Lesson 11
MENTORING
How to Make Disciples
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Jesus gave us the challenge to go to all the world, share the gospel and make disciples. A disciple is a dedicated believer and active member of the church.
Be a Fisher of Men
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
A fisher of men is a person that wins other people to the Lord. Discipleship aims to inspire people to make a personal commitment to follow Jesus.
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Milk is food that can be consumed without chewing. The gospel is not hard to understand. Every disciple has questions and doubts. We can admit that we do not know all the right answers, but we continue to learn through the study of the Word of God.
Doing the Work of the Ministry
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
The will of God is for every believer to do the work of the ministry. The ministers train the believers. The disciples do the work of God.
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
Paul was healed, filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized in water through the ministry of a disciple called Ananias. Many people think that only the pastor can serve in these tasks, but God has given them to the disciples.
The Needs of a New Believer
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
It is not enough to be saved. We also need to learn the basic truth to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
b,2 the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
A person that cares for a new believer is a spiritual parent. It is wonderful to have children, but it is also a great responsibility. A baby cannot take care of himself. However if a disciple does not want to continue the program, it is not good to pressure him. It is better to take a break and find another person to disciple.
For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
The best is to find someone in the church that has not been discipled or trained to disciple. Also, mature believers need to be prepared to disciple others. Many times, there are family members or friends of the disciple that have an interest in the gospel.
Summary
- We have received the task to win the world for Jesus.
- The mature believers ought to care for the newly converted.
Goals for this lesson
The goals are written to the mentor, about the disciple.
- Look for someone in the church that has not been discipled.
- Find another person that has an interest in God and the Bible.