How Do I Make Disciples?

Don’t Waste Your Time With 1-On-1 Discipleship

Don’t Waste Your Time with 1-on-1 Discipleship. Start a D-Group to Maximize your Investment Now that I have your attention, let me say that one-on-one discipleship is not a waste of time. However, there is a better way to invest your chronological clout. Anyone in business will tell you that the secret to success is working smarter, not just harder – because investing your time and resources in the right areas will yield the biggest returns. Solomon, King David’s son, was a financial genius: the Warren Buffett of his day. Twenty-five hundred years before Wall Street ever existed, he advocated the diversification of assets (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2). Wise people do not invest all of their funds in one stock for fear of losing their entire life savings, should the company collapse. Instead, good stewards invest in a variety of stocks, bonds, and commodities. The same can be said of your time. It’s precious. You only have so many hours each week to devote to discipleship, so invest in the right areas. After a decade of discipling, critiquing, evaluating, and implementing discipleship groups in various contexts and churches, I have identified 8 convincing reasons to start a D-group of 3 to 5 instead of one-on-one. Read More
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How To Not Waste Your Summer

If you are a Christ-follower, you surely want to grow closer to Him and to your family. This summer provides a great opportunity to do just that! Because of the good weather, longer days, and children not being in school, you can maximize the time you spend together to grow and be strengthened in your relationship with God and with one another. Here are 7 ways to take advantage of the time. 1. Be Intentional There is an old saying that goes, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” So be intentional! Make it a specific effort to spend quality time together with your family. If you want to grow closer as a family, you must spend time together. Some of the following “keys” to taking advantage of the summer will certainly give some ways to kick start this intentionality, but in reality it’s up to you! You know your family the best, and your creativity in being intentional with them will make all the difference. Read More
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What You Miss By Not Making Disciples

As we conclude the Growing Up Challenge series, we examine what you miss out on by not making disciples. Sign up for the Growing Up Challenge. It was the summer of 1986. I was 9 years old. My sister Lori was 7. And after seeing the movie Space Camp, we were determined to go to there for a week. We begged Mom and Dad the entire way home to send us. There was only 1 problem. Space camp wasn’t cheap. But I was passionate and persistent, even at 9. Some way, I negotiated with my parents to send us to space camp, on 1 condition: we both had to make the honor roll next school year. They key word was both. This was an easy task for my sister, who made the honor roll every period. Me, on the other hand, making the honor roll would be miraculous. But I was motivated. Who wouldn’t be? Read More
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HELP! What is Discipleship? (Flashback Friday)

[leadplayer_vid id="51B14B2EDB8DF"] What is Discipleship? Is there a Difference between a Christian and a Disciple? Why has there been so much Confusion over the Great Commission? Jesus’ final words became the foremost priority of these men’s lives. In Matthew 28:18, the Lord announced His supreme authority over heaven and earth. Then, He directed His followers to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). In order to fully carry out the command of the Great Commission, we must understand a crucial term in this verse. The King James Version of the Bible renders the Greek word for make disciples as teach. Matthew 28:19 in the King James Version reads, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” (emphasis mine). Read More
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A Model for Making Disciples that WORKS (Hint: Size Matters)

More books and conferences under the banner of disciple-making are available now than ever before. As a result, believers are contemplating the implications of the Great Commission for their lives. With a better understanding of discipleship come questions of how to replicate the process. One important facet is how many people should be discipled together. The size of your discipleship group should be considered before approaching potential group members. I have found that the most effective discipleship groups, what we call D-Groups, are gender-exclusive. Men should meet with men, and women should meet with women. Some topics and personal problems should not be discussed in a mixed group. While it is wonderful for couples to study God’s Word and grow spiritually together, the crucial dynamic of a D-Group is compromised when couples are involved, particularly in the areas of transparency and accountability. Read More
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A 4-Fold Strategy for Making Disciples (That Really Works)

When you stop and think about yourself and all of the Christians around you, how many people are true disciples of Christ in the way that God intended? I have a sneaking suspicion that the number is not what it should be. This is one of the reasons Paul challenges Timothy, in this last letter to his spiritual son, to not only make more disciples but to teach other people how to make disciples as well. Read More
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