Module 4 / Lesson 1: Make Disciples!

© Michael Dörnbrack

Lesson 1: Make Disciples!

Introduction Welcome to the fourth and last module of this discipleship course. Just as the title of
this module implies (“Leaders for Jesus”), this set of lessons has to do with leading
others. Of course you may wonder where we want to lead people to. The answer
becomes clear when we realize how extensive Jesus’ command to make disciples is.
When we understand what a disciple is, the entirety of Jesus’ command is obvious.
Please read the following Bible texts and find out what it means to be a disciple of
Jesus.

Matthew 28:18-20:

John 8:31-32:

John 13:35:

John 15:1-8:

Acts 6:7:

Definition of To summarize: A disciple is a person, who...

“Disciple”  Has made a clear and binding decision to follow Jesus.
 Has experienced salvation through Jesus Christ and has thus become a child of
God.
 Has a living relationship with Jesus.
 Lives with and according to God’s Word.
 Lives in fellowship with other disciples.
 Let’s God change his character.
 Shares his faith and makes disciples of other people.
When we look at discipleship from this perspective, we realize that Jesus’ command to
disciple others is a lot more than explaining the 28 fundamental beliefs to someone
before they are baptized. Discipleship means leading people to a living and redemptive
relationship with Jesus Christ, helping them to grow in their faith, and training them so
that they can lead other people to Jesus. But a disciple of Jesus isn’t someone who has
reached perfection in all these areas. Being Jesus’ disciple means being Jesus’ student.

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Discipleship isn’t a sudden condition of spiritual maturity. It is a process of growing

and learning as a student at the feet of Jesus. Whoever studies under the tutelage of
Jesus is a disciple no matter how much he/she has already grown. The goal of
discipleship is a constant multiplication of disciples, which requires leadership. Thus,
leadership will the focus of module 4.
The Path of The picture becomes clearer when we look at this model of the discipleship path. The
Discipleship path of discipleship describes the spiritual growth of a disciple in 4 phases.

Evangelize Establish Equip Empower

Born again Growing Missionary Leader &

Christian Christian & Worker Trainer

Of course, this model of discipleship growth is a bit simplistic. For one thing, each
phase doesn’t necessarily take place chronologically. Someone, who has just
surrendered to Jesus, doesn’t have to wait until they have mature faith before they
can tell someone else about Jesus. Another thing to keep in mind is that one phase
doesn’t end when the next phase begins. Conversion and growth in faith don’t stop
when someone is a missionary or leader. We continue to grow until our time on this
earth ends. Lastly, these 4 phases are interconnected and influence one other. For
example, sharing the gospel strengthens my own faith. The point of this model is to
make it clear that discipleship is a process with different phases and emphases. Let’s
look at each of the phases individually.

Phase 1 Evangelize
A person gets to know Jesus through evangelism and understands the basics of the
gospel and the steps to salvation. They personally accept the gift of salvation, decide
to follow Jesus, and experience assurance of salvation. This person has become a born
again/converted Christian. While conveying biblically true Adventist beliefs is
important, the main focus is on personal salvation. When understood in the context of
salvation all of our fundamental beliefs make perfect sense.
Focus of The lessons from module 1 of this discipleship course (“Jesus, my life”) deal with these
Module 1 very topics. The focal points in this module are:
 Understanding the plan of salvation
 Biblical concept of God
 Repentance/Forgiveness

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 Justification / Sanctification
 Personal salvation and assurance of salvation
 Fundamental teachings of the Bible

Phase 2 Establish
After conversion it is necessary to firm up the new believer’s faith and help them grow
in their relationship with Jesus. The goal is for them to become responsible and
growing Christians.
How does Paul describe this process?
Ephesians 3:14-21:

Colossians 2:6-8:

