KEY TRUTH: A rationale to explain how the Disciple-Making process works and how to use the lessons and materials produced to pass on faith in the Lord.

1. Introducing the Disciples-Making Materials

1. 1. CLAIMING BACK TIME TO MAKE DISCIPLES AS JESUS COMMANDED: Everyone has 168 hours in a week! Yet few people have spare time in their week. We tend to make time for what is most important to us. The New Testament urges us ‘to redeem’ the time (see Eph 5:16; Col 4:5). What Paul is referring to is ‘buying back’ and making time for the Lord. It is often translated – making the most of your time. These Disciple-Making materials have been produced to enable earnest believers to obey the Great Commission and New Commandment of Christ (see Mt 28:19-20; Jn 13:34-35).

1. 2. ASSISTING YOU TO BECOME LIKE JESUS IN A CRAZY WORLD: It has become incredibly complex for Christian believers to walk with God while meeting the demands of family commitments, studies and work, as well as the daily pressures of life. Nevertheless, it is still God’s plan for every child of God to become like His Son, Jesus –For those whom God foreknew and chose beforehand, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son so that He would be the firstborn and honoured among many believers (Rom 8:29).

1. 3. A TOOL THAT CAN BE APPLIED AT A NORMAL LIFE-PACE: These Disciple-Making lessons are designed for busy believers to help them accomplish their heart’s desire to grow to be more like Jesus in a hostile world. This discipleship strategy considers the daily pressures of life and suggests ways you can apply the disciplines of the Christian life at a normal life-pace so you can successfully – seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness … (Mt 6:33).

1. 4. A SIMPLE TOOL THAT CAN BE REPRODUCED IN YOUR LIFE: The notes produced are simple and very basic. There are plenty of excellent productions such as – ‘Fundamentals of the Faith’ by John MacArthur. However, such teaching tools are not usually passed on beyond the classroom by participants.

1. 5. THESE LESSONS ARE NOT FOR TEACHING (ALONE) BUT FOR MAKING DISCIPLES: These Disciple-Making lessons are a different tool. The style is intended to be passed on and reproduced by all those taking part. The reason is plain: Jesus gave one clear mission statement to His followers that is summed up in the main verb of the Great Commission – Make disciples! (Mt 28:19).
2. What is meant by a Disciple-Making style of teaching?
   1. GOOD TEACHING IS SIMPLE AND LIBERATING: There are some renowned speakers who have a great command of homiletics. However, teaching should be simple and understandable to the masses like that of Jesus whom the crowds loved – for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes (Mt 7:29). 
   2. GOOD TEACHING IS REPRODUCED BY THE HEARERS: Teaching is about passing on information. It is not discipleship UNTIL the hearers reproduce it in their own lives and pass on what they have learnt to others. Paul underscored this to Timothy when he wrote – What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (1 Tim 2:2).
   3. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE GROUND: Disciple-Making involves the following steps …
      1. I ‘practice what I preach’ by modelling this for you in my lifestyle.
      2. We read the lesson together while I teach it while you are with me.
      3. You teach the lessons I taught back to me while I am with you.
      4. You teach it to others while I encourage you in the background.
   4. THE IMPACT OF THIS STYLE ON LESSON DELIVERY: There are about twenty lessons in the series. Even if you successfully taught through the 20 lessons in sequence, little disciple-making will have taken place. To do that requires getting your ‘disciples’ to successfully teach it back to you and eventually to others. That means that the 20 lessons will take a minimum of 40 weeks, and with two other ‘disciples’ could take more like 60 weeks! It is not about passing on information. If that was possible, we would simply reproduce and hand out the materials in a book. New-born babies cannot be left alone for long but need regular nurture and feeding. Disciple-Making needs to be intentional and cannot be confined to an hour or so a week in a classroom.
3. Recruiting Prospective Candidates to a Disciple-Making Relationship
   1. THESE DISCIPLESHIP LESSONS ARE A KIND OF ‘KERUGMA’: Let me introduce a Greek word – ‘Kerugma’ (see 1 Cor 1:21; 2:4). The ‘Kerygma’ means the core of apostolic preaching: the good news of salvation through Jesus. It refers to the teaching about His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. It covers the giving of the Spirit to the church to Christ’s coming again. It involves the call to faith and repentance, leading to forgiveness, and majors on developing a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. These lessons comprise some of the disciplines of the faith that undergird our relationship with Christ. It provides a quality control in what is believed and practiced at the local church level. It means the leadership of the church can be confident that the gospel proclaimed and the relationships fostered with Jesus will include all these lessons. Some local churches may rewrite the lessons according to their distinctive doctrine and practice.
   2. LOOKING FOR F.A.T. PEOPLE TO JOIN THE PROCESS: By F.A.T. people we mean Faithful – Available – Teachable. Jesus accepted disciples on His terms not theirs. Some were clearly unwilling to pay the price and walked away (see Lk 9:57-62). Rather than lower the demands when many were unhappy with His demands, Jesus actually raised the bar (see Jn 6:41-69). He sought for those who would really love Him in order to accomplish His mission. We should aim for nothing less
4. Explaining How the Lessons and Work Sheets are to be Used

