The Long Road of Discipleship Pt. 2

Wow, it's been six months since I've written anything. I guess you could say I've been super busy.  I've been working at my church with college ministry since the beginning of last school year.  Lately, I've been spending time thinking and praying on ways to make it more effective at reaching students.

Anyway, let's get into what I wanted to talk about.  As a part of my job, I spend time with Pastor going to different events and conferences.  I really enjoy that part of my job because it means I get a chance to learn more about a variety of topics.  Yesterday, I went with Pastor to discussion on discipleship, and we heard from three different local churches in the area.

The first church, I was really impressed by, because they seemed to have a really good idea on what discipleship really is.  The first point they made was that discipleship should be simple and reproducible, which is so true.  If you can't reproduce discipleship, it's not going to go anywhere.  You can't make discipleship work if there are a bunch of different steps to follow.  You'll just end up losing people in the process.

This first church had five different steps in the way they do discipleship.  The first guideline is that you meet with two or three people of the same gender as you.  That way, you can work with more than just one person at a time, and you can discuss any gender specific issues.

When you're meeting together, the first question you would open with is a simple one.  Asking people what they are thankful for is a great way to not only get the conversation going, but also to help people think positively. It's also a fantastic way to bring Jesus up with people who are not yet believers as it creates a way for you to introduce that Jesus is the one who provides for them.

The second thing they ask, is what are you stressed out about?  After this question is asked, they pray about it and this creates a great way to continue to pray for those you're discipling.

After this, they read a Bible passage, it doesn't have to be a long one, but they read the Bible together.  Then someone else is asked to summarize the passage because it makes it easier to relate to what the passage is talking about.  After the passage is summarized, they ask a few questions.  What does this say about God?  What does this say about man?  What is something we can obey and how can we apply this passage to our lives?

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do," James 1:22-25.  This is a good example of why we need to put into practice what we're reading.

Lastly, they ask two questions, who can you share this with and do you want to meet again.  This is an awesome way to encourage people to share the Gospel with the friends of the people you're discipling.  It's also a good idea to find out if people want to meet again, because it stinks to meet with people who don't want to meet with you.

After some time, the people they are discipling are asked if they want to do this process with other people, like their friends and thus the cycle continues.  In my training in disciple making, I've learned that it is important to find people who are F.A.T. or faithful, accessible, and teachable.  If you can't find people who are faithful to meeting and accessible, you can't meet with them.  It's also important to meet people who are teachable, because you need to be able to teach them new things, otherwise, they won't get anywhere when you're disciplining them.

The Long Road of Discipleship Pt. 1

Hey everyone, I hope everyone's Christmas and New Year were great! I pray that God would bless each and every one of you this coming year!

As you may know, I recently completed my second year of SEND training.  SEND stands for Servants Equipping New Disciples.  I learned a lot while in SEND and it was an overall good experience.  Today I wanted to spend some time exploring the idea of discipleship as it is an important part of being a Christian and is something that we spent a lot of time talking about in SEND.

The word "disciple"comes from the Latin discere which means "to learn" so from this we can understand it means someone who learns.  What does this mean in the context of Christianity today?

This means a few things, but firstly it means someone who is constantly learning.  This mindset is important, because if you think about it your mind is a lot like a body of water.  Water, when it is stagnant starts to smell bad and it isn't good for drinking.  However, when water moves around, it stays fresh.  This effect is amplified when water is both flowing into and out of the pond in question.

The same can be said for our minds.  When we don't learn new things, our minds grow stale.  This is when people become stuck in their ways and don't change.  However, when we learn new things and challenge the way we thin, we are able to grow as people.  It is often said that leaders are readers and I think this is very true.  It is also even more so important to let what we know flow out of us, which means we teach others.  This not only passes on knowledge, it also strengthens what we know.


Another way we can define disciple is "someone who is a follower" this means simply that you follow someone.  Being a disciple often times means that you're a Christian, but what does it mean to follow Christ?  It can mean a few different things, but I think there are three things it means that are really important.  The first thing it means is being plugged in with God.  This means praying, reading your Bible, and seeking what God wants for your life.  Prayer is simply communicating with God.  What are you thankful for? What sins do you wrestle with? Prayer is much deeper than just saying thanks and seeking forgiveness, but this is a good start.

Reading your Bible is important because it is the collection of what God has to say.  It is the way we can learn about spiritual truths, learn about the nature of God, how to run a church, and many other things.  If you aren't constantly in the Word, it's easy to forget whose you are.

Prayer and reading your Bible are both ways to learn  about God's calling for your life.  What are you naturally good at?  What people groups are you passionate about?  What injustices make you angry?  These are all indicators what God's calling for your life is.

I think this is a good place to conclude the first part in this series.  There will be more to come, please comment your thoughts below!