FaiTHought: Why Discipleship is Important
Hi! For many years, my sweet husband and I have been involved in discipleship, through small group meetings and Bible studies, as well as through one-on-one meetings with people looking to grow and be challenged in their faith.
We’ve also been on the receiving end of discipleship and have been enormously blessed to have been mentored by some wonderfully wise and mature men and women. Few things in our lives have been more fulfilling than the opportunity to be both discipled and to disciple others, and our passion to help disciples connect with disciplers has only grown stronger over the years.
About ten years ago, we were asked to put together some resources for people to use when discipling others and our church “Discipleship Library” began to grow. It’s filled with classics, like Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald, The Helper by Catherine Marshall, and Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It also contains Dave Ramsey’s DVD series about finances and several 8-week Bible studies on various topics. We wanted to include materials on a large number of topics, but in a variety formats to appeal to diverse group of people.
But not all discipleship takes place
by reading a book or even studying the Bible.
But not all discipleship takes place by reading a book or even studying the Bible. I often meet with young women in their twenties and thirties, and frequently, they want to meet because of an event in their life or an important life question they have. So when we meet, we talk, quite often about relationships, like parents, siblings, friends, and yes, guys, too.
And of course biblical principles form the foundation of every conversation we have. Which isn’t to say that we don’t ever use books; right now I’m reading Boundaries (one of my absolute favorites) with a young woman I meet with twice a month. I think I’m getting more out of it than she is, lol!
“We loved you so much that we delighted to share with you
not only the GOSPEL of God but our LIVES as well
because you had become so dear to us,” (1 Thess. 2:8).
Discipleship can take other forms as well, phone calls for example, if that works out better for both parties. Or how about serving together, as with two friends of mine, one of whom is a pastor, the other a young man who hopes to become one someday. One day a week, they spend time together doing “pastor” things. In essence, he is saying, “Follow my example as I follow Christ,” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
It’s not just for new Christians
or immature Christians; it’s for all of us.
Some discipleship relationships last a few months, others several years or more. But one aspect of discipleship that never changes is that we all need it! It’s not just for new Christians or immature Christians; it’s for all of us. We should seek to grow in maturity throughout our Christian walk; we never “arrive,” we are never “done” with the sanctification (maturing) process. I think there’s a lot of safety in having a mentor in one’s life to bounce things off of and to gain new insight from, especially when we are actively engaged in discipling someone else.
It can be quite informal and en,joyable
while at the same time being life-giving
and transformative, if we allow it.
I believe we are at our healthiest when we have people in our lives who pour into us their wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of life, while we do the same for someone else who’s looking to us for the same kind of input. And as I’ve already mentioned, it doesn’t have to take the form of a book study or watching a [boring] DVD series. In fact, it can be quite informal and enjoyable, while at the same time being life giving and transformative, if we allow it.
Ultimately, it’s all about relationship and sharing life together, whether you’re meeting over coffee at the kitchen table, power walking while chatting about your day, or serving together at a city mission. So if you currently have no mentor or would like to be a mentor yourself, what are some steps you could take to make it happen?
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I have friends through my church and it is wonderful to share with them. I also share with friends not in the church but not having much luck getting them to join.
Such a blessing to have people in your life to share with, isn’t it Rose? Saying a prayer for your friends that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the love of the Father-
What a beautiful thing to know about you….My sharing mission at my age is singing with a community gospel choir made up of 54 people (all ages and 12 denominations. We sing at retirement homes, schools, hospitals and soldiers homes. A first for us…we have been asked to sing at our Red River Valley Fair in North Dakota in ten days. We are very excited to send our message of Christ’s love at that type of venue!
Wow, what an amazing ministry! Hoping for a wonderful response at the Fair–and have fun, too 🙂
Such encouraging thoughts, Diana! I love it when you share your Faith Thoughts!
That blesses me to know, Mrs. T–thanks for popping in to visit 🙂
My husband is wonderful at discipling other men through bible studies and one on one meetings. He has done this for years and he is the first one they call when they need to talk, for prayer, or for biblical advice. It takes a lot of time and patience but it is a blessing to these men.
That’s so wonderful to hear, AnnMarie! Sometimes men can be a little, ahem, reticent about discipleship. Sounds like your husband has a real gift 🙂 Yes, it definitely takes time and patience–discipleship is a “long game.”
This is a lovely and thoughtful post, Diana. I find that because we are so busy with our business, there is so much that we don’t have time for. . .but Carl and I are 2nd time around loves, and we have 3 grown sons between us. All of them are in relationships, sometimes happy, sometimes rocky, but we try to make ourselves available to each of them with undivided attention, and of course, all of our love. We lost one son 4 years ago (to a drug addiction), and we poured all of our resources, money and time to making him well, but the battle went to the other side, sadly. The other 3 are doing well, but even for the “small” things, we are there all the way. Discipleship I believe can happen at any time, whether it is for an hour, a day, weeks, or years. . .we both try to be thoughtful to the people around us who need someone to talk to, just to have themselves listened to. . .As of now, we’re not associated with any one church, although we both love the services we attend, for community and for the spiritual uplifting. In time, and we are close to retirement age, we will probably become more involved.
There are so many different seasons of life, right, Cynthia? I wholeheartedly agree that discipling our children is our first priority, taking on different forms at different points in their life. I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your son–such a heart break. It sounds like you poured your heart and soul into his recovery. We lost our niece, who had a similar story, last year. I also agree that discipleship happens all the time with all kinds of people, including anytime we love someone with our words, take time to listen, pass on a favorite scripture, etc. I look forward to “retirement” too, when I’ll have much more time to give to ministry. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us 🙂
What a lovely post Diana. It really made me realize that there is actually more to our relationship with Christ than just going to Church, or a lack thereof. I have a lot of room for improvement all the way around. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad I was able to pass on some food for thought, Kim 🙂 Our life in Christ is a rich and as deep as we decide to pursue it–we all have plenty of room to grow, believe me. Hope your day is blessed!