Jesus had once again managed to irritate the Pharisees. This time, He attended a banquet in the company of dishonest tax collectors and other “sinners”. The religious leaders demanded an explanation, which Jesus supplied by saying, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. (Luke 5:29-32 CSB). Jesus’ ministry reflected the truth that discipleship begins with repentance from sin.

But, repentance is more than what happens at the beginning of a relationship with Jesus. Developing an attitude of repentance is part of a lifelong journey in discipleship. As a group leader, how do you keep this truth in front of your people? Here are four ways repentance comes into play when making disciples:

1. Salvation – Romans 3:23 proclaims that the foundational problem of every person is sin resulting in our falling short of God’s holiness. In an “I’m OK, you’re OK” culture, confessing our utter inability to save ourselves is a matter we cannot assume is understood. We help people begin as followers of Christ by this level of repentance – turning from sinful self and turning toward the Savior.

2. Revelation – Salvation is just the beginning of the disciple’s journey. At the time of salvation, new believers aren’t even aware of all of the ways in which their lives are about to change. As new believers grow, God’s word and the Holy Spirit reveal to each person specific sins which, when recognized, invite repentance and reliance on Christ for deliverance. One of the great joys of discipleship is watching this unfold over time in a person’s life.

3. Sensitivity – As a disciple grows, he or she develops an increasing hatred for sin and an intensifying love for the things of God. The view of sin becomes not how close can we get to “the line” of sin, but how close can we walk with Jesus. Sin is no longer something from which we’ve been forbidden but instead something from which have been freed! At this level of maturity, repentance becomes an ongoing part of walking in the Spirit while refusing to gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

4. Transformation – True repentance involves not only words but deeds. Both John the Baptist (Luke 3:8) and Paul (Acts 26:20) preached that new actions should accompany true repentance. Just as we receive Jesus as Lord, we are to walk in Him (Colossians 2:6-7). In Luke 19, Jesus recognized the desire of Zacchaeus to change his ways and make past wrongs right as evidence that salvation had come.

Making disciples means having the courage, clarity, and compassion to consistently model and teach the necessity of recognizing sin and repenting of sin in a lifelong journey of growing as a follower of Christ.