I was listening to a ministry podcast while running the other day when my ear buds almost popped out. I was listening to a podcast on how to make discipleship easy and couldn’t get over how complicated they were making it.
If I attended their growth track for discipleship, they would help me figure out a discipleship plan that matched my personality type, matched my spiritual development stage, and matched my previous ministry experiences. It was actually even more complex but that is all you need to know for now.
As I listened to this “growth track” approach to discipleship, I couldn’t help but think about one thing. How would Jesus do it? Did Jesus give Peter a personality test? Did Jesus assess John’s spiritual growth stage? Did Jesus evaluate Andrew’s prior ministry experience? I don’t think Jesus even had a track for people to take.
When I read the gospels, I see disciple making summed up in one word- relationships! Now, that’s easy. Jesus made disciples by inviting people into a small group and then he intentionally modeled for them how to pray, learn scripture, serve, witness, manage, worship, and lead. Mark 3:14 says it like this, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” Jesus used the “with him” approach to disciple making. The “with him” approach makes people “like him” and that is what disciple making is really all about.
Simple, isn’t it?
Impact Ministries exists to help you be and build disciples. If you are interested in starting a small discipleship group where relationships are the plan to becoming more like Christ, check out our Disciple Making Essentials as a resource for how to get started. It is easier than you think. Visit impactdisciples.com.
