{"id":32548,"date":"2022-09-10T16:13:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/show-me-the-way-what-it-takes-to-make-disciples\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:13:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:13:52","slug":"show-me-the-way-what-it-takes-to-make-disciples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/show-me-the-way-what-it-takes-to-make-disciples\/","title":{"rendered":"Show Me the Way: What It Takes to Make Disciples"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ben Turnbull photo – Unsplash Most Christians want to be better disciples. They just don\u2019t know how to get there.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

by Bob Smietana<\/em><\/p>\n

About a dozen years ago, Robby Gallaty and David Platt were just a couple of guys sitting in a Chinese restaurant, talking about Jesus.<\/p>\n

The two made an odd couple: Platt was an unassuming seminary student in New Orleans; Gallaty, a towering former drug addict and new believer.<\/p>\n

For months, they met every week to discuss the Bible, theology, and the Christian life over plates of General Tso\u2019s chicken, with Gallaty jotting down notes on napkins. Then Gallaty would go out and try to practice what he\u2019d learned.<\/p>\n

Those meetings changed the course of Gallaty\u2019s life. He\u2019d become a Christian not long before and wanted to follow Jesus as a disciple.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t know the way.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI wandered aimlessly in my Christian life, uncertain of how to proceed,\u201d he writes in his book, Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples.<\/p>\n

Those meetings at the Chinese restaurant taught Gallaty the basics of the Christian faith and helped him practice being a disciple. He learned how to draw close to God and then to go out and share what he\u2019d learned.<\/p>\n

Platt would go on to become an acclaimed pastor, author, and head of the International Mission Board. Gallaty eventually went to seminary and now serves as pastor of Long Hollow Church, just north of Nashville, where he tries to pass on what he\u2019s learned about becoming a disciple to his church and others like it.<\/p>\n

Still, he hasn\u2019t forgotten those early days. Many Christians, he believes, want to grow close to God. But they don\u2019t know where to start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people in the pew don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d says Gallaty, \u201cthey don\u2019t do anything at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s left many churches struggling to fulfill one of the central tasks of the Christian life: making disciples.<\/p>\n

Begin with the end in mind<\/h3>\n

In the Great Commission, Jesus told his followers to \u201cmake disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20).<\/p>\n

While churches know how to baptize people and teach them about Jesus, they don\u2019t always disciple them well, says Claude King, a discipleship specialist at Lifeway.<\/p>\n

King says pastors often teach people what to believe, but don\u2019t always help them put those beliefs into practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe figure if people know the right things, maybe they will do the right things,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we haven\u2019t focused on obedience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discipleship involves both learning and doing, says King. Combining the two can help people grow spiritually. The goal is to make disciples who become more Christlike\u2014who act and love as Christ did.<\/p>\n

An effective discipleship strategy begins with that goal in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe measure for discipleship isn\u2019t how many times a week you read the Bible, although that is important,\u201d says King. \u201cIt\u2019s how much you are growing in Christlikeness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carolyn Taketa agrees.<\/p>\n

Taketa, executive director of small groups at Calvary Community Church in Westlake, California, says her church has been rethinking its discipleship strategy in recent months.<\/p>\n

The church has many programs to help people grow, mostly by teaching them about the faith. But those programs may not be turning new Christians into disciples.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre all of our small groups making disciples?\u201d she said. \u201cI hope so, but I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

That question sent Taketa and other church leaders back to the drawing board. They\u2019re starting by asking, \u201cWhat is a disciple?\u201d and then, \u201cAre we producing disciples?\u201d<\/p>\n

To help them focus on discipleship, the church is also asking some practical questions: When people are part of the church, what will they learn, what will they do, and who will they become?<\/p>\n

Those are the right questions to ask, says Eric Geiger, author of Simple Church and vice president of Resources at Lifeway.<\/p>\n

When churches talk about discipleship, Geiger says, they often think about choosing a Bible study series or curriculum.<\/p>\n

But he suggests they take a bigger picture view of discipleship.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s talk about discipleship as a whole,\u201d he says. \u201cThen we can develop a strategy for making disciples\u2014then we can decide what content to teach along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practice, practice, practice <\/h3>\n

Developing Christlikeness starts by building some basic habits of faith, such as praying, reading the Bible, and serving others. Those are often best learned in community, says Rick Howerton, a small group and discipleship specialist for Lifeway.<\/p>\n

Howerton says churches use two main strategies for discipleship.<\/p>\n

First is the \u201cChristo-centric\u201d approach, modeled after Jesus and His disciples in the Gospels. In this approach, one teacher or mentor disciples a small group of three to four people.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s what he calls the \u201cchurch-centric\u201d approach, which sets discipleship as part of the life of the larger community. Every part of a church\u2019s life\u2014from Sunday school and youth group to mission trips and outreach projects\u2014is meant to help build disciples.<\/p>\n

At Long Hollow Church, Gallaty uses a little bit of both. His strategy for discipleship includes large group worship and small groups, along with \u201cD-groups,\u201d which focus on intensive discipleship.<\/p>\n

