The Disciple's Path: Releasing the disciple-maker in every disciple

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ” or how can I lead my church to be a disciple-making church? The Bible Teaching/Leadership Resource Group would like to introduce you to a disciple making model entitled “The Disciples Path”.

The Disciples Path was created by disciple-makers for disciple-makers. The process behind this model was to think about how to instill the doctrines, biblical understandings, principles, and practices of discipleship with the end of making disciples who would make disciples. This list of disciple-making principles and practices are not only biblical but practical.

The outcome of this process is a powerful tool in the hands of anyone willing to disciple another believer. Here are some thoughts to consider;

THE DISCIPLE'S PATH IS PROGRESSIVE.

We are going somewhere—to maturity. This is not aimless wandering. These studies build on each other progressively.

THE DISCIPLE'S PATH IS DISCIPLINED.

What happens between meetings is more important than what happens during them. We are to teach those we're discipling "to observe," that is "to do" what is commanded. The greatest growth takes place when a disciple does what is commanded in Scripture, not just learns what Scripture says. That is why the end of each session in the Disciples Path series has a set of expectations that the growing disciple agrees to accomplish between meetings. At the outset of the following meeting, there is time for processing what has been experienced.

THE DISCIPLE'S PATH IS RELATIONAL.

For a person to become a mature disciple, he or she must journey alongside the person discipling them. As this journey toward spiritual maturity is experienced, the disciple sees the lifestyle and practices of this disciple-maker, asks important questions of that person, and is taught specific skills, truths, and principles that will be exercised for the lifetime of the disciple.

THE DISCIPLE'S PATH IS REPLICABLE.

Paul had in his mind that a disciple-maker disciples someone who disciples someone who disciples someone. It's an ongoing process. The Disciples Path series was created with this principle in mind. The goal of every disciple-maker should be that the person who has been disciple, then uses the series to disciple someone else. By using the same resources, even the first-time disciple-maker will be comfortable taking on this important but sometimes intimidating

There's a disciple-maker inside every Christian.

When a baby is born, people immediately spring into action to clean, check, bathe, and warm the infant. All this is done in order to ensure that this new creation is well on his or her way to a life of growth, health, and maturity.

But when someone is born into Christ, we usually just congratulate them and send them into the world. As a result, churches are full of baby Christians who never fully developed spiritually, even if they were born decades earlier.

Disciple's Path: The Journey provides an intentional one-year mission toward maturity in Christ. It's a purposeful process covering four volumes, 13 sessions each. The Journey was created to nurture believers into disciples who make disciples.

Allow the Bible Teaching/Leadership Resource Group to show you a way to model disciple making in your church. This may not be your ideal model, but it may allow us to have a conversation about what disciple making looks like in your church. Call us today for more information or to have a conversation about making disciples. Steve Hopkins 614-601-6820 or Dwayne Lee 614-601-6824