What is the best program for making good disciples? In other words, how can a person be adequately trained and prepared to be a follower of Jesus?<\/p>\n
If you check with the local Christian bookstore, you will find that the most common way to disciple someone is to take them through some sort of discipleship manual. This book or workbook is designed to teach the person some basic biblical and theological truths as well as some instruction on basic Christian disciplines like praying, reading\u00a0the Bible, attending church, and tithing. This is why discipleship almost universally takes place in a “discipleship class<\/em>” and is often a subset of the “Christian education<\/em>” department.<\/p>\n I’m not against such methods…except that they don’t seem to work. Very few people who go through such programs actually end up acting much like Jesus. If the goal of a discipleship program is to help a person act like Jesus, then our discipleship programs are failing.<\/p>\n Discipleship = Serviceship<\/strong> You want life transformation to result from your discipleship programs? Add mission. Add service. Don’t just teach; obey (Matt 28:20). I have often thought that a better word for discipleship might be serviceship, or better yet, apprenticeship. How does an apprentice learn best? By doing.<\/p>\n All Together Now! To maintain a soft heart, a proper discipleship\u00a0program trains\u00a0both the head and the hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is the best program for making good disciples? In other words, how can a person be adequately trained and prepared to be a follower of Jesus? If you check with the local Christian bookstore, you will find that the most common way to disciple someone is to take them through some sort of discipleship […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[19,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-311","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"tag-discipleship","7":"tag-theology-church","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe best discipleship program is one that follows the actual method Jesus used in making disciples. Did He teach His followers the Bible, how to pray, and what to do with their money? Absolutely. But unlike most discipleship programs today, Jesus always taught His followers within the context of service. They would go feed 5000 people, and then<\/em> He would teach them. They would go heal the sick and then<\/em> He would teach them. He sent them out two by two, and when they came back, He would teach them. Teaching was almost never isolated from mission and service.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>And this service and mission is not a later stage or second step to discipleship. It’s not (1) learn, then (2) serve.\u00a0Ideally, learning and service go together. However, we often\u00a0banish new believers off into the endless cycle of Bible studies so they can learn basic Christian doctrine before we let them serve. And instead of taking the class, and then going out and serving, they often just move from one class to another. They emerge thirty years later with a well-worn Bible, bloodshot eyes, and a hyper-critical, judgmental, puffed-up personality\u00a0and ivory-tower attitude that is no longer useful for service.<\/p>\n