Jesus’ method for disciple-making is timeless – the same approach He used in in His day works for us today. Jesus-style disciple making never gets old or becomes irrelevant. It will never be outdated – it works in every generation and in every nation. The process of coming alongside other people and helping them become more like Christ in their character and conduct never changes. We make fully trained disciples today the exact same way Jesus did over two thousand years ago.
In a nutshell, Jesus’ approach to discipleship can be summed up in two words from Mark 3:14: “And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach…”
“With Him” are the two words that sum up Jesus’ entire discipleship strategy. He understood that more was “caught” than taught, so He spent three years helping His disciples “catch” His vision. Over the course of approximately three years, Jesus modeled for His disciples how to live and how to lead. His disciples learned His character and conduct by listening to Him and watching Him. They learned how to lead untrained seekers to become fully trained disciples by watching how He led them. This process was golden and it worked flawlessly. Once Jesus left earth, His disciples continued to reproduce what they had heard and seen while He was with them.
The same “with Him” approach Jesus used works today – His Word and His Spirit make it possible for us to have a “with Him” approach in our ministries two thousand years after He left this earth. When we gather in a small group over an extended period of time, open the Word of God, and allow the Spirit to speak to our lives, we can be transformed into the image of Christ. The process works if we work the process.
Instead of always chasing the latest and greatest, why not stick with what is tried and true? Why not go back to the greatest and most effective disciple-maker of all time for the playbook? If you really want to leave behind a legacy of multiplying disciples, then open the gospels and study how Jesus launched His movement through the Church.
At Impact Discipleship Ministries we exist to inspire people and churches to be and build disciples of Jesus Christ. If we can help you in that process, please don’t hesitate contact us for training, resources, and coaching. Check us out at impactdisciples.com.
This post originally appeared at: A Timeless Approach to Disciple-making – Impact Discipleship Ministries