How do you disciple new believers?

Discipleship is truth transferred through relationship. Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them, teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God’s Word.

There are two men in their 20s who recently came to faith in Christ through our church. I was able to baptize them a few weeks ago and now have the privilege of discipling these guys. One of the core ways I’m doing this is through weekly Bible reading meetings:

Get Some Time Together

Every Wednesday night these guys come to my house to join in our Neighborhood Group with a bunch of other people from our church and neighborhood. I have the guys come 30 minutes early so that the three of us can read the Bible together.

Read Scripture Together

Each week, we read one paragraph of Scripture together and talk about it. Right now we’re reading Philippians because it’s the book I’m preaching through, it’s the book all of our Neighborhood Groups are studying, and because I believe Philippians is a pivotal book to master for new believers.

Talk about Scripture Together

Each week I ask the guys two questions about the text: 1) What did this text mean in its original first-century context? 2) What does this text mean for our lives today? As we work through these questions, I connect our thoughts to Jesus and the bigger storyline of Scripture.

Connect Scripture to Life

From 30 minutes of Bible reading and these two questions, we end up covering a ton of theological and practical ground. Last week’s study of Philippians 1:3–11 led to conversation about the Trinity, the second coming of Christ, how to pray, and God’s sovereignty and our responsibility.

Build the Relationship

Most believers have never been intentionally discipled and most believers have no clue how to go about discipling a new believer. The problem is that people don’t have a good understanding of what discipleship is. Here’s a definition: discipleship is truth transferred through relationship.

It’s that simple. What I want to do with these two men on Wednesday nights is transfer truth through relationship. I love these two men, and they know it. In relationship with them I’m teaching them the truth, and at the center of that process is teaching them how to read, rejoice in, and apply God’s Word.

What are you waiting for? Know someone who recently came to Christ? Call them up and ask if they want to get together to talk about the Bible sometime.

By Justin Buzzard
http://www.justinbuzzard.net/