Life Together
Over the past 6 years as a Christian, one of the largest groanings & desires in my life has been to be discipled by an older, Godly man. As I talk to other Christians and get to know friends better, it almost always seems to be a common desire in them as well. When I first got saved, I was taken under the wings of a pastor & youth pastor who were both very young to be in ministry, yet both extremely wise for their age, deep in their faith, wide in their love, and exceptional in their grasp of God's word.
All good things come to an end (not really, but that's what 'they' say) so none of us are in the same city now where I got saved. I enjoy the occasional email & phone call, but discipling has been hard to come by. I have been hungry to find a Paul since, & have enjoyed deep relationships with men older than me & am learning much from them. There is still a craving for more that schedules won't allow. I think if it were up to me, I'd just spend 3 years under someone's tutledge, shadowing them except while they sleep and occupy the bathroom. That's just how I learn the best.
But I also realize that as I have hoped & waited & yearned for Paul, I have at times pouted & kicked because self-centeredly, I wasn't getting poured into like I wished. However, it also occurred to me that my faith become stagnant as I wait, & to that I naturally attribute that I am not being taught as I hoped & thus faith becomes stagnant.
However, I think this is a misinterpretation. In 15 minutes I am going to meet with a precious child of God in the 7th grade, who some how, some way (the grace of God) is truly on fire for the Lord at an age when most could care less. We meet weekly and are praying for how to structure things (go through a book of the Bible, read a book together, cover a topic such as prayer, go through a catechism) for the long term. And all the sudden, as I find myself pouring into him & 2 other college students weekly, faith becomes more relevant, growing, and transforming in my own life. So I appeal to any of you like me, if life and faith seem stagnant, you're hungry for someone wiser and more godly to pour into your life, realize that there are others just like you - several of which are younger and hungry for the same thing, & for them, you can make your wish come true. Don't focus on what you're not getting & become bitter - focus on how you can make it better for someone else. Give your faith away. As Dr. Mohler told us over lunch the other day, (a paraphrase) "You have no ministry without a Timothy."
Aaron Menikoff gives some helpful insight of how to disciple someone one on one here.
All good things come to an end (not really, but that's what 'they' say) so none of us are in the same city now where I got saved. I enjoy the occasional email & phone call, but discipling has been hard to come by. I have been hungry to find a Paul since, & have enjoyed deep relationships with men older than me & am learning much from them. There is still a craving for more that schedules won't allow. I think if it were up to me, I'd just spend 3 years under someone's tutledge, shadowing them except while they sleep and occupy the bathroom. That's just how I learn the best.
But I also realize that as I have hoped & waited & yearned for Paul, I have at times pouted & kicked because self-centeredly, I wasn't getting poured into like I wished. However, it also occurred to me that my faith become stagnant as I wait, & to that I naturally attribute that I am not being taught as I hoped & thus faith becomes stagnant.
However, I think this is a misinterpretation. In 15 minutes I am going to meet with a precious child of God in the 7th grade, who some how, some way (the grace of God) is truly on fire for the Lord at an age when most could care less. We meet weekly and are praying for how to structure things (go through a book of the Bible, read a book together, cover a topic such as prayer, go through a catechism) for the long term. And all the sudden, as I find myself pouring into him & 2 other college students weekly, faith becomes more relevant, growing, and transforming in my own life. So I appeal to any of you like me, if life and faith seem stagnant, you're hungry for someone wiser and more godly to pour into your life, realize that there are others just like you - several of which are younger and hungry for the same thing, & for them, you can make your wish come true. Don't focus on what you're not getting & become bitter - focus on how you can make it better for someone else. Give your faith away. As Dr. Mohler told us over lunch the other day, (a paraphrase) "You have no ministry without a Timothy."
Aaron Menikoff gives some helpful insight of how to disciple someone one on one here.
