Skills for Following Jesus

Skills and tools for following Jesus and discipling others.

10 Misunderstandings about Discipleship

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  1. That discipling others only applies to trained professionals.
    The truth: discipling others is the calling and privilege of every follower of Jesus.
  2. That you’re not holy enough to disciple someone else.
    The truth: if you are on a trajectory of life change in Jesus Christ, then you are holy enough to disciple others.
  3. That you need some special training before you can disciple someone.
    The truth: just minutes after she met Jesus, the woman at the well began leading others to Him. (John 4)
  4. That you must reach a high level of maturity before you can disciple others.
    The truth: all you have to do is represent Jesus to others through your life and words. Even a child can do that!
  5. That discipling others requires a special gifting or personality.
    The truth: there is no gift of discipling and God uses any and all personalities to represent Jesus uniquely to others. Let Him use you the way He made you.
  6. That you are responsible for others’ responses to your discipling efforts.
    The truth: Jesus doesn’t hold us responsible for others’ responses, but He does hold us responsible for representing Him to others through our lives and words.
  7. That discipleship is chiefly a matter of learning theology.
    The truth: becoming and growing as a disciple (follower) of Jesus has chiefly to do with our relationship with Him. Theology helps us think rightly about Jesus, but it need not be complicated or stuffy.
  8. That according to Romans 7, no one can have victory over sin.
    The truth: Romans 7 describes the futility of someone trying to keep the law in the flesh. Romans 6, 7 & 8 assure us that in Christ we are dead to sin and no longer its slaves.
  9. That discipling others as Jesus and the apostles did is a thing of the past and no longer relevant.
    The truth: Jesus command to make disciples is inseparably linked to His promise to be with us as we disciple others until He returns.
  10. That discipleship is a complex, mysterious activity that’s not easy to grasp.
    The truth: we have sometimes made it so, but discipling others is simply representing Jesus to them through our life and words.

 

©2018 Rob Fischer

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