How Jesus Made Disciples
My name is James Gleason, and I’ve had the privilege of making disciples for my 35 years of pastoral ministry. I spent my first decade as a youth pastor and then the past two and a half decades as the senior pastor of my church. Throughout those years and many seasons of ministry, I have grown to understand more and more about what it means to make disciples—and, more importantly, how Jesus made disciples as seen in the gospel accounts.
In this video series, I wish to share that information with you.
Video 1: Introduction
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commanded us to “make disciples” just as He had done with his disciples. His words were clear, but have been forgotten by the average Christian and local church pastor. What does it look like to make disciples the way Jesus did it? In our first video I give an overview of how Jesus made disciples—and how we can continue to do it today. Come and discover Jesus’ disciple making pathway.
Video 2: Come and See
As Jesus began His public ministry He invited a few men to “come and see” what He was doing. As the early disciples of Jesus spent time with Him, they discovered that He was like no other rabbi. What does the invitation to “come and See” mean for our disciple making today?
Video 3: Come and Follow
As Jesus preached and ministered to the crowds, He called people to “come and follow” Him. This step required people to leave what they had been doing to become His disciple. What does this step teach us about being a Christian and how can we properly challenge people to “come and follow” Jesus today?
Video 4: Come and Die
The discipleship pathway of Jesus began with “come and see,” then moved to “come and follow,” and after a long season of training He challenged His disciples to “come and die” to their old lives and live for Him alone. What does it mean to become a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ? How does that impact your disciple making?
Video 5: Go and Make
This phase of Jesus’ ministry was the end goal for his disciples. His plan had always been to turn over the ministry to these new leaders. What did Jesus mean when he commanded them to make disciples? He was simply commissioning them to do what he had already modeled for them, for Jesus did not command what he had not modeled.
Video 6: How Disciples Grow
How does a disciple grow? What are the stages of faith that every disciple of Jesus experiences? As disciplemakers, how can we lead our disciples through the spiritual stages of spiritual infants, spiritual children, spiritual adolescents, and spiritual parents? Explore with me the stages of faith and our role in the lives of our disciples.
Bonus Videos: adventures in personal disciplemaking
In 2018, Chris Adsit came to my church and presented a four-part session on making disciples. You can watch the four seasons below and purchase his book, Personal Disciplemaking: A Step-by-step Guide for Leading a Christian From New Birth to Maturity, here.
Adventures in Personal Disciplemaking - 1: https://vimeo.com/950082868
Adventures in Personal Disciplemaking - 2: https://vimeo.com/950083520
Adventures in Personal Disciplemaking - 3: https://vimeo.com/950084290
Adventures in Personal Disciplemaking - 4: https://vimeo.com/950082868
Handout for Adventures in Personal Disciplemaking: Download