Disciples Help Others Follow Jesus
As we follow our Lord, we quickly learn that part of imitation is reproduction. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is beautiful, but it is incomplete if it ends with ourselves. Being his disciple is partly about helping others learn from him and become more like him. As one of my friends said, “If you don’t help others follow Jesus, I don’t know what you mean when you pretend to follow Jesus. “To be a follower is to help others follow you.
- There are two particular ways of being a disciple who makes disciples.
- First.
- We are called to evangelize.
- Evangelism tells people that they do not follow Jesus what it means to follow Him.
- We do this by proclaiming and adorning the gospel in our neighborhood and among nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
- We can never forget that God has placed us in our families.
- Our workplaces.
- And our circles of friendship to share the gospel of grace with those who are destined for hell outside of Christ.
- We need to help people learn how to start following Jesus.
The second aspect of the formation of the disciples is to help other believers grow in the manner of Christ Jesus conceived his church as a body (1 Corinthians 12), a kingdom of citizens and a family that actively build one another in the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 2. 19; 4. 13, 29) We are called to teach one another about Christ (Romans 15:14) and imitate those who follow Christ (1 Corinthians 4. 16; 11. 1; 21. 1; 2 Thessaloniki 3. 7, 9). We must allow ourselves to be intentionally spent by other disciples so that they too can be spent by others (2 Timothy 2:1-2).
Disciples intentionally build relationships
Discipline is not something that just happens. We must be intentional in cultivating deep and honest relationships in which we can do spiritual good for other Christians. Although we can have disciple relationships anywhere, the most natural place for them to grow is the local church community. In the church, Christians are commanded to meet regularly to encourage one another to be like Christ and to protect one another from sin (Hebrews 3:12-13; 10:24-25).
Discipleships arising from this type of committed community must be both structured and spontaneous. As we study the life of Jesus, we see that he formally taught his disciples (Matthew 5-7; Mark 10. 1), allowing them to observe their obedience to God while living together (John 4. 27; Luke 22. 39-56).
Similarly, some of our disciples must be structured. Two friends may decide to read a chapter of John’s gospel and then discuss it while having coffee or working out in the gym. Perhaps two businessmen read a chapter of a Christian book each week and discuss it on the subject. On Saturdays, during a walk in the neighborhood with their children; two couples may meet once a month at night to discuss what the Bible says about marriage; perhaps a pious lady will invite a single girl home on a Tuesday afternoon to pray and study a Christian biography. Maybe a mother spends time in the park with other mothers every week. Whatever the format, a part of our discipleship should include scheduled moments of reading, prayer, confession, encouragement, and defiance for other Christians to become more Christlike.
Discipleship can also be spontaneous. Maybe friends will go to the movies together and then have an ice cream while comparing the film’s message to what the Bible says; perhaps a father and son will sit on the porch and reflect on the glory of God manifested at sunset. visitors to the church for lunch and ask each of them how they knew Christ.
We should always be intentional, but we don’t always need to be structured. In fact, Deuteronomy 6 shows us that discipleship takes place: sitting at home and walking along the road, and when you lie down and when you lie down. Up? (v. 7). Every moment is an opportunity to discuss who God is and what He does. Since we always follow Jesus, we always have the opportunity to help others follow Him as well.
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Read the full article and see how the disciples follow Christ and depend on His grace.
This article is part of the 9Marks Journal
Translation: Vin-cius Silva Pimentel. Review: Vin-cius Musselman Pimentel. © 2015 Faithful Ministérium. All rights are reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Be a disciple according to the scriptures.