Men do not go to battle simply by putting on a uniform and bearing a weapon. Before they enter a war-zone, they must first train for action.
Many Christians have simply worn the uniform of Christ for years without training to be His disciple. Sure, they have tried to follow Jesus, but they haven’t trained.
Training takes effort, determination, and commitment. It is strenuous and challenging. But it is the only way to grow. Many churches overlook this fact and create an atmosphere of “trying” instead of “training” –try to be good, try to be nice, try to be here, try not to embarrass us. That’s a great policy for a social club, but not a great strategy to win the world. Churches who try but don’t train are full of kind, respected people with no life transformation.
Training means putting our faith into practice. The disciple-maker must lead his disciple through life experiences. Every experience is an opportunity for learning. Paul knew the power of training through life experiences when he said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1)
Try thinking of discipleship like teaching a child to ride a bike. What does that kind of teaching look like? Do you sit down at the table and go through a book on cycling? Do you lecture about balance? Do you start with a chart outlining the nuts, bolts, gears, and spokes? Very few fathers hand their sons the bicycle’s user manual and say, “Good luck!” Instead, they place them on the bike and help them hold it steady as they learn to pedal. Then, slowly, they let go, until the child gets the hang of it.
This is how Jesus trained the twelve. He began by placing a few men’s feet on the pedals of ministry. As He walked with these men, He gently moved them forward while holding on to the seat. After three-and-a-half years of coaching, He released them to ride as ministers of the gospel. Of course, they all crashed a few times, but just like riding a bike, they never forgot what He trained them to do.
As the ancient proverb states, “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand.”
Discipleship should be as hands on as possible. For example, before discussing the implications of “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), it might be beneficial to spend time at the local supermarket challenging your disciples to see people the way God sees them and do everything possible to show them love. You might help an elderly lady reach a can of soup off of the top shelf, help a mother of four load grocery bags into her minivan, or take all of the empty carts out of the parking lot and inside. You could take your disciple to the house of an ill neighbor and mow the yard together. Or you might change the oil for a single mother trying to keep up with her demanding life. Imagine how the Great Commandment will make more sense after helping those in need by serving together!
The best way for your disciple to learn how to live out the practical outworking of their faith is to take them with you as you serve others. Take them to visit in the hospital, take them to pray with a hurting friend, take them to the funeral of a co-worker, take them to volunteer at the soup kitchen. As a rule of thumb, never do ministry alone –its too great an opportunity to train your disciple. You just can’t pass it up. That was the way of the Master disciple-maker. Think of His example:
Jesus didn’t merely command the apostles to “serve others.” Instead, He gave them fish and bread to feed the 5,000. He didn’t simply tell them to “evangelize the lost.” He brought them along to meet the Samaritan woman. And Jesus didn’t just give them instruction on giving, but He sent them to fetch a coin from the mouth of a fish in order to pay the temple tax.
Discipleship is on-the-job training. Just like a child picks up his parent’s expressions, personality and habits, disciples learn by consistent exposure to real life. Your walk talks louder than your talk talks.
To be adequately discipled, one must labor together with his disciple-maker. The beauty of this labor is that it produces what lecture often cannot: relevant questions. People learn best when they are genuinely interested, actively involved, and ask questions. Some of the richest moments of learning have happened in the car on the way home from sharing the gospel as a disciple asks tough questions prompted by the day’s evangelism experience.
That’s what Jesus did. Sometimes, after delivering a puzzling parable to the crowds, he would leave so the apostles would have to give an explanation (Matthew 13:36). Other times, after doing great miracles, he would explain the meaning to the disciples (Matthew 15:32). When others were theorizing on His identity, Jesus asked His men, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). When the disciples could not cast out a demon, Jesus came to their aid, and then pulling them aside, taught them about faith. (Matthew 17:19-21).
The issue isn’t so much about creating training opportunities -its about recognizing them. So, make a habit of taking your disciple with you everywhere you go so you will be in the right place at the right time when the next opportunity for training appears. Then, be careful not to do for them what they can do for themselves (especially if it is a challenge to them). Throw your disciple in the deep end from time to time -just don’t forget to be standing by to step in when needed and take advantage of “teachable moments.” That’s the only way you’ll move from trying to training.