FAT-M: Faithful, Available, Teachable, Multiplying (part 2)

Be sure to read part 1 first  LINK 

Section 3

Examples of making disciples who multiply using FAT-M principles

The key is that FAT is not just a way to evaluate a disciple—it shapes how you disciple someone. You look for opportunities to help a person become more Faithful, Available, and Teachable, while helping them grow in Christ and eventually disciple someone else.

Here are some practical examples.

1. Faithful — helping someone become dependable

Situation: You are meeting weekly with a new Christian to study Scripture.

You ask him to read Mark 1–3 before your next meeting.

• Faithful response: He does the reading and comes prepared.

• You then give him a small responsibility: “Would you be willing to pray for two people every day this week?”

• The next week you ask how it went.

• Over time, you give him increasing responsibility—leading prayer, sharing what he has learned with another believer, or helping with a Bible study.

Disciplemaking principle:

Give people small responsibilities and see whether they are faithful with them.

This fits Jesus' principle in Luke 16:10: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”

2. Available — helping someone make room for God's purposes

Situation: A man says he wants to grow spiritually but is extremely busy.

Instead of simply giving him more Bible study material, you explore his priorities:

“When during your week could you realistically spend 20–30 minutes with God?”

Perhaps he decides to get up 20 minutes earlier three mornings a week.

Then you ask:

“Is there someone you know who could benefit from what you're learning?”

He identifies a coworker and begins praying for him.

Eventually, he may say:

“I'd like to take him through the Gospel of Mark.”

Disciplemaking principle:
Availability means being willing to rearrange your priorities for God's purposes.

It's not primarily about having lots of free time. It's about having a willing heart.

3. Teachable — using Scripture to challenge attitudes

Situation: You're studying Matthew 5:43–48 together, where Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies.

The person says:

“I understand what Jesus says, but there's one person I just can't forgive.”

Rather than lecturing him, you ask questions:

• “What does Jesus actually command here?”

• “Why do you think He commands this?”

• “What would obedience look like in your situation?”

• “What would you need to do this week?”

The person begins to see that knowing Scripture isn't enough. He needs to allow Scripture to change his behavior.

Disciplemaking principle:

A teachable person isn't merely willing to learn new information; he is willing to let God's Word correct and change him.

That connects very closely with Matthew 7:24—Jesus' emphasis on the person who hears His words and does them.

4. Putting all three together

Suppose you're discipling a young Christian named John.

You give John three assignments:

Faithful:
“Read one chapter of John every day and write down one thing you learn about Jesus.”

Available:
“Find one hour this week when we can meet and talk about what you're learning.”

Teachable:
“Choose one thing Jesus teaches in those chapters that you need to put into practice.”

The next week you discover:

• John did the reading → Faithful

• He made time to meet → Available

• He identified something in his life that needed to change → Teachable

Now you begin giving John more responsibility.

Eventually you might say:

“Why don't you take your friend Mike through these same passages?”

Now the disciple is beginning to make another disciple.

5. A very practical making disciples who multiply style progression

One way to picture disciplemaking is:

You do it → We do it → He does it → He teaches someone else

For example, with evangelism:

You do it:
You take John with you when you share Christ with someone.

We do it:
Next time, you and John share Christ together.

He does it:
John takes the lead while you observe.

He teaches someone else:
John takes Mike with him and teaches Mike how to share Christ.

At each stage, you're looking for FAT:

6. An especially important point

FAT isn't about finding perfect people.

A person may initially be weak in all three areas. Disciplemaking helps him grow in FAT.

For example:

“You haven't been consistent with your Bible reading. What is getting in the way?”

That conversation may reveal that he needs help establishing a simple daily routine.

Or:

“You seem reluctant to accept correction. Why do you think that is?”

The goal isn't to label him “not teachable.” The goal is to help him become more teachable.

