Acts 19:8-10 

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Drive Thru

Have you ever taken order from Drive Thru window without driving a car? Would any Drive Thru establishment reject or ignore you if you order even when you are not driving a car?

Most Drive Thru customers are rushing for their next appointment.

These days churches are not aware but they treat discipleship like Drive Thru. Most lessons in Discipleship are designed to cover everything in few sessions of at least an hour for each lesson, and then rush to the next after a lesson is completed.

When the Lord commissioned all disciples to go and make disciples, He did not give any specific methods that disciples should use to train others, why?

The Lord is Creator. He is Creative. He is not limited to one or two methods. He did not advise any specific method because human have tendencies to rely upon methods instead of relying upon the Lord.

Different age, social status, or culture needs a unique way of approach. No single method of discipleship is effective to every individual person.

In 2 Peter 3:9, ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

This passage inspires many eager Christians to consider every person they meet as potential disciple. It is true that God does not want anyone to perish but not everyone is bound to become a disciple. This is one dilemma in making disciples.

Ask for discernment for you to recognize the person that the Lord has prepared beforehand for you to disciple.

Learn how to retreat. To retreat from discipleship does not mean to stop.

1.  Retreat

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them.

For three months, Paul tried to persuade the Ephesians but they did not want to believe, and worst, they malign, slander, speak evil things about the church.

The Christian group were known earlier as The Way.

Paul didn’t stop making disciple. He just retreated. He left those who opposed him. Paul sensed that it’s a waste of time to persuade those who were decided not to believe. He focused on teaching those who were eager to learn.

Have you experienced when you were leading a Bible Study when your students would argue to prove that they know many spiritual things? How would you detect if one is interested in studying the Bible or not?

Keep remembering the Parable of the Sower. There are different kinds of soil and there are different kinds of people. It’s a waste of time to keep planting the seed of the gospel in soils along the road, soils in the rocky places, or soil with thorn bushes. Learn how to retreat.

The Lord Jesus used the same strategy. He retreated when people tried to hurt him.

In Luke 4:16-30, ¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. ²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

When His own people did not acknowledge the Lord Jesus, He retreated but he did not stop making disciples. For sure Christ knows those who would listen to Him but He kept on telling about the kingdom of God anyways.

If you found the right person to disciple, how much time would you spend? How do you know when a disciple is ready to take bigger responsibility say, making disciple or church leadership?

2.  Ready

^9b He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Paul spent his time discussing daily for two years with the disciples in Ephesus. Perhaps, the Hall of Tyrannus was open to public or Paul might have rented the place for them to meet instead of going to the synagogue.

Paul had 2 years of daily discussion with his disciple. It is quite shorter than 3 years that Christ spent with the 12 Apostles.

Why did Christ spend 3 years and Paul spent 2 years? How long should we disciple a person before we can say we have discipled them, 2 years or 3 years?

Know that the 11 Apostles of Christ became pillars of the church. Those Ephesians, whom Paul has discipled for 2 years, have no similar impact to the church as compared with Christ’s disciples.

Why did Jesus or Paul spend longer time in giving lessons to their disciples? Why did Jesus or Paul not just give their disciple 7 lessons and that’s it?

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry has become one of the best shooter in basketball. It was reported that while few players were there to watch, Curry made 77 straight three-point shots during a recent basketball shooting practice.

Curry told ESPN the 77 represents the most he’s ever made in a row. Out of 100 shots taken during the session, he made 94.

For non-basketball player, making one shot would be a delightful experience. For professional basketball players, shooting practice is a lifestyle and they are not satisfied with just few shots made.

There are believers who are delighted to know little about God, but for disciples, it’s a lifestyle to keep learning and not satisfied with little spiritual knowledge.

Discipleship is a lifestyle. Two-year or 3-year weekly Bible study is not enough for disciple-making. Christ and Paul spent time with their disciple daily. Genuine disciples are not satisfied with just few weeks or one-year weekly discipleship program. It’s not about completing a set of lesson and that’s it.

Discipleship is about deeper relationship with Christ not a completed lesson.

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