Discipleship: follow me as I follow Christ…
Who are you discipling? Whom are you being discipled by?
These are weighty questions. The second one is easier, right? The point being that we are never beyond needing someone else’s input into our lives. If we ever get to the point where we think we don’t need to learn – we’ve heard it all before – we’re in a dangerous place.
For the most part, though, we are well aware of our lack. Finding someone to connect with in a discipling arrangement is usually the hard part.
And for the first question – who are you discipling – did that make you a little nervous? It’s understandable. If it didn’t, you probably don’t really understand the weight of responsibility involved.
But before you get freaked out, it’s a simple question of, Who are you influencing? Whose day do you totally make when you pay special attention to? Who will listen to your encouragement? Or when you have a word of advice? You didn’t realize it, but you are discipling that person.
I believe the challenge for today, for me anyway, is to recognize those opportunities, and to make the most of them. Having someone’s trust and friendship is a special thing, but it’s not just meant for my enjoyment – it’s meant to further both our maturity in Christ. (I will grow as I look to grow other people.)
I loved this: Discipleship is being before doing, maturity before ministry, character before career. May we be aware of, and take advantage of, discipling opportunities every chance we get.
Michele this one has your leadership class written all over it. I learned so much in that class, not only what was taught in the book but the relationships built there. So these points Neil speaks about seem like they are from the class we had over the last couple of years on leadership.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely easier to identify who is disciplining me. Once you spelled it out with the direct questions you asked I can say my family, Marc and the kids really are the ones that I can make there day with extra attention or who listen to my encouragement and who ask my advice. When you ask those questions it is not as hard to identify.
"Discipleship is the intensely personal activity of two or more persons helping each other experience a growing relationship with God" "You have the awesome privilege and responsibility both to be a teacher and a learner of what it means to be in Christ, walk in the spirit and live by faith."
ReplyDeleteI love this definition of discipleship--so many times I forget that it is meant for everyone to help each other grow in Christ. Too many times, I find it easier to be a teacher (Hmmm, I wonder why??) than a learner. I want to continue to teach others, and also at the same time allow myself to learn from others and be happy with being a learner. Thanks to all of you who are posting and helping me learn about Jesus and grow in my faith!