Guiding Others through Beginning in GraceThis series is from the Leader’s Guide I’m developing for the discipleship manual I wrote and have been using for fifteen years: Beginning In Grace
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This series is from the Leader’s Guide I’m developing for the discipleship manual I wrote and have been using for fifteen years: Beginning In Grace
Commitment and capacity require constant attention. Without commitment this process stalls. This requires balance and discernment from God’s Spirit. Asking for too much or moving too quickly will overwhelm and discourage those who need extra care. Asking for too little or moving too slowly will bore and frustrate those who are on fire to become disciplemakers.
This is from the Leader’s Guide I’m developing for the discipleship manual I wrote and have been using for fifteen years: Beginning In Grace
Warning: Do Not Skip to Lesson One!
Right now you are wondering whether you should take the time to read through all the introductory material. You just want to get at it! Please, do not skip this section. These principles for success are vital. Read them carefully and prayerfully. Remember, you are going to be telling another person about the Lord Jesus Christ. You owe it to your disciple to be thoroughly prepared.
I’ve been making disciples for over forty years. This is my over-arching strategy as it relates to nurturing eternal life and encouraging believers to follow Christ as His devoted disciple, and it never varies:
The power of relationship can’t be overemphasized!
Before you embrace a strategy or buy a book on discipleship, ask yourself, “What did Jesus do?”
He chose a handful of men and took them with Him through real life.
1. Your disciple must know that he or she is your priority.
2. Your disciple must be with you enough to watch your life.
3. You must be with your disciple enough to watch his or her life.
Fifteen years ago I wrote Beginning In Grace, a basic discipleship manual emphasizing relationship.
We (Church of the Open Door) have always given it to anyone who would use it at cost.
Now some of my tens of readers (stole that from my friend Dave Burchett) have asked for a digital copy.
Here it is. I hope it will help you in your obedience to the Lord Jesus’ simple command to the church to make disciples of all the nations. In future blogs I’ll be publishing the chapters of the accompanying leadership manual:
If you like this post, you can thank merri elleng. Recently she asked if I had an ongoing discipleship plan.
I do.
I’ve been committed to discipling for over 40 years. The last 15 years as Senior Pastor of Church of the Open Door.
But I believe I can help you best by beginning with the three principles that guide the plan:
Tell Me More About Discipleship!My many posts on discipleship generated requests to tell you more.
I’ve been in discipling relationships with men for over 40 years. Church of the Open Door takes disciplemaking seriously. Discipleship is in the job description of every leader–elder, staff, ministry leaders, small group leaders, and teachers. I’m currently discipling one newer believer, five staff pastors, twelve emerging leaders on our campus and five or six leaders around the world through email.
We’ve learned a lot of lessons about making disciples, and I’m passionate about sharing them.
But, before we begin, here’s the letter introducing the disciplemaking process to prospective disciplers in Beginning In Grace, a discipleship manual I wrote for new disciplers:
The Anakim!General Joshua had a problem. His drive to conquer the land west of the Jordan had stalled at Hebron, the stronghold of the Anakim—the ancient race of giants (Rephaim) who served as mercenaries in the Ancient Near East (Joshua 14). No army could defeat these descendants of the great warrior of Anak (Deuteronomy 9:2). So tall and formidable were these soldiers, that their name and reputation injected panic and flight into the ranks of their enemies.
Joshua’s troops were all in the prime of life, the new generation of Israelites born during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. All of them, officers and men alike, stood cowering at the base of “Hill Hebron,” staring up at the walled fortifications manned by men twice their size. Each man wished he possessed the courage to take the hill. But these were the giants their fathers had told them about.
