Category: discipleship

what if those I am pouring my life into have gone empty?

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Sometimes relationships go sour. Sometimes discipleship hurts. Sometimes those we invest our lives into bail on life and our efforts seem bankrupt. What do I do when I pour my life into someone and there are empty returns? What do I do when I am left speechless on the other end of and unanswered call? Or your cries are unheard or ignored?  Here are some good thoughts to remember:

Discipleship is intentional. When I invest in someone’s life I want him or her to know that I am. I intentionally let them know that I want to spend quality time encouraging their relationship with God not because I have it all together, rather together we can begin sharpening iron. Echo the voices of Jesus and Paul, “follow me.” [Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Timothy 1:13]

Discipleship is eternal. I am intentional about discipleship because I feel the weight of my responsibility before God: to reproduce my vertical relationship with others horizontally [John 15:16ff]. I am responsible for the spiritual growth of our teens. That is a heavy burden to bear, but God brings the fruit. My relationships matter to God. My relationships have eternal ramifications. That is huge.

Discipleship is generational. My relationship does not end with someone after a year or 12-class study. They last a lifetime [Matthew 28:19-20]. From one generation to another I must be willing to disciple and be discipled.

Discipleship is personal. When relationship end or the parking brake seems stuck that can be frustrating. Relationships do not come with 90-day money back guarantee. We might get burned and bruised. If you have some one you are investing in that does not want to be around you: give them over to God, keep tabs on them and don’t close the door on them ever. Chose another to invest in and press on. May our motto be, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” [2 Corinthians 12:15]

discipleship: a process, not a program

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Discipleship is a wonderful word. It sounds good in church talk. It appears purposeful and biblical on the cover of curriculum and Christian books. One can throw around the word in a conversation and look quite spiritual. Discipleship is a wonderful word, but a difficult to do.

Paul spoke of his commitment to discipling believers as a labor, “We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me,” [Col.1:28-29].

Christ has called us to disciple [Mt.28:19-20]. Paul viewed the value in Christ’s command and was willing to labor until it was complete. If we truly want to be a disciple that is discipling disciples, we must consider the following:

Discipleship is not a program; it is a process. It is a lifetime commitment. It’s not a sleek, red sports car that burns rubber and gets you and one suitcase there in a hurry, but rather, it is a locomotive that slowly leaves the station, containing the strength to transport an unfathomable amount of cargo. Being committed to discipleship means that we cannot become impatient and bail when things aren’t moving at the pace we desire. Time is required to present each of your students as “mature in Christ.

Discipleship is a grueling workout. I do not like to run, but I know it is one of the best cardio workouts. I do not convey a good message if I promote running, but I’m obscenely obese. Exercise personal spiritual disciplines is involved in the process of discipleship. How can we possibly pass on what we do not possess? In order to pass on a deep love for Christ and the tools for building a relationship with Him, we must first possess them ourselves.

Discipleship is intimately acquainted with relationship. Day-to-day, life-on-life experience and instruction helps transform church into life skills. Real church happens in the context of loving and accountable relationships. To be left alone in your faith isolates true discipleship from happening.

There are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” when it comes to the process of discipleship. Creating a program out of discipleship is the easy thing, but frankly not effective or biblical. Jesus must have thought the same things as many turned and walked away from His call to radical discipleship. If a student will test your love for them, they will also test your commitment to the process. When they see your love and understand your resolve, they are more likely to join the journey to spiritual maturity.

transformation: more than meets the eye

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As a kid I love to play with transformers. There is something about having a car that can instantly transform into a android. Transform is another word for change. When it comes to spiritual change transformation is key. Do you find some of your students have a wealth of biblical information but a lack transformation? Here are great tips to cultivate spiritual transformation in students you are discipling:

Acknowledge that the Holy Spirit who teaches you and leads you into truth, is the same Holy Spirit who teaches and ministers to the students. Watch and hear what He wants to teach the students on any given weekly session or small group.

Make sure the meat of the session actually searches the Scripture and is spent in examining God’s Word and is not just a discussion of students’ and leaders’ opinions or beliefs. It is only by having hands on God’s Word that your students will discover real truth and be transformed.

Be careful not to answer your own questions. Give students time to think when you pose a question. Let them know that the quietness that follows your question is not awkward. It will also help settle your own uneasiness when a vacuum of silence follows your question. When we answer our own questions, we teach students that they do not have to respond and their answer was not important.

Work toward using activities that lead students to discover what we already know or found out during our personal devotion and preparation. When we lead students to discover truths out of God’s Word for themselves instead of telling them what we know, we allow opportunity for the Spirit to do His work.

Watch for those times that the Holy Spirit makes Himself known within the session. Those times, very frequently, take place as students share within small groups. Be ready to help students make connections with God and His Word during those times.

Prepare your heart for worship to take place during the Bible study session. Real worship takes place any time we come face to face with God and leave His presence transformed or changed. So actually, worship should take place in our Bible studies, messages, discipleship or small groups. Sometimes when students share in small group, students will say things that are totally profound, let your students know that you just had worshiped God.

