Tag: how to make disciples

Six Things Every Disciple-Maker Should Pray For

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn DiscipleshipLeave a comment

How do we “make disciples?” Disciple-making is the intentional process of helping someone follow Jesus through relationships. This process includes several aspects such as teaching content, making consistent contact, and spending time in different contexts together. There are many resources available to help us in our disciple-making efforts. However, I fear that we can get so caught up in following and depending on a certain curriculum or method of discipleship that we forget to pray for those we are seeking to disciple.

If you are seeking to help someone follow Jesus and grow in their walk with God, one of the first things you should do is commit yourself to is praying for them! Here are five simple things to pray; I would encourage you to memorize these and pray them daily!

1. Spiritual Growth and Maturity in Christ

Pray that they would grow in their understanding of the gospel, deepen in their relationship with Christ, and become more like Him in character and conduct (Ephesians 4:13-15).

2. Understanding and Applying Scripture

Ask God to grant them wisdom and insight as they read His Word, helping them to understand and apply His truth as they seek to live out the gospel (Psalm 119:18; James 1:22).

3. Opportunities and Boldness in Ministry

Pray for them to have opportunities to minister to others through prayer, encouragement, and evangelism. Pray for God to grant them courage and clarity as they share the hope of Christ with others (Acts 4:29; Matthew 28:19-20).

4. Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Ask God to help them rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance, strength, and spiritual transformation, recognizing that apart from Him, they can do nothing (John 15:5; Galatians 5:16).

5. Perseverance Through Trials

Ask God to sustain them through whatever trials they may be experiencing. Pray that He will use these challenges to strengthen their faith, refine their character, and mature them in Christ (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5).

6. Those They Will Disciple

Pray that they will become a disciple-maker themselves, and ask God to lead them to others they can help in their walk with Jesus (2 Timothy 2:2).

Can you imagine what someone’s life may look like if they had someone in their corner praying these things for them regularly? Let that “someone in their corner” be you!

Disciple-Making as an Essential Spiritual Discipline

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn DiscipleshipLeave a comment

Bible-reading. Prayer. Worship. Evangelism. Serving. Giving. Fasting. All of these “spiritual disciplines” are explained and encouraged in most books on the subject. And rightly so! Each one of them is listed in the books that I am currently using to prepare a life group study on practicing the disciplines. But as I went through the lists, I noticed that something was missing: disciple making.

Disciple making is the intentional process of helping other people follow Jesus through relationships. It has not traditionally been regarded as a spiritual discipline, but I think it should. Spiritual disciplines act as scaffolding in the construction of a believer’s relationship with God. They are the habits and patterns of life that all believers should practice in obedience to God’s commands, including His command to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).

I believe disciple making deserves formal recognition as an essential spiritual discipline right alongside prayer, Bible-intake, giving, fasting praying, etc. Here’s why:

1. Disciple making is obedience to Jesus.

At its core, disciple making is an act of obedience. Jesus’s command to make disciples is not a suggestion but a directive. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” Engaging in disciple making not only demonstrates our willingness to align our lives with Christ’s instructions but is a way of actually loving Him.

2. Disciple making cultivates spiritual growth.

Making disciples is not merely about teaching others; it’s a dynamic process that fosters mutual growth. As we help others follow Jesus, we deepen our relationship with Him as well. Part of this is because you must “walk the walk” before you can model that walk to others (more on accountability below).

In its simplest form, disciple making promotes biblical fellowship, which always edifies both parties. Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Both mentor and mentee, group leader and members, are sharpened by each other. One of my favorite aspects of leading the discipleship ministry at our church is hearing from the leaders how much they are growing!

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Jethro, Moses, and Old Testament Disciple-Making

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

Today I finished preparation for a panel discussion on disciple-making in the local church. I define disciple-making as the process of helping people follow Jesus through the context of relationships. The first section of the discussion includes setting the biblical foundation for making disciples. As I usually do when discussing discipleship, I planned to share the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20, highlight Jesus’ relationship with His own disciples, and point to Paul and Timothy as examples of Christian discipleship. It’s a pretty typical presentation of disciple-making, but I realized that I was missing a major component: the Old Testament.

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Five Ways to Invest in Disciple-Making Relationships

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

In my previous post, I contended that discipleship must take place in the context of relationships. But how do we create and invest in relationships with those whom we intend to disciple? Here are a few ideas:

1. Pray for them.

One of the most important things you can do in any disciple-making relationship is to pray for that person. It blesses the person as well as your relationship with them. As we take people before God in prayer, our hearts become invested in their spiritual well-being. We look for evidence of God’s work in their lives; we want to see it and be a part of it!

2. Pray with them.

Don’t just pray for the people you are discipling. Pray with them. As you do, you will be modeling what it looks like to pray. Remember, much more is caught than taught in disicipling relationships! Prayer will also unite your hearts as you spend time together in God’s presence.

3. Spend time together.

For any relationship to grow, you must spend time together. There will be times when you meet for “official” discipleship meetings, but don’t stop there. Invest in the relationship outside of set meeting times. Invite whoever you’re mentoring to join you in normal life activities: eating, running errands, playing with the kids, going to get ice cream, etc.

Recently, I needed to dig a hole for a new basketball goal, so I asked one of the guys in my discipleship group to come over one morning and help me dig the hole. After we finished, we sat in lawn chairs and admired our work as we talked about life. Another guy from my group came the next day and helped me mix concrete set the goal in place (it wasn’t easy, mind you, so we had to persevere together!). In each situation, I was able to spend quality time with these guys and strengthen our relationship.

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Discipleship Happens in Relationships

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

Discipleship is an integral part of the believer’s life and a necessary component of any local church’s ministry. However, discipleship can be easily misunderstood and become a sort of grey, ambiguous term, something that we all know we should be a part of but we aren’t sure how. We know that Jesus invites us to be disciples and commands us to make disciples, but we don’t really know what that looks like. So what does it look like? Relationships. Relationships with the purpose of growing in Christ.

Let me start by defining terms. Discipleship is the process of following Jesus. Disciple-making is the process of helping people follow Jesus. This is primarily done through relationships. Disciples are not made via online sermons, curriculum, or printed books. They are made through participation in the body of Christ, especially through participation in relationships.

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