The Necessity and Joy of Discipleship

It is such a blessing to be serving on this team!  We have had a wonderful first week and have already done so much.  Our schedules are very full and we are going all out, but we are all so very thankful and blessed to be here.  God is already knitting us together as a family; as cliché as that sounds, it is very true.  I already love my teammates and it seems like we are brothers and sisters.

On our first day of service (Monday), we began the day setting up for and serving free lunch for people in need.  We had some really good conversations and met some very sweet people.  We spent the afternoon doing laundry at the laundry mat and preparing for the Very Unique Bible School (VUBS).  Later that afternoon we went over to an apartment complex where we hosted the VUBS for the neighborhood children.  We had so much fun and all of the kids seemed to enjoy it.  We will be doing this all week, and hope that they will be able to come over to children's church on Sunday as well.

One of the most important aspects of our summer is the training that we will receive.  This week Tommy Johnson, the campus minister at Western Kentucky University, is training us in discipleship.  The first two days have been amazing and I have really been reminded of the importance of true discipleship.  A disciple is a person who follows Jesus; discipleship is a relationship with Christ, and a deepening of that relationship.  Sadly, it seems to me that training in discipleship has been a discipline that has been lost in the modern church.  I don't think we understand the importance of being a disciple, of having community groups, accountability, and challenging one another to be firmly rooted in the Word and to share the Gospel with the world.  Jesus commissioned us to "go and make disciples of all nations" in Matthew 28:19.  Are we afraid?  Do we feel unqualified?  Are we inconvenienced?  If we identify ourselves as a Christian, following Jesus and sharing the Good News is not an option; it is our personal mission from God--each and every believer.  But we can take heart, because Jesus promised us that we would receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and that he would go with us.  He has not left us alone, and it is not on our own that we accomplish anything for Christ.  And it is pure JOY to serve the Lord.  He brings freedom, joy, peace, and life in abundance.  "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose" (Jim Elliot).

One of the most important things I have learned so far is the difference in recognizing Jesus as your teacher or as your Lord.  At the end of the day, I can walk away from my teacher, but I cannot walk away from my Lord.  If there is no Lordship, there can be no true discipleship.  We must learn from Jesus, and he must teach us if we are to be true Christ-followers.  But he is more that my teacher; he is my Lord.  As such, he commands and more that deserves my complete allegiance; my life is to be defined by his purpose for me.  

It is so sweet to be able to live in fellowship with my brothers and sisters, to daily be challenged, and to daily grow deeper in my relationship with Christ.  Of such a blessing, I am undeserving. :)