When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John 16:13-15 ESV
There’s probably as many definitions of what a disciple is as there are people, but we can agree a disciple of Jesus follows Jesus. The Lord ascended, but He sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide until He returns. It’s no longer God with us, it’s God in us.
If I had to summarize what disciplemaking is in one sentence, it would be this: disciplemaking is teaching people to recognize the voice of God and encouraging them to obey it.
So really, being a disciplemaker is being someone who helps others grow in relationship and fellowship with God. We teach relational skills like listening prayer and practical skills like healing and deliverance. We help people become confident in their ability to recognize God’s voice and discern truth. Once they are capable and fully trained in the basics, they can then go make disciples, too.
Making disciples is God’s plan to reach the ends of the earth with the Good News.
Disciplemaking sometimes gets formalized and turned into a religious program. While information transfer does occur, the focus should be on transformation through sustained relationship with God and fellow believers.
Ask yourself this question: Can I be a friend to someone? If you answered yes, you have the heart of a disciplemaker. A friend loves at all times. A brother is born to share in times of adversity.
The way we win this world is not through religious conquest, forcing people to abide by our self-righteous rules and regulations. No, we win through surrender. We surrender our will to God’s will and we obey His way and His commandments, yielding to His voice in the moment. He will guide us into the overwhelming victory. Not our will, but His be done.
You want to win a sinner to the way of Christ? Love them like He does. Do not judge. Speak the truth in love. Remain resolute in your commitment to live by faith, and sooner or later, they will be convinced of your example and convicted by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Be yourself as God created you to be. Practice all the “one another” verses in the Bible. Be kind to one another. Disciplemaking is really all about living as the family of God. A lifestyle of love and service to others. That is the way of Christ.
Be blessed in this new season of fruitfulness in the faith. And may God provide rest for your soul. Amen.
A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity.
Proverbs 17:17 NET