Practical Discipleship
Discipleship is a term that is thrown around mainly in religious settings, yet I wonder how many of us truly understand it. Perhaps the mere sound of the word leaves you feeling intimidated from the first syllable. Perhaps it brings up the memory of a broken relationship. Perhaps it’s completely foreign altogether.
My prayer in this post is to approach discipleship from a practical perspective, not an exhaustive exegesis. If you have been following along in my Faith + Motherhood video series, some of this may not be new to you, but this will provide resources for you as you intentionally seek to cultivate a culture of discipleship in your life and in your home. I know for me, personally, there are countless women who have gone before me who have taught and led me along life’s way, and it is a joy and honor to think of who I can reach out to now.
what
What is discipleship? By definition, it is a process of leading others by example.
Discipleship happens every day in our world, whether we realize it or not. Social media is full of influencers looking to lead by example with what clothes to buy, curriculum to try, or places to travel.
In light of that definition, it is also sobering to contemplate the notion that we, ourselves, are discipling others in some way. We are leading someone, whether it be our children, a co-worker, or a mentee looking to us as an example. Therefore, the main question is not who am I leading, but rather what am I leading them to?
Throughout the remainder of the post, we will look at discipleship as a tool to share our lives and deepen our knowledge of Jesus.
why
Why is discipleship important? When you place your faith in Jesus, the Bible refers to those who follow His teaching and His example as disciples. Additionally, we are commanded to disciple others to know and love Jesus, not out of mere obligation, but out of an overflow of our love for Him.
Matthew 28:19 ESV says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Now I may have lost some of you when it got to the baptizing part, but don’t click away yet. Just like anything we really love, we naturally want to share it with others: a favorite recipe, a vacation destination, or beauty product. So it is with Jesus. As we grow in our love, experience, and knowledge of Him, we not only tell others about Him, but we want to share how they too can get to know Him. That is essentially and foundationaly why discipleship is crucial for our own spiritual walk. As we walk alongside others, our own lives are enriched.
Who is in your life that can you can be intentionally pouring into?
how
We see Jesus enter into a relationship with the twelve men that followed his example, observed his life, and received his teaching. We are able to observe the model of relationship when love is extended through vulnerability and availability. We watch Jesus make time for his disciples and intentionally enter into conversations along life’s way. Let’s follow His example and ask ourselves: What can discipleship look like in my real life?
In short, it can look a myriad of different ways; my prayer is that you can identify one way that fits well into your season of life.
If you feel comfortable, find a bible study or small group at church and experience discipleship first for yourself.
Participate in one-on-one mentoring with a trusted friend developing accountability and vulnerability. Walk through a book together or discuss a topic each week that is weighing heavy in that season.
Read Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt - One of the first books I read on women mentoring women that helped shape my view of discipleship.
Read The Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoeffer - Educate yourself on what it means to be a disciple of Christ with this incredible read.
Attend to scripture memory. You can use songs to help memorize scripture or scripture cards. There are so many resources, but the bottom line is we need to be hiding God’s word in our heart.
Cemented Co. - Check out my friend’s company who puts together incredible resources and shares helpful tips to help you memorize scripture.
Seeds Family Worship is a wonderful ministry with a plethora of resources for teaching children scripture memory.
Dive into God’s word directly with a Bible reading plan like The Bible Recap and then listen to the related podcast.
For devotional ideas at home with your children, these are some of my favorite resources. Find a time first thing in the morning, at night before bed, or even driving in the car to talk through these important resources.
Long Story Short - Great 10 minute devotions you can have with your children going through stories in the bible. They also include discussion questions to cultivate conversation. A good starting point especially with younger children.
New City Catechism- Questions and answers for creating a solid foundation of faith. For all ages.
Comforting Hearts, Teaching Minds - Better for a pre-teen through young adult age range to dive more deeply into foundational faith questions and answers.
Find a podcast that walks you through a short devotion as a family, or one that challenges you and points you back to scripture as the ultimate authority.
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask About Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin - go through this with your teen as they prepare to launch, and learn alongside one another.
The Jesus Storybook Bible is an all-time favorite resource for every age.
If you have a favorite resource for your family that you don’t see mentioned, please leave it here for another person. The point is not that we list all potential resources, but that you begin to intentionally pursue a discipleship relationship in your life.
We cannot continue to grow in our faith journey without it, as it is a natural expression of our relationship with Christ and a mutual blessing.
Still have questions? Leave a comment below or contact me HERE. I’d love to walk you through the next steps and watch you grow in purpose and delight.