Disciplemaking

Discipleship! Discipleship? Discipleship-What exactly is this concept which we understand to be so very important yet know so little about. What is this ideology which has a plethora of books written about it yet so few who have caught the vision? What is it about discipleship that makes believers put on a face of bewilderment and ministers seek for a new topic.

Discipleship. We hear that word thrown around a lot in western churchianity. Almost always it relates to a curriculum, program or a process. But what is it really? What does it mean, and how does one become a disciple of Jesus Christ? First and foremost, when we use the term disciple/ discipleship we must start with a biblical understanding of what a disciple is.

Go, and make disciples of all nations…most of us would agree that this is the most important mission we’ve received from our Master, Jesus Christ. But in order to fulfill the Great Commission (Mat. 28:16-20), we first have to understand what exactly it is we are making.

Discipling through Christ-centered relationships move a man from wide to deep. It is a multi-step process. The first chart illustrates moving from salvation to establishing the man in the faith, equipping him, and then mentoring him for further growth and disciplemaking.

Not a Fan: Becoming a completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman. Each chapter is a yardstick for defining one’s relationship with Jesus. Thought provoking. A great resource for mentoring and small groups. Download discussion questions.

A scripturally based document that defines levels of spiritual development as a man moves from coming to faith, moves on to spiritual adolescence, Spiritual adult, spiritual parent and spiritual leader.

A simple, yet effective approach to leading someone to Christ.

First, what does it mean to be a disciple? In the Bible, the word for disciple literally means “pupil” or “learner.” When applied to the early Christians, it came to mean someone who declared a personal allegiance to the teachings and person of Jesus.

Rev. Cade Christensen, (Formerly pastor of Living Hope Alliance Church, Huntsville, AL), has built his ministry around intentional friendship evangelism, personal discipleship and small groups. Men’s Disciplemaking (MD) interviewed Pastor Christensen regarding his approach to discipling men.

It is important to note that in the Jewish tradition, Jewish boy were educated in the Talmud or the laws and prophets. Upon completion of that – at age 15, they were tested by a rabbi and if accepted they followed the rabbi for the next 15 years and were called talmidim.