Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit-Matthew 28:19
I've been thinking a lot about discipleship. As follower's of Jesus, we are commanded to make disciples. I feel like most of the church has gotten this wrong. We to often make converts, not true followers of Jesus. We want to see people get saved, and yes that's a great thing, but to many times we do not take the time to disciple new believers and we expect them to know how to live and so forth.
My heart's desire is to disciple teenager's and to see them thrive in their walk with Christ. I want to make disciples, who make disciples who make disciples.
What exactly is discipleship? I'm not sure if I completely know, but my best shot at it is...walking along side a person, living life with them..teaching the word..prayer..
I am interested in what other's think about this topic.
If you had to describe discipleship what would you say?
How can we get better at this?
Let me hear your thoughts, im interested.
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Discipleship.. i would describe it as giving your whole self to God.. not just in times of need..but all the time 24/7.. being willing to let God mold you and set you where He sees fit. And through selflessness.. because of this more people look at you and see that you are different. They see your passion radiating. They ask.. you tell.. showing them Christ.. being friends with strangers.. caring about other peoples lives.. not just how are u-fine relationship, but knowing that that stranger could come to you and know that you care for them.Bringing them closer to The Father is in my opinion discipleship.--Margaret McCoy
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ReplyDeleteLiz,
ReplyDeletethis has distressed me for years. Your thinking is right on target! This is why churches fail to grow (ours, too!) We get so excited about new Christians, and then do not follow through with the discipleship. Before long the new Christian is AWOL. Sort of like inviting someone to a wonderful feast and then serving them the first course, but only crackers for the entree` and no dessert.
It only takes a moment to lead someone to Jesus, it takes continued commitment to disciple them.
We must walk beside them, ready to encourage, teach and pray with them when the walk becomes difficult. New Christian classes, fellowship through small groups are a part of the answer. We must put aside our own selfish desire to gather in already formed cliques and invite the new brothers and sisters into the circle. This means expanding into spin off groups regularly.
When I led the 12 graders in SS I had them draw names and each was responsible for another in the class. If their buddy was absent from a church activity or Bible study they called to let them know they were missed. This would work in any congregation or group. Every new disciple should have a mentor or buddy to guide them as they learn what it means to follow Christ. Basically, as the writer above said, showing that you care.
As you can see, I have thought about this a lot and I am glad that someone else is thinking about it too!
i wish our church had a better process for making disciples. people are getting saved, but we need discipleship. one reason we dont disciple is because we never have been discipled and we dont know how to do it. i would love to see older people in our church pouring into younger people and teenagers discipling kids..thats how God wants it i do believe! since ive been at ciu, ive had people walk along life with me. ive had mentors and people to talk to and ive loved it. its something everyone of every age needs! thanks for your input!
ReplyDeleteYou are a breath of fresh air!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to say this, but it has been my impression that those older (and maybe wiser?)than the youth leaders were pushed away instead of pulled into service with the youth.
I know that it has happened with others and me. Yes, there are some who may not be interested in mentoring or helping our youth and new Christians, but there are many who would if the door was opened. Maybe that is why God has placed you there.
We can ask God to open doors and open hearts. I will commit to praying over this very real need. I know you will, too!