Discipleship


Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Discipleship is a call to be like Christ in everything. It is a place where one is invited into a covenant relationship with God but as well accept the responsibility of representing Him to others in the world.

No one was born as a disciple. Rather everyone after becoming born again starts a journey of becoming a lifelong learner of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

How did Jesus disciple others? He did what Mike Breene describes as invitation and challenge relationship. By invitation He drew his disciples into a close relationship with himself where they were loved and cared for. By challenge He sent them out to preach and represent him out into the world. For example Jesus healed Peter's mother in law, helped him catch net breaking fish, paid his tax, but as well challenged him to feed his sheep and feed his lambs. Peter did exactly that. 

It is one thing to be born again and another to be a lifelong learner (disciple) of Jesus. Jesus set the pattern and we should follow it. He was the example for others to follow. In the body of Christ there are such people too who can be a living example of what it means to live like Jesus. 

You need to be discipled by someone more mature than you in the things of God called a discipler. A discipler like Jesus chooses those he wants to enter into a closer journey of both invitation and challenge or the disciple asks to be discipled. 

These rules of the discipleship can be for instance to meet weekly with others (discipleship is best done in a group) to receive teachings, instructions but also for activities that enable bonding with the discipler.

We are so used to a Christianity where one attends church on Sunday, they are challenged to walk right, love their neighbours as themselves, to give, to share the gospel etc but none actually does it. So Sunday in Sunday out, in goes the message in one ear and out it goes in another ear because there's none in the christians' life to demonstrate how to love the way Jesus did, to give the way Jesus did and the preach to the others the way Jesus did. We also have a generation of Christians who don't want to be told, instructed or commanded to do what God requires. Everyone wants to do what they want with no sense of accountability. 

They want to enter a relationship without first inquiring whether the person they want to relate with is the right one, they want to make career choices but without seeking guidance from a spiritual authority in their lives, they want to fly out of the country to seek greener pastures but they don't first seek a blessing from their pastor or discipler. No wonder many make costly mistakes in life they wouldn't have made. It is possible to live this life without making mistakes others did by seeking counsel and the best counsel comes when you are in a lifelong journey with your discipler. 

I am a product of discipleship. I account for every move I am to take be it a career choice, life's major decision like marriage, buying property, in times of confusion and stress, I enjoy the love, comfort and care of those that disciple me. Like Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. I hear the voice of my discipler. Not only have I received such tremendous love which is the invitation bit, I have been heavily challenged to do ministry in a way I wouldn't have done had I not been discipled. The souls I have won, the giving, the planting of the church, the books I have read, the courses I do, the writing I do etc are the challenges I get from my discipler. But this is so easy to do because am under love, care and mentorship of my discipler who is my example and one I meet regularly.

Dear child of God, there is more you can do in this life if you accept to be discipled. May God open your eyes to recognize the importance of discipleship. May God lead you to a mature Christian who will love you but as well challenge you to live to your full potential. May you not waste time like others have done for missing out on discipling relationship. May your heart be open to your discipler and the discipler's heart to you for you will never enjoy and live to your full potential unless you enter spaces of invitation and challenge. 

EK

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