12-3-14 Discipleship
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:2
In the divine design of the eternal economy of God, He has placed us in His body in the manner and for the purpose which pleases Him. We know, from comparing Scripture with Scripture, that we were created to please Him and reconciled to Him by the blood of His Son for His pleasure. As He has indwelt believers with His Spirit, He is at work to accomplish His good pleasure.
In the process of spiritual growth, and in the discipleship training of those into whose lives He has placed us, we find very clear lines of instruction with regard to the responsibility of discipleship. We are first to be followers of God and reflectively be leaders of men. It is only as we demonstrate an accurate illustration of what it means to follow after God in our progressive conformity to Christlikeness that others will want to follow us as we follow Him.
In those opportunities of ministry, we must be very careful to be gentle and patient in our teaching. As we teach, we must communicate HOW to love God in sacrificial obedience. Additionally, we must both show and verbalize HOW to love others in sacrificial service, including mate, children, neighbors and enemies. We are to be Spirit‑controlled and temperate in all things, having structure, order and control that accurately reflect the character and nature of God. In order for our testimony to be true to the personality of God, there must not be any strife, envy, vainglory or self-interest in either our motives or our methods. We must be sure that we commit to faithful folks who will, in their faithfulness, continue the teaching process to others as they have received teaching from us. Part of our responsibility involves giving both the structure and the accountability which will produce spiritual growth and health to the one we are discipling.
May God help us as we attempt, by His Spirit, in accordance with His Word, to assist others to joy in their journey toward practical Christlikeness.
(c) 1986, 2014 N.A.Collins
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