JESUS' CALL TO FOLLOW HIM AS DISCIPLES
Discipleship is intentionally walking with others to help them FOLLOW after Jesus and FISH for others who need to know Jesus.
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matt. 4:19)
What does it mean to follow after Jesus? We follow Jesus by learning what He commanded in the Bible, where He’s leading us now, and living it out in our lives.
What does it mean to fish for others? One of Jesus’ invitations for us as disciples is to disciple those who don’t yet know him. This looks like praying for, serving, and loving those in our lives who don’t yet know Jesus and telling them about Him!
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matt. 4:19)
What does it mean to follow after Jesus? We follow Jesus by learning what He commanded in the Bible, where He’s leading us now, and living it out in our lives.
What does it mean to fish for others? One of Jesus’ invitations for us as disciples is to disciple those who don’t yet know him. This looks like praying for, serving, and loving those in our lives who don’t yet know Jesus and telling them about Him!
WHY DO WE DISCIPLE?
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Discipleship is Jesus’ plan to change the world! The first thing Jesus did in His ministry was to gather twelve disciples to intentionally walk with. These disciples were the ones that Jesus would entrust to build his church and continue his ministry even after he went to heaven. They went on to change the world and all of human history. This is Jesus’ plan and purpose for us too!
Discipleship is Jesus’ plan to change the world! The first thing Jesus did in His ministry was to gather twelve disciples to intentionally walk with. These disciples were the ones that Jesus would entrust to build his church and continue his ministry even after he went to heaven. They went on to change the world and all of human history. This is Jesus’ plan and purpose for us too!
WHO DO WE DISCIPLE?
Prayerfully consider who in your sphere of influence (Lifegroup, neighborhood, workplace) are hungry for God and invite them into a discipleship relationship with you for a season.
Pay particular attention to those who seem to be faithful, available, and teachable to God and to you.
How many people should be in a discipleship group? It's up to you, but we've found that 3 or 4 people tends to be a great number!
Pay particular attention to those who seem to be faithful, available, and teachable to God and to you.
How many people should be in a discipleship group? It's up to you, but we've found that 3 or 4 people tends to be a great number!
HOW DO WE DISCIPLE?
Discipleship is a life-on-life relationship where we invest intentional time with others. We’ve found that regular meetings (every other week, for example) helps us encounter God, grow in following Jesus, and fish for others.
A discipleship friendship is...
INTENTIONAL: focused on growing by following Jesus together.
INTENTIONAL: focused on growing by following Jesus together.
- Make your meeting together intentional. Clarify that when you gather, it’s not just a hang out but rather an purposeful time to check in and encounter God together through spiritual practices like reading Scripture and prayer.
- Before you begin meeting, clarify how often and for how long you will meet so everyone is aware of expectations. Ex: you might meet every other week for three months. At the end of that time, everyone can re-evaluate if they want to continue.
- VULNERABLE: we open up and invite people into our lives so they can see how we are following Jesus ourselves.
- LEARN FROM EACH OTHER: share what your daily relationship with God looks like and encourage one another to try different practices (facetimes, sabbath, how you face difficulties, etc.).
- CALL EACH OTHER HIGHER: If we are all committed to each other and following Jesus, we give each other permission to call each other to live in obedience to Him, even when it’s hard.
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE DISCIPLE?
We disciple people by looking back, looking up, and looking forward, roughly dividing our time into “three thirds.” That can look like ⅓ of your time checking in about previous weeks, ⅓ in new content, and ⅓ putting things into practice and prayer/commissioning for one another.
- Look Back: How’s your time with God? Are there any sins you need to confess? Who are you sharing/ passing on what God’s been doing in your life?
- Look Up: Scripture + Prayer + Worship
- Look Forward: How can we apply and practice what we learned today?
Photos by Jed Owen, Alexis Brown, Priscilla Du Preez