Part 1 Video:
Part 2 Video:
The Call of Discipleship
Matthew 10:37-39 NIV
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25 NIV
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Luke 9:57-62 NIV
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peterand his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
MPI’s Discipleship Method
1. CONNECT: Connect to God, remain connected, and connect to a good church.
“Connect” simply means to “bring two or more things together.” The Bible says to first connect to God in a personal relationship with Him. Second, the Bible teaches that we are to always remain connected, because it is a day-to-day relationship with God, not a one-time decision for God that secures our salvation. Last, you are to be connected to a good church, which is the Body of Christ. Here is a list of Scriptures that teach the importance of connecting to God the Biblical way .
1. CONNECT TO GOD: Colossians 1:21-23.
2. REMAIN CONNECTED TO GOD: John 15:1-8.
3. CONNECT TO A GOOD CHURCH: Acts 2:42-47.
2. MENTOR: Be in a relationship that challenges you to be teachable, accountable, a servant, and stay hungry for God.
To be a disciple means to be “trained to live like Jesus.” To be trained is the same as being mentored. Jesus never intended people to be discipled all by themselves. He set up a discipleship plan, in His Great Commission, that would allow each and every believer to have the opportunity to be individually mentored.
The easiest way to see this plan in action is to look at the strategy of Jesus when He was on earth establishing His church. Though Jesus loved the whole world, He knew that the most effective way to reach the world would be to have meaningful relationships with just a few people, who, then go out and teach others. So, Jesus chose twelve men to go with Him everywhere He went for three years.
After those three years, He sent them out to do the very same thing. Within a few hundred years of Jesus going back to heaven, the whole Roman Empire knew about Him. There were no cars, TV, Internet, satellite, planes, or the like. There was just an intense desire, by the disciples, to multiply and reproduce other disciples like themselves. Nothing could stop them. Christianity is now the largest religion in the world. Jesus is the most popular name on the planet. And, the Bible is the most read book of all time.
However, it came at a price. The disciples had to be willing to lay down their lives. In fact, many of the disciples in the first three centuries did die a martyr’s death. Yet they did not stop. In America today, in many ways, Christianity is like a dying religion, because most churchgoers don’t dedicate their lives to Jesus and the gospel like the first century Christians did. In the 21st century, many so-called Christians are lazy and only desire comfort and compromise. You must decide to live like the 1st century church instead of the 21st century church.
Here are four attributes you must have if you want to be mentored by another disciple and live the life of a world changer and history maker.
1. BE TEACHABLE: 2 Timothy 2:1-2.
2. BE ACCOUNTABLE: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21.
3. BE A SERVANT: Philippians 2:19-22.
4. BE HUNGRY FOR MORE OF GOD: Matthew 5:6.
3. SENT: To be sent out with a vision of the Lord, the harvest, the need, and your ministry.
After you have connected to God and the church, and have been mentored by another strong disciple, you are now ready
to be sent out so that the cycle of discipleship can continue. It is now your calling to go and find new people, connect them to Jesus, and begin to mentor them so that, like you, they can be a true disciple of Christ.
When you go, you should always have a vision of why you are a leader, and why it is important to remain a leader who produces good fruit. Here is a list of four things that you should always remember when you are serving the Lord in ministry and making new disciples.
- ALWAYS SEE THE LORD: Remember that you are doing your work for the Lord, not people. No matter how hard it gets or how people treat you, always remember to see the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-9).
- ALWAYS SEE THE HARVEST: Always see the great harvest of lost souls in the world. Sometimes, when preaching the gospel, people will reject Jesus. Remember, there are literally millions more who need to hear The Word. Even if someone you disciple gives up and quits, make sure you never do. If you don’t give up, you will eventually see people become disciples like you (John 4:34-38).
- ALWAYS SEE THE NEED: Never take your eyes off the need to help people and serve them. If you don’t help and love the people around you, who will? Remember, there is a real devil, determined to bring as many souls to hell with him as he can. Believe that God is using you to make a difference and meet as many needs as you can (Luke 10:33).
- ALWAYS SEE YOUR MINISTRY: Remember what the Lord called you to do and do it. Never quit. Never give up. Remain faithful, and know that what God said He will do, He will surely do. Remember, it was God who called you, and it is God who will strengthen you to accomplish your purpose (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Will YOU answer the call of discipleship today?