a new covenant disciple of jesuS

Key Scripture:  “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” - Luke 6:40

Purpose: If you don't have a definition of what a disciple is then how can you partner with the Lord to help people grow as one to advance His Kingdom? In its simplest form a disciple is a learner, student, pupil but what do we learn and what do we study? Where the Lord has taken us in answering these questions is that a disciple is someone who learns to abide in Him, which creates a deep desire and delight of walking in His ways (character, nature and obedience as fruit), which then creates a by product of doing His works!  Abide→ Ways → Works

Phase of Discipling Best to Introduce: D1

Discipling Tips:

  • The arrows in this tool are SUPER important!  They are not 1 step to another but rather a “continuous flow” from abiding into ways and then abiding and ways into works!  Each arrow represents a continuous flow. 

  • This is something that we are becoming….Follower → Disciple 

    Defining Abide →Ways → Works and Scriptures to Support Them and the Flow 
    Abide in Him

    • Stay, remain, dwell, tarry, continue to be present 

    • Sit with Jesus and then live connected to Him, through a new covenant perspective, as your source throughout the day. Abide in Jesus, in His Love, in His Word. 

    • This is the place where we learn to hear His voice and let it sink into the soil of our hearts.

    • Abiding is living connected to Jesus in a 24/7 relationship.  Intimacy with Him is primary!  Learning to live connected to the Vine as our source with authenticity and honesty with the Father in on-going receptivity.  

    • Spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible, prayer, worship, communion, etc. serve a lifestyle of remaining in Him but they do not override it.  

    • Awareness of His presence, Surrendered to His will, Seeking His guidance, Interacting with Him, Taking thoughts captive to His Word and truth, Praise, Thanksgiving, Union 

    • Since we disciple with the new covenant filter is it vital that they understand as a born again, new covenant believer our spirit is always abiding in Christ. The part of us that is choosing to abide is our soul. 

    • Real spiritual maturity is a result of time spent abiding over a lifetime. 

      Some Scriptures to support “Abide”

      • John 15:4-5 - Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

      • John 15:9 - As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

      • John 15:10 - If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

      • John 8:31-32 - Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

      • 2 John 1:9 - Abide in the teaching of Christ

      • 1 John 2:24 - Abide in the Son and Father

      • Matthew 4:4 - Live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God

      • John 14:17 - Holy Spirit dwells with you and in you

      • 1 John 5:12 - He who has the Son has life

      • John 6:28-29 - Believe in Him who He has sent

      • John 10:14 - I know My sheep and am known by My own

      • Proverbs 3:5-7 - Acknowledge Him in all your ways, Fear Him

      • John 17:3 - Know God and Jesus 

Walk in His Ways

    • We allow His character and nature to be formed within us!  This is not something we do, but rather who we become as we sit with Him and choose His choices!

    • When you abide in Jesus then you begin to look like Jesus in character, nature and obedience as fruit from the inside out as you are being conformed to His image.

    • This is a fruit of abiding (Fruit = It signifies the visible expression of an inward change or evidence of one’s faith and character. Everything done in true partnership with Christ. By definition, it results from two life-streams - the Lord living His life through ours - to yield what is eternal.)

    • In order for us to walk in His ways we have to understand His character and nature through the new covenant otherwise we have the perspective that God is angry, distant, punishes, etc. instead of God looking like Jesus (Colossians 1:15). 

    • Show Him, Be transformed by Jesus, Look like Jesus, Love like Jesus, Smell like Jesus

    • Ways are usually nouns and Works are usually verbs (Example: Ways - I am a forgiver. Works - I forgive you.) 

      Some Scriptures to support “Ways” 

      • For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29 

      • But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

      • Colossians 2:6 - Walk in Him

      • John 15:8 - Life bearing fruit as a sign of being His disciple

      • 2 Corinthians 2:15 - We smell good to God

      • 1 John 2:6 - Live as Jesus did 

      • Ephesians 5:1-2 - be like God

      • Galatians 4:19 - Christ be formed in you 

      • 3 John 1:4 - Walking in truth 

      • 1 Corinthians 4:13 - We respond in kindness 

      • 1 Peter 1:5-11 - Character virtues 

Do His Works:

    • As fruit, do the things Jesus did and is doing while yielded to Him.

