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Number 107
Tom walked up to John and
said, “Will you disciple me?” John nearly keeled over. He
felt overwhelmingly inadequate.
How would you react to this
question? Would you have felt a surge of confidence? Or would you have
felt a bit uneasy? Perhaps, like John, you would have been eager to
say, “Yes,” but not quite sure about what saying, “Yes,”
would actually mean.
What is a disciple and how do you make one?
First, what does it mean
to be a disciple? In the Bible the word for disciple literally means
“pupil” or “learner.” When applied to the early
Christians, it came to mean someone who declared a personal allegiance
to the teachings and person of Jesus. The life of a disciple revolves
around Jesus.
Here’s a good working
definition: A disciple is someone called to walk with Christ, equipped
to live like Christ, and sent to work for Christ. Calling, equipping,
sending. Let’s look at these three aspects of a disciple’s
life.
A Disciple
Is Called To Walk With Christ
I grew up in a “Christian
home” that didn’t know Christ. We didn’t reject the
gospel; we never heard it. Our church was focused on other things. In
my early 20s, though, my soon-to-be wife, Patsy, explained the gospel
of Jesus to me, and I soon embraced Christ as my Lord and Savior.
There are 108,000,000 men
in America 15 years of age and older. Regrettably, 66,000,000 of these
men have made no profession of faith in Christ. That’s sad, because
many of them (like me) would gladly receive Christ if engaged in a credible
way. What’s even sadder, though, is how many men think they have
tried Christianity, found it wanting, and rejected it, when in fact
they have never properly understood it.
First and foremost,
a disciple is someone who has believed in Jesus—his life, work,
death, and resurrection. The first task of making disciples is evangelism—to
call men to walk with Christ by grace through faith.
A Disciple
Is Equipped To Live Like Christ
Picture yourself as the president
of a 100 person law firm. For years you have recruited lawyers, but
then left them on their own. Without guidance and training they have
done more harm than good. Unresolved cases have piled up, other law
firms consider your firm an embarrassment, and the public thinks you
are incompetent.
Suppose you go to your board
of directors and ask to hire another 20 lawyers. They would say, “Are
you nuts? You haven’t trained the lawyers we have. Why would we
let you hire more? We have a terrible reputation. In fact, several young
people who interned with us have quit the law. You’re fired!”
A lot of people who reject
Christianity see Christians and say, “If that’s what it
means to be a Christian, then I want no part of it.” Isn’t
that a criticism too dangerous to leave unanswered? It may do more harm
than good to invite a man to become a Christian if we have no plan to
help him truly know and follow Christ.
When we don’t disciple
(train and equip) a man who professes Christ, he will almost always
become lukewarm in faith, worldly in behavior, and hypocritical in witness.
The second task of making disciples is teaching—to equip them
to live like Christ.
A Disciple
Is Sent To Work For Christ
Why do we equip men to live
like Christ? So they can enjoy Christ by knowing Him better, but also
“so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Jesus prayed, “Father, as you
have sent me, so I am sending them” (John 20:21).
Every man wants to give his
life to a cause, to make a difference, to do something with his life.
When we disciple a man, he will eventually want to make that difference
for the glory of God: to “bear much fruit” and do “good
works that will last” (John 15:8,16).
Once a man has been with
Christ, experienced the joy of His grace, the warmth of His love, the
cleansing of His forgiveness, and the indwelling of His Spirit, he inevitably
comes to a point when he can no longer be happy unless he is serving
the Lord.
Evangelism, teaching, service….these
are the “trinity” of making disciples. Now let’s look
at some methods to actually make disciples.
Many methods
come to mind, but: The best method of making disciples is the one you
will use. Which of these are most suitable for you?
The age-old
starting point for making disciples is the preaching and teaching of God’s
Word. Don’t overlook or underestimate the power to make disciples
from the pulpit. God has called some to be pastors and teachers “to
equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body
of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). Pastors, make sure your people
walk out thinking, “Isn’t God awesome!”
A man read my
book, The Man in the Mirror, and accepted the challenge to start an accountability
group. That group grew to eight men, then split into four groups. Two
of the men approached the pastor to start a men’s ministry. After
seven years, about 75 other groups exist with an estimated 900 men. Small
groups are a dynamic way to build disciples. What kinds of small groups
are there?
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Bible studies
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Accountability
groups
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Prayer groups
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Share groups
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Men only
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Couples
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Home groups
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Office groups
Click here
to learn about leading a weekly men’s small group.
Most meaningful change takes
place in the context of small group relationships. As men tell their
“stories,” the truth of the gospel gets meaty and fleshy.
Simply, I just “get it” (the gospel) better when I see it
in your life!
Private
study
Do your men lack power? Jesus
said, “Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures,
and you don’t know the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).
Men become disciples when they discover God in His Word. Personally, I
have never known a single man whose life has changed in any significant
way apart from the regular study of God’s Word. Encourage your men
to read God’s Word. For the last 17 years I have read The One Year
Bible through each year—I recommend it. Use private study time to
memorize meaningful verses, pray, sing, and meditate on God’s Word.
Christian literature
In 1656, Puritan Richard
Baxter said, “See that in every family there are some useful moving
books, beside the Bible. If they have none, persuade them to buy some:
if they be not able to buy them, give them some if you can. If you are
not able yourself, get some gentlemen, or other rich persons, that are
ready to do good works, to do it.” We see it over and over...a
man will get hold of a book, and God will use the book to get hold of
the man. Give a guy a book!
Seminars and conferences
A man said, “Wow, that
seminar changed my life!” This was quite discouraging to his pastor.
He thought, That speaker didn’t say anything to my men that I
haven’t been saying for years! And he’s right! God can only
reap through a seminar in proportion to what the pastor has sown through
his weekly work. So the seminar speaker reaps where another has sown.
Both, then, should give all glory to God for what God has done (John
4:36). Seminars do change men’s lives.
Informal discussions
Some of the richest times
of my life have been doing “hang time” with by buddies and
my heroes. Hanging out, going to lunch, riding motorcycles, rapping
theology with my daughter—God often orchestrates teachable moments
to build into each other’s lives.
Leadership
training
My father-in-law says, “Amateurs
teach amateurs to be amateurs.” I agree. If you are serious about
making disciples, you really should get some training.
How many men in your church
are lukewarm? How many men in your church are bearing much fruit? It
would be wise to answer these questions right now—and take action.
You’re going to heaven, right? Why not take 30, 60, or 100 spiritually
mature brothers with you (Matthew 13:23)?
APPLICATION
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How many
men can you say you’ve discipled, in whole or in part?
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What are
your beliefs about the importance of discipling men? Does your practice
match your convictions, and why or why not?
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Suggestion:
Consider calling or emailing your pastor. Offer your services to disciple
men in your congregation. Tell your pastor you’ll teach a study,
or that you’ll do the administrative work if he teaches. Right
now, in you church, a man is thinking about abandoning his family
like my grandfather did. That man needs you. So do his wife and children.
Business
leader, author, and speaker, Patrick Morley helps men think more deeply
about their lives, to be reconciled with Christ, and to be equipped
for a larger impact on the world. David Delk is the President of Man
in the Mirror © 2003. Patrick Morley and David Delk. All rights reserved.
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