1 – You don’t know how.
Most people were never discipled and don’t know where to start. Without a good model for what this looks like, it can feel impossible to get started.
What can you do? Find an approach. There are dozens. You might try discovery Bible study or small circle or the approach from Renew.org. Read a gospel and try what you see Jesus doing. Just pick something and try it.
2 – You don’t have time.
People are so busy and discipling someone takes time…years. And it takes consistency. You don’t want to start and not finish and that can be intimidating!
What can you do? Take inventory of your schedule and make time to change someone’s life! Prioritize.
3 – You are scared.
You feel inadequate. You recognize your own sin and don’t think God can use you. Or you just like to know things in advance (maybe you like control) and this gets outside your ability to control it.
What can you do? Pray to God for boldness. Ask God to help you resolve your feelings of inadequacy. Focus on God not on self. Read the book of Acts and see how the Spirit helped people impact the world and know that same Spirit is in you!
4 – You are an introvert.
Relationships don’t come natural to everyone. Discipleship is very relational.
What can you do? God doesn’t want you to change your personality. But you can start small. You don’t have to tackle a dozen people. Start small with someone you know and let it grow over time. It is better to start slow with slow and sustained growth than to never start.
5 – You don’t love the lost
Let’s face it – sometimes we just don’t like people or love people as we should.
What can you do? Prayer is the only answer – ask God to increase your love for the lost. Ask God to make non-Christians attractive to you.
Bonus – We like to be comfortable
Making disciples can be messy. You might find yourself getting into someone’s life on a level you would have never dreamed of. You might fear messing this person up. Remember, Jesus is the one doing the discipling…we are following His lead! Hang in there with people and let them have a safe place to work through their issues. Make them comfortable even when you are not. I am not saying condone everything. I am saying give them the space to be transparent.
As a followup, here are five reasons to make disciples!
