It has been a huge blessing to work in Africa with one of my good friends and overseers Pastor Ernie Frey. While back in the states, he was able to visit the church and speak this past weekend. His message “Teaming Up to Overcome Sin’s Relentless Pursuit” fit perfectly with our focus on discipleship. He emphasized that discipleship is something you do WITH OTHERS. Let’s dive into this.
Pastor Ernie is always open and upfront about the fact that even people in ministry have struggles. One of his struggles in the past had to do with being addicted to quantity (the number of people in his church) and speed (how quickly things were getting done in ministry). He had that “Things must happen NOW” mindset, and it distracted him from his actual ministry. If you look at Jesus’ life, you’ll see that He didn’t start His ministry right away, and when He did, some things took quite a bit of time to unfold. Pastor Ernie had to get to the place where he realized that when lions are eating you alive, you have to defeat the enemy. This is where discipleship becomes so important—you need to team up to overcome sin’s relentless pursuit.
Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself or you may also be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” It’s important to have someone you can turn to—someone to talk to and who can encourage you. It’s also wonderful if you yourself can disciple those around you. Every man needs another man to talk to, and every woman needs another woman to talk to. But just as Scripture warns, you need to be careful not to fall into sin when trying to help others. For example, conversation can turn into malicious gossip. Remember that you don’t need to experience someone else’s sin to help him or her get through it.
Discipleship isn’t something complex and unattainable—anyone who has Christ in his or her life can be a part of discipleship. While discipleship does involve advice and prayer, it sometimes just involves asking someone questions, waiting for answers, and allowing that person to talk through things! Later this week, I’ll further discuss discipleship and what true spiritual leadership looks like. Take some time today to think about who could help disciple you as you walk through life and who you could help disciple.