The Apostolic Model of Discipleship: The biblical way to multiply

The step following winning a soul is discipleship- when a new soul is won to Christ- he or she needs to be discipled. We need to teach them about God and His word. The Great Commission is our best example of an apostolic discipleship perspective- and we are an Apostolic ministry.

What is discipleship?

In Mathew 28:19–20, Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey his teachings. He sent them out to do what he had taught and demonstrated to them during his earthly ministry. Today, the mandate to make disciples through discipleship, evangelism, and missions is foundational for any Bible-believing church. This mandate is not only to the church as a whole but to all individual disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus‘ model of discipleship begins with a conversion experience and involves faith development through learning from the example and teachings of Jesus. It involves being rooted, growing up, maturing, and being strengthened in faith. A faithful implementation of Jesus‘ model of discipleship today will guarantee spiritual growth, church growth, and believers‘ willingness to share their faith.

Discipleship is not merely about transferring information; instead, the essence of discipleship is not information but transformation.  Discipleship takes commitment but is absolutely necessary to become more and more like our Savior. It is not only an invitation into all the Lord has for us, but a commandment to become as He is. As we lean into the beauty of the refining process, we will find life and freedom.

What Discipleship Means at the Core

1. Loving God means obeying His commandments. Jesus wants us to obey His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome. The Great Commission is not a great suggestion, it is a command that He makes to all believers.

2. Loving people means having compassion for their souls. Oftentimes, in order to love somebody, we have to deny ourselves. The ultimate goal is not to just get more people into church but to love people by having compassion on their souls. We show this love by telling other people about Jesus.

3. Winning souls and making disciples are part of spiritual growth. This is the natural process of growth: You’re Born (Hospital), You Belong (Home), You Build (School), and You Become (Adults). Growing up is hard but it is part of maturity–both natural and spiritual.

4. Winning souls and making disciples is being faithful with what we were given. Matthew 25:16,22 says, “Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents… His Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

   
   

   We are given the power of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of conquering the world for Jesus (Acts 1:8). This is what it is all about. it’s about us living our Christian lives outside of the church and not just being good citizens for the sake of it but with the purpose of winning souls. We have the perfect opportunity to have a generation after us that will do greater things than we ever imagined. But for that to happen, we have to be intentional about disciple-making.

It is Your Responsibility to be a Good Disciple

The first thing we need to understand that in order to be able to disciple - you need to first be a good disciple yourself. You cannot give people what you do not have. You need to ensure that you have ONE leader (a spiritual father or mother) and that you are spiritually being poured into and that your foundation of the word and of the things of the Spirit is strong. A disciple is also spiritually covered- for your protection. A disciple sticks close to his leader just like the 12 did to Jesus. A good disciple is trustworthy, teachable, knows how to show honor and gratitude and contributes to build kingdom. A good disciple has the right attitude. A good disciple is willing to obey the word of God. A good disciple comes into sound doctrine and his foundation is strong. The bedrock value of any disciple should be servanthood, the ability to undergird, learn, and function within the proper framework of leadership, no matter how old you are. You need to do the necessary to make sure that you do all it takes to be discipled.

Why Discipleship?

1. Because it’s Biblical. In Matthew 28:18-20, we are commanded to make disciples. Jesus said “go into the world and make disciples”. He didn’t say “go into the world and make fellowship groups,” “go into the world and have parties,” or “go into the world and make campus Christian clubs.”

2. Because Jesus Did it.  Study the Gospels and you will see that while Christ ministered for three years to masses of people, He primarily spent his time with twelve men into whom He poured His whole life. He took them everywhere with Him, taught them, trained them, and invested His life into them. They caught the life of Christ by spending time with Him. Jesus ushered in a spiritual kingdom that has lasted more than two thousand years because he invested his life in twelve men.

   
   

   The heart of discipleship exists within small groups of believers who are building into each other’s lives at a deeper level – being held accountable to someone who is moving more deeply into their lives to help them work out what they’re learning. As James says, we want people not only to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. Doing of the Word most often works itself out in the context of discipleship relationships.

   
   

   The Growth Model: Grace + Truth + Time = Change or Growth

   A relationship of grace is marked by a discipler who listens and seeks to understand the person. They communicate. They believe in the person. They encourage. They walk through life with the person – not only in victory, but also in failure and sin.

   
   

   A relationship of truth is marked by infusing the word of God into our life – understanding it, learning how to apply it, being held accountable to live it out.

   
   

   Discipleship relationships must be marked by Grace + Truth. Not one or the other. Discipleship is working out the truthful word of God in the context of a gracious relationship. Without someone relationally involved in their lives – loving them, extending grace to them, working through the hard stuff – believers may miss out on the abundant life Christ promises us.

   
   

3. Because the Benefits are Far-Reaching. There are benefits of discipleship to our local movement, local church, and the body of believers around the world.

