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Now that you have read the what and why’s of discipling, let’s talk about the steps in deciding who you should disciple.

 

If you haven’t read those articles, you can find them here:

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Characteristics of a Disciple

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Why You Need to Disciple & Its Benefits

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What is Discipleship?

 

Alright, let’s get started! This is where the exciting journey of discipling begins!

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Now if you haven’t thought of someone who you can disciple or if you have one in mind, this guideline will help you decide who you should disciple.

 

First things first-asking God for guidance.

 

Sometimes we may have our own personal preference of who we would like to disciple, and that’s okay, but I would encourage you to first pray and ask God who He would like for you to disciple. In the end, He knows what’s best and will reveal to you the person who needs instruction at the time. Yes, we all need guidance, however, we can't and shouldn't disciple too many people at once. Pray and ask God to reveal to you who the first or next person should be.

 

Jesus modeled this for us in Luke 6:12-13 when He went out and prayed to God before choosing His disciples.

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“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.”

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Be aware of where a believer is at in their spiritual journey. They may be: 

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-believers who are new or fairly new.

 

-Who have been a Christian for a while and maybe have been in a ‘spiritual rut’ and need some extra guidance.

 

-May have backslid and want to reestablish their relationship with God.

 

-And there are those who are just want to be more intentional with their spiritual growth and go deeper.

 

Either way, you want to look out for these 4 characteristics in your potential disciple to ensure a successful discipleship relationship.

 

#1 Your disciple wants to grow spiritually

This is important! It’s going to be difficult to try and disciple someone who is not really interested in growing in their walk with the Lord, especially that you are investing your own time and resources. You want them to have a spiritual hunger, for it is then that they will be open to learn and create new habits that will draw them closer to God.

 

#2 Your disciple has a willing and teachable attitude

The person you want to disciple must possess a willing attitude. If they believe that they know it all or is resistant to learning and trying new things, then not much progress will take place. It takes a person with openness and humility to instill growth.

 

#3 Your disciple is ready to learn

This is equally important as the first two. Your disciple may be willing and has the desire to grow but if they aren’t ready to, then you might have to look elsewhere. This is where they have to count the cost of being a disciple and be ready to learn and grow. A clearer example is like quitting an unhealthy habit. A person can desire to quit and be mentally willing, but if they aren’t quite ready to give up and sacrifice, then it won't be successful. 

 

#4 Your disciple is available

Now discipleship calls for a lot of focused time between the discipler and the disciple. To put it plainly, in order for this all to be successful, your disciple needs to show up to your meet-ups. When thinking about a potential disciple, think about how reliable they are. You don’t want them to cancel so often that progress will be stagnant. Have a conversation with them regarding expectations.

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