   1. LESSONS THAT EXPLAIN THE DEMANDS AND BENEFITS OF FOLLOWING CHRIST: Lesson One and Lesson Two are the starting point of the series. The rest may be done in any order depending on how well-grounded the recruits are in the Christian faith.

      Lesson One The Disciple-Making process explained highlights the reproductive nature of Disciple-Making.

      Lesson Two Recruiting people to the Disciple-Making process is the Profile of a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ. It explains the goal of the various relationships that will help participants to grow.

      You should not proceed with anyone who is not convinced or ready to make a commitment to a discipleship relationship. You need to be bold enough to challenge inconsistency in either attendance or homework. Failing to do this will discourage others trying to take their spiritual growth seriously. Some people are not ready, confident, or able to meet the demands of Discipleship.

   2. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONE-ON-ONE OR A SMALL GROUP: To determine how many people you decide to disciple at any time you may like to consider the following points:

      1. Jesus called twelve disciples and gave special attention to an inner circle of three. Of course, Jesus did Disciple-Making full time and He was perfect!

      2. The strength of One-on-One is that it is more intimate … but adds the temptation of getting side-tracked from the set lessons.

      3. The strength of having two or three is the contribution from very different personalities that broaden the training. It also ensures that if someone changes locations or drops out, you still have some that remain to bear fruit.

      4. When a disciple begins investing in others, it easier for you to be there for support and to provide counsel.

   3. THE TIME REQUIRED TO TEACH AND REPRODUCE A LESSON: You need to find sufficient time so you can fulfill all the aspects of Disciple-Making outlined below …

      • Lesson Schedule Sheet [in the WORK SHEETS section]. This Schedule acts as a lesson outline complete with suggested times that take about 1 ½ hours. The Disciple-Maker needs to plan this BEFORE the session. It includes time for Prayer, the chosen Lesson, rehearsing of Bible Memory Verses, and time for sharing S.O.A.P. insights from the Old and New Testament. S.O.A.P stands for Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer.

        The one leading must be disciplined enough to keep to designated times. Remember, the lessons need to be reproducible by those who are being discipled. You will not know how effective your Disciple-Making is UNTIL you have given the opportunity for your ‘disciples’ to teach the lessons. This is harder to do effectively when the group is (too) large.

   4. ACCESSING LESSONS AND MATERIALS ON-LINE … AND USING MANUALS: All the materials are available here on the PaulHoogie.com website. It may be convenient to have everything on your mobile, tablet, or computer. Some will find it beneficial to have the manual provided with plastic sleeves with lessons on which to write comments. Few have the desire or ability to make notes on their Bible Apps and there is much benefit in familiarizing yourself with a marked, coloured, and underlined Bible. The best Bible is a well-bound Reference Bible with textual notes and cross references in the margin. Perhaps a combination of a manual with notes and technical support will serve best.