The D-groups, which launched this year, will usually stay together for about a year and half. They are small, usually three or four people who meet with a mentor.<\/p>\n

The D-groups are especially helpful for new believers or those who want to go deeper, says Gallaty, who modeled his approach on both the Gospels and the work of 18th century English theologian John Wesley.<\/p>\n

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See also  The Power of a Father’s Faith<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWesley clearly understood the only way new believers\u2019 lives can be genuinely changed is by creating a community around them where their new beliefs can be practiced, expressed, and nurtured,\u201d he writes in Growing Up.<\/p>\n

Having a small group of peers gives Christians a place to practice their faith. The D-group approach has the added advantage of a mature Christian acting as a mentor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of disciple-making is up close and personal,\u201d Howerton says.<\/p>\n

The church-centric approach to discipleship is a bit less intensive and more organic.<\/p>\n

Churches set up an environment that fosters spiritual growth, including worshiping in community, hearing the Word preached, being in a small group or Sunday school class, and serving those in need. Discipleship then becomes a part of the ongoing life of the church.<\/p>\n

Both approaches can work, says Howerton, if they combine Bible study and opportunities to practice the faith outside of church.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t make mature disciples if all the activity happens in church or small groups,\u201d he says. \u201cIf people are doing nothing between meetings, they are not moving toward maturity. You might have great community\u2014but you aren\u2019t having great disciple-making.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be consistent <\/h3>\n

Once a church decides on a strategy, an important next step is choosing a consistent curriculum, according to discipleship experts.<\/p>\n

The curriculum should focus on the core teaching and practices of Christianity, says King. That way new disciples will be sure to learn the essentials of the faith.<\/p>\n

He compares discipleship to getting a college degree. There are some electives, but there\u2019s also a set of core concepts and classes every student needs.<\/p>\n

The same is true for faith, says King. Having a set curriculum will help cover all the basics. It also makes it easier for disciples to pass on what they\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce people go through the process, they can use the same curriculum to disciple others,\u201d says King.<\/p>\n

Howerton agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that taking people through a series of Bible studies will make them mature,\u201d he says. \u201cBut a series of studies is an essential tool in the disciple-making toolbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

The curriculum and strategy should work together to create an environment fostering spiritual growth, according to discipleship experts.<\/p>\n

Geiger puts it this way: Discipleship should help people get to a place where God can transform them.<\/p>\n

He points to spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and Bible study. Those disciplines don\u2019t transform people into Christlike disciples. But they create space in a disciple\u2019s life for God to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard Foster, in his classic work, Celebration of Discipline, said these spiritual disciplines don\u2019t change you,\u201d says Geiger. \u201cThey put you in the path where God can change you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The right match of strategy, community, and curriculum can do the same for discipleship, he says.<\/p>\n

Keep it simple. Think long term.<\/h3>\n

Even the best discipleship strategy doesn\u2019t guarantee success. And discipleship often takes a long time, says Jonathan Dodson, author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship. Dodson warns discipleship can\u2019t be reduced to a system, where you enter as a new believer and pop out the other side as a disciple.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisciples aren\u2019t widgets,\u201d says Dodson. \u201cJesus is very patient. And the kingdom is slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says a distinction between new believer and disciple \u201cis unhelpful and unbiblical. We don\u2019t graduate to disciple; we are regenerated as disciples. This is the beauty of the gospel at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, discipleship is about helping people be rooted in Christ and welcoming them into God\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this new identity in Christ,\u201d he says. \u201cSo now live out this new identity as a disciple.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his book, Dodson draws on what he calls the \u201cthree conversions.\u201d Christians are converted to Christ, to community, and to missions, he says. So discipleship isn\u2019t only individual spiritual growth. It\u2019s also about helping people become part of a church family\u2014a step often missed in the discussion about discipleship, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscipleship comes with people attached,\u201d Dodson says, \u201cjust like Jesus comes with people attached.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of view can help a church change from a collection of believers in the same room into a community. But it\u2019s not easy to pull off at a time when people church-shop and are less likely to commit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy in our culture to retain that thin commitment because if you don\u2019t like one church, you can go down the street and find another one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When done right, discipleship can counter that trend and help Christians \u201cbuckle in and be family,\u201d says Dodson.<\/p>\n

So have a good strategy and be wise about choosing curriculum. But remember to have faith in the gospel.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of slow discipleship,\u201d he says. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of your church growing slowly\u2014the gospel transforms us very slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t be afraid to start small, adds Gallaty.<\/p>\n

He suggests pastors seek out a few people who are \u201cfaithful, available, and teachable\u201d and dive deep with them. After a year or two, those new disciples will be able to go out and pass on what they\u2019ve learned\u2014and perhaps start a discipleship group on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell pastors\u2014you can\u2019t microwave a disciple,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a Crock-Pot recipe. But the results are worth the wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bob Smietana<\/h2>\n

@bobsmietana<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Bob is the former senior writer for Lifeway Research. In September 2018, he joined Religion News Service, where he currently serves as a national writer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n