A Call to Be Pursuers
When I was in college, I approached a guy that I considered wise and asked if He would mentor me. He proceeded to invite my roommate and I to his house for dinner regularly. In going to his house, we got to see what life looked like with a wife and children. We got to observe what being a godly husband and dad looked like. He also took time to intentionally talk to us about different things regarding Christian living. I also did this when I lived in New Orleans and I have recently done it again.
These discipling or mentoring relationships (whatever you’d prefer to call them) have always greatly impacted my life. Getting to talk to and learn from people who are ahead of me in their walks with Christ is invaluable. They are always experiences I remember and have fond regard for. They’re also something that I think every Christian should be pursuing.
Be the Pursuer
While it does happen on occasion, chances are that someone isn’t going to walk up to you at church one day and say, “Hey, do you want to do some discipleship with me?” If you’d like this type of relationship in your life then you need to pursue it. Here are a few tips that I think will make this relationship the most beneficial:
Identify someone who’s ahead of you in their walk with Christ that has qualities you admire or could learn from.
Make sure that person is the same gender as you.
Preferably, identify a person who is at the same local church as you (there are exceptions).
Have a plan in mind (place to meet, frequency, duration, etc.)
Have things in mind you want to learn from them and be open to their suggestions.
By having these things laid out, you have thought through your purposes for meeting with this person and you’re being respectful of their time. Meeting with someone from your church is an investment in making your local church stronger and will increase the frequency of your relationship with the person you ask. Not only will you learn from this person, but they will learn from you too. As you mutually build one another up, your church becomes stronger as a whole.
Now, Be the Pursuer Again
Don’t stop with just asking someone to invest in you. Find someone you think that would be good to invest in and willing to meet with you and ask them to get together. The steps above are all good starting points except this time you want to find someone who may be not as far along in their walk with Christ and maybe have some things in mind you think you’d like to share with them. Pursue—be the instigator. Once again, while it does happen, chances are rare that someone will walk up to you at church one day and say, “Hey, will you disciple me?” So go find one or three people and get together!
Conclusion
Believe it or not, Christianity has grown and spread through this very simple method. Christ told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations teaching them everything He had taught them. Mutual investment makes our churches stronger and bridges the gaps between younger Christians and those who have walked with Christ a longer time. We need each other. Discipleship needs to be happening more regularly in our churches. Jesus’ strategy to grow His kingdom is still the same now and as it was when He was on the earth. Now, who will you pursue?
