Discussion Guide: Apprentices Who Make Apprentices

Desired Takeaway
Following Jesus means learning to live our lives the way Jesus would live them if he were us—and helping others learn to do the same.
The goal is for people to leave seeing disciple-making not as a special assignment for pastors or unusually mature Christians, but as a natural part of apprenticeship to Jesus.
A secondary goal is to make that calling feel relational and attainable rather than intimidating. We aren't trying to turn people into projects. We're learning to intentionally love the people God has already placed around us.

Icebreaker
  • Who taught you something that you still use regularly today?

Discussion Questions
1. Lean In — What comes to mind when you hear “disciple”?
Jesus tells his followers to “go and make disciples,” but disciple can feel like a church word that we don't use anywhere else.
  • Before hearing disciple described as an “apprentice of Jesus,” how would you have described what it means to be a disciple? Has thinking about discipleship as apprenticeship changed anything for you?
  • Possible follow-up: What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and learning how to live from Jesus?
Leader note: Don't rush toward a definition. Let people wrestle with their assumptions.

2. Look Down — What mission did Jesus actually give us?
Read Matthew 28:18–20 together.
  • What do you notice about what Jesus actually asks his followers to do? What does this passage tell us about what making a disciple involves?
If the conversation needs another layer:
  • Jesus specifically mentions going, baptizing, and “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.” What might be different about teaching someone to obey Jesus rather than simply teaching them what Jesus said?
The distinction matters because apprenticeship isn't merely information transfer and belief. An apprentice watches, practices, imitates, and gradually becomes capable of doing what the master does.

3. Look Out — How do people actually become apprentices?
  • Think about your own story for a moment. Who are some of the people who have helped you take steps toward Jesus? What did they actually do that influenced you?
Maybe it was a parent, friend, pastor, teacher, neighbor, mentor, or someone else entirely.
  • What can we learn from those relationships about how people actually help other people follow Jesus?
Leader note: Listen for ordinary things: someone listened, invited, modeled something, asked questions, prayed, made time, opened their home, shared honestly, or simply stayed present. Help the group notice that disciple-making often happens through ordinary relationships rather than formal programs.

4. Look In — Does the mission stop with me?
One challenging idea from this week's teaching is that apprenticeship has two sides: becoming like Jesus and helping others do the same. Jesus didn't simply tell his disciples to be disciples; he sent them to make disciples.
  • When you think about helping another person move toward Jesus, what reaction do you have—excitement, intimidation, inadequacy, uncertainty, something else? Why?
Then take it one step deeper:
  • What do you think keeps ordinary followers of Jesus from seeing themselves as people who can help someone else follow him?
Leader note: Resist the temptation to solve everyone's insecurity. This question may uncover beliefs such as I don't know enough, I'm not mature enough, that's the pastor's job, or I don't want someone to feel like my project. Those can lead to a valuable conversation about what disciple-making actually looks like.

5. Live It Out — Who is your one?
The practical invitation is remarkably simple: Pray. Invest. Invite. Not “fix someone.” Not “have all the answers.” Not “convince someone.”
  • Think about the people God has already placed in your life—friends, coworkers, neighbors, family members, classmates, or others. Is there one person you sense God inviting you to intentionally help take a step toward Jesus? What might it look like to pray for them, invest in your relationship with them, or invite them to take a next step?
For someone who doesn't feel ready to disciple another person yet, turn the question around:
  • Who could you invite to help you become a more intentional apprentice of Jesus?
The larger vision is that eventually every disciple is being discipled by someone and discipling someone.

Optional Exercises for the Week
1. Pray for One
Choose one person God has already placed in your life. Write their name somewhere you'll see it every day.
For the next seven days, simply pray: “Jesus, how can I love this person well and help them take one step toward you?”
Pay attention to opportunities rather than trying to manufacture them.

2. Invest Before You Invite
Do something this week that communicates genuine care for your person with no agenda attached. Grab coffee. Send a text. Help with something. Ask how they're really doing—and listen.
Remember: they aren't a project; they're a person.

3. Find Your “Someone”
Ask yourself: Who am I learning from? Who is learning from me?
If you can't name someone on one side of that equation, don't respond with guilt. Take one concrete step toward building that kind of relationship.

Prayer Prompt
Begin with a few moments of silence.

Ask Jesus to bring to mind the people who helped you become the person you are today. Thank God for them. Then pray:
Jesus, teach us to live our lives the way you would live them if you were us. Show us where we still need to grow as your apprentices. Give us eyes to see the people you've already placed around us. Give us courage to invest deeply, humility to listen, and wisdom to know when to invite someone to take another step toward you. Make us people who don't simply receive what you've given us, but faithfully pass it on to others.

Finish by praying specifically for the names that came to mind during the discussion.