“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
If you are looking for a way to stretch your
faith in ways you thought you're impossible, you should consider being
discipled. Discipling is a blessing that will help you grow closer to God.
Before I get into why you should choose to do this, let's first define what
discipleship is. Discipleship is about a student who distributes the doctrines
of another individual (or deity). The concept of discipleship can be both
intimidating and confusing at first to a person who hasn’t spent a lifetime in
church, but still wants to know God intimately.
I am currently being discipled. I feel like
my spiritual life is going in the positive direction I always wanted it to. I
meet weekly with the gentleman that is discipling me in a local coffee and tea
shop. You catch up on how both my spiritual and family life is progressing.
Discipleship is a means of building a closer relationship with another person
and God.
One unique part of this process is
incorporating more of what God is teaching me during the Sunday sermon for this
blog. I am trying my best to move from content-based note taking to life
application. My personal time of daily Bible reading is now one of joyful
anticipation instead of a dreaded routine. God is speaking to my heart for the
first time in a long time.
Entering into discipleship is a life-long
process. Here are five reasons why discipleship is essential to becoming who
you want to be.
The joy of fulfilling your destiny: It is awesome to
have a destiny that you can fulfill because you are His disciple, and growing
in Him. Be grateful to be involved in something beyond small-mindedness and unimportance.
Many people lack
purpose, direction, and meaning. When you are discipled (not only are you
fulfilled), but you begin a cycle of reproduction that can impact many other
people. Generation after generation can be affected by your discipleship. It’s a wonderful destiny to fulfill.
The joy of getting your questions
answered:
Another great thing about discipleship is you get questions answered especially
about how your faith relates to your personal life. You get Bible knowledge (but
more importantly) you have godly examples to imitate. Most disciplers in your life
will be regular Christians (that want to help you). They will answer your
questions and help you understand what it means to follow Jesus on a daily basis.
The joy of growing in
Christlikeness:
If I ask myself the question “When am I the happiest?” the answer is that I am happiest
when I am like Jesus. I’m not talking about a giddy kind of
happiness, but a serene, able to handle anything, at peace with the world kind
of joy. On the other hand, when I am the unhappiest, it is because I am not
following in the footsteps of Jesus.
It’s when I’ve become
impatient, started complaining, been worried, said things I shouldn’t have, or envied
what someone has. The more I grow to be like Jesus, the more joyful I am.
The joy of knowing how to disciple
others: You
should be discipled not only for your sake, but also for the sake of others. Real
joy comes when you share with others. So, when you’re discipled, it is to grow
both personally and so you can do the same for others.
The joy of true fellowship: One of the best
parts of discipleship is the fact that you are creating relationships that go
beyond the surface. True fellowship is something you long for, but you don’t
know how to achieve it.
Discipleship
accomplishes that. When you meet together, you share life, study the Bible, encourage each other, and pray
for each other together. Doing this face-to-face allows you to attain what you
long for but often don’t achieve (or know how to achieve) the goal of true
fellowship.
“Salvation is free, but
discipleship costs everything we have.” (Billy Graham)[i]
[i] Adapted from:
· “14 Reasons Why Discipleship Is
Necessary According to the Bible” by McKenna Von Gunten
· “5 Reasons to be Discipled” by Mark
Alan Williams
· “5 Reasons Why You Should Be
Discipled” by Courtney Dodd
· “Discipleship Definition“ by All
about Following Jesus
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