Healthy Community Discipleship

Authentic relationships can only emerge when we’re diving into one another’s lives. There is a depth within small groups and one-on-one relationships that cannot happen at a meeting attended by 200 people. Depth is what discipleship is all about.

Movement Growth

A movement has long-term growth only as leadership is developed and reproduced. For example, if we start out with 20 leaders, and each of those 20 leaders disciples one person, we will have 40 leaders the following year. If each of those original 20 disciples develops two more leaders, we will have 60 leaders. Consider that Jesus started with 12. The Gospels then talk of Jesus going from the 12 to the 70. In the book of Acts, 120 were in the upper room praying with him. He went from 12 to 70 to 120. During Pentecost, Peter preached the Gospel for the first time, and 3,000 people believed.

Movement growth enables us to minister to more people. It means everyone will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus and to grow more deeply in the knowledge of Him. Those kingdom building efforts will then in turn raise up more leaders.

Movement Longevity

Two thousand years after Jesus poured His life into the original 12 disciples, millions of people all over the world have been changed by the Gospel message. For us, movement longevity means that in 20 years, this campus will have a thriving, flourishing body of believers because of the investment made by our current leaders. When we talk about discipleship, what is it we hope to produce? What does a mature biblical disciple look like?

Biblical disciples walk by faith

They are developing their relationships with God by digging into the Scriptures and developing a prayer life. They start having consistent quiet times. Biblical disciples deal with issues of holiness in their lives. They’re dealing with sin, and developing a sensitivity to turn from sin when they see it in their lives. They are learning how to worship, and how to endure trials. They’re developing a walk with the Lord.

Biblical disciples communicate their faith

Biblical disciples are developing a heart for what is on God’s heart, and one of the things on God’s heart is people who don’t know Him. Biblical disciples have a heart for the lost, a growing compassion for the fact that people who don’t know Jesus, need to know Jesus. Biblical disciples want to know how to relate to non-Christians and how to share a personal testimony in a way that non-Christians can understand. They want to initiate spiritual conversations in a loving, tactful way, and learn how to answer the tough questions posed during those encounters.

Biblical disciples multiply their faith

They can take the things that God has taught them and pass them on to someone else. For instance, if they lead someone to Christ, do they know what to do besides invite them to meetings or take them to church? Biblical disciples can learn how to study the Word of God in depth, how to dig in, observe, and apply the Scriptures, so they themselves can ground a new believer in the faith by walking through Scripture with them. They can also learn how to follow-up with a new believer, lead a Bible study, and act as an accountability partner.

As you’re meeting with a biblical disciple, ask yourself: “Where is this person?” Do we need to focus on walking by faith? Are they spending time in the Word? Is this person already growing? Are they learning and doing the Word of God? Are they motivated to learn how to reach out to people around them who don’t know Christ? Is this person developed in many of these areas and eager to pass on the knowledge God has entrusted to them?

Multiplying disciples is the healthiest, most effective way for a church, student ministry or campus ministry to grow. Acts 6.7 ESV says, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

Attracting people isn’t the same as growing a church or ministry. Ministries that reach their communities with the gospel and train believers to walk with God and multiply their lives will experience healthy, long-term growth.

Why is making disciples so important?

1. Making disciples is the best way to raise up new leaders. Jesus didn’t go out and find great leaders to join His cause. He identified people who were faithful, available, and teachable, and then He trained them and commissioned them into leadership (Mark 3.13-14 ESV). The Apostle Paul did the same thing. He would lead people to Christ and then disciple them. After they proved to be faithful, he would introduce them to leadership roles.

2. Making disciples is the best way to find real joy in ministry. Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica that they were his pride and joy: “After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! Yes, you are our pride and joy” 2 Thessalonians 2.19-20 NLT. Paul’s joy wasn’t based on his personal accomplishments or professional success. His joy was rooted in relationships with the people he had led to Christ and discipled.

3. Making disciples is the best way to raise the missional temperature of the church. As people in a church or ministry are discipled and trained to walk with God and share their faith, the attitude and culture of the church will shift. Those people will be more active in sharing their faith. They’ll be more eager to serve and contribute what they have to the church’s mission. They’ll be less interested in divisions and distractions because they’re more committed to the cause of Christ.

4. Making disciples multiplies the church’s influence. With strong emerging leaders, joy-filled ministers, and an active church or ministry family, the church’s or ministry’s influence is destined to expand. These trained disciples become the people on the front lines of the mission, extending their influence locally and globally. Mature disciples are the ones who get excited about starting new “Grow Groups.” They’re the first in line to follow the Spirit’s lead and start new ministries that have yet to be seen.

Apostolic Model of Discipleship: The Biblical Way to Multiply

In the apostolic model, we want people to become responsible and active disciples who can be sent out into the world to advance the kingdom. What is apostolic mission? Apostolic refers to someone who is sent as a representative of another. Jesus sends us to share His love with the same power and authority that He gave the apostles and that He Himself walked in. The mission refers to the unfinished task of sharing Christ’s love with those who don’t know Him.  Part of us learning to follow Christ is learning to follow Him on the mission He embarked on of preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Why is this so essential? A mature disciple shouldn’t be able to just know all the details but reproduce him or herself. Just like in nature, a mature fruit or flower or human or animal has the biological capability of reproduction, so it is with disciples. Disciples reproduce disciples.

