
A True Disciple
When you think of the word “disciple,” what comes to your mind? In church culture, we use this word frequently. But for most of the world, it’s not exactly a word that’s used often, if not at all.
As someone who’s worked in youth ministry since I was a student myself, I always thought that I knew what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. And to raise others to do the same. At least, I thought I knew.
I’m the proud father of two young sons, and while I’m doing my best to teach and instruct them in our lives and in our faith, it’s not uncommon for me to learn from them sometimes.
Recently, one of my children saw me vacuuming our home. This happened a couple of times, and then one day, he decided that instead of playing with his toys or watching Lighting McQueen on TV like his brother, he wanted to help me clean up.
He grabbed the vacuum with one hand and slowly walked with me as I showed him how to clean the floor. I never knew that a toddler could help with the chores at home!
But looking back on that moment, I realized that I was learning more about what a disciple is supposed to be like than I ever have so far.
What is a true disciple?
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands us to not just make converts but to make disciples of all nations.
A true disciple is someone who is not only shown how to follow Christ but they are shown how to become like Him as well—to where their lifestyle matches up to His Word & is honoring to Jesus.
Yes, teaching my son how to clean around the house is important. He’ll need to apply those skills as he gets older. But more importantly, he was learning how to be responsible and caring.
In other words, his actions were correct and should be repeated. But what I was trying to teach him was how to have the right character.
In the same way, my son didn’t just want to learn how to do what he was seeing. He wanted to become what he was seeing as well.
Imitation & Duplication
The Apostle Paul told the Christians in 1st Corinthians 11:1 to imitate him as he was imitating Christ. Paul was the model and the example for the church to follow.
Yes, they would perform the right actions by following Paul’s lead, but they would also, more importantly, develop the character of Jesus along the way!
To fulfill the call that Jesus has given to us, we first must ask for His help to model our lives after His Word and His character, so that as people see us, they begin to see the fruit of His Spirit being evident in us.
We should also ask for God’s grace to reflect Him to the people that He is calling us to disciple.
Lead & Disciple by Example
I want to remind you of this. As a pastor, your students & their families are learning what it means to follow Christ from the way that you live.
Equip the parents connected to your ministry to handle issues like technology, sexting, pornography, video games, and more in their homes with Screen Smarts!
Yes, they hear your sermons & the messages that you preach. They hear what actions they should be applying to their lives.
But they’re, more importantly, watching your lifestyle. They want a living model of what it means to really love & live for Christ.
And while we won’t be a perfect example of being a disciple of Christ for others to follow, you and I can certainly be a consistent one.
So, as your minister to your students & their families, ask yourself these questions:
- How can you grow in your own personal relationship with Christ?
- Who are the people in your life that God is calling you to disciple?
- How can you reflect Godly qualities on those people around you?
My hope and prayer for you is that as you grow in your relationship with Christ, you will inspire others to do the same.
The call to disciple others isn’t easy, but God has equipped you to fulfill His commission and to teach others to do the same as we wait for His wonderful return.
Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:
- What does discipleship look like in your ministry?
- Do you have someone who disciples you? If not, who is someone you could ask to start disciplining you?
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