Page 57 - Youth Discipleship Student Textbook

Study Section 10: Learning the Principles of Discipleship

10.1 Connect

Discipleship is a process. It is not arrived at overnight. It is a life-long process. It is
extremely complicated and involves many factors. Think about Jesus. He selected 12 men
to follow Him as His disciples. He spent every waking moment over almost four years with
these men, teaching them about God, how to pray, how to stand for their faith, teaching
them God’s Word. And even after four years, they opposed Him in going to Jerusalem to lay His life
down to save the world. It took them some time before they truly put the entire picture together.

As a youth pastor, you will enter a discipleship ministry with the youth God will grant to sit at your feet.
There is a lot to learn to properly guide them down the true path. You will be opposed and with a
fervor. You had better understand the process before you begin such a journey. Let learn the basic
principles you need to know to become an effective discipler of young men and women.

10.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to explain the 10 principles of Discipleship suggested by Michael
Wilkins.

2. The student should be able to site the general principles for disciplining youth.

3. The student should be able to describe the various spiritual gifts God has given youth for His service.

10.3 Principles of Discipleship

In his book, Following the Master, Michael J. Wilkins lays out 10 principles of Discipleship
which are excellent.
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1. Discipleship is about a Relationship
A disciple is a person who has come to Jesus for eternal life, has claimed Jesus as Savior and
Lord, and has embarked upon the life of following Him. A disciple is a person who has a living
and daily relationship with Christ. A disciple will also develop a relationship with the person who
disciples him. That person must be a role model of Christ in every part of his life.

2. Discipleship is enabled and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit who transforms us into the
image of Christ.
The Holy Spirit indwells and fills believers (Eph. 5:18), guides us into all truth (John 16:13), brings forth
fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23) and empowers us for ministry in the church and in the world. The Spirit is
God’s presence in us (Rom. 8:11) to confirm that we are indeed children of God (Rom. 8:16) and to
convict us of sin for the continuing process of conforming us into the image of Christ. Understanding the
role of the Holy Spirit encourages the response of submission to His sanctifying work.

20 Michael J. Wilkins, Following the Master: A biblical Theology of Discipleship, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992

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