Jesus treated different people differently. As we look through the stories in scripture, we see he didn’t recommend the same course of action to everyone. Rather, he treated them according to what they needed in order to move forward. Why should the way we make disciples be any different?
We need to make disciples the way we raise children– individually and according to what they need. If you are a parent of more than one child, you no doubt understand that different kids are different. You know each one’s strengths and weaknesses, love languages and fears. Parents may provide guidance, nurturing, and encouragement, but ultimately kids have to make some choices on their own, and they are not all alike.
- One child might need encouragement to step out of her comfort zone, while another child might need clear and firm boundaries.
- One child might need to be pushed to work harder at his school work, while another might need to be released from his self-made cage of perfectionism.
- One child might need to be taught to notice and consider the feelings of others, while another might need to not worry so much about what other people think.
You get the idea. Different kids need different things. As a parent, you treat them differently based on who they are and what they need at that particular point in time. So why do we try to treat all disciples the same?
Due to the innate differences among people, any set discipleship curriculum that involves everyone reading the same chapter at the same time, then moving on to the next set topic at the same time, will not work. If that could have been done, it would have been done by now.
Are you growing as a disciple? Do you disciple others? The Discipleship Difference lays out an intentional, holistic, and relational approach to discipleship that is individualized to meet each person wherever they are. Click to learn more.