Making Disciples

Disciple-making movements are sweeping the globe. Jesus commands us to make disciples, and a strong disciple-making focus has always been a pillar of any healthy church. But how does discipleship become a multiplying movement until whole communities, cities, and nations come to know Christ?

The key is in the core values that are intentionally instilled into each believer through the discipleship process. Core values determine priorities—therefore, they have a greater impact on our daily schedule than we might realise.

Let’s look at some of the core values we want to see in our own lives and how they are already being implemented in Japan.

An intimate culture

The majority of discipleship happens within the context of small groups. Biblical community and love is nurtured through open and intimate relationships with one another. These relationships form the environment in which life-changing discipleship takes place, and where pre-believers are often evangelised.

Small groups and organised programs like the Alpha Course have helped develop intimacy in the church. It’s within these accepting and loving environments that people open their hearts, share their needs, and meet God in a powerful way through the community of believers.

Unfortunately, many believers who’ve attended church faithfully for many years have never shared their hearts or prayed together with someone personally, because they’ve never been involved in a nurturing small-group environment with other believers.

After many years of faithfully attending church, Tetsu, a man in his twenties, moved and began attending a church that prioritised discipleship. Within the nurturing and accepting environment he soon confessed to an immoral lifestyle far from what he knew to be right. His religious activities had kept him busy for years, but he felt far from God and powerless to change. Within an accountability relationship he soon shared his heart, repented, and started anew in his walk with the Lord.

Pre-believers can meet Christ within these discipleship environments. Instead of emphasising a commitment to Christ first, the discipleship process begins—and as they discover God’s love in a real way, they open their hearts to receive Christ as Lord.

Sachi was a part of a Bible study group that shared and prayed for one another regularly. She and other pre-believers were interested in the Bible, excited to “hear God’s voice” in the group, and learn to obey Christ. She saw God’s love, heard testimonies, and experienced answers to her prayers in the group, and after a short time she prayed to receive Jesus. She continues to be discipled, and to disciple other believers and non-believers, in a small-group format.

A releasing culture

Jesus took untrained, unschooled men and immediately sent them out for ministry. He encouraged a person who had just been set free from years of demonic bondage to start a witnessing ministry. He created no network or official accountability structure but released His disciples into the care of the Holy Spirit, with the simple command to love.

Discipleship movements nurture a releasing environment where new disciples, often the most passionate about their salvation, are immediately empowered and sent out into their own environments to take God’s kingdom wherever they go. This sending focus sees a momentum built where new disciples are in turn soon discipling others and leading them to faith.

A young wedding-chapel organist in Osaka came to faith in Christ. Unable to attend church on a Sunday, she is being discipled through one-on-one relationships and continues to reach out to others in the hotel. She has led a co-worker to Christ through her vibrant and real witness at the workplace, and she meets regularly at the hotel with others who are interested in Christ.

Sometimes social group boundaries are crossed and the word of God comes from an outsider, but the main momentum in a disciple-making movement comes from natural relationships in families and affinity groups. In Japan there is a natural resistance to outsiders, but the trusted insider already has a platform within the community to share with the pre-believers.

In an Osaka university sports club, almost every member became believers because of the witness of just one believing club member. The clubrooms became the place where discipleship occurred.

A supernatural culture

Discipleship movements have a strong focus on spiritual gifts. When God enters into everyday circumstances in a dramatic way, it opens the door for the preaching of the gospel. Healing, deliverance, and miracles are not limited to specialised ministers at special events. Rather, every believer is commanded and equipped by the Holy Spirit to take the kingdom of God wherever they go.

In a hula class in the Kobe area, one young mother was healed of an injured knee after receiving prayer. Overwhelmed by the love of the believers and the healing power of God, she soon gave her heart to the Lord.

A joyful culture of honour

Foundational to these movements is to nurture believers so they understand and experience the goodness of God, and are able to rest daily in the joy of the Lord. This joy is visible through how they act and speak, and how they treat unbelievers.

When joyful believers interact with pre-believers, there is no judgement or focus on sin, but rather an invitation to become who they were created to be, by the grace of God. Within a grace culture, people don’t fear failure; they boldly step out in faith, take risks, and see God work in ways that they couldn’t have imagined.

Natsuko, a young mother in Kyoto, came to faith through a one-to-one discipling relationship, and brought a friend along to a Bible study. Within a month she was led to teach the Bible to others within the group. Inspired by her boldness, other members offered to teach, too. Now all of the members take turns teaching each other.

How can we prepare?

Although the numbers are impressive, the fruit of a disciple-making movement is the changed lives of the individual disciples. If we simply disciple people using the right core values, God will bring the increase. 

Some practical suggestions

• Take time to sit down one-on-one with your key members: share needs, pray together, and teach one another from the scriptures. Make it a priority and do it often.
• Teach believers how to share a brief testimony, and challenge them to share regularly with people around them in a natural way.
• Teach believers to pray for the sick: begin at church gatherings, and challenge them to pray amongst their own relationship networks.
• Teach believers the truth about their position in Christ.
• Nurture a culture that celebrates forgiveness and honours all people.

Photos by Kevin Morris (OMF)