Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. Discipleship is the act of following Jesus and helping others do the same. It’s intentional, but also challenging.
What is men’s discipleship? Men’s discipleship is when men grow in the word of God and do life together so they can become more like Jesus. Men’s discipleship is all about community, honoring God, and modeling God’s love for the whole body of Christ. It’s pouring into and being poured into by godly, Christian men so that all believers can benefit from the example of following Jesus.
And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
The Focus Of Men’s Discipleship
Men’s discipleship is a wonderful gift God gave us. He gave us men’s discipleship so that we could love Jesus more and follow him first in everything.
God also made it possible for us to do that with others and to study the word of God together so that we’re not alone in our pursuit of godliness and relationship with the Father.
Men’s Discipleship Is About Following Jesus
Men’s discipleship is first and foremost focused on Jesus. If you read through the gospels, you’ll find endless passages about how Jesus taught and lead his disciples.
He taught them to be servants and to humble themselves instead of exalting themselves because all of the glory belongs to God.
The reason we’re able to humble ourselves is that God sent his one and only Son Jesus to die for our sins.
Jesus then rose from the dead, ascended to the Father, and sent us His Holy Spirit to help up disciple others.
Jesus did this because he loves us unconditionally and wants a relationship with us both now and forever. Now, everything we do can be done for him, even loving and leading other men.
Men’s Discipleship Focuses On Community
Once you start your adventure with Jesus and begin to walk in His footsteps, you’ll realize that to keep running the race He’s set before you, you’ll need some encouragement. This is where community and fellowship come in.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:42 ESV
God made us to be relational beings. We’re meant to be in a family.
Even if we don’t have a biological family here on earth, as soon as we accept Jesus, we get to become part of God’s family and get to walk through life with our brothers in Christ.
This community is what makes discipleship possible. Your men’s discipleship group could look different from others, but what matters is that you’re pointing each other to Jesus.
You’re being honest and vulnerable, and you’re encouraging one another to reject sin and live godly lives.
Living godly lives is challenging, which is why we’re constantly in need of encouragement from one another and from the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can build a community for our Christian men who need it just as much as the rest of the body of Christ does.
When the men of God are strong leaders, and they’re following God with all their hearts, they’re setting the example and helping the rest of the body of Christ do the same.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1 Corinthians 12:26 ESV
When husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons within the body of Christ are courageously loving Jesus, then the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters will be inspired to do the same.
This doesn’t mean that women of God can’t follow Jesus courageously on their own, but as a family of God, we’re all meant to work together to glorify our Heavenly Father and obey his word.
Men’s Discipleship Focuses On The Word Of God
Men’s discipleship is all about the word of God and how to apply it to your relationships, your job, your schoolwork, your family, and your everyday life. It may sound overwhelming at first, but this just means that God wants to be with us and help us in everything.
We are not alone in our discipleship journeys.
The word of God helps us understand this and it’s life-giving and life-changing. We’re meant to abide in it and live by God’s truth, which is why it’s what men’s discipleship groups focus on.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’
John 8:31-32 ESV
What Men’s Discipleship Is Not
Men’s discipleship is not just getting a bunch of your friends together to hang out, play a sport, or even talk about life. It’s the coupling of all those activities and more with encouraging one another in God’s word.
Because men’s discipleship is so intentional, it’s not always easy. It can be extremely difficult at times, especially since we as Christians are seeking to honor God and not get sucked into the ways of the world.
The ways of the world are sinful, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t also be in the world and not of it.
Jesus has conquered the world, so we don’t have to be afraid of being overcome by it.
As Christians, we’re called to make disciples of all the world, and so men’s discipleship isn’t about hiding in a little Christian bubble, it’s about loving the lost too so that everyone might come to know Jesus.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
With all this in mind, men’s discipleship is also not arrogant or prideful. It’s not a competition to see who’s the most spiritual or godly.
Remember, when one member of the body is honored, then all are. This means that men’s discipleship is humbling and uplifting, centered on serving others instead of trying to get them to serve you.
What The Bible Says About Men’s Discipleship
Jesus wants a relationship with you, he’s all about relationship. And because of this, he wants you to be in a relationship with more of his children who he loves.
This means that no matter who someone is, no matter how old they are, they’re allowed to be a part of God’s household community and we’re called to minister to them and disciple them through their lives.
The best way to learn to do this is by looking at what God’s word says about discipleship.
The Bible Says That Men’s Discipleship Is To Be A Model
Titus is a great place to start when looking at discipleship. Paul wrote it to tell Titus what to look for in elders and leaders of a church, but most of his teaching can be applied to any man who is seeking to please the Lord.
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Titus 2:6-8 ESV
Young men, in fact, all men, should be self-controlled and be a model for good works. Not because good works save us, but because good works are the evidence that our faith is real and the evidence that we care about others.
Because we care about others, we want them to know how good Jesus is from our example.
Modeling this is no easy task, but the Holy Spirit helps us to imitate Jesus and call others to imitate his love, grace, and truth too.
We model Jesus because his way of life is so much better than anything the world could offer us. He offers us abundant life, one where we can love others and him more than we love the world.
The Bible Says That Men’s Discipleship Is For The Whole Body Of Christ
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ
Ephesians 4:11-17 ESV
Within men’s discipleship, the Holy Spirit gives us different gifts as He wills to equip us to build up the body of Christ. Our gifts aren’t for us, they’re given to us to bless others. This is all for unity within the body of Christ and so that we can grow up in every way spiritually and give glory to God.
