Let’s start with answering some questions about discipleship.

1. What is a disciple? A disciple is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus,
and is committed to the mission of Jesus.

2. What is a disciple maker? A disciple maker is a disciple of Jesus who enters into relationships
with people to intentionally help them follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.

3. Why make disciples?

• We are commanded and compelled to be and make disciples of Jesus. (Matt. 28:16–20; John 20:21). Those who have received the knowledge of salvation through Jesus are required to share it with others.
• To show the love of Jesus and help people to trust and follow Him.

4. What do disciple makers believe?

• We believe the gospel and it’s message of good news which is focused on Jesus as our Messiah (King) and his death, burial, and resurrection. We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible are the authoritative, reliable, and ultimate standard for disciple making and life (2 Tim. 3:16–4:2).
• We believe love is the driving motive. Disciple making cannot happen apart from loving and caring relationships . . . both tough and a tender love (1 Thess. 2).
• We believe verifiable fruit is the measure. We haven’t truly made mature disciples until they are following Jesus’ model of love and helping to make more disciples . . . this is fruitful multiplication.
• It is a way of life, accomplished through the fruit of the Holy Spirit living through a person’s yielded and holy life (2 Cor. 3:16–17).
• It’s more than just sharing the news about Jesus; it is also about teaching people to obey the commands Jesus gave us.
• It requires more than a head-level change; change must also occur at the heart and hands level.
• The goal of the Christian life is to be like Christ (Phil 3:17-21).

5. What does disciple making look like?

The discipler and disciple meet regularly, 1to 1 or at most 1 to 3 in a relationship where there is Biblical teaching, conversation, modeling, encouragement, and practice.

6. What is the goal of discipleship? To help people: trust and follow Jesus, spread the Gospel, and make more disciples.

7. What’s the difference between a disciple and a mentor?

A picture that may help you grasp a fundamental difference between discipling and mentoring is the 'position' one takes. When discipling someone, you walk ahead of them. They look to you in issues of faith, maturity, experience, etc. ... Mentoring however is when you walk beside someone.

8. What is the difference between discipleship and evangelism?

In Christianity, evangelism is the commitment to or act of publicly preaching the gospel with the intention to share the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.

9. Does discipleship ever end?

Disciple making should be a cyclical process—meaning once we are discipled, we are to disciple others, and so on.

10. What can we learn about discipleship from Jesus?

In seeking to make disciples, it is wise to remember how Jesus discipled others. Jesus' followers walked alongside Him…literally! They lived with Him, watched how He made decisions, saw how He interacted with others, sat at His feet and learned. They studied everything about Him. As Jesus' disciples, we should seek to know Him and to follow Him that closely. As disciple makers, we share our lives with others. We help teach people to devote their lives to Christ, and we walk alongside them as they do. We pray for them. Disciple making is investing in the life of another with the intent of both people getting to know Jesus better and follow Him more closely. When we learn from Jesus and get to know Him, we come to love Him and want to share His great love with others. We learn His truth and delight to share His Word so others can know true life in Him, too.

11. What else does Scripture say about discipleship?

Here are some helpful Scripture references:

• Titus 2:4 — Older women are to train younger women.
• Second Timothy 2:2 — Paul trained Timothy to train others to train others.
• Ephesians 6:4 — Fathers are to train their children.
• Matthew 28:20 — Missionaries are to teach the nations everything Jesus commanded.
• Hebrews 3:13 — All Christians are to exhort each other every day to avoid sin and to stir each other up to love and good works (see also Hebrews 10:24–25).
• First Peter 4:10 — All Christians are to use their gifts to serve others.
• Acts 18:24–26 — Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos.

Remember… God is at work in people’s hearts, and He is the one who brings them across our path. It is our job to recognize the opportunity and to respond. Are you ready to be His disciple?

To speak to someone about discipleship, please contact Don Leckie (623-826-4544), Doug Barnes (602-410-2006) or Jim Welter (602-448-5565).

Resources for Disciple Making

A key to disciple making is following some kind of process that can be reproduced. Otherwise there exists a tendency to drift from the purpose of disciple making into an occasional ‘checking in’ or idle ‘chit chat’ session. The following are examples of some resources that can be used in the disciple making process; however they are not meant to be exclusive. Remember the goal… help people trust and follow Jesus.

Real Faith, Learning to Live in Christ. Author: Bill Bright-Campus Crusade for Christ

Fundamentals of the Faith. Author: John MacArthur

Freedom in Christ. Authors: Neil Anderson and Steve Goss

Knowing God. Author: J I Packer

The Discipleship Gospel: What Jesus Preached-We Must Follow. Authors: Bill Hull and Ben Sobels

Conversion & Discipleship-You Can’t Have One Without The Other. Author: Bill Hull

Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples. Author: Francis Chan

The Gospel According to Jesus. Author: John MacArthur

Replicate. Authors: Robby Gallaty and Chris Swain