How to Make Disciples

Dallas Willard, in The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship, wrote:

“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”

Collin Marshall & Tony Payne touch on the essence of discipleship in their book, The Vine Project, (a helpful sequel to their excellent first book, The Trellis & The Vine). Here’s what Marshall & Payne have to say:

Disciple-making is really about calling people to faith and hope in Jesus Christ in the midst of this present evil age, with all its pressures.

For those who want to explore more of the meaning and the mechanics of making disciples, Steve Childers, of Pathway Learning, has published a helpful series of short audios he has titled “How to Make Disciples”. (NOTE: A transcript of each audio is available at the bottom of the posts, for those who prefer reading.)

Foundations of Discipleship (7:32)

The Master’s Method of Discipleship (7:02)

Principles of Discipleship (6:53)

Goals in Discipleship (8:32)

Imitating Christ in Discipleship (8:16)

The Call to Discipleship Is…

Colin Marshall & Tony Payne give us a good concise definition of what it means to be a follower of Jesus:

The call to discipleship is thus a call to confess our allegiance to Jesus in the face of a hostel world; to serve him and his mission, whatever the cost.

~  from The Trellis and the Vine

Call to Discipleship: Same for All

At the most basic level, the Bible says that Jesus does not have two classes of disciples:

• Those who abandon their lives to his service.
• Those who do not.

The call to discipleship is the same for all.

~ Colin Marshall & Tony Payne, from The Trellis and the Vine