"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. "
1 Corinthians 11:1
PASS IT ALONG
Read It: 2 Timothy 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14 The final aspect of discipleship I want to consider is this. The process of disciple-making should be transferable to somebody else. You move from simply being a disciple to being a disciple-maker when you can take others through the process. Paul put it in personal terms. Now I'm not sure many of us would want to sign our names under a bold statement like the one above, but there is nothing wrong with following people if those people are following Christ. A major part of Paul's ministry was transferring what he had been entrusted with to others. The danger is, we can get so much truth that we get comfortable sitting ting on it. But if what you are learning is not changing how you live, if it does not help somebody else, and if it does not change the society, then what you are learning is a waste of time. See, if you continue to take in the Word of God but don't do your spiritual itual exercises by applying it and passing it along, you get spiritually overweight. weight. Then what was designed for your health becomes a detriment to you. You have to be exercising, sharing this stuff with other disciples.
That's what Paul did. Look at what the writer of Hebrews told his readers in Hebrews 5. They were called to be teachers, disciplers. You say, "But I thought that's what we hired a pastor to do." Sorry, this job description is for every disciple. If you can't point to another person you're bringing along in the faith, you don't really understand stand what it means to be a disciple. Hebrews 5 doesn't say it would be nice if each believer did this. We "ought" to be teaching and discipling others. It's imperative, not optional. Any athlete will tell you it's easy to win games from an easy chair. It's something else to win them on the field. Too many churches are filled with "armchair quarterbacks" who see clearly what everyone else should be doing. But God has not called you to watch from the sidelines. He's called you to get into the game and help a "rookie" or two learn how it's done. Think About It Even if you haven't gone that far in your Christian life, you can help somebody coming along behind you.
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