The Paradox of Disciple-Making

The Model is the Method

One of the things the Lord is showing me in doing the discipleship groups at Faith Bible is that the model is the method. What I mean is that the way you teach disciple-making is by making disciples. Said another way, you can't teach disciple-making except by making disciples so the disciples see how to make disciples as they are growing in the process of becoming disciples who make disciples. This group process is the process. The process of making disciples, itself, is the teaching. If you simply teach disciple-making outside of the context of actively making disciples in a group with disciples, you are not teaching disciple-making. You are just talking about disciple-making.

I'm seeing that you can only teach disciple "being" and "making" in process and what you are passing on is the process. The group becomes the model and the future disciple-makers model the model. So if there is no model they are engaged in, they can't learn to reproduce it.

Is your head spinning yet? I do that to people.

The Disciples Knew What To Do

When Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…," the Eleven knew what to do. They didn't have to page through the discipleship manual and find the page where the disciple-making method was outlined. Why? They had lived it with Jesus. They met with Jesus regularly and learned from Him. They were in a small group, either of 12 or 3 and had hours of discussion with Him. It was slow; it was relational, and they learned from the Word made flesh.

I don't want to go out on the limb just yet, but this would mean that if a church does discipleship any other way other than the group process of making disciples, it may not produce disciple-making disciples. The process is the method and the model has to be reproducible to the disciple / disciple-makers. Most programs, classes, and books are not able to be reproduced by the disciple. It seems to me that you can't teach it if you won't do it. How inconvenient! Why can't we just tell people what to do and have them do it? Most discipleship is academically focused and not done as Jesus did it, in process with a small group of men.

How did the Eleven know what to do with the 3000 who came to Christ on Pentecost? Jesus showed them how to break a large group into groups of 50-100. They learned this as He taught and fed crowds. How did the Twelve know how to go out and preach alone? They watched Jesus enter town after town and do this long before He sent them out. They learned this in the process of Jesus doing it. When He told them to make disciples, I think the Eleven knew exactly what to do because Jesus had done it with them.

A Disciple / Maker of Disciples Learns From Jesus

In our busy lives we might need to go slowly when making disciples who make disciples. I don't think mass production works. Classes and programs might sound good, but they are not what the Lord did. He took time to meet with His men regularly. He taught them the Word. He answered their questions. He sent them out and answered their questions when they returned. He shepherded them every day. He taught them how to be disciples and disciple-makers by doing it with them. If we are those who learn from Jesus, in humility we need to slow down and be like our teacher. The way He did it seemed to work.

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher.