How to Disciple Somebody

One of the last things Jesus said to the disciples before he ascended to heaven was this, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20

From a position of complete authority, Jesus commands us to disciple others, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all that he commands. Reading this verse is a lot easier than actually doing it. The command pushes us to a level of relational living that we're not normally accustomed to. It's one thing to disciple a friend whom you love, but what about somebody you don't know very well, perhaps somebody who is hard to love or relate with? To disciple others well, what is the framework that guides us and helps us to make the most of our effort in discipling others?

Intentional Leader
Discipleship requires an intentional leader who initiates the conversation and facilitates the process. A road trip cannot begin if someone doesn’t turn the key, start the car, and drive. A leader with a destination in mind is essential. In the discipleship process, the driver is the intentional leader driving the discipleship process toward the goal of making disciples. The intentional leader creates parameters such as, "If you're willing and able, we're going to meet for 8 weeks and go through the book of Ephesians together, and we're going to talk about what the scripture means to us and what we think God is saying. I then want to encourage you to apply the scripture and put it into action in your daily life when we're not meeting, and when we meet again, we'll talk about it"

Relational Environment
In discipleship, the vehicle the intentional leader drives is the relational environment. Relationships are what God uses to communicate His truth and help people grow. Without relationships, the journey of discipleship will be ineffective and fruitless. Relationships create the environment where discipleship happens best. What does this look like? Discipleship has to consist of at least two people, no more than three. Maybe you engage in discipleship at a coffee shop and you read scripture together over coffee. If your discipling somebody, it's helpful to them to see you in action in your life, how you interact with others, how you make decisions, how you respond to others, etc.

Reproducible Process
We should be discipling others in a way that is simple and easily reproducible. It should be a process that the disciple can then take and intentionally lead others on the same journey. If you're going through the book of Ephesians, it's helpful to break the book down into eight to ten sections, and each meeting you pray over, read, and discuss a section. This "curriculum" is a process that the disciple can easily reproduce with somebody else.

Discipleship can be messy, and results may not always be seen quickly or at all in the immediacy. Remember, we're not putting our trust in this framework, our trust is in God and that His word never turns void. This is just a needed framework to guide the process. Even if the discipleship seems like it's not gaining traction in a disciples life, we can trust that it is and it will bear fruit at some point in the future. Remember, if Jesus commanded it, and we do it faithfully, we can expect him to do the rest.