2 Timothy 2:2, “2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
I have had the pleasure of being able to come alongside others and help them grow in their faith in Jesus since I was 19-years old. I basically came to faith in Jesus and by God’s grace, He placed men and women in my life would cast a vision of how I could spiritually invest in other people.
Some people call this process discipleship, some people call it mentoring, some people call it being a friend but I simply call it “One follower of Jesus encouraging, equipping, and enriching another person (not necessarily a believer) in their attempt to reach their full potential in Christ.”
10 Essentials of Discipleship
1. You have to find teachable people.
If you were going to trust someone to share the gospel with the world it probably wouldn’t be Peter, John, James, Mary Magdalene but Jesus looked for teachable people. People who believe they are self-sufficient are typically not teachable. Romans 12:16.
2. You have to be sensitive to where they are right then.
You can’t use a cookie cutter approach toward people. Assess where this person is on their spiritual journey:
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- What’s their story?
- Where did they grow up?
- What exposures have they had to faith?
- What are the high / lows of their story?
3. Go over the gospel.
Use the “Bridge illustration” or the “3 Circles Illustration.” It doesn’t matter. Find helpful tools to help you understand the gospel and share the gospel with others.
4. Commit to praying for them personally / daily.
The Holy Spirit will give us insight into the lives of other people and as we pray for people we will be able to more effectively help them grow spiritually.
5. Look to meet tangible needs.
Cast vision for character, marriage, God’s glory, parenting, finances, friendships, purpose / vision…it can’t just be information.
6. You have to start small and then raise the bar.
- Encourage them to get into God’s Word every day. There is power in God’s Word. No matter where they are spiritually there is a benefit of getting into God’s Word every day. (This might open up a discipleship opportunity.)
- Encourage them to pray every day. We might need to model for them what prayer looks like, but the more they can engage the Lord in prayer the more vibrant their relationship with the Lord will become.
- Study the bible in depth. Pick a book of the bible. Read a passage. Write down observations. Go over observations together, and try to answer those questions. Give the homework of creating a title for that passage, and doing the observations of the next passage.
- At the end just wrap it up, and you want them to beg for more. You want them hungry. If they want more, then raise the bar. Then meet for six more months, and ask them to teach that to someone else. You are building confidence and building short success.
7. You have to spend time with them.
Share from your life personally. Take them to places / events with you. Have them in your home. Run errands together. Have fun together. Get involved in life together. I lived with the first person who discipled me. I saw how they treated one another, their children. They taught me how to balance my checkbook. They taught me to turn off lights. They taught me to look people in the eye. You can learn more from watching people than listening to people. Let people watch you!
8. You have to teach them to obey God’s Word.
Your words are not just words, but things we chisel into life. Get their spiritual disciplines first; tithe, bible, prayer, confession, serving-the basic foundations. Then, morality-dealing with how you treat their wife, raise children, purity of sexual life, relate to authority, their witness. Then, service and the future plans to completely effect the man’s heart and mind.
9. You have to stretch them.
Where they are taken out of their comfort zone; Moses, Joshua, David-all brought to scary places. What is taking place in your life right now that you desperately need God? If not, you need to be in a place to get stretched.
10. You have to expose them to the faithful.
Let them know that you are not the only one. Introduce them to those that are doing the same. Meet old faithful men and women. Introduce them to other people in our church family.
When I was trained in the faith, it wasn’t in the pulpit as a preacher. You can’t disciple people from the pulpit, you have to get into groups where you see life on life. You see if they are faithful.
This is where we want our church family. Our prayer is that after being in our church family for 3 years you would not only have heard some good songs, taken some notes, had some laughs, but if somebody asked you, “What did you take away from North Village Church?” You could easily say, “I learned how to pour my life into others and a passion to do so.”
North Village Church
This article was written by Pastor Michael Dennis, Lead Pastor at North Village Church; a non-denominational church in Austin, TX, established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
Check out our North Village Church calendar highlights such as our Christmas Eve Service in Austin and Easter Sunday Service.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information, please call (512)-623-9272 or email [email protected]
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.
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