3. The Key of Discipleship

The Key of Discipleship – Not Follow up!

You may be called to disciple someone. Christians that have started to walk away from the faith or just need help understanding their walk with Christ may be brought to you. Also, if our Lord has given you the opportunity of seeing someone come to Him, then you may be called to disciple this “Babe in Christ.” Discipleship – “Let the teaching, and admonishing one another…” (Colossians 3:16). Discipleship is critical to the growth and strength of the body of Christ. We are called to help each other to “Live the Life!” Let’s go over some keys to discipleship.

• Discipleship not “Follow-up” – Discipleship is a long term commitment to helping a fellow Christian grow in Christ. The relationship is typically initiated by the new or growing Christian. Follow-up on the other hand is initiated by a mature Christian or evangelist right after a person comes to Christ. It is meant to make sure that a new Christian is going through with his or her new commitment. Often this done after mass crusades where hundreds of people make an emotional or mental commitment to accepting Christ. Many never follow through and join a good, Bible-based, Christ-centered church. We believe that one cause for this lack of true conversion is the absence of using the Law in evangelism.
• Disciple a new Christian – A new Christian will be hungry for God’s wisdom and for learning about being a Christian. You will not need to find him. He most likely will be lead to you. That does not mean that you cannot offer to help a new Christian. It just means that if he is truly saved then you should not need to chase after him. Here are some steps to follow in setting up a discipleship meeting.

1. Set up a definite day and time to meet. Show the person that you are committed to his growth and be prepared with material to discuss.
2. Pray at the beginning and end of each meeting. Learning to be comfortable when praying with someone else is important. Try to keep the prayers short and simple at first. With the Holy Spirit’s help he will quickly pick up speed and will become comfortable in praying with other people.
3. A new Christian will have many questions. He may be looking for the depth of your knowledge or may be simply very inquisitive. Let him know that you do not know everything and that you will commit to find out answer to his question. Then do it!
4. Read the Bible with him. This may sound simple but you will find that your time together will go quickly. You may also notice that he will try to avoid reading the Bible by wanting to talk about your church or religious doctrine or someone he knows that is not saved. These topics are important but reserve time to simply read a chapter or two (a good book to start in is book of John). He may not want to read at first. So you read it but make sure to ask questions so that he has an understanding of what was read. Once he is hooked on the milk of the Word he will never let go!

Now, Go make disciples of all nations!