Beyond teaching

In John 1, Andrew and another disciple ask Jesus where he is staying and Jesus replies with an invitation: ‘Come ... and you will see’ (verse 39). The next day he finds Philip and again offers an invite instead of a sermon: ‘Follow me’ (verse 43).  

Jesus didn’t want the disciples to just hear him teach, but to see how he lived his life. The way Jesus led his disciples was both freeing and vulnerable.  

Before moving to Scotland to do iEDGE (the Navigators world missions programme) I didn’t have much experience doing discipleship intentionally. I had taught people things and shared my life with friends. I just hadn’t met with someone with the intention of making disciples. As I have studied more deeply what discipleship looks like and been able to disciple girls here in Glasgow, I have seen the good and the hard.

The best bits of discipleship 

Good disciple-making involves listening to the person you are meeting with and to God. The people who have deeply impacted me the most were good listeners and good question-askers because they listened to understand. Over the years, I’ve learned ways to become a better listener through various advice and techniques.  

The best piece of advice I’ve been given is from scripture: Love God and abide in his love (John 15:1-17).  

When we abide in God’s love, we make space for Jesus to show up. No matter how intelligent or skilled I am, it’s all about bringing Jesus into others’ lives. I may physically show up for the person, but I am truly hoping Jesus arrives.  

Spending time with God results in the fruit of the Spirit, but it also makes me more aware of his presence. It’s been so freeing to discover that the bulk of the ‘work’ in making disciples is being a disciple of Jesus. Living life with Jesus equips me to help others find him. And his voice becomes clearer when I am more aware of his presence.  

The messy, hard bits 

This all sounds easy, right? Although the practical side of life-on-life discipleship is simple, the reality of life-on-life is messy and hard. Life is full of brokenness and sin. The closer you become with people, the more of this you face.  

My life is a part of the relationship, so I must live vulnerably. It is hard to face brokenness and sin in others’ lives, but it is also hard to let people see the imperfections in my life.  

The hope in this is that Jesus is there with us. God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). God loves to heal and restore. When we face these things together, we are opening the floor for God to speak truth into our situations.  

What God can do with your life 

I get so excited about the alongsider vision because I think this is the essence of a good community. To have a healthy church, people need to be seen and cared for on a deeper level. Life-on-life discipleship allows people to build that trust and face things together.  

We aren’t meant to deal with life alone. God has such big plans for our seemingly short lives. Getting alongside one or two people can have a deep impact on the Kingdom. I am grateful God has revealed these things to me. I am so hopeful for how I will participate in his eternal story.