And ultimately, the goal is multiplication:

Christ → you → your disciple → his disciple → another disciple

That is very close to the pattern Paul describes in 2 Timothy 2:2: what Timothy received from Paul was to be entrusted to faithful people who would be able to teach others also.

Section 4

Disciplemaking situations (Bible study, prayer, evangelism, sin/accountability, serving, marriage/family, etc.) and how to apply Faithful–Available–Teachable in each one

Here are 10 realistic disciplemaking situations showing how the Faithful–Available–Teachable (FAT) principles can work in everyday life.

1. Bible reading

Situation: You're discipling someone who struggles to read the Bible consistently.

You:
“Let's start with just one chapter of Mark each day. When we meet next week, tell me one thing you learned about Jesus.”

FAT application:

• Faithful: Does he actually do the reading?

• Available: Is he willing to establish a regular time?

• Teachable: Does he think about what Scripture is saying and allow it to affect him?

If he struggles, you don't simply say, “You're not faithful.” You help him develop a workable habit.

2. Prayer

Situation: A disciple says, “I don't really know how to pray.”

Instead of giving him a long lecture, you say:

“Let's pray together. I'll pray for five minutes, then you pray for five minutes.”

The next week:

“How did your prayer time go?”

Then gradually let him take the initiative.

FAT:

• Faithful: Does he continue praying?

• Available: Is he willing to set aside time?

• Teachable: Is he willing to learn how Jesus taught His disciples to pray?

Eventually he might begin teaching another Christian how to pray.

3. Sharing the Gospel

Situation: A disciple is afraid to talk to others about Christ.

You don't simply tell him, “You need to evangelize.”

Instead:

Week 1: He watches you share your testimony with someone.

Week 2: You share your testimony together.

Week 3: He shares while you are there.

Week 4: He shares with someone without you.

Then you ask:

“Who could you help learn to do what you've just learned?”

That's multiplication.

FAT: You're looking for someone who will actually do what he has learned, not merely agree that evangelism is important.

4. Dealing with sin

Situation: A disciple admits that he has a recurring problem with anger.

Instead of immediately giving him ten rules, you ask:

“What does Jesus say about anger?”

You study Matthew 5:21–24 together.

Then:

“Who is one person you need to respond to differently this week?”

The following week you ask about it.

If he fails:

“What happened? What can we learn from it? What could you do differently next time?”

Teachable doesn't mean never failing. It means being willing to acknowledge failure, receive correction and change.

5. Forgiveness

Situation: Someone has seriously offended your disciple.

You study Jesus' teaching about forgiveness.

Then you ask:

“What would obedience to Jesus look like in this situation?”

Perhaps the answer isn't immediately reconciliation. But it might mean releasing bitterness, praying for the person, or taking an appropriate step toward reconciliation.

You follow up the next week.

That's important: disciplemaking includes accountability.

6. Serving others

Situation: Your disciple regularly attends church but mostly watches other people serve.

You might say:

“Would you be willing to help with the children's ministry twice this month?”

He agrees.

Afterward:

“What did you learn?”

Then eventually:

“Would you like to bring someone else with you and show him how to serve?”

You're moving him from:

attending → serving → leading → reproducing

That is classic disciplemaking.

7. Making decisions according to Scripture

Situation: A disciple is considering a major job change.

Rather than telling him what you think he should do, you ask:

“What principles in Scripture should influence this decision?”

You help him examine questions such as:

• Does this decision honor Christ?

• How will it affect his family?

• Does it allow him to fulfill his responsibilities?

• Is money becoming the controlling factor?

• What does Jesus mean by seeking first the kingdom of God?

You aren't trying to make the decision for him. You're teaching him how to make decisions as a disciple of Jesus.

That's teachable becoming mature.

8. Learning to accept correction

This is one of the clearest tests of teachable.

Suppose your disciple leads a Bible study but dominates the conversation and doesn't listen to others.

Afterward you say:

“Can I give you some feedback?”

Then explain what you observed.

