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Getting to Know Journey
The list of subjects in this section are:
How to Disciple with Journey
Overview of the Journey Lessons
How to Define Discipleship
Why Meet One on One with Your Disciple
The 8 Steps of Discipleship
Common Questions
HOW TO DISCIPLE WITH JOURNEY
First, Disciplers prepare ahead of time.
The Discipler prepares for the lesson by knowing the context of the Bible verses and the meaning of key words in the verses you will study. Every page has extra resources on the website.
In meeting together…
First, take time to talk to each other. Then, the Discipler prays before starting the lesson.
​There may be times you will not even open the lessons, just make sure you always encourage one another with the Word of God.
The Discipler reads any introductions or reviews where they are in the subject. The disciple reads the Bible verses and the Discipler reads the comments, giving the answers for the blanks, which the disciple writes in their lesson.
The Discipler reviews what they learned when it is time to end, and the disciple closes with prayer.
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OVERVIEW OF THE JOURNEY LESSONS
Journey is designed for the spiritual formation of a 21st century disciple of Jesus Christ. You'll enjoy personally discipling and equipping your congregation to spiritually form disciples.
Journey contains 10 lessons. The purpose is multiplication; the disciple is learning to lead someone else to reach the unreached with the Gospel.
Thousands of churches around the world have successfully deployed Journey in more than 40 countries.
If you were going to choose the subjects a new Believer should learn to not only be grounded in the Word of God but to grow and be trusted to multiply, what subjects and topics would you choose? There are hundreds to choose from.
Journey has 10 lessons with these themes:
1. Salvation
2. Assurance
3. Prayer
4. Church
5. Discipleship
6. The Future
7. Spiritual Growth
8. Faith
9. Words
10. Loving God
Journey takes about 40 meetings to complete, on the average. This is longer than a new converts class or other plans but the result is a trusted disciple maker.
The disciple should graduate only when they have their own disciple.
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HAVING MORE THAN ONE DISCIPLE
Having more than one disciple is absolutely fantastic. But, the most important thing to remember is that these disciples should be met with one-on-one. So schedule them to be at different times and do not meet them together as a group for personal discipleship.
Of course, for fellowship and connecting as a group is no problem. But any time you add more than one person to meeting together in one-on-one it becomes a Bible study, and not discipleship, and the dynamics involved are very different.
So have more than one disciple as God directs you but be sure and meet with them one-on-one. Otherwise your multiplication will be effected in a negative way.
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HOW DO YOU DEFINE DISCIPLESHIP?
It's critical.
Many define discipleship as just follow up or some kind of "deeper life Bible study" or they have seen ministries and discipleship systems that cause problems. And therefore they have a negative feeling about discipleship.
So, what is our definition of discipleship?
Discipleship is Bible study; but it's more than that. It's a good relationship between the disciple and discipler; but it's more than that.
It's growing spiritually; but it's more than that.
It's teaching the Bible; but it's more than that.
It's accountability, training and evangelism; but it's more than just those activities...and the list could go on and on.
Our definition is multiplying soul-winning disciple-makers through your local church.
If you think about each aspect of every word, an intentional process to be obedient to this Biblical plan is required. That's where Journey is a powerful tool.
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WHY MEET ONE ON ONE WITH YOUR DISCIPLE
Journey is designed to lead someone to Christ and then stay with them until they can lead others to Christ and be authorized by their Pastor to disciple them to do the same.
You can begin meeting with a lost or saved person because the first lesson is “A to Z” on Salvation and one of our most popular lessons…it lays the foundation for everything else.
Everyone is unique...they are at different levels of spiritual maturity and so is their way of learning.
The ideal training has a personal touch corresponding to your disciples’ personality, individual needs, and unique questions.
Disciples are not being produced through group training. Group training has its place but after a person is an active discipler. Pastors have less than 10% of their adults that they can trust to care for new Believers. Trying to produce reproducible disciple makers in a group has not worked and there is no reason to believe that will change.
As a Discipler, through meeting one on one, your gifts, aptitudes, and knowledge are best brought out.
In the disciple, self-confidence is established. In meeting one on one, you save time because you concentrate on what the disciple needs. One on one discipleship brings spiritual satisfaction and motivation for the disciple.
Our disciples tell us they make as much progress in the first lesson as they would have made in six months in a class. We see the most receptive disciples become effective 5 times faster compared to other methods.
The heart of Journey’s philosophy is total personalization, life to life.
In Journey, you never have to adapt to any preconceived system. Rather, you adapt to the way your disciple learns best and what they need most.