Focal Points The lessons from module 2 (“With Jesus Ahead”) deal with this growth. The focal
of Module 2 points are:
 Filled with the Holy Ghost
 Bible study
 Prayer
 Recognizing God’s will
 Power to change
 Immersion in biblical teachings
The focus of Module 2 isn’t just about imparting knowledge; it is about teaching skills.
Every Adventist knows that personal prayer and Bible knowledge are important. But
very few have had a spiritual mentor, who has practically shown them how it works.
That is why it is so important to cover its importance in this phase. The book
“Evangelism” from Ellen White devotes a whole section to this important topic.
(Section 10: “Establishing and Holding New Converts”, p. 334-381). Let’s read the
following quote:
Quote #1 “And the new converts will need to be instructed by faithful teachers of God’s Word,

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that they may increase in a knowledge and love of the truth, and may grow to the full
stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. They must now be surrounded by the
influences most favorable to spiritual growth.” (Evangelism, p. 337)

Phase 3 Equip
Discipleship includes more than conversion and spiritual growth. As we saw earlier,
Jesus’ disciples are always called to lead people to Jesus. That is why it is important to
train church members as workers and missionaries, who actively share their faith and
support the church with their talents. They can and should be leading people to step 2.
During New Testament times it was completely normal for every believer to be
empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share his faith, and to support the church according
to his spiritual talents.

How does Paul describe these thoughts in his letter to the Ephesians?
Ephesians 4:11-14:

It is important that we clearly communicate Jesus’ commission to all the church

members. We need to stress that they are commissioned and expected to do
something! Moreover, we need to teach them how they can work and give them
opportunities to develop their abilities. This is worthy of repeating: the point is to
acquire skills that put knowledge into action. Effective training always combines
theory with practice. We lose acquired knowledge when we don’t use it. Thus, training
church members is one of the most important duties of church leaders.
Quote #2 “In every church there is talent, which, with the right kind of labor, might be
developed to become a great help in this work. That which is needed now for the
upbuilding of our churches is the nice work of wise laborers to discern and develop
talent in the church—talent that can be educated for the Master’s use. There should
be a well-organized plan for the employment of workers to go into all our churches,
large and small, to instruct the members how to labor for the upbuilding of the church
and also for unbelievers. It is training, education, that is needed. Those who labor in
visiting the churches should give the brethren and sisters instruction in practical
methods of doing missionary work.” (Testimonies for the Church vol. 9, p. 117)
Quote #3 “God expects His church to discipline and fit its members for the work of enlightening
the world. An education should be given that would result in furnishing hundreds who
would put out to the exchangers valuable talents. By the use of these talents, men
would be developed who would be prepared to fill positions of trust and influence,
and to maintain pure, uncorrupted principles. Thus great good would be accomplished
for the Master.“ (Christian Service, p. 58)
Quote #4 “The greatest help that can be given our people is to teach them to work for God, and

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to depend on Him, not on the ministers. Let them learn to work as Christ worked. Let
them join His army of workers and do faithful service for Him.” (Testimonies for the
Church, vol. 7, p. 19)
Quote #5 “Just as soon as a church is organized, let the minister set the members at work. They
will need to be taught how to labor successfully. Let the minister devote more of his
time to educating than to preaching. Let him teach the people how to give to others
the knowledge they have received.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 20)
Quote #6 “Every church member should be engaged in some line of service for the Master.
Some cannot do so much as others, but everyone should do his utmost to roll back the
tide of disease and distress that is sweeping over our world. Many would be willing to
work if they were taught how to begin. They need to be instructed and encouraged.
Every church should be a training school for Christian workers. Its members should be
taught how to give Bible readings, how to conduct and teach Sabbath-school classes,
how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, how to work for the unconverted.
There should be schools of health, cooking schools, and classes in various lines of
Christian help work. There should not only be teaching, but actual work under
experienced instructors. Let the teachers lead the way in working among the people,
and others, uniting with them, will learn from their example. One example is worth
more than many precepts.” (Ministry of Healing, p. 149)

