Praying together – first Step of Discipleship

We continue talking about Discipleship.  The Board has been tasked to develop the Discipleship Plan. Last week I shared with you how different ethnic groups understand discipleship differently due to the language differences.  And it seems that the best way to approach Disciple-Shift is not with definitions but a description, and the best example of the discipleship process would be the life and work of Jesus, who disciple original twelve.  How do we disciple someone today?

This week Dr. Allan Martin posted on his FB a comment that I had to re-post “Until we’re fully committed to disciple our own kids through the entire lifespan, we don’t have any business evangelizing anyone.”  I wholeheartedly agree because our first disciples are our children, our first field of evangelism is our family!  When we disciple our children to follow Jesus, when we can tell our kids “imitate me as I imitate Christ” then we are ready to invite strangers, neighbours, outsiders into this process of discipleship we call Evangelism!

As we talk about Evangelising Windsor, have you evangelised your family?  Your kids, your grandchildren?  Don’t practice discipleship on others until you have practiced on your own J

And the very first step of discipleship is Prayer!  Pray FOR and WITH those you love, those you care for.  As you pray with your children they open to you with their concerns, questions, worries, and it creates teaching moments.  Prayer is Step 1 in our Discipleship Plan. 

As I read elders handbook, it impressed me that the new edition puts prayer first as a tool of nurturing the church for love and unity!  When we pray together we grow in love and unity together. As we PRAY we GROW!  This is discipleship!

Friends, as you wonder who to disciple, how to find people you can mentor and invest in, start praying with people. It will be the first step in establishing discipleship. Ellen White writes in Steps to Christ p.98 – “those who are really seeking communion with God will be seen in the Prayer meeting!”  Our Prayer meetings are Disicpleship Groups.

Press on!  Pray until Disicpleship happens!