Five Steps to Effective Discipleship
Jesus did not sit around and wait for disciples to come to him. He went to where they were, offered them an invitation to follow him, evaluated their progress, and then selected them to be his twelve apostles.
Being a disciple-maker means investing in others and helping them follow Christ as you follow Christ.
That sounds simple enough, but how do you put this into practice? It comes down to one word: intentionality. This is what Jesus did.
Look at John 1:35-51 to read Jesus’ first encounter with his disciples. Then go to Mark 1:16-20, and you see his second meeting where he states his famous phrase, “Follow me.” And then Jesus finally chooses his twelve primary disciples in Luke 6.
Jesus did not sit around and wait for disciples to come to him. He went to where they were, offered them an invitation to follow him, evaluated their progress, and then selected them to be his twelve apostles.
There is a reason we automatically think of Jesus’ twelve disciples whenever we think of him. That’s because he made them part of his story. They weren’t side projects or people he spoke to from a stage. They were everyday people who walked with him through joy and pain.
Five Key Steps
While I’m far from being a master at developing apprentices, here are a few steps I’ve found helpful.