Focal Points The lessons from module 3 (“My Life for Jesus”) deal with training for mission work.
of Module 3 The focal points are:
 Basic principles of evangelization
 Personal call to service
 Friendship evangelism
 CARE Groups
 Personal Bible studies

Phase 4 Empower
It wasn’t enough for Jesus to lead His disciples to God, to strengthen their faith, and to
make them co-workers. He took them a step further. He empowered them and made
them leaders and trainers. After His ascension into heaven, He wanted them to be
able to build up a church and to lead and train others. In other words, they were to
lead people through all 4 phases of discipleship. Only in this way could there be a
multiplication of leaders and trainers.
The book of Acts shows us how well the apostles learned their lesson from Jesus. The
number of disciples increased so drastically that they obviously couldn’t carry the load
alone. These believers met in small house churches, which each needed their own
leader. These leaders were equipped by the apostles for their work. Later we also see
that workers were chosen, trained, and empowered in order to continue this process
with others. The result was a multiplication of co-workers and missionaries, as well as
leaders and trainers.
 Barnabas took Saul in and made him a co-worker.
 Paul surrounded himself with co-workers like Silas, Timothy, Titus, Luke,
Aquila, and Priscilla.
 Aquila and Priscilla took in Apollos and trained him.
 Timothy and Titus later became leaders themselves.

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How does Paul express the principle of multiplication to Timothy in this verse?
2 Timothy 2:2:

Quote #7 “For the carrying on of His work, Christ did not choose the learning or eloquence of
the Jewish Sanhedrin or the power of Rome. Passing by the self-righteous Jewish
teachers, the Master Worker chose humble, unlearned men to proclaim the truths
that were to move the world. These men He purposed to train and educate as the
leaders of His church. They in turn were to educate others and send them out with the
gospel message. That they might have success in their work they were to be given the
power of the Holy Spirit. Not by human might or human wisdom was the gospel to be
proclaimed, but by the power of God.” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 17.1)
Focal Points In module 4 (“Leaders for Jesus“), we are mainly trying to answer the question “how
of Module 4 can we can become leaders and trainers and how we can help others reach this goal.”
More specifically it has to do with the ability to establish and lead CARE groups.
Where do When we think about the 4 steps on the path of discipleship, we have to ask the
we stand? question: Where do we stand? We could count how many members we have on the
list or how many people come to church. But the real question is: How many disciples
do we have? To be more specific how many of our church members…
 have experienced a personal conversion and rejoice in the assurance of
salvation,
 are filled with the Holy Spirit,
 experience growth in their faith,
 have regular worship and prayer time,
 share their faith,
 work actively in the church and
 train others?
These questions make it clear that the work has just begun when people are converted
and baptized.
Discipleship Jesus and the apostles didn’t leave discipleship growth up to chance. On the contrary,
doesn´t they intentionally, that is deliberately and purposely, nurtured others in their growth.
happen by We also can’t leave discipleship to chance, hoping that the believers will somehow
chance. grow. In the next lesson we will see that Jesus not only said that we should make
disciples, but that He also showed how it was done.
Challenge 1. Consider the path of discipleship again and think where you stand and where you
would personally like to grow.
2. Pray for people with whom you could establish a discipleship group.

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Please study Acts 11:19-30 carefully and take notes on the content, meaning, and life
applications of these verses. Be sure to write down good questions for each.
What does the Bible say? How can I ask questions about this?
Bible Study
(content, meaning, application) (Questions on content, meaning, and
application)

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In light of this topic what has become important to you? What has God made clear to
you? What decision(s) would you like to make? What would you like to share with
God in prayer?

Your homework for this lesson

1. Work through this lesson carefully and prayerfully. Mark the statements that are
important to you and write your answers in the spaces given.
2. Study the Bible passage at the end of this lesson!
3. The memory verse for this lesson is found in 2 Timothy 2:2. Write it word for
word on an index card and learn it by heart.
4. In the next couple of days, speak with someone about one of the points from
this lesson that personally spoke to you and share with them what you have
learned!

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