“I really want to help this younger Christian woman grow in her faith in God but I don’t even know where to begin!”
This was me for so long. I longed to have Christian discipleship be a part of my life but it seemed so daunting to me. I felt overwhelmed by how to do it with the little time I had and I didn’t know how to make it practical in my life.
Years later, God has taught me through so many experiences of getting to know women, living life with them, and helping them grow in their love for God.
Good news – It’s not as complicated as we make it out to be!
Let’s take a look at what Christian discipleship means and how to make it practical in your life today.
What is Christian Discipleship?
The word discipleship is not found in the Bible but it is used frequently in Christian communities all around the world.
There are two basic definitions of discipleship:
- There is personal discipleship which is your personal following of Jesus Christ and a life of love and obedience to Him.
- Then there is the discipleship of others in which you help others learn about God and grow in Him.
This post will focus on discipleing others and helping them grow in their relationship with God.
If you want to read more on growing your own faith read 5 STEPS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A WOMAN OF FAITH
What does it mean to Make Disciples?
The New Testament talks a lot about making disciples. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples.” How do you do that? Jesus said by baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He has commanded them.
That is not very complicated. We are to share the gospel with others, baptize them, and help them grow. That is part of the Christian life. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are to make disciples and help them grow and make disciples of their own.
Discipleship is a long-term process. It’s not something that happens overnight or in one year. On the contrary, it never ends. A disciple is always growing. It process never stops.
In many churches, there is (and should be) an emphasis on how to help others grow in Christ. It is done through meeting together, sermons, small groups, and one-on-one interactions. Women are called to help other women grow in Christ.
Many women today want to help other women grow and “disciple them” but they do not know how to make those connections and meet them there.
Scripture calls all of us to love one another and encourage one another to pursue Christ and leave sin behind (Hebrews 3:13). Titus 2:4 says that older women are to train younger women.
The how to disciple and what to teach is a whole other blog post.
In this post, I will give you 7 practical tips to connect with women you want to disciple and help grow their relationship with God.
7 Ways to Bring Christian Discipleship Into Your Everyday Life
1. Be purposeful with your conversations
When you see other Christian women on a regular basis, be purposeful with your conversations. Instead of staying on the surface, take things a little deeper. This helps to really take advantage of the time you have with these women. Do you see younger women weekly at church meetings and gatherings? Don’t let those opportunities go by!
One of the best ways to go deeper in conversations is by asking questions. Asking questions in a natural and conversational way does take some practice but it yields great results.
Here are some questions that can help you in those discipleship conversations to connect on a deeper level with other women:
- What have you been learning lately?
- What books have you been reading?
- What are some challenges that you are facing in the area you just mentioned?
- What do you want to get better at?
- How’s your family? How’s your relationship with that person?
- What has been a highlight of your week?
- What has been a low point in your week?
- How have you seen God at work in your life lately?
- How can I pray for you?
Most importantly, be honest and open in your conversations as you ask these questions. Share your experiences and struggles as they share theirs. As you model a warm and open spirit, they will feel safe to talk and connect with you more.
2. Invite women into your home
Inviting women into your home is another great way to disciple women while you are simultaneously living life. There are two benefits to this. First, you don’t need to go anywhere, they are coming to you (this is especially helpful if you have little kids like me)! Second, they are seeing you in your real life.
Inviting women in your home helps them see you interact with your children and husband and how you manage your home. And let me tell you, these things make a big impact on a young woman’s life. Your actions speak much louder than your words. You may talk about a lot of different ideas and theological concepts but if your life does not show it, they are empty words.
Rachel Jankovic says, “Your theology comes out your fingertips”. What you truly believe is seen by the things you do and your attitude while you do them. This “living out” of your theology is something so important to pass on in a discipleship relationship. And there is no better place to do it than your own home.
3. Have young women join you on your weekly tasks
This goes in line with the previous point. In addition to inviting women whom you desire to disciple into your home, have them join you on your tasks and help you. Yes, help you! This is where you need to let go of some of your pride and just allow her in.
Are you cooking dinner? Ask her to chop some potatoes. Are you going to the grocery store? Ask her if she wants to come along and help with the kids. Are you doing laundry? Give her a pile of clothes to fold alongside you.
When you allow a young woman to help you it shows your humility and that you are human. It models vulnerability. When I have put those barriers down, the conversations that come up over chopped potatoes are priceless.
4. Create a Bi-weekly Bible study
You can also create something a bit more organized and predictable like a Bible study. This can be done with one, two, or three women. It does not have to be big. And it does not have to be weekly (notice that I purposefully put, bi-weekly!)
In my personal experience, I have noticed that weekly Bible studies are not very sustainable with small children. With family, children, and weekly church meetings, it is difficult to add another Bible study with young women in the mix. When I switched up my small Bible study to every other week, it felt sustainable!
It was also much more doable for the young women attending and the longer time in between meetings gave us more time to study, read, and build up our excitement to come together again and share what we had learned.
5. Keep in touch through voice messages
Keeping in touch with women that you are discipling can be challenging. Life is busy for both of you and if you are not intentional, a lot of time can pass by before you have another conversation.
A great way to keep in touch besides text messaging is through sending voice messages. Why? Because it is so much more personal! Phone calls are a lost art nowadays and sadly many young people don’t even feel comfortable talking on the phone. By using voice messages you can hear a person’s voice and speak to them as if you were speaking in person. They can hear your tone and things are more clearly understood rather than through text.
Also, there is not as much pressure to respond immediately which is helpful. I have found this a great way to catch up, share prayer requests or updates from the week, and make plans for a future meeting together!
6. Pray together on the phone
Now speaking of phone calls, they are a great resource to use to pray together. Prayer is an important aspect of Christian discipleship and the best way to teach someone how to pray is by doing it with them.
Set up a weekly prayer phone call with a sister in Christ you are pouring into. It can be as long or short as you want it to be and it is so practical because you do not need to drive anywhere to do it. If you are on a walk with the kids or doing some chores at home, just pop in your headphones and pray together.
Praying together regularly teaches a young woman (and yourself) about prayer, deepens your friendship with one another, and gives you a greater understanding of God as you see Him work through your prayers.
7. Read a book together
Lastly, read a Christian book together. This is helpful on so many levels.
You learn about a certain topic together like faith, prayer, marriage, or parenting. You have something to talk about when you get together which can open up the floor for deeper conversations. And lastly, Christian books are very encouraging for a Christians walk with God.
Here is a list of great books to choose from 9 BEST CHRISTIAN BOOKS FOR WOMEN THAT ARE WORTH YOUR TIME (WITH BEST QUOTES)
Wrap Up
As you can now see, making Christian discipleship practical isn’t as difficult as it seems. Now the next step is on you – go and apply these ideas today!
As you faithfully walk in obedience to God you will see that the things that seemed so daunting suddenly become a normal and natural part of your life.
With love,
Jessica Ruth
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