Learning to Disciple

Written by Grant Edwards
Originally published in 1997

Nothing is more painful than watching a new born children die, and I felt this pain as I watched many who had accepted Christ, as a result of my testimony, drift away to their old habits of sin. Observing that new found faith is often attacked, I began a quest to discover the secret of establishing new believers in such a way as to provide immunity against the temptations of sin and the wiles of the evil one.

A simple word emerged as the formula for a cure...discipleship. My search didn't take long, Jesus teaches the concept in the Great Commission. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." But what exactly is discipleship? How does it work? What do you teach a person you are discipling? How do you disciple a person?

The Bible as my text, I read it from cover to cover several times, writing on notebook pages, the verses pertaining to spiritual growth. I was attending Bible College, and I cornered several professors and asked them write me a paper explaining their thoughts on what a new believer needed to mature. I read every book written by C.S. Lewis, Watchman Nee, Francis Schaeffer, of anyone who could offer me advice.

As I watched more of my friends drift away from the faith, my search intensified. The mornings I wasn't attending Bible College, I would sit for hours reading the Bible and taking notes. I knew there was an answer and while I realized that some would always fall away, I believed there had to be a way to stack the odds in favor of faith, so I kept looking.

More to come from Grant Edwards as he shares about his journey to learn how to reach and keep the harvest. Look for the next edition titled: Four Simple Disciplines. Other related articles include Integrity Relationships and Discipling Another To Love Jesus.