Personal Discipleship 2024-1

PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP 2024
The purpose of discipleship is to foster the spiritual growth of every
disciple so that they become more Christ-like in every way possible.
(Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-8; 1 Corinthians 4:15--17)
The Apostle Paul was very clear on what he was producing in the
very lives of every person he met and every church he planted.
He wanted mature disciples, people who had learned how to obey
God by following Jesus Christ.
He said this in various ways, not always using the word disciple but
always referring to the characteristics of a disciple, one who is mature
in Christ.
Paul’s end product
Romans 8:29 ‘For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the
firstborn among many brothers.
Paul insisted that the believer is to be conformed into the image of
Christ or likeness of Christ.
1
And to the churches in Galatia he wrote, I am again in the anguish of
childbirth until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4: 19)
To the church at Corinth he wrote, but we Christians have no veil
over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the
Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more
and more like Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB)
Then, to the church at Colossae he wrote, He is the one we proclaim,
admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may
present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously
contend withal energy Christ so powerfully works in me (Colossians
1:28 -29)
From these verses, it is clear that Paul’s goal was to see people
become more and more like Jesus. He wanted people to be conformed
to the image of Jesus, to be mirrors that reflect Jesus, to be matured
into the likeness of Jesus.
Paul’s end product was Christ – like followers and this should be the
end product of every church and disciple maker.
Definition of terms: disciple, discipleship, disciple - maker
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DISCIPLE
A disciple is a person in process who is eager to learn and apply the

biblical truths which results in an intensive relationship with Jesus,
an ever-deepening commitment to a Christ – like lifestyle and a life
of winning and discipling others.
A disciple is someone who knows and follows Christ, is

being changed by Christ, and is committed to the mission of Christ.
(Matthew 4:19)
DISCIPLESHIP
An intentional process where a matured believer leads other believers

in a life - long relationship with Jesus Christ, which transforms their
lives into Christlikeness, changes their values into kingdom values
and changes their mission into Christ’s mission.
This happens as you pour your life into another person, you will not
just be conveying biblical knowledge, you are not simply trying to
form a learner, instead you are investing your life into men and
women who will follow Jesus, grow to be like Him and carry on His
work.
DISCIPLE MAKER
A disciple maker is a mature follower of Christ who helps a younger

disciple, the child, grow toward spiritual maturity. (Colossians 1:28-
29)
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This process is called disciple-making, through which over time, the
child develops from a state of spiritual immaturity into a state of
spiritual maturity. (Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians: 4:11-16)
Discipleship is a lifetime journey of obedience to Jesus resulting in
knowing Him deeply, reflecting Him authentically, and sharing Him
intentionally. (2 Timothy 4:6-8; Hebrews 11:39-12:1)
We are all called to be disciples of Christ. Spiritual maturity happens

at the point in time where a person is able to reproduce the disciple-
making process in the life of another individual. (John 20:21; 1
Thessalonians 3:1-2)
STAGES OF DISCIPLESHIP
There are 5 stages of discipleship development namely: personal,
family, church, community and the world,
In this session we will explore personal discipleship. We will be
talking about us before going to others.
Discipleship begins with our personal lives, then it extends to our

families, the church, to the community in which we work and live and
the world at large.
Discipleship is personal before family, church, community and the

world. This is because we cannot give what we do not have, we
cannot lead where we have never been.
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Before you go to your family, to your disciples, to the church, to the
community and the world, it should start with you.
There need for spiritual growth is not an option, Jesus modelled that
for us.
In Scripture, we see the secret of the life of Jesus, that it was His
consistent contact with the Father. (Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23;
John 6: 15)
For our personal growth we must follow the example of Jesus Christ,
because without constant contact with God, we can do nothing.
We should build our relationship with God.
Let us see the concept of Christ
In Mark 1: 17 He had called them saying Follow Me and I will make

you fishers of men.
Following Jesus precedes becoming fishers of men.
Mark 3: 14 Jesus appointed the twelve so that they might be with Him
and that He might send them.
Being with Jesus precedes being send out by Him
In John 15: 4 – 5 He told them to abide in Him for apart from Him
they could do nothing.
Abiding in Him precedes being fruitful.
Luke 10: 42 we have a story of Martha complaining to Jesus that

