Day 17 |  Empowered to Make Disciples

If we want to lead like Jesus, we must learn to empower others. Jesus modeled an empowering leadership style. He was never content for His disciples to simply follow Him as spectators but instead, He empowered them to do what He was doing. He even said that they would do even greater things than He (John 14:12).

Luke 9:1-2
And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

John 20:21
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Power comes from God

Empowering people can seem scary. What if they are not ready? What if they make mistakes? The reality is that they probably are not ready, and they most likely will make mistakes. Then why must we do it? Why must we take the risk of empowering others to lead like Jesus? We must take the risk because what other option do we have? We must take the risk because Jesus took the risk on His disciples, and somebody once took a risk on you! Mistakes in ministry are not optional. They are a required learning tool. As leaders it’s important that we create environments where believers are encouraged to take risks and make mistakes in an effort to ultimately make disciples.

The same power that conquered the grave now lives in us and is available to all who believe in Him. Trust God to grow believers into mature followers of Him and create opportunities for others to lead.

2 Timothy 1:7
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Start Small. Start a Discipleship Group.

Jesus made disciples in small groups. He built relationships and invested in them through community. It was not enough for disciples to relate to Jesus, they had to relate to one another. Use the structure of D.N.A. mentioned earlier in this study to create a basic structure when you gather. Start your meeting with time spent discovering Divine truth. If you are not studying the Bible together, it’s going to be difficult to learn how to live like Jesus. Second, nurture love in your relationships by growing in your understanding of one another. Ask questions. Seek answers. Be vulnerable. Be honest. Relationships are not built in a day, but they are built daily, through open communication and connection. Finally, spend time prayer, affirming God’s mission for your lives, asking God to help you apply what you are learning.

Are you looking for material to go through as a discipleship group?

1. Start by going through this devotional series, Experience Jesus.
2. Watch the videos either together or separately.
3. Come together to discuss and apply what you watched.
4. Dig deeper into questions they have or into areas they want to learn.
5. Encourage one another in prayer.

All disciple-making groups start somewhere. Why not start here? Why not start now? Reach out to 1-2 people and start your own group to begin making disciples today.