Imitating Jesus

The role of a disciple-maker is to learn where the Spirit of God is at work in your disciple's life and join him there. We're able to do this through the art of listening. True listening builds trust and strength into your relationship, and offers you clues as to your discipleship "curriculum" because God is uniquely forming the disciple through their unique circumstances. In this episode, you'll learn about two tools--Timeline and 200 Questions--that help you and your disciple mine the story of his or her life. These tools are discussed in more detail in the book Imitating Jesus. Free PDFs can be found on our website.

Four questions to get you started:

1) Who are you and how did you get here? 

2) Where do you want to go in life and what’s your plan to get there? 

3) What’s hindering you? 

4) What can we do to help you? (Remember, she’s coming into a community of disciples.)

"Take even a quick glance at the relationship that Jesus had with the twelve, and you'll know that disciple-making requires more than a weekly Bible study at Starbucks. Discipleship is, to borrow a phrase from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, life together. In practical terms this means that I should become acquainted enough with the life of my disciple to recognize opportunities to serve him." (Imitating Jesus, 53)

Chapter 6! Listen to this episode to learn about (1) the Table Illustration, (2) service (rather than knowledge) as the fuel of our discipleship relationships, and (3) Barnabas and Paul's relationship as an example of the power of believing in your disciple.

In a reality where we question our lovableness and belonging, acts of service communicate "I love you and I'm in your corner" to your disciple.

In this episode, we explore the idea that hospitality is the very heart and nature of God.

And we consider these questions:

+What if we moved the sacred place from the church building into our homes?

+Could hospitality be an expression of and invitation to my own heart and relationship with God?

+Why is a meal part of our disciple-making process?

+Could hospitality be our greatest apologetic in connecting with the younger generations?

+What’s the difference between hospitality and entertainment?

+Can hospitality be a family affair? If so, how could we all participate?

Is making disciples a game of 1-on-1? Or is it a team sport? Lewie and Ryan discuss the biblical foundation and practical importance of making disciples in community.

What is the church? What is the goal of disciple-making? What is God like? How can you love your disciple as their intercessor, cheerleader, and advocate?

As the final episode in our series "Learning to Belong," Ryan and Jon discuss how true, deep, and genuine relationships are key to understanding what it means to belong to God's family.

As the second episode in our series "Learning to Belong," Lewie and Doug discuss the experience of shame and how to come alongside those who struggle with it by cultivating places of love and belonging.

As the first episode in our new series "Learning to Belong," Ryan and Lewie discuss why the doctrine of the Trinity matters in cultivating our homes and communities as places where people truly belong.

In this episode we unpack what it means to pursue the person you are discipling, why this is important, and what it looks like practically. The Imitating Jesus podcast, hosted by Ryan Seibert.