Helping Others Follow Jesus

There is a tendency many of us have when we think about evangelism or disciple-making. We naturally focus on the beginning.

We think about the moment someone says yes to Jesus. The moment of conversion. The moment of baptism. The moment everything seems to start.

And those moments matter deeply. They are beautiful. They are worth celebrating. There is real joy in watching someone come to faith, and Scripture gives us every reason to rejoice when that happens.

But those moments are not the finish line. In many ways, they are the starting line.

It’s a little like birth. Birth is the beginning of life, full of wonder and gratitude. But no loving parent looks at a newborn child and thinks, “Well, that part is done.” Birth is only the beginning of a long journey of nurturing, teaching, correcting, encouraging, and helping that child grow into maturity.

The same is true spiritually.

Disciple-making does not end when someone becomes a Christian. It continues as we walk with them, encourage them, and help them grow in Christ over time. And as we continue this series, “Go Make Disciples: Living the Great Commission,” that is exactly where we will focus this week. Helping others follow Jesus is not a one-time event. It is a long-term relationship of encouragement, truth, patience, and shared growth.

Maturity, Not Just Beginnings

Paul describes the heart of his ministry in a way that captures this beautifully:

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” - Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV)

What stands out in that passage is Paul’s goal. He does not say that he simply wants people to hear the message, respond once, and move on. His aim is that they would become mature in Christ.

That helps us see disciple-making more clearly. The goal is not only conversion. The goal is maturity. It is helping people become rooted, formed, and strengthened in Jesus over time.

And Paul is very honest about what that requires. He says, “I toil.” That word carries weight. It speaks of effort, persistence, and long-term investment. Helping others grow spiritually is not casual work. It requires teaching, warning, encouraging, and patiently walking with people through real life.

At the same time, Paul also reminds us where the strength comes from. He is toiling, yes, but he is doing so with Christ’s energy powerfully at work within him.

That matters, because helping others grow can feel heavy if we imagine that their spiritual maturity depends entirely on us. It doesn’t. We are called to invest faithfully, but Christ is the one who produces growth. We are not the source of transformation. We are simply participants in the gracious work He is already doing.

That perspective changes the way we approach discipleship. It keeps us from becoming controlling, discouraged, or prideful. We can work hard, love deeply, and stay present, all while still remembering that God is the one who changes hearts.

Growth Happens Best in Community

Scripture never presents the Christian life as something we are meant to live alone. From the very beginning, discipleship is relational.

The writer of Hebrews says:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another.” - Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

There is so much wisdom packed into that instruction. We are told to consider how to stir one another up. That means discipleship requires thoughtfulness. It requires paying attention to people, noticing where they are, and intentionally encouraging them toward love and good works.

And the phrase stir up is important too. It suggests that people do not always drift naturally toward spiritual growth. Sometimes they need encouragement. Sometimes they need challenge. Sometimes they need someone to remind them of what is true when they feel tired, discouraged, distracted, or stuck.

That kind of growth rarely happens in isolation. It happens in community.

Not superficial contact. Not occasional check-ins. But real presence. Regular encouragement. Honest relationships. Shared life.

In many cases, discipleship looks much more ordinary than we expect. It may happen over coffee. It may happen through a text message at the right moment. It may happen through praying with someone after church, opening Scripture together, or simply showing up consistently in someone’s life.

These moments may not feel dramatic, but they matter more than we often realize. Spiritual growth is usually formed over time, through repeated moments of encouragement, truth, correction, prayer, and example.

That is why regular gathering matters. That is why Christian friendship matters. That is why the church matters. We need people who know us well enough to encourage us forward and love us honestly.

Walking Beside, Not Watching from a Distance

Sometimes when we think about helping others follow Jesus, we think almost entirely in terms of teaching. And teaching does matter. Truth matters. Scripture matters. People need to know God’s Word.

But discipleship is more than delivering information. It is not merely telling someone what they should know. It is walking with them as they learn how to live it.

In that sense, discipleship is much more like running alongside someone in a marathon than standing on the sidelines cheering them on.

