Discipleship

What to do before you Disciple Someone.

What is Discipleship?

Purpose: to guide believers to live biblically and replicate faithful followers of Christ.

Live biblical- Colossians 1:10 “so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,”

Replicate faithful followers of Christ - 2 Timothy 2:2 “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Discipleship is the continuing work of transformation in the life of a believer to become like Jesus in thought, character, attitude, purpose and action as he deepens his intimacy with Him.

1 Peter 1:13–15 “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;”

Philippians 2:5 “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,”

1 John 2:6 “The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.”

Discipleship deals with every aspect of life. Philippians 1:27 “Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel,”

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,”

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,”

Discipleship is about moving forward and steady growth in the life of a believer.

John 15:4–5 “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Discipleship is a work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.”

Colossians 1:28–29 “We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.”

1 Timothy 4:7–8 “But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

Discipleship always produces and leads to ministry to others. 1 Peter 4:10 “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”

John 13:1–17 “Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God. So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.” “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said. Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my…”

Discipleship was intended to be reproduced. Matthew 28:18–20 “Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

2 Timothy 2:2 “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Discipleship is crucial in the life of the local church. Acts 2:42-47

Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

Ways to prepare yourself before you disciple.

1. Make sure you are grow in your relationship with the Lord. Before you invest in the spiritual life of someone else, you need to be growing in the Lord. John 8:31 “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, then you really are my disciples.”

2. Find someone to invest in your life (If you can).

Titus 2:1–3 “But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good,”

3. Pray that the Lord will select the right people to disciple. Luke 6:12–13 “During those days he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God. When daylight came, he summoned his disciples, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:”

4. Have a plan on how to help others grow spiritually.

5. Pray daily that the Lord will give you His wisdom and guidance.

Session Two

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

Things to think about before you disciple:

Time. Be intentional with your time with them, give them your full attention, and make it worth something. Time to a student will earn you the right to speak into their life. Even though conversation may be difficult, the time you spend with a student will have an incredible impact.

Questions. If you are effectively discipling students, you have to carry the load in the conversations. Students are not conversationalists. Some students may not and will not carry a conversation. Make sure your questions are open ended and that you have enough questions to move the student where they need to be.

Challenge. Students want to be challenged and expect to be challenged. It is through those challenges that their faith starts to become their own. Students are fearless, bold, and want to change their world.

Have a spiritual growth plan. Students want to actively live out their faith. We must be willing to take the steps to disciple them to be like Jesus and make His name known. As we conclude here are four other things to remember when you disciple a middle school student:

Every Student is Different. What you do for discipleship for one student most likely won’t work for the next student. Take time to get to know your students.

Flexibility and Patience. You have to work their schedules and their parent’s schedules. When you disciple a middle school student, some weeks will be incredible, others train wrecks.

Consistency. You need to be consistent in meeting with middle school students. A lack of consistency not only can be a hindrance to the student’s spiritual growth but it also can set a bad example of what discipleship looks like.

Build relationships with parents. Parents require a different approach. Take dads/moms out for breakfast or lunch and talk about home life. Ask how you can pray and how you can serve them. Never forget parents are the primary disciple makers of their children. Learn to serve the parents if you really want to get to the heart of a child.

What to do in your discipleship meeting:

1. Start with prayer.

2. Ask how how they are doing.

3. Share What everyone is learning from God’s Word.

Questions to ask about what they learn from God’s Word:

What did you read this week and how did God challenge you?

What attributes of God did you see from what you read?

How are you living out what you learn from God’s Word?

4. Go over a chapter form a book.

5. Ask accountability questions.

6. Take prayer request

7. End with prayer.

How do know if your disciple is spiritually growing.

Believe - in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Connect - by intentionally sharing life with other believers.

Grow - in their faith and experiences intimacy with Christ through meditating on and living out the Scripture, God’s Word.

Serve - by investing in the lives of other believers and none-believers for the glory.