5 Reasons to be Discipled

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS | Direct Download

I DARE YOU TO GET IN THE GAME!

Do you want to be happy? Randy Alcorn warns, “If we buy into the lie that happiness is

to be found in wealth, beauty, fame, or any number of endless pursuits besides Christ,

we’re doomed to unhappiness because we’re pursuing the wrong things.” (Alcorn,

Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition (p. 7). The Crown Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.)

“To be truly happy a man must have sources of gladness which are not dependent on

anything in this world.” —J. C. Ryle

Happiness is found in being a disciple of Jesus Christ!

The invitation of Christ to the joy of discipleship is the same as it was 2,000 years ago:

“Come, follow me.” (Matthew 4:19 NIV)

He wants us to be His disciples and be discipled. The question is, will we answer His call

and find true happiness by being His disciples?

To help with our motivation, here are…

5 Reasons to be Discipled:

1. The joy of true fellowship.

One of the best parts of discipleship is the fact that you are creating relationships

that go beyond surface deep. True fellowship is something we long for, but we

don’t know how to achieve it. Discipleship accomplishes that.

When we meet together, we:

• Share life together

• Study the Bible together

• Encourage each other

• Pray for each other

Doing these face-to-face allows us to achieve what we long for but often don’t

achieve or know how to achieve: true fellowship.

2. The joy of growing in Christlikeness.

If I ask myself the question “When am I the happiest?” the answer is that I am

happiest when I am like Jesus. I’m not talking about a “giddy” kind of happiness,

but a serene, able to handle anything, at peace with the world kind of joy.

Conversely, when I am the unhappiest, it is because I am not following in the

footsteps of Jesus. It’s when I’ve…

• Become impatient

• Started complaining

• Been worried

• Said things I shouldn’t have

• Lost my cool

• Envied

But the more I grow to be like Jesus, the more joyful I am. 2 Corinthians explains:

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the

Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory

of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more

like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:16-

18 NLT)

Recently after playing basketball, one of the guys said to me, “I wish I could be

like you and just keep my mouth shut and not let things bother me when the game

doesn’t go like I want.”

I appreciated the comment, but I’m not sure I deserved it. Not because it isn’t

true, but because my positive traits are the Lord working in my life, not my own

goodness. And growing in Christlikeness through the power of His Spirit feels

good!

3. The joy of fulfilling your destiny.

It is awesome to have a destiny that we can fulfill because we are His disciples

and growing in Him.

As it says in Ephesians: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew

in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

(Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

I’m so grateful that I am involved in something beyond pettiness, beyond

triviality, beyond just “eat, drink and be merry.”

“You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy”

(Psalm 63:5, NLT)

Many people lack purpose, direction, meaning. But when we are discipled, not

only are we fulfilled, but we begin a cycle of reproduction that can impact

multitudes as disciples multiply disciples. Generation after generation can be

affected by our discipleship! It’s a wonderful destiny to fulfill!

4. The joy of getting your questions answered

Another great thing about discipleship is we get questions answered. Especially

about how our faith relates to our personal lives. Yes, we get Bible knowledge,

but more importantly, we have godly examples to emulate.

Like the Apostle Paul wrote, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of

Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV)

One of the men who discipled me was a missionary and evangelist named Floyd

“Mac” McElveen. He was an amazing man of God and the most remarkable

evangelist I ever met. He had over 2 million books in print. Although he died in

2014, many of his books are still available on the internet.

Mac answered my theological questions. But more importantly, he set an example

for me through his incredible life and his dedication to sharing Jesus wherever he

went. He was a dear friend and mentor to whom I am deeply grateful. (As are

others who discipled me.)

There will never be another Mac. He was exceptional. But it doesn’t take a Mac

to be a mentor. Most disciplers in my life have been regular Christians. They

answered my questions and helped me understand what it meant to follow Jesus

on a daily basis.

5. The joy of knowing how to disciple others

You should be discipled for your sake but also, so you know how to disciple

others.

As Rick Warren famously began his book The Purpose Driven Life, “It’s not

about you.”

Real joy comes when we share with others. So, when we’re discipled, it is to grow

personally, but more importantly, it is so we can do the same for others.

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the

truth.” (3 John 1:4 NLT)

To this end, my next blog will be “5 Reasons to be a Disciple-Maker”

CONCLUSION:

Maybe you’re wondering how you can be discipled—how can you get started?

Here’s a simple solution: Find just one person and ask them if they would study

“Discipleship Journeys with Jesus” with you. That will give you a pattern to follow—you

can meet and do one journey per week or whatever schedule works for you.

Or it could be more than one person. How many could it be? Here’s the answer from the

example of Jesus:

• Discipleship can be done in small groups, just like Jesus had a small group of The Twelve.

• Discipleship can be done in an even smaller group, just like Jesus had a smaller group of an inner circle: Peter, James and John.

• Discipleship can be done one-on-one, just like Jesus had “The Beloved Disciple,” John.

So, from 2 to 12 works. Don’t get hung up on numbers.

And don’t get hung up on titles like who is the disciple and who is the discipler. Just ask

someone, “Would you like to go on some discipleship journeys with Jesus with me?

We’ll just meet for about an hour each week, have some coffee or tea, and follow the

journeys laid out online with DJJ.”

If they say “yes” then off you go!

Here are the details:

Discipleship Journeys with Jesus (DJJ), is a free resource for discipling that makes it far

easier to “make disciples.” Thousands are being discipled using these studies based on

biblical journeys with Jesus. You can join with them. Just click the link and sign in. More

languages are being translated all the time.