Mary had left her doing the housework alone.
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But Jesus responds by telling Martha that Mary had chosen a better
thing, which was to sit at Jesus feet and learn from Him.
Personal devotion, time spent in the presence of Jesus in His word and
prayer is the source of motivation, power and fruitfulness for any
service we might do for Him.
Surprisingly, many believers including pastors and church leaders,

sometimes fail to spend consistent time with the Lord personally
receiving, reflecting and responding to God’s word.
Engaging with God’s word personally at least four times per week or
so is the single most important thing we can do to grow spiritually.
Receiving God’s word, reflecting on its meaning and responding to it

personally is called DISCIPLINED DAILY DEVOTION.
It is DISCIPLINED because it requires an intentional process of

engaging God’s word which may not come naturally at first.
1 Timothy 4: 7 says, train yourself to be godly ( cf 1 Corinthians

9:24-27)
It is DAILY because it must be practised regularly, just as eating and

breathing
It is DEVOTION because the goal is to grow more in love with Jesus

and obedience to Him from the heart.
If you desire to be fruitful in your personal life, marriage life, family,

work, ministry begin the practice and privilege of DISCPLINED
DAILY DEVOTION.
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It is the most important thing you can do to grow as a disciple.

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PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP 2024

The purpose of discipleship is to foster the spiritual growth of every

disciple so that they become more Christ-like in every way possible.

(Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-8; 1 Corinthians 4:15--17)

very lives of every person he met and every church he planted.

He wanted mature disciples, people who had learned how to obey

God by following Jesus Christ.

always referring to the characteristics of a disciple, one who is mature

Paul’s end product

Romans 8:29 ‘For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be

conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the

firstborn among many brothers.

Paul insisted that the believer is to be conformed into the image of

Christ or likeness of Christ.

childbirth until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4: 19)

To the church at Corinth he wrote, but we Christians have no veil

and more like Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB)

Then, to the church at Colossae he wrote, He is the one we proclaim,

admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may

present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously

contend withal energy Christ so powerfully works in me (Colossians

become more and more like Jesus. He wanted people to be conformed

to the image of Jesus, to be mirrors that reflect Jesus, to be matured

into the likeness of Jesus.

end product of every church and disciple maker.

Definition of terms: disciple, discipleship, disciple - maker

A disciple is a person in process who is eager to learn and apply the

A disciple is someone who knows and follows Christ, is

An intentional process where a matured believer leads other believers

A disciple maker is a mature follower of Christ who helps a younger

We are all called to be disciples of Christ. Spiritual maturity happens

There are 5 stages of discipleship development namely: personal,

family, church, community and the world,

In this session we will explore personal discipleship. We will be

talking about us before going to others.

Discipleship begins with our personal lives, then it extends to our

Discipleship is personal before family, church, community and the

We should build our relationship with God.

Let us see the concept of Christ

In Mark 1: 17 He had called them saying Follow Me and I will make

Following Jesus precedes becoming fishers of men.

Being with Jesus precedes being send out by Him

Abiding in Him precedes being fruitful.

Luke 10: 42 we have a story of Martha complaining to Jesus that

Surprisingly, many believers including pastors and church leaders,

Receiving God’s word, reflecting on its meaning and responding to it

It is DISCIPLINED because it requires an intentional process of

1 Timothy 4: 7 says, train yourself to be godly ( cf 1 Corinthians

It is DAILY because it must be practised regularly, just as eating and

It is DEVOTION because the goal is to grow more in love with Jesus

If you desire to be fruitful in your personal life, marriage life, family,

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