“The test of one’s discipleship is the depth of one’s relationship.”
This quote from Stuart Briscoe stopped me in my tracks. It really does seem to be the catalyst of why two people of similar faith can have such different results when evaluating one’s spiritual growth.
In my years serving in MAC Ministries, I have come to understand the impact of KNOWING Jesus as opposed to KNOWING ABOUT Jesus and the effect it can have on being a disciple of Christ.
It very much is the difference of having a fruitful life. One that is multiplying!
I have modeled MAC Ministries to focus solely on discipleship…..that which is nurtured through relationships. The most important aspect of this Ministry is to help navigate people to a deeper hunger and relationship with God.
The kind of relationship that breeds intimacy and the joy that comes from it.
As a father of 5 children, I have come to understand that marriage alone does not multiply the family. There must be intimacy between the two for multiplication to occur. My experience has revealed that Christ leads us to intimacy with Him in order to bear fruit….fruit that will last.
Spending time with others is my greatest method for modeling. I then set out to develop the relationship so to model my dependency and relationship on Christ. It’s a method that allows me to show others that my TRUST and HOPE comes NOT from the results of life’s circumstances, but solely from KNOWING God.
It is something that I model to churches as well. Especially with leadership teams.
A church cannot become a disciple-making church unless there are disciples present.
Achieving this is mostly recognizable, not through a set of programs or activities, but the hearts of those in the church. How they invest their time, energy, and prayers to relationship building.
This is why discipleship is the process that MAC Ministries utilizes in transforming the local community we’re in.
Below are some quotes that I’ve been wanting to incorporate into this article:
“There comes a time in everyone’s life when things get a little tough, and how we respond to these moments of crisis says a whole lot about our character and our worldview. It says a lot about our faith, too.” — John Kasich in Every Other Monday
Discipleship provides the opportunity for many to come to “know” our Lord, not just “know about” our Lord. So many times, we are quick to answer the question “who is your Lord and Savior”, but how many of us are confident to claim to “Know” Jesus. When focused on discipleship, one will see men come to “know” Jesus. They recognize him more! They seek him more! They’re being transformed by Him!
Discipleship helps us move beyond the just attending Christian activities at church to learning how to think, act, and be like Jesus in every possible respect, every day of the week. It helps men build relationships grounded in “knowing” God, therefore becoming “alive” in the fullest sense of the word.