High Challenge/High Invite

The Supernatural Power of Discipleship is not from man but from God. That is why we see him so actively involved. We have been taught our entire lives to find out what God is doing and to join him. So, when he says in Matthew 28:18-19, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me, THEREFORE go and make disciples of all nations..." he wasn't joking around!

The Power Of Discipleship

High Challenge/High Invite

The problem is how we define "making a disciples." If I were to ask 10 people to identify what "making a disciple" looks like, I would probably get 10 different answers. So we took a look at Jesus' life, and we believe it contains the following ingredients:


  • Invitation only
  • High Invite / High Challenge environment (see above)
  • Relationship pushes challenge
  • Balanced rhythm of prayer, processing and producing

The Invitation

Inviting people to follow you as you follow the Lord can be a daunting task. You might experience fear, lack of confidence, feelings of inadequacy or even loneliness, but you are NOT ALONE, my friend!


Jesus knows what you are feeling and now says, “take heart for He has overcome it.” If you remember in Mark 3:21, Jesus’ own family rejected him as the Messiah. “When his family heard about this they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” The Lord was accused of being mentally unstable, and yet in a matter of three short years, he developed a vehicle by which the kingdom of God would move rapidly.

What Did Jesus Do?

He invited people of peace into His life and began to build a spiritual family.


How did He do it?


He said, “Come and follow Me and I will make you a fisher of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

He changed the environment in which men walked and raised the bar of what He expected. In order to be successful, we must do the same.


“Come and Follow Me” is the same as giving a “high invitation” to be part of your family. It is an invitation to sit around your table, to eat from your refrigerator, and to be a part of your family with no strings attached other than your commitment to making them better. In essence, you are asking them to commit time to you so that you can commit your life to them.


“I Will Make You a Fisher of Men” is where we put a “high challenge” on their life. It is in this arena where you teach them to meet with the Lord, to hear His voice and to walk out what He is asking them to do. There is an expectation on them to mimic you as your life reflects the glory of the Lord and His progressive Lordship in your life.

HEALTHY TIPS

Be socially aware with whom you are talking.

The "High Invite / High Challenge" tool may not connect with those who are spiritually dead or are new to church. Chances are good that they might not understand the "burnout" and "cozy" environments the way that seasoned church goers would.

  • For The Unchurched

    Jesus is clear with us in John 10, that He has sheep outside of the pen that can hear His voice. How simple it can be when hanging with unchurched /de-churched and you simply throw out, “I’m reminded of this scripture…”. If you see their ears raise up, then they may be a person of peace. Continue developing the relationship until you can simply ask them to let you walk with them.

  • For The New Believer

    With this audience, simply talk them through the idea that the Lord has called you to walk with them and to pour your life into them as Jesus poured his life into his disciples. They are welcome to come and get it or simply walk away. Let them know that you have been in prayer for those He wants you to invest in and that you believe the Lord has given you the "green light" to disciple them. You may even go so far as to let them know how He has confirmed it. From here, lay out the expectations and ask them to wait several days before giving their answer.

  • For The Seasoned Church Member

    For those who more than likely have had the ‘cozy/burnout’ scenario play out in their lives, the "Come and Follow Me” / “I Will Make You a Fisher of Men" tool is powerful. This tool allows them to see that there is another environment where multiplication can happen and they can be used in a whole new way. This tool paves the way for us to invite them into something different that requires a whole new set of parameters.


    You will find your own way of inviting people in, but if we can encourage you in any way, be confident in the ask. Your confidence should come from the Lord and your obedience to His ask on YOUR life. You can do this because the same power that brought Christ up from the dead is alive in you....you have all you need. Believe it!