Discipleship - Intro
Discipleship is
the process in which a person matures toward Christlikeness. As we
relate to people there are various methods that may be employed to
move a person toward being more and more like Jesus.
Disciple
literally means student. The disciples of Jesus were students of
Jesus. We often used the words disciples and apostles
interchangeably because they apply to mostly the same people but
they are different things entirely. Apostles are those who are sent
with a purpose. When Jesus commissioned the disciples and sent them
into the world, they were no longer students but rather messengers
of the gospel.
As Christians
today we face a dual work. We are still students of the Word but we
too have been commissioned to spread the gospel. Because of this,
we need to be constantly studying but we also should not neglect the
work that God has called us to.
Jesus used no
less than four ways to disciple other people. Each technique
required a different approach and a different level of spiritual
maturity. Like just about everything in life, we will find that we
may be better at one type of discipleship than another.
The four methods
of discipleship are: Modeling, Mentoring, Instructing, Coaching.
They may sound like all the same thing, but they are very different
approaches to teaching someone.
Modeling
Modeling is the
easiest way to disciple someone. They do not need to be aware that
you are modeling for them or have any desire to be discipled.
Modeling can be done for both the non-Christian and the Christian.
As we discussed in evangelism, modeling is letting your light shine
so that others may see it.
Look at the
model Jesus set at the Last Supper in John 13:12-15. What was he
trying to teach? Do you think the message got through?
Modeling is the
most passive way of discipleship and anyone should be capable of
doing it. In fact, we should be modeling the Christian life
wherever we go.
1 Corinthians
10:31
tells us, “Whether you eat of drink, or whatever you do, do it all
for the glory of God.”
Just like in
evangelism however, we can be negative models. How do we cause
someone to grow in the Lord if we complain about the pastor behind
his back or bad mouth another Christian in the church? What is the
example that is set by such action?
As we examine
mentoring, instructing, and coaching in the future we will see that
modeling is not the only way to disciple – and it may not be the
most effective for what we want to accomplish. However, it is a way
to have an effect on someone who doesn’t necessarily want to learn
about God. Ideally, through our modeling, a person will grow in
Christ and will be able to be brought into a mentoring, instructing,
or coaching relationship.
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