Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave his disciples a commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). We call this the Great Commission and it’s a calling that remains on disciples of Jesus still today. We are commanded to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ and help nurture the faith of new believers. We preach the gospel most effectively when we talk about what God has done in our own lives to bring us into relationship with him. So how do we disciple new believers? In the same way Jesus did with his disciples, by inviting them into a relationship with him. Discipleship is more than studying the Bible and praying together. It’s entering a relationship with someone, modeling what it looks like to follow Jesus for them, and inviting them into the community of the church.

What did Jesus do?

A disciple is someone who follows a teacher or leader and espouses their ideas. Jesus had many disciples. The twelve apostles were the ones closest to him and most well-known to us today. But many others followed Jesus in his ministry as well, including the sisters Martha and Mary, their brother Lazarus, and Mary Magdalene. He called each of them in their own way, attracting some to his teaching and way of living, others by showing them that he somehow knew them. They all had a relationship with Jesus. He taught them about who he was and that he himself was there to do what God the Father had sent him to do, proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom. They witnessed his miracles and later testified to what they had seen. 

In the course of his ministry, Jesus drew his disciples nearer to him and instructed them to follow his example and do what they saw him doing. He sent them out to proclaim that God’s kingdom was at hand (Luke 9:1-6, Luke 10:1-24). He discouraged them from competing for positions of power with him (Matthew 18:1-5) and he modeled how they should serve one another by washing their feet himself (John 13:1-17). Over time, Jesus changed his relationship with his closest disciples, to no longer be one of master and servants, but of friendship: 

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:14-15). 

Similarly, the apostles invited their co-workers to take part in what they were doing. Paul lovingly nurtured the faith of his disciple Timothy. After John Mark had abandoned a mission with Paul and Barnabas, it was Barnabas who took him on again and helped restore him to the confidence of the apostles (Acts 15:36-41, 2 Timothy 4:11). John Mark would go on to write the Gospel of Mark, one of the four gospels inviting readers into relationship with Jesus in the very Word of God. 

Emphasize relationship over program

When people recall important mentors and teachers in their lives, they usually talk about how the person saw them and called something out in them. They remember how that mentor encouraged them to reach further and challenged them to attain higher standards. For instance, Darrell Delaney, co-host of Groundwork, writes about his relationship with a minister named J.R. Pittman, likening him to mentor characters in Rocky, The Matrix, and The Karate Kid: “After more than 20 years of relationship with him, I can say that he has been a Mickey, Morpheus, and Mr. Miyagi to me.” Rev. Pittman taught Darrell how to persevere under trial, to see things clearly and tap into the power of the Holy Spirit within him, and to be self-controlled and do what’s right even when it costs. Pittman’s investment in Darrell as a person opened Darrell’s heart to receive his spiritual guidance and be molded as a follower of Jesus by this man.

Discipling relationships don’t always need to be one-on-one or particularly regular or formal. I had a coach and teacher in high school who played a big role in shaping the Christian man I’d become, yet we never had a private word until well after I had graduated. I had an instructor at a school in the US Navy for just six weeks. I never saw him again afterward, but he changed the whole course of my life. If we have contact with someone who is looking to us for wisdom, knowledge, or leadership, that is an opportunity to invest in that person’s life and show them what following Jesus looks like, even if it’s just for a season. That is discipleship.

If we do have a one-on-one relationship with someone, particularly with someone who is a minor, it is important that we take appropriate steps to ensure accountability for ourselves for their sake. In the case of a minor, be sure to have the consent of the parents or guardians. 

Model being a disciple of Christ

More than anything, discipling a new believer mainly involves modeling what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Years ago, a mother in our church asked for a mentor for her teenage son and the youth pastor asked me to step up. This young man wasn’t a new believer, per se, having believed since he was a young child, but he did need some encouragement to mature in his relationship with Jesus. He and I met a couple of times a month for nearly three years. I’d pick him up before school; we’d have breakfast at McDonald’s; and we’d talk. I certainly told him lots of things, but I spent more time listening. My real goal was just to be there with him and for him. We did read the Bible together and tried a book study or two, but for the most part, it was just being together. I showed him that mature Christians recognize their total dependence on Jesus and looked to the Holy Spirit for guidance in everything. At the end of the three years, he and I went on a mission trip together just before he went off to join the military. It was a very formative time for me. You read that right…it was a very formative time for me. When we serve new or younger believers, we grow as much as they do.           

Want to study discipleship in more depth? Check out our series Growth in Christian Discipleship - Groundwork Bible Study.