21: Give Homework

Key Passage

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The best thing we can do when making disciples is point those we are discipling to go deeper into God’s word. The below devotional will explain to you how to give homework to and from the Scriptures when discipling others.

From the 20 Practices of Disciplemakers:

So you are journeying with someone, helping them to discover life with Jesus. It takes effort on your part. You want to know they are serious, right? Give them homework and look for obedience to what they have agreed to do.

If I am discipling someone and they regularly don't do what I have asked them to do, I am likely to stop discipling them. At times, this is hard, but I want my time to be invested in good soil. I look for fruitfulness to invest in, and fruitfulness mostly comes from people who are prepared to do what they say they will do. That's very biblical.

Homework is not for the sake of creating work. It's there to develop biblical truth and maturity.

What are the things to consider when giving homework? Ask those you disciple to discover biblical truth for the things they are going through themselves rather than teaching them what is in your head. We retain so much more when we uncover the truth ourselves, and this gives them time to hear the Holy Spirit personally.

For example, if they are struggling with lust, give them homework to find scriptures on purity and meditate on them. Homework reveals character & commitment. Plus, the word of God is alive and active to transform!