By: Deanne Moore

Shortly after I gave my life to Jesus at an Easter production at Mount Hope, the gal from work who invited me asked me if I’d like to come to church. She even offered to come by my house and pick me up! Not only did her offer help me feel safe walking into a huge church, but the 20 minute ride  gave me the opportunity to ask questions. And I had TONS of questions!

Those short rides turned into longer conversations over Sunday dinners and walks after work. Her mentoring put me on the fast track to growing as a disciple, but all my questions helped her to grow as well.

Becoming a disciple and making disciples is so much fun! Here are five simple keys to help you make a disciple:

1. PRAY

Unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain (Psalm 127:1), so ask God to build every good thing He desires into the one you are discipling. Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit to guide you as you answer questions. Also, pray with the one you’re mentoring, not only to model how to pray simply, but to ask God together regarding the needs and desires they have.

2. INVEST TIME

In the Jewish culture, a disciple would actually go and live with the Rabbi who was mentoring him. While you probably won’t be asking your disciple to move in with you, investing time is important, and it will be a joy! Work out a schedule that will enable both of you to stay consistent, committed, and to keep the momentum moving forward.

3. HELP THEM FIND THE SECRET PLACE

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he’ll eat for the rest of his life.”

Years ago, I invited one of my disciples to spend several days of my vacation with me in Florida. Over coffee one morning, I began to share with her my secret place time. I shared what I read in the Bible, how God and I talked about it, and what I believed He was telling me to do. Subsequent mornings, we began to read together, talk about what God was saying, and then pray together. This opened up a whole new perspective to her of developing her relationship with God that motivated her to get to the secret place on her own.

4. SHARE YOUR STORIES

We all have times when our faith is shaken by things we are not expecting. Be real about the struggles you’ve had, what God did, and who or what He used to help you overcome. Your stories will give hope and point your disciple to the One who can work everything for good.

5. LOVE YOUR DISCIPLE TO LIFE

Encourage, encourage, encourage! Use your own words, scriptures, and prayer to affirm your disciple in steps they are taking. Support them in the valleys. Be there for them when they need you. Simply knowing you are for them provides a source of strength your disciple needs to continue in a life-giving direction. Your love will never fail (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Enjoy the adventure! And remember that you are yoked to the greatest source of wisdom and power: the Holy Spirit who lives in you!

DISCIPLESHIP IS A JOURNEY — it’s not something that happens overnight. (Even Jesus was with His disciples for three years.) It’s also a journey not meant to be traveled alone. At Mount Hope, we have numerous opportunities to help you to be discipled and then equip you to disciple others.

Here are a couple areas at Mount Hope Church to help you on this journey:

YOUR JOURNEY CLASSES

Growth happens when you’re placed in an encouraging environment that provides positive information that motivates change… so you can receive all the good things God has planned for you.

LIFE GROUPS

By meeting in homes across the area, Life Groups provide a fun-filled, relaxed environment for people to connect and create meaningful relationships.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Care Ministries at Mount Hope Church help hurting people find hope and healing. One of our missions is to help everyone be healthy and whole in every area of life.

GLOBAL PRAYER CENTER

We want God in everything we do, and we know that He guides our lives as we continue to seek His ways. And, because we pray, we continually see lives transformed, provision come, plans succeed, and even miracles happen right before our eyes.