The Master's Plan for Discipleship
Jesus was the greatest leader who ever lived. He inspired multitudes with His teaching. He performed miracles before thousands. Yet, for all of His interaction with large numbers of people, His primary investment was with a small group of individuals.
This was His strategy for the expansion of His movement after He was no longer on earth. Those He invested in would “Go and make disciples…” who would make disciples who would make disciples.
Jesus’ strategy for the expansion of His movement after He was no longer on earth was that those He invested in would “Go and make disciples…” who would make disciples who would make disciples.
So how did He do it? What was the Master’s plan for discipleship? And what are the transferable principles that we can utilize as we seek to make disciples?
At the risk of oversimplification, I think we can see that Jesus’ pattern included the following:
1. He selected carefully.
It’s interesting that Jesus spent time with His potential disciples before selecting them. In so doing, He was able to assess their willingness to submit to Him and their desire to be with Him.
Even then, the Lord spent an entire night in prayer (Luke 6:12-16) before He chose His disciples. He didn’t rush into it but sought the Father’s heart.
We would do well to follow His lead as we consider who we’re going to invite into a discipling relationship. Spend some time with them in various settings. Watch how they interact with others. Test to see if they are willing to listen to you and submit to you. Look for indicators of their interest and desire to grow.
Then pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in choosing those who might be ready for a significant investment and who will provide a return on that investment.
You’ll also notice that Jesus’s strategy wasn’t to engage in one-on-one discipleship with 12 different guys. Rather, He discipled them in the context of community. See, Jesus knew that transformation happens best in a loving community.
Jesus’s strategy wasn’t to engage in one-on-one discipleship with 12 different guys. Rather, He discipled them in the context of community. Jesus knew that transformation happens best in a loving community.
The same is true in our discipling relationships. By inviting our disciples into a group with others on the journey, they not only learn from you, they learn from one another, and develop relational skills that are essential for maturity.
Jesus was able to disciple a group of 12. Maybe you can too…but I don’t have that level of capacity. I’ve found that a group of 4-6 works best for me.
2. He invited compellingly.
Jesus let His prospective disciples know what they were being called into. His offer included both invitation and challenge – opportunity and expectancy.
“Follow Me…I want you to be with Me…to have access to My life. And, as you do…I will make you fishers of men…You’re going to learn to do what I do. And then I’m expecting you to pass on what you have learned.” (Matthew 4:19)
Make this clear to your prospective disciples as well. Unless they are willing to accept both the invitation AND the challenge, don’t invite them to join you.
3. He invested personally.
Mark 3:14 notes that He chose the 12 “that they might be with Him.” Their development would not be something that flowed out of a classroom setting or synagogue sermon. It would be a function of up close and personal observation born of shared life and shared mission.
In the same way, your discipleship should not be limited to an organized setting only. It should also include those organic gatherings of food, fellowship, and fun.
Moreover, it can and should allow for opportunities to serve together. To visit with and pray for the sick. To take food to those in need. To help out the elderly. You can teach and observe a lot in those kinds of settings.
Your discipleship should not be limited to an organized setting only. It should include organic gatherings of food, fellowship, and fun, as well as opportunities to serve together. You can teach and observe a lot in those settings.
4. He instructed practically.
Jesus recognized that His men needed to grow in their competency. Thus it is that He taught them skills such as prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:5-18), evangelism (Luke 10), and spiritual warfare (Mark 9:14-29).
He also addressed character issues that arose, such as the treatment of women and children, how to face rejection, and the issue of who was the greatest (Luke 9:46ff).
As with Jesus, it’s most often in the organic times of being with your disciples that you will observe the character issues that need to be addressed: how they treat their wives or children, whether they’re willing to take on the role of a servant, or when they’re critical or demanding.
Leverage those observations as topics of discussion and instruction. They are every bit as important as your planned curriculum.
5. He corrected appropriately.
The Lord was not afraid to confront that which needed correction. Whether it was fear in a storm (Matthew 8:23-27) or forgetting about the five miraculous loaves (Matthew 16:5-11) or an outright rebuke of Peter (Matthew 16:21-23). He didn’t shy away from calling out error.
One of the greatest challenges you will face in your discipling is when you will have to confront an attitude or action. Do so in the right way and at the right time with an eye out for repentance and an offer of restoration.
One of the greatest challenges you will face in your discipling is having to confront an attitude or action. Do so in the right way and at the right time with an eye out for repentance and an offer of restoration.
6. He empowered freely.
Jesus wasn’t afraid to give His disciples both responsibility and authority to engage in the mission. He sent them out to cast out demons and heal the sick and preach of the Kingdom (Luke 9:1; 10:1-10).
Jesus wasn’t afraid to give His disciples both responsibility and authority to engage in the mission.
In moving your disciples forward in their maturity, you would do well to give them occasions when they can exert their God-given authority. They may fail frequently, but even in that, they will learn.
Encourage them for being willing to at least try. Use their failure to create a hunger for further training. Then deploy them again.
7. He loved unconditionally.
Jesus’ love for His disciples is seen throughout their months together. But its greatest expression was witnessed as He gave His life for them (John 15:13).
Make sure those you disciple understand how much you love them. One way that will be demonstrated is in the ways that you give yourself to them.
Make sure those you disciple understand how much you love them.
Make no mistake. Jesus understood that there was a time and place to minister to the crowds. That is still true in our day.
Yet the Savior knew that ministry couldn’t end there. Rather He chose to make room in His schedule to invest in a few. In fact, on occasions, He would intentionally ignore the call for more time with the crowds to make time for His disciples.
Jesus understood that there was a time and place to minister to the crowds. Yet the Savior knew that ministry couldn’t end there. Rather He chose to make room in His schedule to invest in a few.
Jesus knew that the time would come when He would have to turn the mission over to them. And He had to prepare them for that day.
Following the Master’s plan for discipleship may seem to be slow and ponderous. There’s nothing quick or easy about it. Indeed, when Jesus left the earth, the movement was quite small.
Yet those disciples made other disciples who made other disciples who made other disciples. And the resulting exponential growth eventually spread throughout the world.
As we follow His plan, we can be confident that we will see similar results. And the Great Commission will be increasingly fulfilled.
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