I want to invite you to set aside about 15 to 20 minutes to walk through a simple prayer exercise.
Disciple-making can easily become focused on strategies, programs, and practices. Those things can be helpful, but disciple-making must begin with prayer. Before deciding whom to pursue or how to invest in them, we need to slow down, become attentive to God, and invite the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Throughout this exercise, you will be invited to remember the people who have helped you follow Jesus, recognize the people God has already entrusted to your care, and consider where He may be inviting you to invest next.
Discipleship is not merely an abstract idea or church program.
Discipleship has a name.
It looks like the people who patiently helped us follow Jesus. It looks like the people God has already entrusted to our care. It looks like the friend who does not yet follow Jesus, the person quietly sitting at the edge of faith, and the mature believer from whom we still need to learn.
For each section, slowly read the Scripture and prayer. Then actually set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on before the timer ends, even if the silence initially feels uncomfortable or a name comes to mind immediately. Remain present, continue listening, and give the Holy Spirit room to bring people or invitations to your attention.
The goal is not to force an answer. If no one comes to mind, that is okay. Simply resist the urge to rush, fill the silence, or manufacture a response. The Holy Spirit does not need more time to speak, but we often need more time to become quiet enough to listen.
Begin With Prayer
Meditate on Psalm 139:23–24:
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
Pray
Holy Spirit, thank You for Your presence, grace, and help.
Search my heart and guide my thoughts as I pray.
Help me see the people in my life through Your eyes and recognize how You are inviting me to respond.
Take a moment to breathe, become present to God, and release anything competing for your attention.
Remember Those Who Invested in You
Meditate on Hebrews 13:7:
Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
Pray
Holy Spirit, bring to mind the people who have discipled me along the way.
Help me remember those who showed me kindness, grace, and compassion and intentionally invested in my relationship with You.
Set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on until the timer ends.
Who helped you understand the Gospel?
Who modeled a life with Jesus for you?
Who remained present when following Jesus became difficult?
Allow specific names and faces to come to mind. Thank God for each person and the ways He used them in your life.
Remember Those You Have Invested In
Meditate on 1 Thessalonians 2:8:
We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Pray
Holy Spirit, bring to mind the people You have given me opportunities to love, encourage, and guide toward a deeper relationship with You.
Help me recognize where You have already been working through my relationships.
Set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on until the timer ends.
Who has God already entrusted to your care?
Where have you shared not only biblical truth but also your time, attention, and life?
Thank God for the privilege of participating in their journey.
Notice Someone Who Does Not Yet Follow Jesus
Meditate on Colossians 4:5–6:
Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.
Pray
Holy Spirit, bring to mind someone in my life who does not yet follow Jesus or whose life is centered around something other than Him.
Help me recognize how You are already present and at work in their life.
Show me how to pray for them, invest in them, and represent Jesus to them with grace and truth.
Set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on until the timer ends.
Resist the urge to fix, pressure, or manage them. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see this person with compassion and show you how to love them faithfully.
Trust Him with the results.
Notice Someone on the Edges of Faith
Meditate on Psalm 34:8:
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
How happy is the person who takes refuge in Him!
Pray
Holy Spirit, bring to mind someone who regularly attends church but may not have tasted and seen Your goodness for themselves.
Perhaps they have forgotten the beauty of the Gospel, become discouraged, or never learned how to walk closely with You.
How would You like me to show up for them? How could I help them take one step closer to You in this season?
Set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on until the timer ends.
Pay attention to the person who comes to mind. Write down their name without immediately deciding how you need to respond. Remain present and continue listening.
Notice Someone Who Can Invest in You
Meditate on 1 Corinthians 11:1:
Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
Pray
Holy Spirit, bring to mind someone further along in their spiritual journey whom I could learn from.
Give me the humility and courage to ask for their wisdom, guidance, and investment.
Set a timer for three minutes.
Try not to move on until the timer ends.
Discipleship requires the humility to recognize that we still need to be discipled.
Who demonstrates a life with Jesus that you would like to imitate? Who could help you follow Him more faithfully in this season?
Remain open to asking for help rather than assuming you must grow alone.
Take One Faithful Step
Meditate on James 1:22:
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Look back over the names you wrote down.
Pray
Holy Spirit, what is one simple, faithful step You are inviting me to take?
Give me the courage to respond without trying to control the outcome.
Don’t rush into a complicated plan. Choose one person and write down one practical step you can take this week.
It might be:
- Sending an encouraging message
- Sharing a meal
- Asking a meaningful question
- Offering to pray together
- Extending an invitation
- Sharing something God has taught you
- Asking a mature believer to invest in you
Don’t try to respond to every name at once. Choose one person and one faithful next step.
Disciple-making does not always begin with a program, curriculum, or formal meeting. Often, it begins by noticing a person, listening to the Holy Spirit, and responding in love.
Discipleship has a name.
Whose name is God bringing to your attention today?