“So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 HCSB

The growth of any one person is not based on us, but on them and God. God is the one who convicts them of their sin through The Holy Spirit. God is the one who forgives them through the Blood of Jesus His son. God is the one who gives them grace to grow into His design for them.  God is the one who is at work in them and us. But before you throw in the towel and say, “If God does it all then I shall give up and not say or do anything to help them.” God wants to use people like you and me to help others. Just as He used Paul to reach Aquila and Pricilla, and Aquila and Pricilla to reach Apollos, and Apollos to reach many others, He wants to use you to reach those around you. 

You have people who you can only reach.  It is said that each person is 6 or less social connections from knowing each other (Six degree seperation. So if you reach to your first social connections and they reach your second. And I do the same with my first and second. Then our third will be able to reach other.  God explains it this way in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

https://www.bible.com/72/act.1.8.hcsb

Acts 1:8 is our evangelism/ discipleship target. You frist witness to your inner “Jerusalem”  then continue to work out of your immediate circle to reach “Judea” and so on.  

Jesus had this in His ministry too. He spent a lot of time with Peter, James and John (his Jerusalem). Then He had the 12 (His Judea). Then He had 70 other disciples (His Samaria). last of all He had the great multitude (His ends of the earth). 

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.”

Matthew 17:1 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/mat.17.1.hcsb

“He also appointed 12 — He also named them apostles — to be with Him, to send them out to preach,”

Mark 3:14 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/mrk.3.14.hcsb

“After this, the Lord appointed 70 others, and He sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He Himself was about to go.”

Luke 10:1 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/luk.10.1.hcsb

“So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against Him.”

Mark 5:24 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/mrk.5.24.hcsb

Toward the end of His ministry the 70 disciples left Jesus and He only had the 12 left following Him. and then after He was captured they all left. Only Peter and John followed Jesus into Jerusalem where Peter denied Jesus. Our inner circle will change with the people who are in it.  But we must stay the course and continue to follow Jesus and continue to help those around us to love Jesus more and more.  In the end it is between them and God if they walk with Him but our job is to show them, the best way we can, to follow Jesus.