His response tells you something.

Response A:
“That's helpful. I hadn't noticed that. What could I do differently?”

That's teachability.

Response B:
“I don't think that's a problem. Nobody else knows as much as I do.”

That reveals an area that needs discipleship.

The goal isn't to criticize him. It's to help him become the kind of person who can eventually disciple others.

9. Becoming available to people

Suppose a disciple says:

“I'd really like to help other people spiritually, but I just don't have time.”

You might ask him to examine his calendar.

Perhaps he spends several hours each week on activities that aren't particularly important to him.

You aren't telling him what hobbies to eliminate. You're helping him ask:

“What does God want me to make room for?”

That's the heart of Available.

Jesus' disciples had jobs and responsibilities, but they became willing to rearrange their lives around following Him.

10. The ultimate test: Can he disciple someone else?

This is where the three qualities come together.

Imagine you've been discipling John for a year.

You have taught him:

• how to study Scripture

• how to pray

• how to share his testimony

• how to explain the Gospel

• how to memorize Scripture

• how to deal with temptation

• how to help another Christian grow

Now you say:

“John, I'd like you to begin meeting with Steve every Thursday. Take him through the same basic material we've gone through.”

You don't disappear.

Initially, you may ask John:

“How did your meeting with Steve go?”

If John says:

“Steve didn't do the assignment.”

You might ask:

“How did you handle that?”

Now John is becoming the disciplemaker, while you're discipling/coaching John in how to disciple Steve.

The chain becomes:

You → John → Steve → someone Steve eventually disciples

And that brings us right back to Paul's words:

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
— 2 Timothy 2:2

A simple way to remember the FAT-M test

When you're considering someone as a potential disciple, you can ask:

F — Faithful:
Can I count on this person to follow through?

A — Available:
Is this person willing to make room in his life for Christ and others?

T — Teachable:
Is this person willing to listen, receive correction, and change?

And then there is a fourth question that naturally follows:

M — Multiplying:
Will this person eventually help someone else follow Jesus?

The M isn't part of the traditional FAT acronym, but it captures the ultimate objective of biblical disciplemaking.

The goal isn't merely to produce a good Christian. It's to produce a Christian who can help produce other mature Christians.

Section 5

What Bob, a good friend of mine, (who has been involved for many years helping lead a very large men's group), thoughts about Section 1:

Very good synopsis of FAT concept of discipleship. I definitely have learned over the years that this proves out. I especially like the idea of interpreting where someone is "ready" by their responsiveness to God and willingness to grow. 

"In discipleship, this was especially important because a person might know a great deal about the Bible but not actually live it out." 
 
So many people I have come across who are content with learning more, but never applying it. Knowledge by itself is not transformative. I believe that because of our consumerism, our pride in intellect, and how our educational system brings us up, we seek after knowing more facts, but we don't even think about the application or transformation we really need. This is what Jesus was emphasizing in the Sermon on the Mount when he kept saying "You have heard it said..., but I tell you..." 
 
Pastor Jeff Leis says "The problem with knowing something often fools you into thinking you are actually doing it" 
This is a challenge in my own faithfulness, and I need to be aware of it. 

"A person could be spiritually interested but simply too occupied with other priorities to be discipled."
 
This is a hard one, because it is hard to understand what motivates someone, they may spring up with enthusiasm and excitement, then fall away. Often, something is going on under the surface that is driving their excitement and fervor. They may be feeling loved and accepted for the first time, and it becomes more about that than their love for the Lord. 
 
This is another one for me to do some self-examination on. Why do I do what I do? What am I feeling and what do I get from it? What are my motives? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the inner workings of my heart and affections and to transform me.

Our discipleship and the journey we invite others on ultimately is determined by where our heart is, whether we are aware of it or not. 

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This content was put together mostly by asking ChatGPT questions and then making small changes based on my 54+ years in trying to use FAT to develop disciples who multiply. --Richard Carr