How Do You Encourage and Empower People to Be Disciples of God?

The idea of encouraging other people to become disciples can be daunting.

How do we encourage others to grow in their faith when we are still learning ourselves?

The good news is that the Holy Spirit is the one who grows faith (1 Corinthians 3:6). Which means we are free to simply encourage others to pursue a life of discipleship.

Since God is the One who grows faith, any type of discipleship needs to be soaked in prayer.

The more time we spend listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit, the more accurately we can do His will. He knows the people we are ministering to better than anybody else. The most exciting thing about prayer is that there are no rules for when and where we pray. We can pray anytime and anywhere. Prayer can become a part of our daily lives. With His guidance, we can connect with people in a meaningful way. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5); with Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). 

One of the biggest challenges for a new believer (or even someone who is seeking answers about God) is where to meet Christians. Such a person does not always find it easy to meet new people at church. Having you invite them to join you at church can provide a safe place for them. You can introduce them to others at church and help get the conversations started. This can really help relationships with other believers grow.

Sometimes, though, even the idea of going to a church with someone they know is too intimidating. Many people have had bad experiences with churches when they were younger or general bad opinions of churches. To help them see the joy that can come from being actively involved in a church, a great starting point is inviting them to your Bible study. Small groups that meet in a home during the week offer an even safer environment for a new believer to settle with other believers.

Discipleship is meant to be done life on life. There is nothing more fulfilling than including a new believer in your daily life. Someone once said that “more is caught than taught” meaning that sometimes the best learning is done when people get the opportunity to observe your life.

As the new believer grows and matures in their faith, you can encourage them to start reaching out to others to ‘pay it forward.’

The Gospel was never meant to be kept for a few individuals, but should always be made available for everyone. Jesus died once for all (Romans 6:10). Sadly, we often tend to forget to reach out to others. We form such strong friendships with others at church that we forget the challenge of God to reach out to people we don’t know yet, so they can also learn about the gospel. It should be at the front of our minds to train others to train others

It is not easy to make disciples. There are a lot of challenges. However, nothing is impossible if you start by reading your Bible, praying for God’s guidance, and talking to people who are also disciples.

“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” – James 2:26

The rewards are greater than you can imagine. You will have the joy of helping people find their purpose in life and have the joy of seeing them become disciples themselves. When you make disciples, your life will no longer be about you but about others. You will have the joy of seeing your eternal life purpose fulfilled. 

“Freely you have received, freely give.” – Matthew 10:8

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near to reach least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet, Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!