Pursuing God leads to making disciples when personal fellowship with Christ produces truth, character, obedience, love, and a willingness to invest in others. Private devotion becomes disciple-making when what is received is modeled, explained, practiced, and entrusted to another person.
Abiding comes before multiplying
John 15 presents Christ as the vine and disciples as branches. Fruit comes from remaining in Him. Disciple-making that is disconnected from abiding easily becomes technique, pressure, or personality-driven leadership.
A disciple-maker needs a present life of Scripture, prayer, repentance, and dependence—not merely past knowledge.
Pursuit forms the messenger
The Pursuit of God addresses surrender, pride, faith, awareness, and meekness. These themes shape how a person disciples others.
Surrender creates availability. Meekness creates teachability. Awareness of God creates dependence. Whole-life worship creates integrity between public teaching and private conduct.
Truth moves through relationship
Discipleship involves more than sharing information. Jesus taught, modeled, corrected, sent, and reviewed. Paul instructed Timothy to entrust truth to faithful people who would teach others.
A practical movement is:
- Learn one truth from Scripture.
- Obey it personally.
- Explain it to another believer.
- Practice it together.
- Review the response.
- Help that person pass it on.
Pursuit protects the goal
Without personal pursuit, leaders may gather people around themselves. A God-centered disciple-maker keeps redirecting attention toward Christ and His Word.
The goal is not dependence on a mentor. It is disciples who abide in Christ, obey Jesus, love others, and make disciples.
Application
Choose one insight from The Pursuit of God that you are currently practicing. Share it with one person this week, read a supporting passage together, and agree on one action to review.
Biblical anchors
John 15:5 grounds the article’s central question. Read the surrounding paragraph or chapter and note what it reveals about God and the response expected from the believer.
Matthew 28:19-20 adds an important biblical balance. Read the surrounding paragraph or chapter and note what it reveals about God and the response expected from the believer.
2 Timothy 2:2 shows how the truth becomes lived obedience. Read the surrounding paragraph or chapter and note what it reveals about God and the response expected from the believer.
Questions for further study
-
Which statement in this article most needs to affect your understanding or conduct?
-
How does John 15:5 confirm, correct, or deepen the article’s answer?
-
What fear, attachment, distraction, or habit makes a faithful response difficult?
-
Which person or responsibility should be affected by your next step?
Put it into practice
-
Study: Read John 15:5 in context and write one sentence explaining how it contributes to the answer given in this article.
-
Respond: Choose one statement—such as “Pursuit forms love, humility, obedience, and dependence.”—and turn it into a specific prayer and action.
-
Review: Tell a trusted believer what you plan to do and ask that person to follow up within seven days.
Common mistakes to avoid
-
Disciple-making is not creating dependence on a human leader.
-
Multiplication without abiding can become technique without spiritual life.
Name the real situation
Consider a real situation connected to this statement: A disciple-maker cannot sustainably give what he or she is not receiving from Christ. Name the person, decision, or responsibility involved. Read John 15:5 in context, then write what faithfulness would look like before the end of the week. Avoid a broad promise such as “try harder.” Choose an action that another person could recognize and review.
Examine the heart response
Consider a real situation connected to this statement: Pursuit forms love, humility, obedience, and dependence. Name the person, decision, or responsibility involved. Read Matthew 28:19-20 in context, then write what faithfulness would look like before the end of the week. Avoid a broad promise such as “try harder.” Choose an action that another person could recognize and review.
Continue with the annotated study guide
The annotated edition connects personal pursuit and abiding in Christ with the Great Commission and the formation of disciples who make disciples. This article answers one focused question; the complete edition brings all ten chapters into one connected study experience.
The Pursuit of God (Annotated): A Modern Study Guide to A. W. Tozer’s Classic on Abiding in Christ and Making Disciples