Key Disciplines Strengthen Discipleship

“What exactly is discipleship?” “How do I do it?” Are questions students often ask. Sometimes the concept of discipleship can seem overwhelming. We can help students grow as disciples by making the process a little more practical. Discipleship doesn’t have to add another meeting to your weekly schedule. Simply helping students focus in on some key areas of their spiritual lives can go a long way. Here are a few ideas.

Prayer. It’s more than a casual conversation. Prayer is a discipline, and scripture tells us it is effective. Yet, most Christians spend very little time in prayer. Help students enrich their own prayer lives by including some prayer “exercises” in your group times. Have a prayer time that is just for giving thanks. Give students some silent time to spend in personal confession. Pray for a specific area, ie. missions, lost friends, your church. Give your group weekly prayer “assignments.”

Bible Study. Help students understand that personal Bible study doesn’t end at noon on Sunday. Provide resources that they may want to use during their own personal Bible study time at home. Incorporate times of accountability into your group meeting times. Simply ask the group, “what have you been learning in your own Bible study times this week?”

Fasting. We live in a consumer driven society where, more often than not, we feel we should be denied nothing. The discipline of fasting does not come easy for us, but it is a great way to learn self control. Challenge your students to give up a meal during their week and spend that hour in prayer and meditation. Have a group discussion and Bible study on fasting at your next meeting time.

Stewardship. Little lessons can go a long way. Help students learn personal stewardship by doing an inventory of where they spend their money in a week, or how they spend their time. Have them keep a written log for the week, then evaluate their findings together. Help them find ways to be better stewards in their personal lives based on their results.

Intentional Discipleship: One Student’s Story

by Jeremy Higgenbotham, Junior at the University of
Texas in Austin.
Every summer during Freshman Orientation at the
University of Texas, FOCUS (Hyde Park Baptist Church
College Ministry) hosts a pizza party.  These events are
designed for incoming students to meet other incoming
students and learn more about the ministry of FOCUS. 
It was at the FOCUS Pizza Party that I met Everett, a
financial planner who has been discipling
students for twenty-plus years. I was a
little bit nervous about going because I didn’t really
know anyone in the room yet. Then Everett approached
me.

 The first thing he wanted to know about me was
whether or not I was I true believer. I quickly replied
with a matter-of-fact yes.

 ”And how do you know that?” He insisted. We began to talk and he soon found
out that I did have a personal relationship with Christ,
but I was ready to take the next step, ready to mature
in my faith (even though I didn’t know that at the
time). Everett seemed like a nice guy, and he kept
mentioning that he did a discipleship group with 4 guys
every year. I was interested, but not sure if I was
ready.

A few weeks after moving into my dorm, after
everything was starting to settle down, Everett called
me up. He was inviting me to the FOCUS Freshmen
retreat. I had class until late that Friday, so I told him I
couldn’t go. He didn’t like my excuse and informed me
that he would be leaving his office late because he had
a few things to tie up and wouldn’t mind swinging by
and picking me up. I figured this guy was willing to go
through the extra trouble of picking me up, so I might
as well.
On the ride over to the ranch we were having the
retreat at, we talked more about the books he goes
through with his discipleship group, and I told him I was
interested and willing to join. We continued to talk
about it, and he let me know exactly what I would be
committing to if I joined. After thinking it over for quite
some time, I decided it would be a good idea and would
help me grow. I let Everett know of my decision, and I
could tell he was excited.

Throughout the year Everett taught me and the 3 other
guys how to have an effective quiet time, the
importance of prayer, and tips on evangelism. We went
through both Experiencing God and The Heart
of the
Problem, two books that had daily devotionals to
read
and answer. During my time in the group, I grew closer
to God than I had ever been before by spending
precious time every morning reading the devotionals
and talking to Jesus. I had never before experienced
the power and importance of a daily quiet time, but
soon found I could not do without it.

Although we met as a group once a week and went
through the readings, the most valuable part of our
meetings to me was hearing Everett’s stories (and he
has a lot of them). It gave me a chance to see into the
life of an amazing man of God. It helped me see the
way he acts and thinks, and the way he lives out his
life. I was impressed and even shocked by the
situations that he used to share the Gospel of Christ
with others. I wanted to know more, but at the same
time I wanted my life to look like his. I really used this
time to try to soak in as much as I could and truly
understand the driving force behind this man.

I don’t think I will ever be the same after having spent
an entire school year getting to know a true man of
God in a discipleship group setting. The things I have
learned, spoken and unspoken, will forever affect the
person I am and will become. The shot of growth that I
saw in my spiritual life that year was more that the two
years before it combined. Being in a discipleship group
brought me to a new level of faith that I hope God will
continue to build on and that I refuse to turn back on.
Everett is still a true friend a year later, and we still
talk close to every other week. He still encourages me
to this day, and his stories keep me thinking of the man
God is making of me.