CHAPTER SEVEN

DISCIPLESHIP

. . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you ...

1 Peter 3:15

¹⁸As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

Mark 5:18,19

If you were the doctor who discovered the miracle cure for cancer, wouldn't you want everyone to know about your discovery? You now have a miracle cure for something more deadly than cancer. You have the solution for sin. Making disciples starts with sharing the good news of God's solution for sin to your family and friends. In order to be prepared to tell others about the hope of salvation, we must learn how to give our testimony and preach the gospel. As we do this, we are starting to make disciples.

How to Give Your Testimony

In a court of law, a witness tells "the truth and nothing but the truth" about what he has seen, heard, and experienced. We are called to be God's witnesses. We are to tell the truth about what He has done for, in, and through us as we share our testimony.

Being a witness also demands that we live a life that testifies to the grace of our Lord Jesus. A witness is something we are, not something we do. We are to "be" witnesses. The only way we can be a witness is through the power of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to boldly proclaim our testimony and the gospel.

The word of our testimony is powerful. It is a personal, irrefutable account of what Jesus has done for you and how He has changed your life. There are three parts to a Christian testimony, which is your two-minute miracle:

1. Briefly describe your life before Christ.
2. Carefully explain how you came to the point of submitting your life to Christ.
3. Joyfully describe your life since Jesus became Lord. Take more time to explain how your life has changed since you surrendered to Christ.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Revelation 12:11

How to preach the gospel

The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. It is the reason we engage culture and community, be a witness, and share our testimony.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

Preach the gospel using two simple verses to your family and friends.

... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ...

Romans 3:23

Everyone has sinned. Sin is any act of disobedience or rebellion against God and, the truth is, not a single person on earth has perfectly obeyed God's commandments.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Since we have all sinned, we deserve death and are disqualified from even being is God's presence. The good news is salvation is a free gift from God! Salvation is found in Christ alone because He died on the cross for us, in our place. We receive this free gift by faith as we trust in His finished work on the cross.

After you have presented the gospel to your family and friends, feel free to lead them in prayer.

How to Make Disciples

We make disciples as we introduce people to Jesus and teach them how to obey God's commands. Paul told Timothy to transfer everything he had learned to others who would be able to teach it to others. This is discipleship.

¹⁹"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19,20

... and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[a] who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:2