You won't have to adjust to general (and often impersonal) learning programs.
For discipleship, the presence of others is usually an obstacle rather than an advantage. Others will rarely share the same objectives, style, level, reactions, and spiritual needs of each other.
In groups, the slower student can be a strain, and the faster one can be just as maddening.
Group training is, more often than not, group plodding.
Trying to produce disciples in a group, some young christians become confused and disoriented by the mistakes others make. It's just as easy to become apprehensive about making mistakes in front of others. In producing a multiplying disciple, group dynamics aren't always beneficial.
Most discipleship strategies put every disciple on the same track going to the same destinations, whether they should or not, with a 90% failure rate.
And it’s not enough to learn random electives in a class, or information about being a true follower of Christ. Through personal involvement in God’s Word the disciple must take on the mind of Christ, commit to following Christ and gain the pleasure of confidence in being led by Christ. That’s an individual journey that a true Discipler can see happen. Journey is for that purpose.
Advanced or mature Christians find that Journey structures the lessons that can take each subject deeper. Journey firms the foundation in their life to build upon.
Everyone is unique...and so is their way of learning.
The ideal training has a personal touch corresponding with your personality, your individual needs, and your unique questions.
Internalizing and growing is quickest when there is a direct dialogue between guide and learner.
Through One on One Discipleship:
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Your gifts, aptitudes, and knowledge are best brought out
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Self-confidence is established in the first lessons
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Motivation is high because the disciple is learning to teach
Hidden inside every believer is a Discipler.
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THE 8 STEPS OF DISCIPLESHIP
The Steps of Discipleship
The word “disciple” in all its forms, occurs 273 times in 256 verses in the Bible. It occurs first and only once in the Old Testament at Isaiah 8:16 and the last occurrence is in Acts 19:9. Most of the verses record actions or interaction between Christ and His disciples. A few of those verses actually define discipleship for us. Let’s look at them and apply them.
John 3:16
#1 Become a Believer by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior.
John 8:31
#2 A disciple is in the Word of God every day.
Luke 11:1
#3 A disciple is in prayer to God every day.
John 13:33-35
#4 A disciple and discipler meet together every week.
Ephesians 4:11-12
#5 A disciple is faithful in a biblical, local church.
Luke 14:33
#6 A disciple is obedient to the Word of God and becomes a disciple maker.
John 15:8
#7 A discipler leads people to Christ and disciples them.
John 15:16
#8 A discipler multiplies disciplers who multiply disciplers.
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COMMON QUESTIONS
What if my disciple is not doing their Daily in the Word?
Help them by writing it out and working on it at your weekly one-on-one Discipleship meetings together.
What do you do if they will not memorize Bible verses?
Review the importance of God’s Word and do not go on to the next lesson until they are faithfully doing this. You can also be a good example to them by practicing memorizing Bible verses in your meetings with your disciple.
What if the disciple will not be obedient to the Word of God in matters such as baptism?
Review the teaching and the Word of God and do not go on further. Send a leader of the church to deal with the situation but be careful to not hurt the person, do everything in love. Do not move ahead in the lessons but continue to meet together as long as you can.
How long should it take to complete the Journey Discipleship Lessons?
Lessons One through Five are longer than Six through Ten, however you should complete a new believer within 18 months.
What should you do if your disciple is in financial trouble?
It is not advisable to give them money. You must pray for great wisdom in this area and ask your church leader for help.
What about very mature disciples?
If you detect your disciple is a very mature believer, go at a pace the Holy Spirit leads you to go at, but be careful. Some of your disciples will be mature enough that your one on one Discipleship is geared more towards training and not just discipling.
What about unfaithful disciples?
Don’t expect your disciple to change overnight in some areas. But with some disciples, you may need to take some time off until they are faithful.
What is the earliest age to be discipled?
Depending on the individual, typically 18 years old because they are more mature by that age.
Remember, your goal is not to finish, but to reproduce one on one Discipleship. Do not be afraid to challenge your disciple. Help your disciple when they are struggling. When they know you care, they will be more responsive.
Remember in one on one Discipleship sometimes there are stopping points and you can remain a successful discipler even when you do not finish a disciple who is unfaithful. If you disconnect from an unfaithful disciple in a loving way it leaves an open door for them to continue at some point in time. Be prepared for drop-out disciples to come back in the future.
It is not always your fault but when you have done your best and your disciple chooses not to continue, ask yourself “How can I learn from this to keep this from happening again?”
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