When we gather in groups of two or three people, it could be tempting for it to become a bible study or an accountability group. Focusing on apostolic mission keeps our eyes turned to those who have still not encountered the Lord and off ourselves. To do this, every time we get together, we bring a list of two or three people we have been praying for individually throughout the week and we pray for them as a group.  This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20, but it’s important.

It’s so important, in fact, that I recommend making this the first thing you do when you gather. This keeps our purpose–reaching the lost–in front of us. Everything we do within these groups of 2-3 is not just for ourselves, but is for these others who we are praying for to be a part of once they turn their hearts to Jesus.  Praying for these folks early in the meeting also keeps it from being the last thing on the list that there is no time for.

As with all the other disciplines, apostolic mission will need to be walked out in greater detail in the life of the church and the life of the individual. Again, make this real. Pray real prayers that move God’s heart. It’s important.

When you add all these disciplines together, it looks like the following:

Divine Truth + Nurturing Relationships + Apostolic Mission

And when we get the DNA right, we are on the cusp of multiplying cells of an organic organism called the church. We can achieve the multiplication of disciples, leaders, churches, and movements that we’ve all seeking. We define a disciple as someone who is “following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and is committed to the mission of Jesus” (Matthew 4:19). How did Jesus make this kind of disciple? Jesus was intentional, relational, and formational.

• Intentional: Jesus was deliberate and guided by a master plan.

• Relational: Jesus was personally engaged, guided by a cross-shaped love for people (John 13:34–35).

• Formational: Jesus formed his disciples by teaching, coaching, challenging, and modelling so they could become more and more like him, ultimately spending 65 to 90 percent of their time making disciples just as Jesus did.

Jesus’ method shows us that disciples are handcrafted, one life at a time, not mass-produced in a weekly church service or class.

Why Identify as a Disciple – Not Just a Christian

The New Testament’s favorite word to describe God’s children is “disciple.” A derivative of this word is used about 270 times, while the word “Christian” is used only three times. Acts 11 is the first place in the Bible that the word “Christian” is used. Luke wrote that, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Notice that “Christian” was simply another name for a disciple of Jesus. You had to first be a disciple of Jesus in order to be called a Christian. The concept of being a Christian and then becoming a disciple is completely foreign to the New Testament.

Ultimately, the gospel of Jesus is not just about escaping hell and getting a free trip to heaven when you die. It is so much more than just that. The gospel is about being conformed into the image of King Jesus by imitating and obeying him as his disciple (through the power of the Holy Spirit of course). The purpose of being conformed into the image of Jesus (who is the perfect image of God) is so that human beings might bring glory to God by being re-conformed into the image of God that we were originally created to be (Gen. 1:26–28; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:18).

While disciples of Jesus will not be completely conformed into his image until our glorification, the process begins now (Romans 8:29). This is why being a disciple of Jesus is not optional but absolutely necessary. This is what Jesus meant by “following him.” This is what it means to be “changed by Jesus.” This is the mission of Jesus: to rescue, redeem, and restore the image of God within fallen human beings so that the glory that God is due might be rendered unto him.

This is why Jesus-style disciple making is not just optional for the local church. We believe, that King Jesus’ methods are just as divine as his message. We must make the kind of disciples that Jesus made—and make them the way that Jesus made them.

• Personally live the model. The church will never adopt Jesus-style disciple making until the leader or first embraces and lives it out personally.

• Live the model with your leaders. The leader must also lead the church’s ministries’ leaders so that everyone on the leadership team personally practices disciple making. You can’t lead where you don’t go; you can’t teach what you don’t know; and you can’t give to others what you can’t show in your own life.

Ensuring We Grow in a Healthy and Proactive Way

As individuals, how do we step in the fullness of who we’ve been made to be, so we can do all we’ve been called to do? Some questions to ask ourselves:

1. As leaders, what do we do to help our people maximise their ministries?

2. How can we disciple or coach others to develop ‘big’ people?

3. How can we avoid failing to leave a legacy in our lives?

4. How does a healthy church effectively disciple people into being world changers and history makers?

Prayer

Father God, help us to disciple others and be discipled in turn. Help us to follow the relational model of Jesus’ discipleship. Keep us from the consequences of lacking discipleship in our lives - being a weak people, with weak families, a weak church, having constant problems in life, a lack of understanding of Lordship, God’s Word and being in disobedience. We want none of those things! Instead, we want to see phenomenal growth – individually and of our church. We thank you for the leaders in our church who take time and efforts to disciple us, help us to learn from them and be a blessing to them.  Help us to humble ourselves to be discipled and equip us to make growing disciples a priority. In Jesus’ name, Amen