Discipling

Jesus has called His followers to not only be a disciple but to also be a disciple maker.

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Since that is His great Commission the reality is this - If you are not intentionally fulfilling the Great Commission by multiplying disciples, you are doing something other than the work God is doing right now!

What does a Disciple do?

According to Jesus words there are 3 basic parts - Go, Baptize, and Teach. We summarize this in our mission statement - "People helping people follow Jesus." You can think of it like this:

• Go - you are sent out to live on mission for Jesus and invite others to follow Him too.
• Baptize - stick with people and help them follow Jesus and identify their whole life with Him.
• Teach - one on one, with resources, and in partnership with programs and opportunities at Country Hills Church you teach and train the person(s) you are discipling to follow Jesus.

What does a Disciple look like?

We define a disciple as someone who is living the Way of Jesus, and incorporating the practices of the Way of Jesus into their life.

The Way of Jesus
HIS LIFE - I have begun following Jesus, and am depending on the Spirit of Jesus in my journey.
HIS MISSION - I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him too.
HIS CHARACTER - I am learning to be like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours, character.
HIS LOVE - I am learning to love God and love others.
HIS TEACHINGS - I am learning the teachings of Jesus.
HIS DISCIPLERS - I am helping someone and someone is helping me to be a growing follower of Jesus.
HIS COMMUNITY - I am participating in a community of followers of Jesus on mission to the world.

Practices of the Way of Jesus
Spiritual Health – consistent and deep prayer life including listening prayer, a life of worship and thanksgiving, regular quiet times with God to read the bible and pray every day, intimate and Spirit led relationship with God at all times, walking in freedom from sin through confession and repentance, and living a life in full surrender and submission to Jesus as our functional Lord
Multiplication – taking opportunities to bless others to soften their hearts towards Jesus, planting seeds of the good news of Jesus whenever possible, inviting others to follow Jesus, discipling others and being discipled
Community – active involvement in a church community by participating in the mission of the local church
Sabbath – Learn a rhythm of rest and work (daily, weekly and annually, taking one day per week to rest and shift your focus to restoration, relationships, and God)
Generosity – being a good steward of my money, time, and energy and sharing those with others generously
Service - serving in at least one regular way in the church, or your neighbourhood (city), or the world
Marriage & Family – having Jesus centred marriages and teaching our children in the home about how to follow Jesus

Where Do I Start?

The best way to start is to reorient you life to follow Jesus intentionally. Some people call this having a Missional Lifestyle. You live the great commission everyday, wherever you are live, in the same way a missionary in another country/culture does.

Another great way to begin to share Jesus is to bless others (I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him too). Dave Fergusen has a great book called "Discover Your Mission Now" and in it he suggests 5 ways you can actually do this.
B - Begin with Prayer: always begin with prayer, pray often, and pray for opportunities
L - Listen: before you even think of sharing your life, your story, your faith and Jesus with others you need to listen to others first
E - Eat: Be hospitable, have people over and share a meal. It's a great way to break the ice and a genuine way to being relationships with others.
S - Serve: Consider serving others. When we bless and serve others it can help soften the soil of hardened hearts so they are prepared (with a foundation of prayer) for the gospel.
S - Story: When you have prayed, listened, eaten with (or spent time with), and served other people you are in a place where you can begin to share you story - how Jesus has transformed you and why you follow Him.

Other Resources

Here's a few other resources that can help you as you disciple those who are seeking Jesus or a new follower, as you disciple one-another, and as you mentor leaders.

Discipling Huddles - These are groups of 2-3 people who meet a few times a month to Share, Study/Read/Discuss, and Pray together to learn to follow Jesus by living the Way of Jesus and by intentionally incorporating the practices of the Way of Jesus into their lives. Meeting together creates accountability and an atmosphere where we can support one another at a more intimate and authentic way. Click on the 2 links below for the resources
CHC Discipling Model Plan
CHC Discipling Huddle Tool

Multiply Movement - This is a free resource available from Francis Chan and David Platt. Multiply exists to serve local churches by encouraging and equipping disciples who make disciples in all nations. We do this by providing biblical resources and hosting gatherings that prepare followers of Christ to go, baptize people, and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded – including the call to make disciples.to help seekers and new followers of Jesus learn about. Find out more, or start using the material today at multiplymovement.com

Alpha -This is a great group resource to explore Christianity. Everyone has questions. Questions about purpose, eternity and love. Alpha is a series of interactive sessions to explore those questions with food, a talk and open discussion. At time we host/run Alpha at Country Hills Church, but when we don't you can find out more about Alpha and where you can attend here alphacanada.org