What is a Disciple?
I would define a disciple as someone following Jesus, who helps others to find and follow Jesus. Finding Jesus can be a process and learning to follow Him is part of that, but teaching someone to find and follow Him may seem like another ballgame altogether!
We don’t just automatically know what it looks like to live a life of someone who loves Jesus, we need to learn. Thankfully, there are many incredible options available for us at the Village; attending church and learning from the Pastor’s teaching, studying the Bible, the Rooted Experience, serving and joining a Lifegroup.
Matthew 28:18-20 calls us to make disciples,
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”
How Do You Do It?
We typically understand the “what and why”, but the “how” can be tricky. What if we are asked questions, we don’t know the answer to? What if they are offended? We can easily be left feeling unsure, insecure or scared to share, however feeling equipped can make all the difference.
Personal Discipleship
After you have taken advantage of the opportunities listed above, the next step could be a personal discipleship. I love these words from one of our attenders who just finished her personal discipleship,
“I had just ended Rooted; which significantly changed my perspective of God, Jesus, and my life. I wasn’t ready to disconnect from the deep learning Rooted offered, so I reached out for an option to continue learning. One of those options was a one-year personal discipleship with Sarah, one of the Pastors.
As I started the discipleship, I was uncertain about what it would entail, but I knew it would be a commitment. Each week I learned so much more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Any question I had and real life experiences I was facing, Sarah utilized the study to improve my understanding of who I desired to be as a follower of Jesus and who my identity is in God. In addition, I felt challenged and God made me focus on things I did not want to face. Through this process God helped me learn to forgive myself and begin the process of my new life in Him.
The book we used did such a great job at detailing every area of living a Christian life. It explained questions that I did not know I had and frequent questions people have about being a Christian. It empowered me to believe I am adequate to spread the Word of God and provided a way for me to express my daily life differently than the world.
This study was a foundation to grow far bigger in God than I ever imagined. Now I know the Holy Spirit is giving me the strength, knowledge, and love to reach others. I cannot express how amazing an opportunity it has been to do this discipleship. I truly believe this is a blessing all people need to experience so they can honestly see the bones of what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. Leave all the world’s misconceptions of what a follower of Jesus looks like and open one’s eyes to the humbling love of God.” Samantha Tyree
What’s Next?
Are you a devoted follower of Jesus? Who are you discipling? Are you willing to commit to walking with someone as a mentor and discipler? Or do you feel like you need a personal discipleship as a mentee or disciple? My prayer is that we will have people in each of these groups that will step forward. Imagine the steps we could take for the Kingdom of God with hundreds of followers feeling equipped to share and disciple others. The impact would be exponential!
