- Discern spiritual curiosity
- Share the story of Jesus
- Help others follow Jesus
Seeing as it was the last thing Jesus told us to do before his ascension, we should spend some quality time thinking through what it means to make disciples. How do we make disciples? What is a disciple? Would you recognize a disciple if you met one? Here are a few of my off-the-cuff initial thoughts. Making disciples doesn’t mean making people become religious or attend church. I think it’s a much more relational process than that… and it’s a process that helps people become more like Jesus—not become more religious. When Jesus called his disciples, he didn’t outline the basics belief system for them and have them pray the prayer right then. He called them to follow him, watch him, live with him, and experience the transformation of God firsthand.
To start this process, we discern whether people are open to hearing about Jesus. If they aren’t right now, it’s okay—that doesn’t mean God’s not at work. Sometimes he’s moving them to the place they need to be to recognize him. When people are at a place of openness and curiosity, we can share the story of Jesus. As people hear stories about Jesus—during his life on earth—and how he’s at work in our lives now, people will be able to get to know him better. As they decide to follow him, we can help them. We can suggest a book of the Bible to start reading. We can help them learn to pray. We can help them publicly proclaim their faith. And all along the way, we are a friend walking alongside them.
If you want to take people through a 3-week journey on this topic, click here.