Consider the way Jesus taught His disciples.

Start with young people.

“As far as the Gospels indicate, Simon Peter was the only married person in the party (cf. Mk 1:30). Bearing in mind that in Jewish society, the marriageable age for men was eighteen, J.S. Stewart’s evaluation “Christianity began as a young people’s movement” sounds apt, the more so if we heed the fact that Jesus himself addressed his disciples as ‘lads’ (Jn 21:5).

John 21:5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

Gunter Krallman, Mentoring for Mission

Jesus didn’t choose men based on who they were but on who they would become. We like to call that double vision. You see who the person is, but at the same time, you see who they can become.

Judges 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

The angel of the Lord spoke to the man who was hiding and called him a mighty man of valor. The angel saw who he was and who he would become.

Jesus chose men to be with them.

Mark 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

They walked, ate, drank, worshipped with Jesus. They went to a funeral and a wedding with Him.

They heard him pray, preach and teach; they saw him heal and deliver; they experienced Jesus in public and private, as joyful and saddened, thirsty and tired.

Jesus and the disciples were together.

Their growth was more dependent on being together. There was no formal curriculum, no planned course of instruction, no syllabus. Instead, they were together in ministry and life.

Truth is more caught than taught. Being with Him, they caught His vision, His mindset, and the way He did things. They picked up on His actions and attitudes. They were becoming like Him.

Matthew 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Sharing life became the means of teaching. This is obviously the intentional method Jesus used to train His disciples.

What about you? How are you going to teach?