Following the Leader

To be a disciple maker one must build relationships with people. Jesus called his disciples to follow Him.  They walked with Jesus and not only learned from His teaching, but they watched what he did. Paul said to the church in Corinth, imitate me as I imitate Christ.  He told Timothy that he had followed  "my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my patience, my love, my steadfastness.  Discipleship is not only teaching people truth, but giving them an example to follow.

We learn how to pray by hearing and watching other people pray.  We learn to share our faith, by watching others.  We learn by example.  Whether you realize it or not, someone is following your example.  Ask yourself, what kind of Christian would someone be, if they followed me.  It is a convicting question, but a necessary one.  You never know who is watching you.

To make us better disciple makers, we should have three relationships.  We need a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy.  We need a Paul.  We need to follow some one's lead.  We all need to look to people who are further along in the journey then we are.  We need a Barnabas.  We need a co-laborer.  Someone we walk along side who encourages us.  We also need a Timothy.  We need to intentionally and prayerfully choose to pour into another person who is not as far along the journey as we are.  If I choose to tell someone to follow my example as I follow the example of Christ, we become a better example to those who we don't know are watching.  Who will you choose to follow?  Who will you choose to walk along side?  Who will you choose to lead?

The Disciples Path

River Rock Church is getting ready to begin a journey down "The Disciple's Path."  The interesting thing about this journey is that you cannot travel alone.  The only way to go down this path is to go together.  We will be discipling each other as we go.  Greg Ogden in Discipleship Essentials defines discipling as an intentional relationship in which we walk alongside other disciples in order to encourage, equip and challenge one another in love to grow toward maturity in Christ. Notice some things about this definition.  First it is a relationship.  We are in a relationship with Christ and with each other.  Second, it is intentional.  We have to choose to walk together on this journey.  We have to know the end which is maturity in Christ and do what it takes to get each other there.

Third, we must know what it takes to get us to that end.  We walk alongside each other to encourage one another.  We walk alongside each other to equip each other.  We walk alongside each other to challenge each other in love.

The path will not be easy.  There will be challenges along the way.  It will be uphill at times, there will be difficult terrain.  There will be times that some will want to give up.  But we will not.  We will make it together.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reminds us

     Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one
     will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift
     him up!  Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but who can one keep warm alone?  And
     though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord
     is not quickly broken.

We have each other and we have the Holy Spirit.  We will journey together and by His strength, we will be closer to our goal.