Make Disciples, Seriously?

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nationsMk 16:15; Lk 24:47 baptizing Ac 28:16 them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20
This was Jesus' final command and a major focus of His ministry. He spoke to crowds and crowds of people as they followed Him through the course of His ministry. He used illustrations and parables for the crowds as well as the Pharisees and naysayers, but as crowds dispersed and He sought solitude, He took His disciples aside and explained His teachings in depth, so they understood it, so they could live it, so they could ultimately teach it to others.

I was lucky enough to go through a 'discipleship' two years ago. The specific discipleship journey I participated in was created by Ray and Anne Ortlund. Check them out, amazing people. Their vision was to disciple small groups (men by men and women by women) who would, in turn, disciple their own groups. This month I began leading my second group of people through the discipleship journey created by Ray and Anne. What has struck me over the last two years is that our children also need to be discipled, in a systematic, age appropriate way, so they also learn to be disciples of Jesus.

In my 'journey to somewhere' with my kids, my desired 'somewhere' is a central focus on Him. This is not to diminish the parenting needed to help them in school, guide them in studying, encourage them to persevere in sports, make sure they eat healthy, ensure they get enough sleep, and everything else we do each day. But a life lived with God in the center is the hub which all those things should rotate around.  So why do we put the spiritual development of our children on the back burner or minimize it to little conversations or teachable moments?  Don't we sneak spiritual development in at mealtimes or nighttime prayers or wait for a bump in the road to talk to them about what Jesus would do?  Why don't we get together with like minded moms and share our challenges and ideas on the spiritual development of our children? Disclaimer: If you are discipling your children in a meaningful, consistent and effective manner then I take back what I just said.  But, aren't most of us in the previous category, at least half of the time or more? Aren't we caught up in grades, homework, shuttling, feeding, washing, and the myriad of other tasks that make our to do list each day. You know why we are caught up in the list? Why we default to the daily grind? Because we are scared! Please admit it. Join me in the fear, it will make me, and you, feel better!  

After my discipleship journey, the expectation was that I disciple a group as I had been discipled. Wow, did I sit on that until the last possible minute! I listened to the Lord whisper in my ear all summer, reminding me of the commitment I had made to sharing what I had learned, to lead my own group. So what did I do?  Yep, I waited, hoping that all the women who He had me praying for would already be committed to a study for the Fall, then I sent an email talking about discipleship, the intense commitment level and all the reading we would do and to just get back to me if that sounded like something they wanted in their life.  Ha!  I exaggerate a little, but I was hopeful that everyone was committed elsewhere. Well, I ended up with a group and was terrified! Who was I to lead this group?

Don't you think Jesus' disciples felt the same way? Do you think they felt like they had learned everything they needed to know and were totally prepped to lead the charge and assume Jesus' ministry? They still doubted. Peter, the beloved disciple, denied Him three times during the passion week.   That denial is actually the culmination of Peter's doubting which can be traced throughout the gospels.  But Peter went on to disciple others.  After Jesus ascended, the disciples had to have been shaking in their boots, at a minimum, and they were most definitely mourning the loss of Jesus.  As they looked around that table I imagine them thinking, "Who's gonna step up now?".  Then you know what they did? They banded together, they prayed together, they supported each other, they relied on each other and their foundational belief in Jesus and His ministry.  "Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.  Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house.  They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved."  Acts 2:44,46-47

You know what that required? Faith. "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."  James 2:26  This is an important scripture and idea.  Do we live it, take it at its root, take God's commands and move forward in action and faith?  "Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it."  Proverbs 22:6  I desire a life for my children where God is their center, their hub, the thing that everything else moves around. My faith and that desire has gotten my scared little 'you know what' off my couch to 'disciple' my kids. You can too! Faith, sister, faith.
Watch for the specific discipleship lessons I am doing with my kids. They are based on Anne's curriculum, made age appropriate for my kids.  Well, they are made as appropriate as this fearful Mom is able.
By HIS Grace