LEAD THE WAY
7. Mission (Part 2)

CONNECT

• Connect through care, prayer and loving accountability for previous “I will …” statements

DISCOVER

• Work through Be The Way - Mission (Part 2) (now or previously).

• What are your reflections and questions from Be The Way - Mission (Part 2)?

MISSION (Part 2)

In MISSION (Part 1), we looked at how to live a missional lifestyle. In MISSION (Part 2), we’ll look at how to make disciples.

THE GOAL

Everyone Discipled / Everyone Discipling

THE WHAT

What’s a Disciple?

Let’s define our term. The word “disciple” means “learner” or “student.” But don’t think of a student in a classroom. Think of an apprentice on a job site. 

• What’s the purpose and the process of an apprenticeship?

What’s a Disciple of Jesus?

Jesus’ First Words

Mark 1:14-18 (NIV)

14 After John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Jesus’ Last Words

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Because the Kingdom of God is near (that is, because King Jesus is here), a disciple of Jesus …

1. Repents

• What is repentance and why is it important?

2. Believes the Good News

• What is the Good News and why is faith in it important?

3. Gets Baptized

• What is baptism and why is it important?

• What does it mean to be immersed into a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?

4. Follows Jesus

• What does it mean to follow Jesus and why is this important?

5. Obeys Every Command of Jesus

• Why is obedience to Jesus’ commands important?

6. Makes Disciples

• Why is making other disciples important?

THE HOW?

If that’s what a disciple is, how do you make a disciple?

Making a disciple is a relational, biblical and intentional process of helping someone become a disciple of Jesus, mature as a disciple of Jesus and then make disciples of Jesus.

Make Disciples

Last session, we considered a missional lifestyle for making disciples.

Our mission is to Join Jesus in making disciples of those around us by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

PRAYER — Pray for others to encounter Jesus.

CARE — Care for others’ needs.

SHARE — Share each others’ stories and Jesus’ Story.

DARE — Dare others to be disciples of Jesus.

Mature Disciples

The four key relationships and the four crucial priorities of a church don’t just apply to us when we come together as a spiritual family. They also apply to us as individual followers of Jesus.

As a disciple of King Jesus:

1. WORSHIP - My Relationship to Jesus

I devote myself to pursuing and prioritizing Jesus in everything

2. DISCOVERY - My Relationship to the Bible

I devote myself to taking in and living out God’s Word

3. COMMUNITY - My Relationship to Each Other

I devote myself to loving a family of brothers and sisters in Christ

4. MISSION - My Relationship to Others

I devote myself to making disciples by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle

• Why is each relationship and priority important to being a disciple and maturing as a disciple of Jesus?

• Which one would be good for you to focus on right now?

Who Disciple Others

Mark 1:17 (NIV)

Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

• Why is important that disciples disciple others?

A Relational, Biblical and Intentional Process

• Why is discipleship relational?

• Why is discipleship biblical?

• Why is discipleship intentional?

• Why is discipleship a process?

1. Initial Discipleship

Follow The Way is a discovery discipleship curriculum for groups of 3 or 4. It’s based on a discipleship process that is relational, biblical and intentional. Not only will it help you make disciples, it will help you mature those disciples.

Here’s the journey:

1. Follow - 1-week introduction to following Jesus and Follow The Way

2. Faith - 11-week guided tour of the main events, characters and storyline of the Bible

3. Fruit - 9-weeks on how to join Jesus in mission by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle

4. Filling - 8-weeks on how to be filled with the Spirit and live an everyday supernatural life

5. Foundations - 8-weeks on the basic building blocks of your identity and maturity in Christ

6. Freedom - 10-weeks on how to personally and practically embrace your freedom in Christ

Other Discipleship Resources

2. Ongoing Discipleship

Ongoing discipleship can take place in your MicroChurch family. As your spiritual family gathers for worship, discovery, community and mission, people will continue to grow as followers of Jesus.

Ongoing discipleship will also continue through The Way’s overall Pathways:

1. Daily Connects and Missional Living

2. Discovery Discipleship Groups - This time as a guide to others

3. MicroChurch Families

4. Compassionate Outreaches

5. Collective Gatherings

6. Leadership Formation

So invite newcomers to your MicroChurch where they’ll experience discipleship through your gatherings and the Pathways AND get them involved in a Follow The Way Discovery Discipleship Group to give them personal discipleship attention.

Relationship of Discovery Discipleship Groups to MicroChurch Families

• A Discovery Discipleship Group could be the foundation of a new MicroChurch family. As a group of 3 or 4 matures in their faith and commitment to Jesus, they may decide to continue to meet as a MicroChurch and invite others to join them.

  This is how the Apostle Paul effectively started churches all around the ancient world. His motto could have been …

  Don’t form a church to make disciples. Make disciples to form a church.

• Or a MicroChurch may direct their members and newcomers to be discipled in Discovery Discipleship Groups. The advantage of having the Discipleship Discovery Groups do the “heavy lifting” of crucial and initial discipleship (through Follow The Way) is that the whole MicroChurch doesn’t have to go back to square one in terms of discipleship every time a newcomer joins them. New Discovery Discipleship Groups would be formed as people join needing discipleship. This takes a great deal of pressure off the MicroChurch gatherings and leaders.