Make sure that your students are given an opportunity to measure their own lives up against the Biblical Truth you have discussed. When students take the time to examine their lives, compare themselves to a Holy God, realize that they fall short, and make a commitment to Him and His truth…then true worship takes place.

Wanted: follower

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We are seeking followers who are willing to give up their lives for the sake of another by exemplifying the way of Christ.

The Requirements:

  • Hours will be 168 per week.
  • Pay is zero.
  • No experience required, but toughness and resiliency helpful.
  • No retirement provided in this life, but unlimited benefits in the next.
  • Working conditions are not the best. There are hassles, discrimination, put-downs, and even persecutions.
  • In this job, it’s mostly give and no take.
  • There are few breaks, no vacations, no sick leave, no material bonuses, few, if any, compliments, and only one promotion which comes at the end of your life.

Additional Requirements:

Applicants must be willing to sacrifice, study long, pray hard, labor unceasingly, and must be willing to be called a “fool” for Christ’s sake. The job is not easy. You will often work alone, but you’ll never be alone. People in this line of work are in a minority.

Applicants must be willing to share their testimony in crowds that are both sympathetic and antagonistic, both understanding and prejudiced.

Applicants must realize that identification with our organization makes them unpopular with the majority.

Applicants must be prepared to live any place on earth.

All applicants are required to understand before they sign up that they must relinquish all rights, legal or otherwise to all personal property such as cars, houses, real estate, money, recreational vehicles, stocks, IRA accounts, in fact EVERYTHING.

Applicants are urged to consider strongly their decision to come on board since our policy is that there is no getting out once in! Our policy is clear, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Though this position is hazardous, there are great rewards and satisfaction to the work. We believe that “in due season we shall reap if we don’t faint.”

Those interested may apply at the foot of the cross. There is no legal age limitation and whosoever will may come.

discipleship defined

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What is discipleship? And what does it look like? This is a good question. There are about as many favors of definitions for discipleship as there are suckers at the candy store. To be verbosely pithy my response to what discipleship is NOT is that discipleship is followership. As Paul in his simple yet divinely given wisdom stated, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” [1 Corinthians 11:1]

To illustrate the point that there are many great views of discipleship I have attached an essay that shows the views of volunteer leaders in our student ministry [Discipleship Defined]. Each of them slugged a homerun: discipleship is following Christ and helping others follow Christ too. Those we seek to disciple have different needs, with different situations and different means to become discipled. This causes discipleship to be hard work, but the rewards are literally out of this world. Discipleship is active, alive, and fluid, but supremely rooted in the work of Christ.

discipleship is NOT

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no disciples

When we say the word “discipleship,” we all might have something different in mind. We all have our idea on what disciple is and what it should look like. Before I dive into my definition I would like to discuss what I believe discipleship is not. When I say it is not these things, I mean that it is not these things:

A Bible study group or Sunday school class. These programs could be considered part of discipleship, but they can no way be the entire discipleship process for a person. We cannot be formed simply in a classroom. Each person is different. Some are spoon feeders and others meat eaters. There is no form fit discipleship for everyone.

A follow-up class for “new believers.” A 12-week class for newbie’s or an 4-week Jump Start course of Christianity doesn’t create disciples. Many discipleship programs stop at class. If we are to foolish to think that we can farm people through a class and be spiritually mature we are filling our churches with people who have a false sense of what Christianity is about. Faith is lives out in a family. Discipleship is a community process.

A programmed ministry of the church. Discipleship takes place within a community of believers who are living out their faith. Discipleship is not the job of a formal ministry of a local church. If I have a friend who begins their journey with Christ, and I say to that friend, “Now just attend this discipleship ministry and you will be peachy.” I am not helping my friend in their spiritual journey.

A cookie cutter approach to living the Christian life. Discipleship is not a do-this-do-that-and-you-will-be-the-perfect-Christian kind of package. It is highly specialized. God works with different people in different ways. He molds us through different processes. We become his followers through different experiences.

When we consider the process of discipleship we must rethink what discipleship is in the church in order to properly help people in their spiritual formation.

goulash of discipleship

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goulash

Goulash is a mixture of random ingredients that make up a tasty meal. This is a recipe of random discipleship ingredients for FUEL leaders inspired by FUEL leaders.

Be a disciple that is discipling disciples and be willing to be discipled [goal, Mt.28:19-20].

We are devoted to discipleship that changes lives [core value].

You are like the One [or one] you follow. The Eastern mindset of Jesus’ day was, “Follow Me, I will show you as we do it together.” The Western mindset of today is, “Follow me as I tell you how to do it.”

You have to be creative when reaching spoon feeders and meat eater [1 Cor.3:1-4].

Discipleship is messy [especially when one doesn’t want to be discipled].

Discipleship is tough because it takes time.

Discipleship is not about information, but transformation.

Discipleship is a process, not a program.

Expect unbelievers to act like it.

Confront sin by calling it what it is.

Until you care to know them, they will know you care.

If you give an inch, they will take a mile.

“If you haven’t failed, you haven’t tried anything.”

Sharpen regularly your tools of the trade.

You are not babysitting, rather spiritual parenting.

You are a spiritual coach cheering victory in Christ.

You cannot change Christ’s child, alone.

Two words: Grace and Truth [John 1:14].