And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

                                                                                                            2 Timothy 2:2

Dear Friends and Members of IBC,

We have spent the last few months looking at some key steps for new and renewed followers of Jesus. We have considered the importance of reading Scripture, setting aside time to pray, faithfully attend church services, having a clear understanding of the gospel, getting baptized, and the process of sanctification. Last week we looked at the question ‘What is a disciple?’, and this week we will finish the series by considering how every disciple of Jesus is called to disciple others.

Let’s look at three common questions that people often have about this important topic:

1) What does it mean to disciple others? If a disciple of Jesus is someone who follows His teachings, then making disciples simply means helping others to follow Jesus. This usually involves teaching (either formally or informally) in some way, as well as humbly modelling the Christian life ourselves by showing others how we seek to follow Jesus.

2) Why should I seek to make disciples of others? Pastor Mark Dever says that we should disciple others out of our obedience to Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20, and because of our love for God and others. If we love God, then we ought to love our Christian brothers and sisters, and discipling them is a wonderful way to demonstrate this love. I would also add that it is difficult to grow in the Christian faith if we aren’t involved in helping others to follow Jesus. I find discipling others to be challenging in a good way, as it often causes me to reflect on whether I am really living out myself what I am exhorting somebody else to do. Discipling others should be honest and personal, which is good for the soul.

3) How do I disciple others? There are many ways we can do this! Older women can teach younger women, more experienced Christians may seek to mentor younger ones, we might regularly attend a life group and show others through our daily lives how we seek to follow Jesus.

One simply way of discipling others is just to meet with a fellow Christian and spend some time together reading the Bible, maybe going through one of the gospels on a regular basis, perhaps a chapter each week. In fact, I challenge you to do this! It may sound too simple, but we know that the word of God is alive, dynamic, and active, so I would expect some fireworks if you decide to do this!

I hope you have found this series on ‘Steps for new and renewed followers of Jesus’ profitable. Let me know if you have any questions. In the coming weeks, we will focus on what God is doing in different areas of IBC.

God bless you

James

Recommended book on discipleship: Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus. Mark Dever.