How Jesus Made DisciplesНамуна

Day 1: Jesus focused efforts where His disciples needed to grow.

The story of the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30) is a great example of this principle of discipleship. This young man approaches Jesus humbly. He asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus responds by listing five of the six commandments that have to do with our relationships with other people. Jesus says, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, . . . Honor your father and mother” (verse 20).

The man responds that he has done all of these things since his youth. Presumably, he thinks that Jesus is going to congratulate him on a job well done and say, “Welcome to the club!”

Instead, Jesus shows His ability to know a person’s true heart and what that person is still missing. Jesus says, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (verse 22). The fundamental issue keeping this man from the Kingdom was his attachment to his material possessions. You can likely think of other passages where Jesus helps a person discover the profound heart issue that is hindering that person from a deeper relationship with Christ. Jesus exposes the real issue despite an individual’s exterior facade of righteousness.

Jesus’ methodology is very different from the approach to disciplemaking that we often take in North America. In the name of efficiency or unity, we approach discipleship programmatically or corporately: All people, we tend to assume, need to grow in the same areas.

Obviously, small-group Bible studies and curriculums are not bad things. These studies can be helpful and unifying for the body. But often they do not lead to widespread obedience to and discipleship of Jesus, because they do not address where a particular person needs to grow in their own discipleship.

Jesus, being omniscient, has the advantage of knowing exactly where each disciple is strong and weak in personal discipleship. For us, identifying the area where we or someone we are working with needs to grow as a disciple can be challenging. A simple discipleship assessment can be a valuable tool to discern areas of health and potential places for growth as a disciple.