Making of a Disciple

Galatians 6:2New International Version (NIV)

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

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            This verse spoke to me when I saw it this week. I got it from a friend's email and it goes right along with what the sermon at church tonight. It is so strange how that works. Yet I want to change churches for something else. Does that make sense? Maybe just for a short amount of time to feel like I am by myself and then maybe I will go back to the other church? Anyways, back to the verse and what the sermon was about tonight. It was about discipleship and the preacher preached from 1 Thess. but I just feel like this verse goes with it too. 

          The verses that were used from the book of  First Thess. was 1 Thess. 2:7-8 and 9-12. It tells you how to be a disciple and gives some examples. The examples are: a mother and a father but when it really comes down to it, the real example is to be just like Christ. 

Verses 7-8 says, "Gentle, nursing mothers that tenderly cares for a baby and is well pleased because that baby has been very dear to her." Here is all of those verses: 

             "7 Instead, we were like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you.                        Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not                  only the gospel of God but our lives as well."

Verses 9-12 says,"proclaims, works, encourages, implores." Here is what those verses really say:

 "9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we                          worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we                            preached the gospel of God to you.10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of              how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who                                          believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals                  with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live                    lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."

             Another thing that the preacher said during the sermon was this: "Between those two verses, there needs to be an even balance between the both of them for everyone." Girls need some of the guys' things and guys need some of the girls' things. Christ has all of them so we need all of them too if we want to be like Him. 

         The first verse fits in because it is talking about carrying each other's burdens and how that if we do that we will fulfill the law of Christ. Carrying each other's burdens is a way of showing the Love of Christ to one another. It is a way of discipling because love is as very important part of that. When have to love the person first before we can get or go deep with them. We have to show them that we can be trusted with their burdens and issues. 

          Yet, I like it best when the preacher said, "It takes a little bit, a lot of times." That means that we have to keep doing that little bit over and over to "prove" ourselves worthy of being in that person's life. There is no way that a person will let us in the first time we talk to them or even the second time or so on. We might not ever get to really now that person. That is why I am so big on not giving up so ealsiy or so fast. For me, in some friendships, it has taken 8+ years but yet I am not given up because I really care about that friend. I really want to get to know them as a person. People have told me to move on but I would rather carry their burdens then totally forget about them. Is that strange?

          While you read over this entry and think about it for a bit, I am also going to give you some questions that I want you to ask yourself. I am also writing them down for my sake so I won't forget them and so I can also look back on this entry and remember them. The questions are:

-What if you had the joy of making a disciple of Jesus?

-What is your next step growth in being a disciple of Jesus?

-What has God given you through your story and faith in Jesus to share with others?

-Who is God leading you to learn from and to share with in this next season?

-What is your plan to create space and time for those relationships in the rhythm in your everyday life this year?

             I will also put up a prayer this week that is on the same subject as this entry. Keep an eye out for it! Sorry for the verses being messed up. They looked different when I was actually writing the entry. I don't know how to change them so they will all be lined up the same way and it is late. I just want to get this entry done with and off my mind in a way. That is another reason I am not putting the prayer on this entry.