The Discipleship Process
Biblical Models for Spiritual Formation

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Free E-mail Bible Study Bible study The Discipleship Process

Jesus' commission to his disciples was: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19a). Many people raise their hand for prayer or come forward at an invitation to receive Christ. But how many are solid disciples two or three years later? Understanding process of becoming and growing as a disciple is crucial to both to us and to the people for whom God gives responsibility in the Lord to encourage, teach, and, perhaps, to pastor. I write this with two goals in mind. First, to encourage you to become an all-out committed disciple of Jesus, growing well in maturity and fruitfulness. Second, to encourage you to help disciple or instruct newer believers in how to follow Jesus themselves.

Ralph F. Wilson, 'I Am the Vine, You Are the Branches' (2026), original watercolor, 14 x 20 in.
Ralph F. Wilson, 'I Am the Vine, You Are the Branches' (2026), original watercolor, 14 x 20 in.

Much great material has been published in the area of discipleship and spiritual formation in the past 50 years. We owe these men and women a great debt. My humble contribution may be to ground our discipleship approaches with Scriptural models and understanding from the Bible what the process looks like, drawing upon scores of Bible passages.

Here's an outline of what we'll cover in this 6-lesson Bible study series.

  1. What Is a Disciple? We examine the Great Commission and consider four synonyms: disciple, follower, believer, and Christian. We examine three analogies of discipleship: abiding in the vine (John 15:1-9), sitting at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:39), and taking his yoke upon us (Matthew 11:23-30). Finally, we consider what Jesus expects of his disciples -- doing, obeying, continuing, and holding firmly, with grace when we slip.
  2. Jesus' Discipling Strategy. We study the Gospels carefully to analyze how Jesus worked with his disciples -- selecting, spending time, teaching them to pray, teaching publicly and privately, rebuking, involving in ministry, and building a community of disciples.
  3. Paul the Disciple Maker. Paul worked differently from Jesus, but quite effectively. We'll consider various passages on maturity in Christ; being "formed in Christ"; correcting, rebuking, and exhorting; portraits of a disciple maker; use of his personal example; praying; mentoring; and writing letters.
  4. Elements of Discipleship Training. Turning to making disciples in our day, we examine the essential elements of the gospel, various disciple-training curricula, the roles of mentors and influencers, the role of spiritual disciplines, and developing a rule of life.
  5. Individual Spiritual Disciplines. We examine various spiritual disciples that help us encounter Jesus, sorted by frequency -- continual, daily, weekly, monthly, and annually, with particular focus on a bundle of spiritual disciplines wrapped into a daily Quiet Time. We also consider dangers of spiritual disciplines to avoid.
  6. Both Disciple and Disciple Maker. We conclude with the practicalities of growing as disciples ourselves and of discipling individuals, in small groups or classes, and as a pastor. We consider how discipleship can serve as as a church operating system.
The Discipleship Process: Biblical Models for Spiritual Formation, by Ralph F. Wilson
Available in book formats: paperback, Kindle, PDF

I invite you to journey with me and thousands of brothers and sisters world-wide through this 6-week study of The Discipleship Process. Here's how we'll study.

  • Each Saturday I'll e-mail you the lesson for the week. Then you'll read the Bible passage and use my notes to help you understand it better.
  • You can respond to discussion questions in your own journal, or use them to start a discussion with your class or group.
  • With each lesson you'll receive a link to this material in audio form. Some who learn better from hearing than from reading really appreciate this.
  • Then on Saturday, I'll send you the next week's lesson.

Why don't you sign up right now -- and then encourage some of your friends to sign up and study along with you. You will receive the first lesson on Friday, April 17, 2026. The e-mail Bible study is absolutely free -- no cost to you!

Sign up now!

To sign up, start by clicking on your e-mail frequency preference:

You'll receive your first lesson on Friday, April 17, 2026. There is no cost to participate in the study, though donations are encouraged so we can create more studies and reach more people.

We respect your privacy and never sell, rent, or loan our lists. Please don't subscribe your friends; let them decide for themselves.

Please don't sign up for more than one of my Bible studies at one time. There's no penalty, but each of them is pretty intensive. If you try to do too many studies at the same time without adequate reflection, you'll miss out on God speaking to you.

The Discipleship Process: Biblical Models for Spiritual Formation

Copyright © 2026, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor@joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.