You spent a year investing in your disciple. Your disciple expresses appreciation and then keeps that investment to himself. What multiplication practices could you have included in the year that might have impacted your discipler differently?
Think of what a graduation ceremony for your disciple might look like. Could it be when he/she began discipling someone? What if your graduation as a disciple-maker was 4 generations of disciples:
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:2, CSB
Multiplying is not an option. Jesus commanded us as His disciples as we are going to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). In those verses, Jesus then told us how to do it: baptizing…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Evangelism and teaching them to obey are the actions necessary to make disciples.
Multiplication Practices
What are the key multiplying practices that can be built into our efforts to disciple? Consider the following:
- expect: share the expectation for multiplication early in the discipling relationship
- model: ensure your discipling efforts are reproducible
- practice: ask your disciple to show you how he/she would practice assignments
- enlist: lead your disciple early to pray about and enlist someone to disciple
- instruct: give simple instructions in your sessions with your disciple about what to do/cover with his/her disciple that week
- review: ask how your disciple’s session with his/her disciple went
- coach: after your time with your disciple is finished, continue to coach him/her about his/her discipling efforts (monthly and as needed)
- generation 3: coach your former disciple to ask his/her disciple to pray about and enlist someone to disciple (ask for the name).
Review Your Practices
From the bulleted list above, which are you already doing with your disciple(s)? Which of the list above might be the key practice for leading your disciple(s) to multiply? Which one is critical that you add this week or this month?
In your discipling, we are not dumping content. We are discipling people. And a critical part of discipling is preparing them to disciple. Anything that falls short of that is failure. Be a disciple. Make disciples that make disciples!