D-Path stands for Disciple Path, the name of the discipleship groups that many in our church are involved in. We encourage all our members at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, TX, to either lead or be a part of a D-Path group. Jesus' Great Commission to the Church is to go and make disciples. Making disciples takes intentional effort. Discipleship requires a mature follower of Jesus helping other believers grow in their walk with God. In our church, we have many men discipling men and women discipling women.
For most of my life as a pastor, I have led discipleship groups with other men. There have been some stretches or seasons when I was not actively helping others grow in a small group, but during those times, I was praying about who I could get together in a group. It is simply that important. Jesus modeled for us what He wants us to do. He spent time, lots of time, with 12 men called the Apostles; however, when you read the Gospels, you notice that most of His time was spent with 3 men: Peter, James, and John. Like Jesus, Paul did the same thing. He spent much time with people like Luke, Titus, and Timothy, helping them grow in their walks with Christ.
Both Jesus and Paul commanded followers of Jesus to make disciples. Are you? You either are or you are not. If you are, then you know how important it is, and frankly, that it takes time and effort. Paul tells us in
2 Timothy 2:2 to commit to others what we have learned ourselves. The Greek word for "commit" includes the idea of setting before or placing before another. When in discipleship groups, the person who is leading sets the truths of the Christian faith before those he or she is discipling. The mentor helps the mentees not only understand what Christianity is, but he or she also helps them apply these truths to their lives.
I have been blessed to be a part of some great D-Path groups. While serving as a pastor in Virginia, our group created what we call the 5 W's of Discipleship: Walk, Wife, Witness, Work, and Wellness. I know many groups have used and continue to use this as a guideline for their times together. My friend, Andy Spencer, has created a similar outline for women: Foundation, Family, Faith, Fitness, and Field of Work. The goal is to get believers together, talking, sharing, and encouraging each other to know Christ better and walk with Him daily.
My current D-Path group meets on Tuesday evenings on Zoom. I enjoy seeing and hearing from the four men in our group. I especially enjoy when they share what God is showing them in His Word (the Walk section of the 5 W's). Our hour goes by very quickly, but we text and pray for each other throughout the week. I am reminded of Chuck Swindoll's quote: "A man not in an accountability group is an accident waiting to happen."
How are you doing in discipleship? Are you an accident waiting to happen, living dangerously close to the world? Let me strongly ask that you find a group of believers that you can meet with and grow with. There are many resources that can help you. Here are some of my favorites: Robert Coleman's
The Master Plan of Evangelism, Jim Putman's
Real-Life Discipleship, and Robby Gallaty's
Replicate.
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