      • Lesson Order Record. A Disciple-Maker may decide that certain lessons should be shared earlier regardless of the order assigned in the notes. The Lesson Record helps you to remember what you have done and with whom. It keeps a record of who has attended.

   5. LESSONS THAT INCLUDE ILLUSTRATIONS AND HOMEWORK: Besides giving principles in His teaching, Jesus used many illustrations or parables from real life that people could relate to (see Matthew chapter 13). The lessons in this Disciple-Making series uses a number of proven illustrations to assist with understanding and memory.

      • Discipleship Homework. These notes are given to each disciple for them to record the assigned Homework. Homework is designed to maximize interaction and learning.

      • Bible Memory Verses have been selected to reinforce other lessons in the Disciple-Making series. They are included to increase the confidence of disciples in sharing their faith.

      • S.O.A.P. Sheets are provided for each participant to write out their own observations from the Old & New Testament homework designated. More participation will mean more learning! The S.O.A.P. observations can be kept in any notebook.

   6. ADDITIONAL HELP FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER DONE BIBLE STUDY: Not everyone has been involved in a Bible teaching church. Tools are provided to help even young believers to succeed.

      • My 5 Year Bible Reading Plan PaulHoogie.com provides a balance of studies from the Old & New Testaments because many have had little exposure to the whole Bible. It is a Bible Reading Plan (BRP) with Questions & Devotional insights that are available on the PaulHoogie.com website with daily devotions and accessible in over a hundred languages. They cover …

        (i). Monday – The Gospels (and Acts),
        (ii). Tuesday – Old Testament Law of Moses,
        (iii). Wednesday – Old Testament History,
        (iv). Thursday – Old Testament Poetry,
        (v). Friday – Old Testament Prophets, and
        (vi). Saturday – New Testament Epistles.
        (vii). Sunday – Meditation and Church attendance

      • Bible Outline & Contents This has been added for those unfamiliar with where to find Bible books or what they contain. Try to rehearse these with a friend or spouse to learn the order.

      • Bible Library of Books is a pictorial presentation of the books that make up the Bible in its various sections.

      • Bible Memory Verses These should be coloured or underlined in your Bible to make your Bible more user friendly.

   7. CHANGING THE MATERIALS LESSENS TRANSFERRABILITY OF DISCIPLE-MAKING: The Disciple-Making lessons are far from perfect and may be expressed in any number of ways. Nevertheless, the more you change the lessons or add to them, the harder it will be for them to be transferred in a manner that enables the lessons to be passed on to others. The leaders have considered what they want the Disciple-Making process to produce. They should have the final word on the materials used at the local level.

5. Finding a Regular Time to Meet with those Recruited to Discipleship

   1. TAKING THE LESSONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: Jesus trained His disciples mostly outside the synagogue (see Mt 9:35-38). Exposure to others outside the group is the best way to build the principles into those participating in Discipleship.

   2. DISCIPLESHIP IS A SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITY: Where possible, you should participate and serve in the same activities such as church attendance and outreach (see Heb 10:23-25). It is not a substitute for involvement and ministry at your church. It is not an EITHER/OR but a BOTH/AND activity!

   3. ADJUSTING DISCIPLE-MAKING TO YOUR CHURCH’S EVENTS AND FAMILY DEMANDS: To make it possible for you to include discipleship in your schedule at Navigate Baptist Church (Adelaide, South Australia), you may consider with NBC leadership moving your Small Group to a fortnightly basis. 

   4. 1. ACCESSING THE DISCIPLE-MAKING MATERIALS:
      • The 5 Year Bible Reading Plan (BRP), Discipleship lessons, and Counselling materials can be accessed FREE of charge on PaulHoogie.com in over a hundred languages.
      • You can contact me for information on PaulHoogenraad@outlook.com
      • You can also contact office@navigatebaptist.church for materials.
      • The beliefs on PaulHoogie.com align with NBC’s Statement of Faith.