From very early on in my Christian walk, I realized that, in general, people were “doing life” on their own. In other words, Christians were not including other believers in personal areas of their lives, like struggling with sin, for example. When it came to their faith, people seemed especially private and too embarrassed to ask questions. I have always wanted others to feel that they aren’t alone. As my faith matured, I realized that it is a duty and a privilege to be in fellowship with one another. Coming alongside one another means supporting and keeping each other accountable so that we can be in the world, while not becoming like the world.

A disciple is someone who follows Jesus, is transformed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus, which includes bringing others to Him.

A disciple-maker is a follower of Jesus Christ who guides others on how to live a life that follows Jesus, is transformed by Jesus' teachings, and is committed to the mission of Jesus.

Create an environment where people are known, loved, trained and sent, driven by a compelling vision of Jesus. You could start by prayerfully asking someone to begin meeting together regularly.

We must disciple because Jesus commanded us to make disciples, as seen in Matthew 28:19-20.

Everyone should have someone in their life who, in some form or context, they are discipling.

Small Groups/Bible Studies are low commitment - come when you feel like it. They are “low cost” because transparency is not generally expected. This type of group welcomes members to sign up, are usually larger groups (8+), and can be gender-mixed. Small groups are of great benefit, but they are not to be confused with discipleship. Discipleship groups involve high commitment - come even when you don’t feel like it. These groups are “high cost” because they require an emotional investment and transparency through all of life’s highs and lows. These groups are small (6 people or less), gender-specific, and personally selected.

It is important to create a culture of grace, where people can be comfortable enough to be honest about their struggles, questions, sins, dreams, etc. Leaders must lead by example in this. During our gatherings, we follow Perimeter’s Life on Life Discipleship “T.E.A.M.S.” method:

Truth – is what God has revealed for His people to know, understand and obey. Truth is critical. However, finding, learning and knowing truth alone does not change lives. A disciple must also be shown how to implement what (s)he knows and how to do so in the context of loving relationships.

Equipping - is massaging God’s truth until it becomes understandable and usable. Not only does a person need to hear and learn truth, but (s)he must also be shown how to use and apply the truth. This takes conversation and interaction with your group.

Accountability - is asking (or being asked) hard questions in order to promote godly living. Even though a person is equipped to apply truth, that doesn’t mean (s)he will do it. Accountability questions are used to encourage each group member in their spiritual journey. This happens in the context of a proper understanding of the gospel to ensure that accountability doesn’t devolve into behaviorism. The ultimate goal is to discover the sin beneath the sin. The questions may move you a bit out of your comfort zone, but be assured that the goal is to support and help, not to shame.

Mission - is engaging with the lost world through word and deed with the intention of imparting the gospel. Mission enhances the hunger to put truth and equipping into use. Each week you will take small steps in learning to effectively relate to – and share the gospel with – those who are without Christ and encourage those who are new in their relationship with Christ.

Supplication – is engaging in conversation with God. This will include praying with and for the other members of your group. Truth, equipping, accountability and mission must all be supported by prayer because, ultimately, spiritual maturity and equipping is a result of God’s work, and we must not presume that any material or process is the secret to spiritual growth.

There will be times when the enemy will try to paralyze a person in those moments when we are face-to-face with our sin. As a group, we will access the power of the gospel, through the Holy Spirit, for sanctification and go through the steps of repenting, believing, and obeying known as the “Gospel Waltz”. God loves to use weak, humble, and dependent laborers to carry out His mission.

1. Repent: Confess your sin/struggle in “10 words or less”. We glance at our sin and do not stay stuck on it.

2. Believe: Remember the gospel and how it applies to your particular sin/struggle. We gaze at the cross and the finished work and believe that the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover that sin/struggle and in turn transforms us to live free of shame or guilt.

3.Obey: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we live a life that is pleasing to God.

When you’ve invested in someone and sent out your disciples to make disciples on their own.

Many! Perimeter Church’s Life-on-Life Discipleship has been a tremendous source of guidance and encouragement. Click here to learn more about this ministry.

While sermons, podcasts, commentaries, devotionals, and other Bible study materials are extremely helpful and a blessing, we want to encourage Christians to learn and interpret the Bible on their own through the Holy Spirit and other believers who come alongside each other. I believe it is important that we learn how to properly read scripture - understanding the context, the intent of the author, the audience, the timeline in which it was written, and the style of literature. Resources are used to better understand Scripture, but resources that talk about the Bible should never replace the Bible.