I’ve been thinking a lot about discipleship these days and what it looks like in real life. Perhaps too often we think of it as a classroom situation taught by someone older or more experienced in the faith. Let me share a couple of instances of discipling we have experienced recently.
(#1)I have been meeting with a group of nine ladies from four different churches to do a Bible study. Breaking Free, written by Beth Moore, is based out of the book of Isaiah and deals with spiritual strongholds or captivities that can keep us from living victorious Christian lives. The book form of the study has been translated into Portuguese, so we read from that, and then I add study questions for homework. The first week, only one of the students was able to finish the homework. Most were totally puzzled as to how to proceed. How do you read a Bible verse and take from it what should be the “obvious” answer to the question before you? So we began to talk about that (the “how to”) as well as began to make applications to our personal lives. Everyone was pretty quiet, not sharing much, not willing to get out of his or her individual comfort/safety zone. Not willing to be vulnerable. As the weeks have progressed, I have been amazed and thrilled to see these ladies grow spiritually right before my eyes, under God’s Holy Spirit tutoring. How I praise Him! (#2) For most of the them the word “stronghold” was even difficult to comprehend, but now they are saying, “I see that fear has me bound.” “Forgiving is just so difficult.” “I see how pride has hindered my walk with God.” And now that we are beginning to see the areas of spiritual strongholds, we can begin to deal with them. That is discipleship.
Miles has begun teaching the book of Acts to two young couples. Both have studied the chronological foundational studies and have professed to know Christ. We were somewhat discouraged that both couples took part to some extent in the recent festivities of “Carnival.” This past week in Bible study, Miles posed a number of questions to them regarding how the enemy tries to work in our lives. First how does he work to keep us from even getting into Bible study? Then, if we do study, what will he do to keep us from coming to salvation? If we do accept God’s gift of grace, what tactics does the enemy use to keep us from growing and maturing in Christ. It was very interesting to hear them talk and see that they do indeed understand a number of the basic principles, but breaking away from the “old traditions and desires of the flesh” to embrace the “new life in Christ” is often quite difficult.
(#3) One day this week Miles spent the whole morning with one of these young men. They went out to a river about an hour away, to get a truckload of sand for construction. They had good conversation over a variety of topics and Miles used these opportunities to continue to disciple. Not long ago, this same young man told Miles, “I don’t know if it is because I am getting older (29) or because I have been studying the Bible, but I don’t seem to enjoy all of the same things that I used to enjoy.” Then this week while working together, he again referred to this saying that his reading of the Word has caused him to leave a lot of things behind that he used to do or like. His wife, however, doesn’t seem to be quite as ready to leave these “old” things to grow as a “new creature in Christ Jesus.” Pray that we will use every opportunity to share God’s truth with these we have come to love in Christ. (#4)
