Disciple-making comes from being a disciple, but a disciple who is a very humble servant of others. Jesus tells His disciples more than once that they have to become like the least to be the one who truly leads. I know this sounds like some sort of ethereal spiritual "art of war" teaching, but I am seeing more and more that pride not only hamstrings the disciple, but it destroys any true disciple-making. So much of our training is for the individual, to prepare the individual so that when the individual goes into action the focus is still on the individual.
Peter Became Usable After He Was Broken
Peter was that natural born leader. He would have been the guy to command and issue highly spiritual principles of being a disciple. But he was broken by his failure. When Jesus restored him in John 21, He asked Peter 3 times if he loved Jesus. Based on that love Peter was to be a humble shepherd and feed Jesus' lambs. Peter was not to drive them on at Peter's pace, but to tend them according to their needs out of love for Jesus. Peter could have written demanding, super-spiritual books and devotionals. He could have written curriculum and been a leader's leader, but Jesus commanded Peter to limit himself to the lambs and sheep, to shepherd at their pace.
Ability Can Be a Disability
Highly talented and devoted people can do things that no one else can do. They can read through the Bible cover to cover year after year without missing a day. That's wonderful. Most sheep can't and won't read through the Bible cover to cover. The Word, the whole Word, is absolutely vital to each believer every year; but if driven to do it the way of the talented person, they will burn out and they probably won't be able to do it. That is why I recommend using a one-year Bible. Someone else's ability pushed on the lambs becomes something they cannot follow or reproduce. That ability becomes a disability in disciple-making. A learner of Jesus is a shepherd and learns what is best for the lambs and sheep.
It doesn't matter what we are able to do personally; the real question is can we shepherd as Jesus did so that we make disciples who can make disciples. It is not about us and our ability; it is about our service to His lambs and sheep so that they are able to reproduce disciples.
The Simple Model Needs a Simple Caring Shepherd
Jesus' model was to have his men close to Him on a regular basis around the Word. I really believe that is all it takes. It doesn't need a teacher or lecturer. Yet, to grasp the power of this, it does require someone who has been grasped by the power of being a learner of Jesus. This will be someone who has seen the power of the Word and who is growing as they read the Word. It will be someone with incurable confidence in Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit will teach and make His Word known. And here is the thing, it can be a very simple person who is simply willing to guide people in small groups. The Lord and His Spirit can do the rest.
As long as we see disciple making as something only the gifted and theologically correct can do, it will not be done. If disciple-making demands a structured program and man-made curriculum, disciple-making will elude us. But if making disciples can be done and modeled by a simple disciple who simply brings "lambs" into Jesus' model of a small group of people learning from Him from His Word through His Spirit, we just might see a disciple-making culture take shape where disciples make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
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