I’ve recently started writing for my friends over at Gospel Centered Discipleship, which focuses on cultivating writers and resources that make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. My latest contribution is all about overcoming the mindset that trips us up as we seek to make disciples. Here’s how it begins:
Don’t freak out.
That’s what I wish someone had told me when I was a new Christian and was first realizing that every believer’s role in making disciples also meant I had a role in making disciples. It’s not like this was a big secret, of course. After all, Jesus commanded his followers to teach others to “observe all things” he had commanded (Matt. 28:20 NKJV)—to make disciples. But when it hit home, it just felt like a lot. I didn’t know where to start. And what could a new believer like me offer others anyway? I didn’t know the first thing about the end times or election. I couldn’t tell you the difference between Arminians and Armenians.
Then it happened—a younger man asked me if I’d be willing to disciple him. Did I feel equipped or qualified? No. But I was willing to give it a shot. At that point, I was mostly familiar with Christians reading and discussing books together. So, that’s where I started. The problem was this guy wasn’t much of a reader. We tried talking through our progress in basic spiritual disciplines. That was a struggle too. We liked hanging out, and when we talked about Star Wars and pop music, conversation flowed easily. But the “discipleship” side of our relationship didn’t seem to be happening, at least as far as I could tell. I was frustrated, not with this younger man, but with myself. What was I doing wrong?
Why Does Discipleship Feel Difficult?
According to a 2022 study, 37 percent of American Christians don’t feel equipped or qualified to make disciples. Why? I suspect it’s because we’ve reduced our understanding of discipleship to structured education and obeying biblical commands.
In the first case, making disciples becomes teaching a Bible study, seminar, or Sunday School class. These are all good things, and I’m thankful for all the resources that exist to support them. But if we haven’t shown aptitude for formal teaching, it’s natural that we feel unqualified or ill-equipped.
In the second case, a caveat is required: Jesus does command us to teach people to obey his commands. Obedience to Christ isn’t optional. But we can focus on it to such a degree that if we struggle in any area of obedience—if we’re painfully aware of how prone our hearts are to wander—we consider ourselves unqualified to encourage others to pursue holy lives.
Start With—and From—the Heart
This was my problem: I was looking at discipleship from the wrong perspective. It hadn’t yet clicked that discipleship is more than education and obedience to biblical commands. Discipleship is a matter of the heart. It is about helping others love Who and what we love; learning to delight in the God who delights in us (Zeph. 3:17) as we become like Jesus from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). We want to help people not just know about Jesus but to abide in him (John 15:4). We want them to be deeply connected to the One who is our life (Col. 3:4). To be satisfied with him as we would be with the finest of foods (Ps. 63:5). This means discipleship starts with the heart—specifically, ours as disciple makers.
Keep reading at Gospel Centered Discipleship.
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