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Making disciples is not complex. Jesus tells how in Matthew 28:19-20. Making disciples means simply teaching new believers to observe Christ's commands. Meet with the believer in his home, preferably with his unsaved family and friends, and teach them the 7 basic commands of Christ listed below.
Allow the new believer and those around him to ask questions and find the passages in the Bible listed below. When you disciple the new believer in the context of his family and friends, his family and friends will discover what it means to wholeheartedly love Christ. Some of them will likely get saved also. This new group of believers will then get excited and want to share in the same way with other friends and relatives. Encourage them to disciple others they know who are interested. In this way the gospel will naturally spread through their relationships with other unsaved people. |
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Discipling Progress Chart
These guidelines are to help you obey Jesus, and to help your family and friends obey Him also. Jesus said…
Jesus’ last command after He rose from the dead was for us to make disciples by teaching them to obey His commands (Matthew 28:18-20). He said to do many things but they can be summed up in seven basic commands, listed below. The 3,000 new believers of the first church in Jerusalem obeyed these commands from the start (Acts 2:37-47). The word love does not appear in this account, but we see them obeying this command in their fellowship and in the way they gave to the needy. Jesus’ commands are the foundation for all that a group of believers does.
Tell the person discipling you if you need help with any of these commands, and write the date in the space provided after each one when you and your friends are obeying it.
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1. Repent, believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit. Be Born Again
The first command for a new follower of Jesus is to repent (turn from sin), believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:15; John 3:16; 20:22). We can't do one of these things without the other two. When we do them, we are “born again” (John 3:3-8).”
To teach what it means to repent, tell your family and friends the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) or of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Be sure that your friends also know the accounts of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection (Luke 22:1-71, 23:1-56, 24:1-53). Start with these historical events if your friends do not already know them.
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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2. Be Baptized
The next command, after repenting, is to confirm it with baptism (Matthew 28:18-20). To teach your friends to be baptized, tell the account of Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:1-17), or of the Ethiopian’s baptism (Acts 8:26-39).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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3. Break Bread
From its beginning, a new group of believers should obey Jesus’ command to break bread in remembrance of His death (Matthew 26:26-27). Some call this Communion or the Lord’s Supper. By eating the bread and drinking from the cup, we are taking part in a mystical way in Jesus’ body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). To instruct your friends about this, recount its historical roots in the original Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). Also, tell how Jesus changed the Passover feast to its current form for Christians, in the Upper Room the night before His arrest (Luke 22:1-20).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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4. Love God and Neighbor
Love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus’ command to love includes forgiving those who have hurt us and caring for the needy. Stories might include Ruth’s love for Naomi (Ruth 1:1-17) and the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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5. Pray
Pray (John 16:24). This includes personal and family prayers. Stories can include Abraham’s prayer for his nephew Lot (Gen. 18:17-33) and Jesus’ ordeal in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:31-50).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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6. Give
Give (Luke 6:38). We are to give to anyone in serious need, starting with fellow believers; we also help support Christian workers. Instructive stories can include Abigail’s gift of food for David’s soldiers (1 Samuel 25:2-38), and Jesus’ parable of the three stewards (Matthew 25:14-30).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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7. Make Disciples
Make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to tell our friends about Jesus, lead God’s people, train new leaders and spread the Good News about Jesus to people all over the world. Stories might include Jesus’ parable of the two builders (Matt. 7:24-29), Peter’s visit to Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:1-48), and what the first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem did from the beginning (Acts 2:37-47).
Practice confirmed (date) ________________________
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Want a road map for discipleship that can help you multiply disciples who make disciples? Check out PeopleOfYEs.com and their "Church Planting Dashboard." Get practical training to help you understand how to:
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