DISCIPLESHIP 101

Genesis 4 – Am I my brother’s keeper? Short answer yes.

Matthew 22:37-40

Spiritually dead – unbelief /gospel shared – born again. A spiritual infant is characterized by ignorance. A spiritual child is characterized by self centeredness. A spiritual young adult is characterized by service. They want to serve. They are more God centered and focused on helping others. A spiritual parent is intentional/reproducible/they have a strategy to teach and mentor ones they are in the process of making disciples.

*This chart is from Real Life Discipleship. You can read the book review here.

Matthew 28:19-20 – Make disciples. Your purpose is to make disciples not friends. Your purpose is to glorify God. If you are a true follower of Christ, you will gain friends and lose friends. You will make friends in the church as part of the body of Christ. You should also have friends that are unbelievers and you should love them enough to share Christ with them.

You should first be the friend that you want others to be to you. Proverbs says that a friend is closer than a brother. A true friend is someone that you can trust, confide in, and know they will do their best to keep their promises.

You don’t need loser friends. What is a loser friend?

• The relationship with you has to benefit them.
• They lie to you.
• They can only be around you when it is convenient for them.
• You can’t trust them – there is broken promises, they will not keep your secrets, there is no confidentiality.
• They repeatedly hurt you and apologize. It seems like a never-ending cycle.
• They would rather see you fail instead of celebrating your successes. You intimidate them. They are jealous of you.
• They betray you.

If you have friends/associates/acquaintances that are spiritually dead – seek opportunities to share the gospel with them.

If your friends are Christians – Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 – You cannot be a disciple maker unless you are progressing in spiritual maturity.

What happens when your friend steps out of line? What happens when they start living a life that appears to disregard God and the Bible?

By being friends, you have earned the right to confront them. You are holding them accountable according to the Bible. Hebrews 3:12-13 – Your life must be transparent and authentic. James 5:16 – You are taking medicine to the sick. You are not aiding them in their sin.

Proverbs 27:6 – Faithful are the wounds of a friend. It is good for us to be corrected and reproved by our friends. This is a way for us to see what is in our life that does conform us to the image of Christ. The rebuke or correction of a friend is as painful as inflicting wounds but if they truly love you and care about your spiritual well-being – your progress in sanctification, they will not let you continue in your sin without confronting you in love.

2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Corinthians 5:14, 18-20

Are you compelled by Christ? Do you understand the need/urgency?

John 12:26

John 14:23-25

Do you treasure Christ more than the affections of people? Would you rather be obedient to Christ or would you rather not offend other people?