Dear family,
Learning to Make Disciples as Jesus Did
This time I want to share from the heart—both from what we believe to be true about discipling and from our own struggles as we try to follow Jesus together as a disciple group.
It begins with a practical question. What was the best disciple-making space used by the early church? Surely, they learned from Jesus and followed His example. They understood that discipling is deeply relationship-based, requires generous amounts of time together, and must remain highly interactive. In the community where we live, we find this difficult to replicate. We meet weekly with two different disciple groups, usually for about two hours at a time. Even that commitment is too much for many people who would otherwise be interested in joining. Yet we keep discovering that we need far more time together, not less.
Discipling is not simply attending a course, and it is not merely the transfer of information. Discipling is life transfer—the way Jesus did it. It happens as a small group of disciples help one another learn to live the Kingdom lifestyle He demonstrated.
How the Early Church Practiced This
Paul gives us a glimpse of this pattern in 1 Corinthians 14:26: “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone usually has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”
In every meeting, everyone usually had the opportunity to minister in some way to the others present. Paul gives examples that can be expanded when we compare them with what he writes elsewhere about the functioning of spiritual gifts. This was how most disciples met: in groups small enough for the whole body of Christ to function.
Mutual participation was built in from the start. The interactive format was not optional; it was essential. The result was effective discipling—not only through receiving information and knowledge, but by learning to minister to one another so that the whole body would be built up and strengthened.
This Is Church
When church is seen in this way, it becomes a safe space for growth. Others take me by the hand. I can practice ministering to others, praying for them, and sharing a Scripture or a song that comes to mind—without the fear or performance pressure that can so easily arise in a large gathering.
If we do not approach our meetings in this way, we will miss out on effective disciple-making. I believe this format is foundational to being church. It is the most important meeting of all. There is nothing wrong with other kinds of gatherings, but they should be added to—not substituted for—the foundational disciple group.
It is possible to share information with a large crowd and to expound Scripture to hundreds gathered together. But making disciples as Jesus did requires a small, interactive group where everyone helps one another minister with what they have received from the Lord. Larger gatherings can serve valuable special purposes and occasional events, but they should not replace the church pattern modeled by the first generation of believers.
The Challenge of Spending More Time Together
What about spending much more time together? The early church addressed this by eating together regularly, as we read in Acts. Everybody needs to eat; bringing food from home and sharing a meal while experiencing Christ working through every member of His body seems to be a best practice we should seek to follow.
In the community and culture where I live, however, this often feels almost impossible. People are busy and carry many responsibilities. We have looked for ways to follow the principle, even if we cannot always follow the exact practice within our current lifestyles. We have considered getting together for a full weekend from time to time, but that has not happened yet.
This brings to mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
A Call to Deeper Commitment
We are not there yet, but we are trying. We have discovered that following Jesus as disciples is far more demanding than attending a general meeting once a week.
Are you willing to commit to that extent?
Your brother,
Pieter