Five Traits of a Disciplemaker

By Doug Nuenke

What Distinguishes a Follower of Jesus?
Before Jesus left this world, he called on his followers to make disciples. Five Traits of a Disciplemaker helps followers of Jesus organize their lives around a dynamic relationship with God that draws more and more people into the body of Christ.

The contributors to this devotional—each with a long history of knowing Christ, making Him known, and helping others do the same—see five “core competencies” as critical to authentic discipleship:
1. Walking with Jesus
2. Knowing and living the Scriptures
3. Participating in community
4. Engaging with those who don’t know Christ
5. Reproducing spiritual generations

Spend a month with a master class of disciplemakers and find yourself growing in your capacity and enthusiasm for following Christ.

Compiled by Doug Nuenke, US president of The Navigators.
Foreword by Jerry Bridges, author of The Pursuit of Holiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781641585071

Book preview

Five Traits of a DisciplemakerFive Traits of a Disciplemaker by Doug Nuenke. The Navigators

Five Traits of a Disciplemaker

Copyright © 2021 by The Navigators. All rights reserved.

A NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers

NavPress and the NavPress logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. Tyndale is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Ministries. Absence of ® in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

The Team: Don Pape, Publisher; David Zimmerman, Development Editor

Designed by Daniel Farrell

Cover photograph copyright © vetre/Dollar Photo Club. All rights reserved.

The Wheel® is a registered trademark of The Navigators in the United States. Used by permission of The Navigators. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,® NIV,® copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible,® copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at [e-mail], or call 1-855-277-9400.

ISBN 978-1-64158-505-7

ISBN 978-1-64158-507-1 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-64158-508-8 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-64158-506-4 (Apple)

Build: 2021-08-09 16:32:13 EPUB 3.0

Contents

Foreword

Introduction: Getting Caught Up in the Love and Purposes of God

Trait One: Walking with Jesus

Fruits of Living in Connection with Jesus

Spending Time with Jesus

Knowing and Hearing from God

Becoming Like Jesus in Our Attitude

The Virtue of Love

Sustained by God

Trait Two: Knowing and Living the Scriptures

The Joy of Deep Nourishment

Instructions Fit for a King

I Need to Know God’s Path!

The Countercultural Word of God

The Bigger Picture Behind Small Verses

Let the Scriptures Lead You

Trait Three: Participating in Community

The Call to Community

A Humility That Results in Oneness

Running Alongside

Words That Give Courage to Faith

Suffering and Rejoicing Together

The Healing Effect of Confession

Trait Four: Engaging with Those Who Don’t Know Christ

Jump into the Neighborhood

Reflecting the Light

Loving and Being among Broken People

Motivated by and Sharing Love

Engaging with People Different from Us

The Habit of Blessing

Trait Five: Reproducing Spiritual Generations

Spiritual Generations

A Seed in the Right Soil

The Disciple Maker’s Central Message

Spiritual Parenting

God Expects Fruit

A Vision for the Next Generation

Conclusion

Contributors

Diagram of a wheel with four spokes. The wheel is labeled 'The Obedient Christian in Action.' The hub is labeled 'Christ.' The four spokes are labeled 'Prayer,' 'Fellowship,' 'The Word,' and 'Witnessing.'

Foreword

DAWSON TROTMAN, who began The Navigators ministry among sailors in 1933, had a knack for developing illustrations to make spiritual truths easy to remember and apply. The most well-known of these illustrations is the Wheel.

The hub of the Wheel represents Christ—the life and driving force of the Christian life—while the rim represents the lived environment of the obedient Christian, especially the people in the Christian’s life. The two vertical spokes represent the Word of God and prayer, the principal means by which we draw upon the life and power of Christ. The two horizontal spokes represent fellowship among believers (what we now call community) and witnessing