Although Christians are endued with power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8), the gifts do need to be stirred up. In other words, every "Timothy" needs a "Paul" in order to grow and mature spiritually (2 Timothy 1:6).
What Scripture Says
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37,38)."...If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
"...If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).
"But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
How To Disciple
It is God's will for all His children to be Jesus' disciples. Yet discipleship, like salvation, is never forced. A disciple is someone who receives the teaching of another. The teacher must walk in the light of God's Word. Through the discipleship experience, teacher and disciple are taught by God's Word. Both are being conformed to God's image with instruction and guidance of the ultimate Teacher: the Holy Spirit.In order to disciple another effectively, you must first be a disciple yourself. Here are some steps to becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus:
- Totally surrender yourself to the lordship of Jesus. Resolve to do God's will as totally as Jesus did in Gethsemane. Determine in your heart, "Not my will but Yours," in all matters present and future. Remember, as you seek God's will, you also must be willing to obey it.
- Self must be "crucified" in your daily life to release God's resurrection power. As self decreases, Christ increases. When this takes place, it is no longer you, but Christ who lives in you. It is His character in you that should be seen by others in your life.
- Consistency and time are important keys to your own spiritual growth. Join a Bible study with other Christians. You may also wish to undertake a self- study program which can be obtained through your church, Christian bookstore or by correspondence. Join other mature Christians in a ministry of witnessing, such as an outreach of your local church.
- Set aside time daily to learn and memorize Scripture about salvation, soul-winning and God's promises to those who believe. There are many good Scripture memory kits available.
- Study the great doctrines of the Church by using a chain reference Bible, concordance, Bible dictionary and/or a good teacher's topical reference Bible. Topics include: God, Christ, teachings about the Holy Spirit, heaven, hell, angels, sin and the Church itself. Study the great Biblical principles and concepts such as those in Pat Robertson's book, The Secret Kingdom. Take good notes which you can use in teaching another.
- Learn, receive and live in God's full counsel in order to mature to a fuller measure of Christ. Six major areas of spiritual growth for a disciple of Christ are: salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the need for God's armour, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the ministries of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.
It is important to be careful not to demand that you be followed as "the teacher." Lift up Jesus. Just as the Holy Spirit magnifies Christ, do likewise. When He is lifted up, those seeking truth are drawn to Him (John 12:32).
There is always a time when you have taught all you can teach. If you have been consistent in pointing a new disciple to Christ and seeing to it that he/she is finding a place within the fellowship of the Church, you will have succeeded as a "discipler." The new disciple, having received from you, must then be released to nurture and disciple others.
As You Pray
Pray in intercession for the person(s) God places in your trust. Yield to His will by seeking what He would have you do daily with your life. Thank Him for leading you and for allowing you to be a blessing to others from this moment on.Suggested Reading
Andrew Murray's booklet School of Obedience and The Secret Kingdom by Pat Robertson with Bob Slosser.Using a concordance, make a study on "discipleship" and "obedience."
Luke 11:13; Acts 2; John 3,14,16; Galatians 5:22,23; Ephesians 4:11-13; 6:11-18; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Mark 16:9-20; 1 and 2 Timothy.
Crossroads is happy to help. In fact, that's the whole reason we exist as a ministry. The daily 100 Huntley Street telecast and the 24-hour-a-day Telephone Ministry line are here for the same reason. You may want to call us as you are reading this: 1-866-273-4444
God loves you and we love you! Please give us the privilege of doing our best to help more. For further ministry, you may contact the Crossroads Ministry Centre by writing to:
Crossroads Christian Communications Inc.
Attn: National Ministry Centre
PO Box 5100
Burlington, Ontario L7R 4M2
