the person you are picking?

To achieve the definition above

Appropriate: must be an appropriate discipleship relationship

You can’t disciple a person that is further along than you

You can’t be discipled by someone who is behind you

You should always be a Timothy to someone's Paul

You should always be a Paul to someone's Timothy

You can’t disciple someone who doesn’t want to be discipled

You can’t be discipled if you aren’t willing

The relationship must be appropriate. If you a man you should be discipling another man. If you are a woman you should be discipling another woman

This not only protects you from sin — you also don’t understand what the other are dealing with

Replication: your disciple should replicate this relationship with others

This does not mean your discipleship relationship must end but instead they should begin doing this with another

The person you are discipling should be able to go off and start discipling someone else

If they cannot replicate what you are doing with them you are simply wasting their time

When I am looking for a a discipleship relationship these are four things I am considering

How to choose

I don’t just jump and start discipling anyone — I look for people who are actively seeking Jesus and need a push

I look for people that...

I have a genuine connection with

That I enjoy spending time with

That I believe actively wants to follow Jesus

Discipleship is about growing deep, not wide.

Resource

As for resources that I use when discipling someone

I always start out with this book

Multiply by Francis Chan

I have used the Multiply book 4 different times with various success when it comes to discipling people

The thing I like about this book is it walks through what a disciple should look like, what they should do, and goes through the OT and NT to give a foundation of the Bible

I also like this book because it really separates the people that want to grow from the people that say they want to grow

It forces them to be committed and take responsibility

Order of Meeting

Now like I said discipleship is walking with someone in daily life

I am calling them on the phone, inviting them to go disc golfing, going out to eat, showing up at events they are going to

I am spending specific intentional time with them

But we also have “structured” meetings especially early on when we are going through Multiply

Here is how they are structured

Talk about life - 10 minutes

Go through book - 30 minutes

Ask Questions - 10 minutes

Pray - 10 minutes

Questions

I also ask three questions every time we meet together

Disciplining boys/Young Adults there is three questions at the end of every session I always ask them

Have you watched anything you shouldn't have?

Have you done anything you shouldn't have?

Did you lie to me?

There is a lot of questions that probably need to be asked but this is biblical

Titus 2:2 NET

2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

Titus 2:6–8 NET

6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled,7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us.

Through the book and these questions I can see if they are praying, reading the Bible, and staying pure

Lifestyle

Discipleship is a lifestyle, not a meeting

I believe that discipling someone is way more than just a weekly meeting with someone

It’s more than just a program or a structure or book that we can walk through

I believe that it takes weekly structured meetings as well as consistent friendship to truly disciple someone

Anyone can walk through a book with someone, it takes dedication to actually see someone become a disciple

Getting practical

I want to walk through a timeline of how me and my friend Greyson got into a discipleship relationship

2015

Greyson was a 8th grader at the Summer camp that I worked at

We became close during the summer but that was it

2016

Greyson as a Freshman started volunteering at Summer camp

We went out to eat a couple of times in big groups

Stayed close via texting and hanging out at camp, but when he started school really didn’t have much contact

2017

Greyson as a Sophomore - working at Summer camp

Become closer friends

I was student pastor and started inviting him into a high school boys bible study where he would attend

He was asking questions and actually reading his bible

2018

Greyson as Junior

Every day after summer camp was at my house

I asked him if we could walk through the book multiply and we started to be a “formal” discipleship relationship

I identified him as a leader and gave him chances to lead bible studies at the summer camp while working with him to build lessons

2019

Greyson as a senior in high school

We hung out regularly

Did Bible studies together

Talked about future plans - helped him apply to go to Bible college as he was feeling a calling into ministry

The relationship starts to deepen

2020

Greyson took my spot as Middle School team leader at camp

Gave him advice while at the camp

Continued to meet, hangout, talk about school, life and everything in-between

Asked him to be a groomsman in my wedding

Greyson started this same process with a kid named Eli — same age gap as me and Greyson

2021

Helped Greyson navigate camp life - lots of problems were coming up so I tried to guide him as best as I could

Helped him with school

Continued hanging out

2022

Advised Greyson to make this his last summer at summer camp as the situation continued to get worse

They didn’t want him to take student pastor role so I advised him on steps to go

Advised him on switching from Carolina U to Southeastern

2023

Helped Greyson get an internship at Farmington Baptist in Davie

Gave him guidance as he is navigating ministry life

2024

Same things

Discipling Greyson I have walked with him through High School Graduation, camp manna, a bad breakup with a girl, transferring colleges, church internships, and hopefully soon graduating college

The purpose of discipling someone is to walk with them and help them as they are navigating life and actively moving toward Jesus

Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.

Billy Graham

Conclusion

My discipleship process isn’t for everyone

Not everyone can implement my strategy, and not a lot of people will be directly in my discipleship sphere

Through this process Greyson is the farthest and the most “successful”

I have started the process with a few others, at REVO me and Jonah Fie have went through the multiply book, I am actively starting slow with a few students (Truett and CK)

I plan to ask Sam Wilson in the near future as well as actively praying for more people to make themselves known

Questions

Any questions?