The reason God wants us to grow into more spiritual maturity is that when we do, we will come to know Him more fully. How can we fall more in love with Jesus when we aren’t seeking to spend time with Him and learn more about Him?
How can we expect other men to come to know and love Jesus if we aren’t growing in that ourselves?
This is why men’s discipleship is so important, because we get to grow up in Jesus, be filled with his love, and lead others within the body of Christ.
Men’s Discipleship Resources
To help you in your discipleship journey, wherever you are, I’ve put together some resources that will teach you how to be a better disciple of Jesus and how to help other men do the same:
Videos
For your discipleship journey, I’ve picked out the three best videos to help you no matter what phase of discipleship you’re going through:
1. Just Disciple
Just Disciple is a YouTube channel that exists to help you as a disciple of Jesus.
They have videos for believers who are new to the faith and believers who have been following Jesus for a long time.
Here’s one of their best videos on men’s discipleship:
2. The Gospel Coalition’s Video On Men’s Discipleship
The Gospel Coalition is a great resource for any Christian, but this specific video is full of wisdom and biblical advice for churches who want to disciple men the right way.
3. Developing A Vision For The Men In Your Church
In this video, Vince Miller talks about overcoming the challenges of men’s discipleship and coaches his listeners through ways they can get more serious about caring for their churches and their men.
Podcasts
If you’re looking for podcasts to help disciple you and teach you how to disciple other men, I’ve picked out three of the best podcasts that will help you do just that:
1. Real Men Connect
Real Men Connect is a podcast that invites some of the country’s wisest, Christian men on to talk about the everyday life issues and challenges that men face today.
This podcast does a great job of approaching every area of life with a biblical lens and disciples men who want to heal from their past, grow in their marriage and family, and follow God faithfully in everything.
2. Men Of The Word
Men of the Word is a podcast by Grace Community Church in California that shares its sermons on fatherhood, marriage, work, and life for Christian men who want to walk on the strong foundation of God’s word.
Each episode is full of life-giving wisdom and sure to help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.
You can listen to Men of the Word Podcast here.
3. The Vince Miller Podcast
The Vince Miller podcast is a unique, encouraging, and challenging podcast to get you fired up about men’s discipleship and what it means to live life as a godly man.
Each episode is only a few minutes long and focused on a Bible verse, making it possible for you to soak up God’s word on the go and still have time to focus on what matters in your busy day.
You can listen to The Vince Miller Podcast here.
Books
For more resources, I’ve found the best three books on men’s discipleship:
1. Family Worship: In The Bible, In History, And In Your Home
Family Worship by Donald S. Whitney is short, inspiring read about how to lead your family in worshipping God through everything you do, not just at mealtime or before bed.
This book isn’t just for men who have kids, but is a practical guide for men who want to establish worship in their homes through reading the bible, praying, and even leading small groups.
You can access Family Worship: In The Bible, In History, And In Your Home here.
2. Man Of The House
Man of the House, a handbook for building a shelter that will last in a world that is falling apart, is an encouraging and convicting read by C. R. Wiley.
By reading Man of the House, you’ll learn how to lead your family and other men in God’s truth and leave a legacy for them that’s worth following.
You can access Man of the House here.
3. How God Makes Men
How God Makes Men: Ten Epic Stories, Ten Proven Principles, One Huge Promise for Your Life, is written by Patrik Morely, one of the country’s top leaders on men’s discipleship.
In his book, Patrik addresses the problems that Christian men face today and how to overcome them with God’s word.
Through stories and life lessons, Patrik helps you discover God’s way to become God’s man and how live by His promises.
You can access How God Makes Men here.
Bible Studies
One of the best ways to disciple men is to lead a discipleship Bible study, where you can help men grow spiritually and apply God’s word to every aspect of their lives.
I’ve found the three best discipleship Bible studies for you:
1. The Essential Guide To Becoming A Disciple
The Essential Guide to Becoming a Disciple is a practical and helpful tool for leading and mentoring men. Whether you’re discipling someone one on one, or leading a whole group, this Bible study is a great place to start.
You can access The Essential Guide to Becoming a Disciple here.
2. Kingdom Man
Kingdom Man by Tony Evans is a powerful study that helps men understand their position under God and fulfill their God-given destiny.
This study is a great in-depth look at what the Bible has to say about discipling men and tells you the next step of developing your character with God and with others.
You can access Kingdom Man here.
3. Manhood Restored
Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole is written by Eric Mason and is all about implementing the gospel into the lives of Christian men.
This study has six sessions and a group discussion guide, ensuring that you’re equipped to disciple your group of men according to the word of God.
You can access Manhood Restored here.
Men’s Discipleship Matters
Men’s discipleship matters because it encourages men to love Jesus, it builds up the whole body of Christ, and it affects families for generations to come.
Each stage of men’s discipleship is important, whether you’re single, married, and or have kids, being a disciple of Jesus is a life-long adventure that affects generations and other’s relationships with God.
You can know that as you grow in discipling men, you’re furthering the kingdom of God by modeling Jesus for the whole body of Christ. You’re changing the way the world sees the church, men, families, and God.
During this journey, God’s love and grace are more than enough for you, so I pray that you glorify him as you disciple men and help others do the same.