1. Discipleship

2. Jesus tells us very clearly what His church should do:
Matthew 28: The Great Commission
16 The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus tells us very clearly what His church should do:

3. Jesus invitation is the definition
Mathew 4:18-20
As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brother, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. “Follow me,” He told them, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately the left their nets and followed Him.

4. Jesus invitation is the definition
“follow me”
A disciple knows and follows Christ
“and I will make you”
A disciple is being changed by Christ
“fishers of men”
A disciple is committed to the mission of Christ

5. “fishers of men” - A disciple is committed to the mission of Christ
How did Jesus disciple? Luke 5:1-11 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.” 6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!” 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.

6. What keeps you from being a disciple or discipling someone?
I don’t think I can or I don’t know how
1 Cor 6:19 – You have the Holy Spirit
19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own
1 Peter 2:5 – You are part of the holy priesthood
5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood…
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 – One body with many parts
I don’t have the time to invest in someone or myself

7. Count the cost of being a disciple or discipling someone?
Luke 14: Now great crowds were traveling with Him. So He turned and said to them: 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one who comes against him with 20,000? 32 If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. 34 “Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? 35 It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”

8. So many of us to give so little to the One who gave so much…

9. How Do We Get Started In Discipleship?
Vehicle
Map
Successful
Journey
Intentional Leader
Relational Environment
Reproducible Process
=Disciples

10. Intentional Leader A driver with a destination in mind is essential.
How would you describe an intentional leader?
Jesus as an Intentional Leader
Luke 22:7-13
John 6:5-6
Matthew: 14:28-31
Luke 10:1

11. An Intentional Leader: Knows the Game
Who taught you your favorite sport or hobby? How well did he or she know “the game”?
Understanding the Spiritual Battle: Disciple-makers need to understand the spiritual realities behind the world we live in.
Ephesians 6:13-17
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

12. An Intentional Leader: Knows the Game
Understanding the Spiritual Battle: Disciple-makers need to understand the spiritual realities behind the world we live in.
2. Maintaining a Biblical Worldview
Worldview Basics: Can you biblically answer these questions?
Where did we come from?
Why is our world so troubled and violent?
Isn’t there more than one way to God?
Is there such a thing as a moral absolute? Doesn’t culture dictate right and wrong?
Is the Bible and accurate and reliable source of God’s truth?
What happens after this life?
Is hell real?
What is the purpose of our lives?

13. An Intentional Leader: Knows the Game
Understanding the Spiritual Battle: Disciple-makers need to understand the spiritual realities behind the world we live in.
Maintaining a Biblical Worldview
Avoiding Dependence on a Formal Classroom: When disciple-making is reduced to a program, people often fail to connect it to a lifestyle.

14. An Intentional Leader: Evaluates the Players
Ephesians 4:11-14
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
An Intentional Leader: Evaluates the Players

15. An Intentional Leader: Knows the Players
Dead
Infant
Child
Young Adult
Parent
Born Again
Unbelief
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Ignorance
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Self-Centeredness
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Service
God-Centeredness
Other-Centeredness
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Intentionality
Reproducibility
Strategy
WARNING!
“Note: I want to emphasize that assessment is not a way of designating one believer as more valuable than another. It’s very important that disciple-makers and disciples understand the difference between value and usefulness. While a mature Christian is more useful to the purpose of the Lord and the church than a spiritual infant or child, he or she is NOT more valuable.”

16. An Intentional Leader: Knows the Players
Dead
Infant
Child
Young Adult
Parent
Born Again
Unbelief
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Ignorance
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Self-Centeredness
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Service
God-Centeredness
Other-Centeredness
Language and Behaviors Characterized by: Intentionality
Reproducibility
Strategy

17. Relational Environment
Intentional Leaders: Create a Relational Environment for Individual Growth
Real Teaching- From the Bible
Shepherding- Guide, know, and protect
Transparency- Be real,
not perfect- authenticity
Accountability
Guided Practice
1. You watch, I do
2. Let’s do it together
3. You do, I watch
4. You do with someone else

18. Reproducible Process
Infant = Share
Share your life
Share New Truth
Share New Habits
Child = Connect
Connect to God
Connect to others
Connect to Purpose
Young Adult = Minister
Equip for Ministry
Provide Ministry Opportunities
Release to do ministry
Parent = Disciple
Explain Discipleship Process
Engage and Model Discipling
Release to Disciple Others
As a disciple-maker, what am I ultimately trying to grow someone towards?
Map

19. Relational Environment
Vehicle
Map
Successful
Journey
Intentional Leader
Relational Environment
Reproducible Process
=Disciples
Application Questions: Are you a disciple? Who are you discipling in your family? What is God teaching you about discipleship? Who are you discipling outside your family?

20. References Real Life Discipleship by Jim Putman
Discipleship Training Manual