Where To Begin

Deciding where to begin with discipleship.

You have become convinced that every Christian should be involved in discipling other Christians. You’ve worked up the courage to ask someone to join you in a discipleship relationship. You are preparing for your first meeting . . . what do you begin with?

This is the sticking point for a lot of people. You are willing to disciple someone but you are not sure where to begin. In order to not overcomplicate things, I want to encourage you begin somewhere near the beginning. Another way to say it is, begin with the basics. It’s common for people who have been Christians for any length of time to forget that the basics for you, may be new territory for others. We must not assume the people we are discipling already know what we consider to be the most basic elements of Christian living.

For example, a lot of times when we have shared the Gospel with someone and they have believed and turned to Christ, we encourage them to be sure to spend lots of time in prayer. Yet, very rarely do we ever ask if they know what prayer is or if they know how to pray. When people tell us that they are at a point of desperately seeking a relationship with God, we encourage them to read the Bible. Yet, rarely do we ask if they know what the Bible is or how to read it. When we are telling someone about our church, we invite them to worship with us. Yet, rarely do we ask if they know what worship is or how it’s done.

These are just three examples of basic Christian knowledge/ practice that we often take for granted. And because we take it for granted, some people rarely even consider these as topics for discipleship. But these are precisely where we need to begin, especially with someone who is new to the faith. Even if the person we are discipling has been a Christian for a while, we need to be asking questions to ensure they understand the basics that we so easily take for granted.

In his book, 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow, R. C. Sproul writes, “Christians are called upon to train, to make sacrifices, and to embrace certain disciplines in order to give God ‘our utmost for His highest.” He spends the rest of his book discussing five such disciplines that every Christian should know about and practice. Look at the list below and see if these are familiar to you.

• Bible Study
• Prayer
• Worship
• Service
• Stewardship

These are five very important topics that every Christian should be discipled in, yet, when choosing where to begin with discipleship, these are often overlooked in favor of more advanced topics of study. And because of that, a lot of Christians don’t feel they know enough to disciple someone else.

If you are reading this article, it is very likely you know how to do most if not all of the disciplines on this list. You likely know how to pray and read the Bible, but don’t assume the person you’re discipling knows this. Are there any of these others that you know how to do and practice? Then these are things that you can help other Christians learn about. Maybe the person you’re discipling already knows what prayer is but they don’t know really how to pray. Teach them. Maybe they already know how to pray but don’t have a regular discipline of prayer. Teach them. Asking basic questions can help you find the starting point for a topic that you actually know about.

Too often, Christians feel like discipleship must explore the deep truths of the Christian faith. Or to clearly explain the mysteries of God. Or to give theologically precise verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture. These things are not bad but they also are not what a lot of people are ready for. We need to start with ensuring this disciple is equipped with the fundamental elements they need to live a fruitful life of faith in Jesus, then over time, as we grow and they grow, we can move forward together.

The obstacle we often put in our own path to discipling someone is believing the lie that “I have to know everything before I can teach anything.” That’s simply not true. You simply have to know something, and then be willing to teach that to another believer.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

So if you’re trying to decide where to start with your discipleship of another Christian, begin with the basics and don’t let the process be intimidating. Ask questions to see where they are and beginning there, teach what you know.