    • Partner with Jesus to do His and the Father’s works

    • Fruit of abiding (fruit definition) 

    • Done in His ways means you also look like Him and not you

    • Ways are usually nouns and Works are usually verbs (Example: Ways - I am a forgiver. Works - I forgive you.) 

    • Some scriptures to support “Works”

      • For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:10 

      • Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  – Matthew 28:19-20

      • John 15:5 - Can do nothing apart from Him

      • John 14:12 - Greater works 

      • Luke 4:18-19 - Preach, Bind up broken hearted, Liberty to captives, etc…

      • Matthew 10:1 - Cast out spirits and heal

      • Mark 16:15 - Preach the gospel of the Kingdom

      • John 15:11-17 - Sacrifice, Know Master’s business, Bear fruit that will last

      • Proverbs 11:25 - Water others

Some scriptures to support “Abide → Ways”:

    • Proverbs 3:5-8 - Trust/Acknowledge Him → Humility & Turning from Evil, Healed & Refreshed

Some scriptures to support “Abide → Ways → Works:

    • Matthew 4:19 - Follow → Make → Fishers

    • Colossians 3:12-17 - Dearly Loved → Be __ → Teach, Instruct, Speak 

    • Philippians 2:1-6 - Relationship with JC → Character qualities → Concern for Others

    • John 15:9-16 - Loved by JC → joy → Scarifices

    • Acts 4:1-22 - Common men who have been with Jesus → Bold → Heal)

Tool Specifics:

  1. Assign for heartwork or eat together Luke 6:40, John 15:4-5, Romans 8:29, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 28:19-20.  If you assign it for heartwork give each person a different scripture to come back and share. 

  2. Have them write down the answers to these questions:

    • What is your definition of a disciple of Jesus?

    • What is your definition of a discipler/disciple maker?

    • What is your definition of discipleship? 

  3. Talk about how it is important since Jesus has called us to be His disciples that we know what that means. We are supposed to be trained to be like our teacher, the Lord. 

  4. As you take them through this definition and diagram focus on the “continuous flow” (the arrows) from abiding into ways and then abiding and ways into works! 

  5. Refer to the section/handout called “Defining Abide →Ways → Works and Scriptures to Support Them and the Flow” for a greater understanding of the definitions and scriptures.

  6. Abide in Him - John 15:4-5 

    Sit with Jesus and live connected to Him, through a new covenant perspective, as your source throughout the day.  

  7. Walk in His Ways - Romans 8:29 & Galatians 5:22-23

    When you abide in Jesus then you allow His character and nature to be formed within you  This is not something you do, but rather who you become as you sit with Him and choose His choices!

  8. Do His Works - Ephesians 2:10 & Matthew 28:19-20

    A byproduct of staying connected to Jesus and looking like Him in character and nature is doing His works.  

  9. Look at scriptures together for each of the three and then the flow of Abide → Ways and the flow of Abide → Ways → Works (AWW).  Allow them to find scriptures themselves as you want to partner with the Lord in their life, not just give them a list of “Here’s what they are.”  Matthew 4:19 is a great scripture to show the flow of all three.

  10. Have them while they are sitting with the Lord throughout the week to ask Him to highlight scriptures of AWW and the flow from one to the other. 

  11. As they progress in their understanding of what abiding in Him, walking in His ways and doing His works looks like and the flow from one to the other as source and fruit. You can introduce them to splitting the top ½ and bottom ½ of the triangle to be “hear/abide” and “obey/fruit.”

Tool Diagram:

Tool Resources:

*Discipler Resources

*Public Resources

  Originated/Adapted From:

  • Gretchen Cannon

 Updated 2-17-2026