How do you make disciples? It is a lot like the way you teach someone to drive a vehicle.

When I went to teach my son how to drive, he did not know the inner workings of an automatic transmission, the difference between a solenoid and a relay, or the purpose of a fusible link or a throttle position sensor. All he knew is that he wanted to have the freedom of driving. He was willing to do what it took to get on down the road.

Your driver’s training began with you watching someone else drive. The training became real the day you jumped into the driver’s seat and a skilled driver took the passenger’s seat. They started you off with the basics: finding the pedals and using the turn signal. Eventually you would learn all about when to have an oil change and where to put the gas in. As you needed to know certain specifics, your driving coach was there to teach you. No high beams in fog, no diesel in the gas tank, no nails in the tires, and watch out for those potholes.

The practical, hands-on side of the Kingdom

You see Jesus taught His disciples to “drive” right away. For 4 months they watched Him do ministry and even participated a little. Then, He called them to commit to His “driver training” so to speak when He asked them to become dedicated disciples. He showed them how the Kingdom works and they got to learn with Him right there, coaching them along the way. After a year or so, Jesus sent them on their first drive—in teams of two. (Perhaps this was so that if the one at the wheel forgot something, the other trainee could remind him.)

Eventually, these disciples would turn around and train other disciples just the way they had been trained. This is how to make disciples who make disciples! Since the invention of the automobile, humans have been teaching other humans how to drive one. Since the Kingdom came, disciples have been training other disciples how to navigate this heavenly journey.

The impractical way some try to make disciples

Unfortunately, too many churches do not train drivers anymore. Instead, they educate mechanics, so to speak. What would you have thought of driving if before you got behind the wheel, someone began talking loudly about all the details of how cars work—for three years? Imagine your dad lecturing you for hours about what the W means in 10w-30! He explains how to read the manufacture date on your tires, how to jump start a dead battery, how to rebuild an engine right from the block, and how to reprogram the electronic control module. None of those things make you a driver.

You see, many churches have become information stations. But a church cannot ride in a passenger’s seat. Only an individual can—a disciple-maker. It is up to you. You cannot bring people to your church and expect them to become true disciples by attending there. When the Lord sends someone into your life, it is your opportunity not only to introduce them to Jesus, but to coach them as they learn to navigate this new life in Him.

Jesus avoided the Jerusalem religious clique because they were not making drivers, just technicians. They had no idea how to navigate the Kingdom and knew so much it slowed them down. Instead, He started with those who wanted to navigate the God journey rather than just have an education.

Two hands on the wheel

So, this driver-training analogy makes a nice illustration, but it is useless if we do not know what it is a disciple must be trained to do. I’m glad you asked. Two things: love for others and love for God. Let’s talk about each of these and how they relate to making disciples.

Learn to tell others

Conversion begins when a person has a dynamic and life-changing encounter with Jesus. Spontanously, that new disciple goes from zero to sixty, telling others what Jesus has done in his or her life. A disciple-maker will come alongside the new believer and help him or her improve at telling their Jesus story and finding those who are ready to listen and respond. So, a true believer learns to stay alert for those ready to hear about Jesus just as closely as a driver learns to watch for oncoming traffic.

Learn to be Spirit-led

The second focus of a disciple is to learn where the Lord is leading. You see, the Lord continually allows us to experience things that will send us to the Scriptures for direction. In the process, we learn to listen to His voice. Just as closely as a driver watches the road and responds immediately to changes and challenges, a disciple learns to navigate life by listening to the voice of the Shepherd.

You cannot become a skilled driver by sitting in classes and reading books. You have to get behind the wheel. Help someone else learn how to truly live for God, not just hear lectures about it.

Go, make disciples! If you want help, use DiscipleMaker!