3 Key Characteristics of a Disciple Maker - June 22, 2021 - Podcast show notes

1. Follow Jesus (doing it)

1Corinthians 11:1:  “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 

Matt 4:19:  “And He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’.”

Matt 8:22:  “And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead’.”

Matt 10:38:  “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Over and over in the gospels, the call from Jesus was clear: “Follow Me”. So the first key characteristic of a disciple maker is to be a follower of Jesus yourself. To make disciples you don’t have to be perfect but rather you can point to the fact that YOU are also a disciple who is trying to live your life for Jesus every day. So your first priority as a disciple maker (or the leader/facilitator of a discipleship group) is your own personal walk with Jesus. Be devoted to the Scriptures, prayer, and fellowship. This includes daily “quiet times” and regular worship at a local church.

Read: “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman

2. Let others see you following Jesus (demonstrating it)

Philippians 3:17:  “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” - Paul

Philippians 4:9:  “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” - Paul

1 Corinthians 4:16:  “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” - Paul

Jesus demonstrated what a life with God looks like by living it out in front of his disciples and doing it with them. He prioritized prayer, Scriptures, and fellowship to go along with building relationships with the lost and telling them of “the way”. Ultimately Jesus taught his disciples how to reproduce themselves by making other disciples. 

So our job as disciple makers is to demonstrate the same things that Jesus did - to be an example - to live it out in front of our disciples (the people that God has called us to invest in). However, don’t worry if your life isn’t perfect - you have to be real with people that you are an imperfect person simply doing your best to follow Jesus and live for him.

3. Invest in others as you follow Jesus together (reproducing it)

1 Thessalonians 2:8:  “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

Prioritizing time to spend with our “disciples” is so important. It is not enough to simply get people to make a decision to follow Christ. We must “walk” with them and encourage them in their walks with Jesus. This includes helping them to get assimilated into the larger body of Christ. A disciple maker (or a Legacy Leader) is someone who is closely following Jesus personally, and is trying to answer the question, “What would Jesus be doing if he were in my shoes here today?”

Being a disciple maker is not just leading a Bible study or teaching a class or facilitating a support group - it truly involves investing time into developing relationships with the people that God has called you to disciple.