A person cheering from the sidelines may still be helpful. Their encouragement matters. But someone running with you sees more. They know when the pace gets hard. They understand where discouragement sets in. They notice where you tend to slow down, lose focus, or want to quit. And because they are close enough to see the struggle, their encouragement carries a different kind of weight.

That is often what discipleship looks like.

It includes teaching the Word. It includes prayer. It includes confession, accountability, encouragement, and example. But it also includes presence.

Helping others follow Jesus means more than handing them truth and hoping for the best. It means walking with them as they learn to follow Christ in the middle of ordinary life.

This is one reason Paul could say, “Be imitators of me.” He allowed people to see not only what he taught, but how he lived. He let them watch his faith in action.

That kind of discipleship is deeply relational. It says, in effect, “Let’s keep walking toward Jesus together.”

Spiritual Parenting Is Slow Work

Paul often described his ministry in parental terms, and that is such a helpful picture for disciple-making.

Spiritual growth is often more like parenting than programming.

A good spiritual parent does not just hand down information. They nurture. They encourage. They correct. They celebrate growth, even when it feels slow. They stay present through immaturity and setbacks. And they keep pointing the person toward maturity. That is part of what makes disciple-making both beautiful and challenging.

That kind of work is beautiful because it is relational, personal, and deeply meaningful. But it is also challenging, because growth is rarely quick or tidy. People do not mature in straight lines. They have setbacks. They revisit the same struggles. They need reminders. They need grace. They need patience.

And that means helping others follow Jesus requires more than a quick burst of energy or enthusiasm. It requires perseverance.

It also requires wisdom.

If we only meet people where they are without helping them grow, we are not truly discipling them. But if we focus only on where they need to be without patiently loving them where they are, we will likely crush rather than help them.

Healthy disciple-making does both. It sees people honestly and loves them patiently while continuing to move them toward Christlikeness.

That kind of work is not flashy. But it is holy.

Helping Others Grow Also Deepens Our Own Faith

One of the beautiful things about disciple-making is that it doesn’t only benefit the person being discipled. It also shapes the one doing the discipling.

When we walk with others spiritually, we are often reminded of truths we need ourselves. We become more aware of our own example. We pray more intentionally. We depend on God more deeply. We learn patience, compassion, and humility in fresh ways.

Helping others grow often becomes one of the ways God continues growing us.

That perspective protects us from two common dangers: burnout and pride.

Burnout often happens when we begin to think someone’s spiritual progress depends entirely on us. Pride happens when we begin to think their growth is mostly because of us.

But both are corrected when we remember that Christ is the one who truly changes people. We are not carrying anyone by our own strength. We are simply walking faithfully with them while Jesus does the deeper work.

That keeps us humble. It also keeps us hopeful.

We do not need to be experts standing above others. We are fellow pilgrims walking the same road, each of us still in need of grace, truth, and the work of Christ in our own hearts.

So let me ask you…

As I ask myself these same questions:

• Who am I currently walking alongside or encouraging spiritually?

• Am I more focused on someone’s beginning in Christ or their growth in Christ?

• Who in my life might need more than just a one-time conversation right now?

• What would it look like for me to be more intentional in helping someone mature?

• Am I willing to invest patiently, even when growth feels slow?

Disciple-making often begins with a conversation, but it matures through relationship.

A Closing Word for Fellow Pilgrims

Helping others follow Jesus is long, patient, relational work.

It is not flashy. It is not instant. It is not always easy. But it is deeply worth doing.

Because disciple-making does not end at conversion. It continues as we walk with people, encourage them, tell them the truth, pray with them, and help them keep taking the next step toward Christ.

And in all of that, we remember this: we are not carrying people by our own strength. We are walking with them while Christ does the deeper work only He can do.

So let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep encouraging. Let’s keep teaching, praying, and walking with people in grace and truth. Not with pressure, but with perseverance. Not with pride, but with humility. Not with impatience, but with hope.

One relationship at a time. One conversation at a time. One step of growth at a time.

Until the journey is complete,

Jonathan Pilgrim

P.S. This week, reach out to someone in your life who is growing in faith. Send a note or text. Schedule coffee. Pray with them. And consider taking one small step toward a more intentional spiritual relationship: reading Scripture together, checking in regularly, or simply asking how you can help them keep following Jesus.