Discipleship Workshop
05 Mar 2010
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” - Hebrews 10:24
One of the key aspects of being a Christian is that you never stand still. You are always looking for ways to grow, to improve, to become more like Christ. And the great thing about being part of the body of Christ is that you can find the guidance and support needed to do this from within the church itself. This is what discipleship is all about: it is about motivating each other into living lives pleasing to God, that fulfil his purpose and bring glory and honour to his name.
Yesterday’s workshop was aimed at really kick-starting this system, which has been on the hearts of the student team for a while now.
The evening opened up with an ice-breaker aimed at allowing individuals to identify their strengths and weaknesses in areas such as doctrine and theology, relationships and character. Not only is this valuable in encouraging self-assessment and self-awareness, it also helps to identify complimentary disciple/disciple partnerships i.e. we should seek to be discipled by those who are strong in the areas in which we are weak. It was great to look at the theory and practice of discipleship. The key areas touched upon were as follows:
1. Biblical precedent:
Jesus had disciples. These were 12 individuals with whom he had a close relationship, and whom he taught and encouraged in order that they might be sent out to, effectively, change the world through the Gospel message. So basically, you’re not gonna get a better advertisement for discipleship than that!
2. Discipleship is not about ‘better’ Christians helping ‘weaker’ Christians:
It is about forming a relationship with somebody who will encourage you, pray with you, and to whom you will become accountable. It is so important that we spend time with people who have been Christians for longer than we have and who are more mature in their faith, to encourage, challenge and support us.
3. But all of these things come out of genuine friendship:
If you do not have this dynamic, you will not capitalise on the time you spend together because you will not be as open and honest as you should be. Therefore, for both discipler and disciple, the system is not a mechanical routine, but is based on a real heart to heart relationship.
4. Discipleship is a two-way street:
A discipler has to be open and honest with their disciple, and should also be discipled in turn.
5. Some discipleship relationships form naturally, others have to be actively pursued:
Not all look the same: some fail and need to be reassessed, others flourish and need to be maintained: but the onus is on the disciple to pursue this relationship, as this shows a genuine desire to pursue the relationship which in turn will produce the best fruit.
As a students and twenties group, I think we have a real desire to grow daily in all areas of our lives: in our giftings, in our knowledge, in our passion and in our characters. Therefore it makes sense that we should pursue this system of discipleship, which aims to help us do just that. It was great to see people signing up at the end: I think that as these discipleship relationships begin to form, we will the effects both individually and corporately, and that discipleship will prove invaluable in strengthening the group and helping it fulfil its vision.
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