Natural Discipleship Movement

Worldwide

Natural Discipleship is a global ministry that is advancing God's kingdom every day. We have faithful leaders discipling others as well as, meeting needs all around the world. We are getting weekly, if not daily reports from our worldwide team on how God is moving within their ministry. Just last week one of our Leaders, Rukundo from Burundi, shared with us that his discipleship team is currently training 10 new disciples, in addition to the previous 12 who have already started. He is personally seeing 8 generations of disciples within his personal multiplication ministry in a short time. He also oversees an orphanage and a 200-member church which Natural Discipleship helps support on a monthly basis. 

People have often asked me, how could someone like Rukundo have 8 generations of disciples in such a short amount of time from discipling his first person. Let me tell you the story of what happened to me personally that will give you a better understanding of how a discipleship movement can happen for you as well.

I was recently in California because my father had passed away and went home to be with Jesus. I spent the week visiting family and reconnecting with old acquaintances. I met one of my friends at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants one day. We had a nice time catching up, and I asked him during our conversation if he had ever thought about disciplining someone and he responded, no. He replied that he had no idea where to begin or what he was supposed to do. When I asked him if he felt discipling someone was important, he quickly responded, yes. I then went on to share with Him Jesus' commission to his disciples in Matthew 28:19, to go make disciples. I also told him in Acts 1:8 that Jesus wants us to create disciples in our neighborhood, city, state, and world. I then checked to see if he was an F.A.T Christian, that is, is he was faithful, available, and teachable? 

I continued talking to him for a while and told him how I handle discipleship and that I would be willing to train him to start his own multiplication ministry. Unfortunately, after asking him a series of probing questions, I concluded my friend was not yet ready to launch his personal discipleship ministry.  Setting the bar high has shown to be the most effective formula for growing a discipleship movement. We don't spend 6 months with someone who isn't ready to have a multiplying ministry. That is why we first screen each person to ensure they are F.A.T (Faithful, Available, and Teachable). 

If your current friend has no desire to walk closely with the Lord, it is a good indication that they are not currently faithful in their walk with the Lord. To be faithful means to have a strong desire to learn more about Jesus and to serve our Lord in discipling others. If the individual you're meeting with shows evidence of not pursuing God consistently, I wouldn't proceed with discipling them.

You may also have a dedicated follower of Jesus who does not have the time to meet with you on a weekly basis. Most likely, their existing schedule is full, and they would have to make some changes to accommodate you. You will know that it is not the correct time to meet with them until God prompts them to make those changes in their schedule to accommodate His movement of discipleship within their heart. 

Perhaps your friend is trustworthy and available, but they are not teachable. There is pride in their life, and they have an “I already know all of this” kind of attitude. This should warn you right away that they are missing the goal of discipleship. That is, you can both have a closer relationship with each other and with the Lord. Discipleship isn't about how much knowledge we can acquire; it's about how close we can both grow in the Lord. A humble person understands this, and is willing to yield to the learning making them teachable. 

Natural Discipleship, with its high bar and a love for Jesus, is an ideal ministry tool for both the new Christian and the seasoned mature Christian or Pastor. My friend was not yet prepared, but who knows, maybe one day he will be. My role was to sow the seed, and now we must pray, wait, and allow the Holy Spirit do the rest. The bottom line is whether we are on commission with Jesus and faithful to our calling to make disciples. We here at Natural Discipleship are available to you if you feel the call to start your personal multiplication ministry. Please reach out to us and one of our representatives will be in contact with you. 

Be Blessed,

Pete Robertson