How Do I Know Who to Disciple?

In the last decade or so there has been a much-need resurgence in the interest in and fulfillment of the Great Commission. Interestingly, the Great Commission is mentioned in all four gospels as well as the book of Acts (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:44-49, John 17:20-21, 20:21, Acts 1:8).

In the Great Commission, Jesus commands His disciples to go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey ALL that Jesus had taught them (including making disciples, baptizing them, etc.)

We all know we need to make disciples. But we're busy. And where do you find these disciples? How do you know you're investing in the right people?

One of the questions that I get a lot is: "How do I know who the right people are to disciple? Who do I invest in?"

One of the most helpful tools I've personally used over the years is the RAFT filter:

Reliable - Available - Faithful - Teachable

Assuming you're constantly looking for people to pour your life into while modeling the ways of Jesus, this acronym can act as a filter for deciding which of those people you should be investing your time in. If they pass the RAFT filter, chances are good that they will be the right type of disciples who will actually make disciples who make disciples.

Here are some questions that you can ask about each person in each of the four categories of the RAFT filter. Obviously, not everyone will measure up to all of these questions, but if they measure up to at least 75% of them, you should invest in them and push them to grow in the areas they need to grow in.

RELIABLE
Are they trustworthy?
Are they someone worth counting on?
Are they a person who keeps their word?
Are they actually going to show up?

AVAILABLE
Are they willing to prioritize meeting with you regularly?
Are they willing to give up some of their time to learn and grow?
Are they willing to prioritize and foster a growing relationship with Jesus, His mission, and His Church?

FAITHFUL
Are they faithful in spending daily time with Jesus?
Are they submissive to the role of the Holy Spirit in their life?
Are they committed to building His Kingdom rather than their own?
Are they willing to daily "die to self" in all areas regardless of their preferences?

TEACHABLE
Are they willing to be coached, rebuked, and trained by you and others?
Are they practicing the discipline of self-awareness?
Are they willing try new things in order to learn and grow?
Are they demonstrating a hunger for spiritual growth and development as a disciple of Jesus?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions but if you have someone who passes most of these questions, I'd say you probably have a person worth investing a lot of your time in. Hopefully you'll find this helpful in your journey of making disciples of Jesus and multiplying disciples to the ends of the earth!

For the Kingdom,
Brett

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What tools have you found that help you discern who is worth investing your time in when it comes to making disciples?