two people talking

As we consider doing personal discipleship, who we disciple is an important factor. It's important to keep in mind that who God might have you disciple may not be the ideal candidate at first glance. Consider Jesus' and his choosing of the Twelve:

  • The Twelve included hotheads like James and John, called 'Sons of Thunder,' and outspoken and rash people like Peter. Then there were people from distasteful backgrounds like Matthew the crooked tax collector, Simon the Zealot (a political fanatic), Judas the betrayer, and others. This was an unlikely group, but it's exactly who God the Father directed Jesus to choose.

In a similar way, we have to ask ourselves: Who should we disciple? How do we find someone needing to be discipled? What are we looking for in a potential disciple? These are the questions on one's mind when we consider the issue of disciple-making. Unless someone is assigned to you as a person to give basic discipleship, here are some basic qualities in someone you might personally disciple.

  • At the outset, begin to pray, asking God to help you identify someone to disciple. (Luke 6:12-16).

Then, I suggest the following 7 principles on whom to choose:

  1. Choose Someone Spiritually Hungry. Identify someone who is inquisitive, motivated, and driven to grow spiritually.
  2. Choose Someone who Honors Your Time and Commitment. Look for someone who seems to understand the value of your commitment and your time and who will honor it (Matt. 7:6, don't waste what is holy ... don't throw pearl before swine)
  3. Choose Someone Teachable. Seek someone who has a teachable spirit and who is willing to listen and learn.
  4. Choose Someone Available. Find someone who will commit the time necessary to meet regularly.
  5. Choose Someone Authentic. Though none of us have arrived, the best candidates for discipleship are those who desire to live a life of integrity.
  6. Choose Someone the Same Gender. One-on-one discipling relationships are intimate by nature and can quickly create strong spiritual and emotional bonds. That type of intimacy can become volatile when it is with a person with whom one might become personally attracted, such as a person of the opposite sex. When spiritual growth is concerned, neither the discipler nor the one being discipled needs that type of potential distraction.
  7. Choose Someone Demonstrably Less Mature Than Yourself. Disciplers should be more spiritually mature than the one they are discipling. Identify someone who can use the assistance of someone farther down the road spiritually than they.

This is not an exhaustive list, but are basic principles that are helpful in identifying someone who might greatly benefit from your investment of time as a believer. When you do, you’ll be honoring part of the essence of 2 Timothy 2:2 (ESV), when the Apostle Paul commanded us, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.