When you want to buy something, how do you determine which brand and model to buy and where you will buy it?
Summary: Choosing the right people for discipleship is crucial—for you, for them and for God’s kingdom. A disciple must love the real Jesus, be trustworthy and be able to teach others. Finding committed disciples who will disciple others will result in a great impact on the world.
We won’t find the words “spiritual multiplication” in our Bibles, but we do find the concept:
In order to multiply ourselves spiritually and see the type of exponential growth that can truly impact our communities and the entire world, we each need to disciple at least two people with the expectation that they will go on to disciple at least two others. Imagine what would happen if each disciple multiplied his or her life into three others:
The 1st generation would be 1 x 3 = 3
The 2nd generation would be 3 x 3 = 9
The 4th generation would be 27 x 3 = 81
The 7th generation would be 729 x 3 = 2,187
The 9th generation would be 6,561 x 3 = 19,683.
In just nine generations almost 20,000 people could become disciples! In just eleven more generations over a billion could be discipled. That’s the power of spiritual multiplication!
Discuss: Do you really believe God could use you to someday make disciples of thousands, even millions, of people?
In order for God use us to see lives and communities changed by the good news of Jesus Christ, we must disciple more than one person at a time. A great way to do this is by gathering people together in small groups of three to five. You’ll want a large enough group to have good interaction, yet small enough for each disciple to be fully engaged.
Here are some of the benefits of group discipleship:
Discuss:
Luke 6:12 tells us that before Jesus selected who would be his disciples, he spent the night in prayer: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:”
The Gospels don’t reveal what Jesus said in His prayers, but James 1:5-6 tells us that we can ask God for wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” We all need wisdom as we decide who to invite into a discipleship group. Know your limits. You can’t disciple everyone. Be realistic about how much time and energy you have to give.
Pray: Take a few minutes to pray for wisdom right now.
Discuss: Who is God putting on your heart to invite into a collaborative discipleship group?
2 Timothy 2:2 is a verse often used to describe discipleship. Let’s take a closer look at this verse. Paul said, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to trustworthy people, who will also be able to teach others.”
Here are a few additional things to consider:
Discuss: In your own words, what kind of person do you want to invite to disciple?
Sit down with each potential disciple to discuss expectations. You’ll want to be sure you are on the same page. Some of those you invite may not want to be discipled, and that’s okay. You can continue to invite others.
Make sure they want to be a part of the larger movement, whether that is Cru, a church or another Christian group. Don’t do this alone, but stay connected to a larger movement who’s leadership seeks to help you succeed. A willingness to listen to and respect authority is healthy and demonstrates humility.
Go over the definition of discipleship within Cru to make sure that they want this definition to be true of them:
The goal of discipleship within Cru is to foster a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ who:
Lay out a realistic time commitment. Factor in time that will be spent in things such as:
Consider keeping the weekly time commitment to seven hours per week or less. One hour per day is reasonable. Also, make sure they have time to minister to people in their daily lives (coworkers, family, friends), and make sure they are involved in a healthy church.
Be clear about other expectations. These could include:
Discuss:
Brainstorm: Make a list of potential disciples and talk through the list. Who are at least three you could challenge to discipleship? When will you do this?
Pray: In light of what we’ve discussed, how can we pray for each other right now?
Since we last met, what happened as a result of expressing Christ’s love to others?
How can you, or we, express Christ’s love to others this week?
Here are a few ideas:
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