“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Matthew 16:24-28

Making disciples can be one of the most rewarding parts of ministry. It is exciting to watch people grow in their walk with Christ. This happens when they begin understanding the scriptures, develop a prayer life, memorize scripture, and become confident in sharing their faith. With all the blessings and excitement of discipleship, there is also discouragement. Serving God is not easy for many reasons. The first is that it requires a person to follow Jesus and to die to self. Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 16 that a person must take up their cross and follow Him. Through this, Jesus tells them they will lose their life for His sake. We will face this harsh reality and suffer hardships while serving the Lord. Another reality of the hardship of ministry is the multitudes that followed Jesus left Him. He was abandoned by the people and His disciples when He was crucified. Jesus reminds them if they persecute Him, then persecution will come for His followers. Lastly, Paul suffered persecution, abandonment, beatings, and imprisonment in his service to Jesus. He found himself at the end of his life alone in a Roman jail, waiting to die. Many of his friends left and forsook when he needed them the most. All this had to be heartbreaking and discouraging for Paul, but he persevered and did not quit because of his relationship with Christ.

While making disciples, discouragement will arise. This happens to everyone, and if someone is not prepared for this, there is potential for them to quit and give up. Spiritual warfare is hard to overcome and battle through when first encountered because it usually arises when least expected. Being prepared for and knowing that discouraging moments will come is helpful. This blog will outline several common problems that occur which cause discouragement. 

It Will Take Longer Than You Think

Making disciples will take longer than expected, and this can be discouraging. There is usually excitement and anticipation when discipleship starts, and there can be a sense of growth and momentum in the initial meetings. This excitement will eventually subside when the realization of the process sets in. Along with this, people will get discouraged and afraid for various reasons. Coaching and encouragement through this time are necessary to help keep people motivated. Discipleship also takes longer because it requires work, and people are moving from being babes in Christ to maturity.

People Will Quit

Sadly, the most challenging and discouraging part of discipleship is watching people quit. This can happen for various reasons, some valid and others not. Expecting this possibility initially can help mitigate discouragement when people decide they cannot continue in discipleship. The same happened to Jesus when those He was ministering and teaching abandoned Him. If people abandon Him, they will leave us.

Stay Focused On The Mission And Leave The Results To Jesus

When feeling discouraged, one of the most challenging aspects of discipleship is staying focused on the mission rather than the results. Watching people quit and give up on growing spiritually can be heartbreaking. Discouragement sets in when people do not grow as fast as anticipated. This is where focusing on the process rather than the results is essential. Grasping and executing the process with grace and compassion is all that can be expected. Praying and asking God to work in the heart of people being discipled is essential because it gives the responsibility to Jesus. Paul states in 1 Corinthians that He planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Neither Paul nor Apollos were responsible for the increase; instead, they were responsible for just the planting and watering. Stay focused on encouraging others to follow Jesus in spiritual disciplines and accountability and leave the results to Jesus. This will help keep the disciple-maker from being discouraged because it removes the results from them.

You Will Feel Inadequate

Everyone, at some point, feels inadequate to make disciples. This sense of self-doubt is a form of spiritual warfare. This brings the sense of feeling like a fraud and that people will one day find out you are. Fear arises from this and can hinder the disciple-maker from being effective. Most of this comes from needing to be more well-versed in the scripture as one wants. Also, it can be because a person is challenged with sin and feels too sinful. Thoughts of inadequacy should be used as a strength rather than a weakness. This is because God works through a person’s weakness and gets the glory alone.

Coach and Encourage

As a disciple-maker, one should look at themselves as a coach in a person’s life. It is to be expected that all people will one day be discouraged through the discipleship process and will need encouragement. A disciple-maker should be there to coach people through these moments to help bring them along. A coach also knows their players and what their strengths and weaknesses are. They help develop the weak areas and hone the strong ones. It is helpful to know the people being discipled so they can be challenged in the places they are weak in. This helps reduce discouragement that can come from discipleship.

Conclusion

Don’t lose heart when discouragement comes. At the end of the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus tells the disciples that they will not be alone as they fulfill His command. Jesus lets them know that it does not matter where they are or where they go; He will be there to encourage and be with them. So be encouraged during the discipleship process that it fulfills Jesus’s command and that He will be there through it all. 

Resources

These sources were utilized for research in developing this blog post.

Webb, Keith E. The Coach Model for Christian Leaders: Powerful Leadership Skills for Solving Problems, Reaching Goals, and Developing Others. Morgan James Publishing, 2019.

Rainer, Thom S., and Eric Geiger. Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples. Updated ed. Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Pub. Group, 2011.

Robby Gallaty. Replicate : Creating a Disciple-Making Movement Right Where You Are. Moody Publishers, 2020.

Putman, Jim. Church Is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy for Doing Ministry Together. Ada: BakerBooks, 2009.