In any field, there are specific core competencies that a person must learn and perform in order to be successful. Surgeons must master the skills involved with surgery. Accountants must master the skills involved with accounting. Teachers must master the skills involved with teaching. Can you imagine a surgeon who couldn’t do surgery, an accountant who couldn’t do accounting, or a teacher who didn’t know how to teach? Core competencies are the essential skills that are required to accomplish a task.
When Jesus called His twelve disciples and began to train them, He highlighted a few core competencies that would enable them to make disciples who make more disciples. Jesus knew that He couldn’t teach them everything, so He focused on the essential components that were necessary to start a movement of multiplication.
The core competencies that Jesus highlighted can be summarized in three phrases: “walk with God,” “reach your world,” and “invest in a few.”
1. Walk with God.
Jesus modeled and trained His disciples to obey the Father (John 8.29 ESV) and exalt Him in everything (John 17.7 ESV). He taught them about the importance of personal prayer (Mark 1.35 ESV) and gave them an example on how to pray (Luke 11.1-4 ESV).
He demonstrated the vital need for knowing God’s Word and saturating their lives with God’s truth (Matthew 5.17-19 ESV). He taught them how to handle temptation (Luke 4.1-13 ESV), respond to failure (John 8.1-11 ESV), live in community (John 13.1 ESV), and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power (John 5.30 ESV). All of these are vital parts of walking with God in a deep, personal way.
2. Reach your world.
Jesus stretched His disciples’ thinking about the people who are far from God (John 4.1-39 ESV). He taught them that all people matter to God. Regardless of someone’s cultural background, skin color, or economic status, they were invited to enter the Kingdom of God. He modeled how to have spiritual conversations (John 4.4-38 ESV), how to demonstrate compassion (Matthew 9.35-38 ESV), and how to respond to critics (Luke 5.27-32 ESV). Through all of this, Jesus showed them how to live “on mission” for the sake of the gospel.
3. Invest in a few.
Through his personal investment and involvement with the twelve, Jesus demonstrated how to cast vision, build a group, and multiply influence (Matthew 4.18-22 ESV). He trained them and sent them out to put what He taught them into practice (Luke 9.1 ESV). When they returned, Jesus debriefed them on how things went and what they learned from the experience (Luke 9.10 ESV).
These are the three core competencies that each disciple must master to be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission. Disciple making isn’t simply about doing a Bible study together; it’s about training people to do what Jesus did and live as Jesus lived.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our Student Series books, Invest In A Few.