If you're wondering about being a discipler, see my article on 5 Reasons to be a Disciple-Maker.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media

or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical

guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Quote Card: He is no fool who gives what he cannot lose...

• Quote Card: Spurgeon on being a missionary

• 3 P's of Evangelism

• One of the Worst Christian Quotes Ever

• The Top 10 Reasons To Plant New Churches Now

• 4 Great Questions To Ignite Evangelism In A Lost World

• The Goal of the Great Commission is Disciples

• Podcast: What's the value of 1 to 1 discipleship?

• Video: The Great Commission is for ALL Christians

• 3 Reasons You Need A Strategy for Spiritual Growth

• How To Know If You Are Truly Saved

• How To Know If You're A Powerful, Fruitful Christian

• 5 Reasons God's Definition of Success is Wonderful

• Submit To Get What You Want

• How To Attain Christian Nobility

• Four Kinds of People, Which One Are You?

• Vlog: Build Stuff That Will Last

NOTE: Social media is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't

miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to

Unlock Heaven on Earth.

Do not strive in your own strength. –Andrew Murray

Strength is definitely required to live the Christian life. However, not the strength that comes

through self-exertion; but the power that comes from yielding to God, who strengthens those

who acknowledge their weakness and dependence on Him.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Recently, during a prolonged cold, I completely lost my voice. At first, I insisted on trying to

speak anyway, but even whispering was difficult and painful. Soon my resistance gave way to

submission, as I realized the best treatment was to surrender my efforts to speak, obey the

wisdom of the doctor and just wait for God to heal me. I was dependent on note writing and

hand/head gesturing.

Initially it was very frustrating, but the more I trusted God for help, the more He gave me peace to accept my condition. Also, He strengthened my faith to believe that in time my voice would return. Soon my frustration gave way to contentment. My part was to rest, sip tea with honey and trust, and God’s part was to hopefully heal me, and He did.

But what if I had forced myself to keep speaking, without yielding, waiting and resting? I could have disregarded the advice of the doctor and insisted on pushing myself and exerting my own effort to regain my speech. I could have pushed through the pain and chosen to resist the help that God was providing. But that would have no doubt prolonged my condition and suffering, and possibly done irreparable damage to my vocal chords and health.

I learned a valuable lesson, just as I couldn’t force my voice to return, and had to submit to the doctor, obey and rely on him to get well; in a similar way, we have to submit to God, obey and rely on Him to live the Christian life.

If we don’t rely on God to live the Christian life, we may be doing more harm than good and we most certainly will become discouraged or burned out. But what about the verses in the Bible that tell us to “strive to enter the narrow door” (Luke 13:24); and to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12); and to “be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6)? Well, it may seem like a contradiction, to strive, work and be strong; but not if we rely on the strength of the Lord and not our own. Our part is to submit and obey and His part is to empower and sanctify us.

The problem with relying on our own strength to live the Christian life is that we are weak,

limited, frail, finite, fragile and sinful. Also, whatever strength we have can be taken from us at any given moment and we can also easily be led astray.

Therefore, we need to cooperate with God and submit to the work of His Holy Spirit in us. We need to acknowledge our need for Him and His strength, which shows up best in our weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJV)

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

We can be grateful for weakness, because it provides an opportunity for God to supply us with the courage and power that we do not possess. He will show Himself strong through a life that is fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus.

When God is our source of strength, we can trust Him to work in us to give us the power to accomplish His will.

• Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (NLT)

• Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (NIV)

• Colossians 1:11 says, “We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy.” (GW)

In addition, the Bible is filled with the blessings for those who rely on the Lord for strength, and reminders of His faithfulness to supply it to those who ask.

Psalm 59:17 says, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” (NIV)

Psalm 138:3 says, “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me

strength.” (NLT)

"The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” (Psalm 28:7 NLT)

Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is to admit our weakness, stop striving and simply wait on the Lord and depend on His strength.

It can be difficult to be patient sometimes, because it may seem like we are doing nothing. But that’s not true, because while we’re waiting, we can pray, worship and exercise our faith to believe that He will give us strength moment by moment as we continue to abide in Him.

• Psalm 84:5 says, “Happy are the people whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” (HCSB)

• Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” (NLT)

• John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (ESV)

Are you relying on the Lord for His strength?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need iblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Discipleship Journeys with Jesus (DJJ), is a free tool for disciple-making based on biblical journeys with Jesus. You can join with them—just click the link.

Do not strive in your own strength. –Andrew Murray | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How To Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

• Setting Goals and Solving Problems

• How A Life Vision Helps You Reduce Stress and Accomplish More

• What Is The Meaning of Life?

• How To Tackle A Mountain-Sized Goal In Faith

• 7 Steps To A Productive Vision Retreat

• So You Think You Can't Take A Prayer Retreat?

• Who Needs A Vision Retreat?

• What is The Worst Sin in the World?

• Video Vlog: Self Realization Fellowship

• Quotecard: We Make Our Decisions...

• Video Vlog: Feeling Low?

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• There Is No Failure In God's Will

• God Always Gives His Best

• 5 Reasons God's Definition of Success is Wonderful

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth.

Why I Still Memorize Scripture

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS | Direct Download

It's A Strategic Discipleship Tool

There’s a part of me that really dislikes Bible memorization. It’s hard to do and keeps

getting harder the older I get. I can’t say I’ve ever had the best memory, and it doesn’t

seem to be getting any better!

Video is from Discipleship Journeys with Jesus Journey 3, “Jesus Journey to a Wilderness”

But there’s another part of me that keeps pressing on, because I know the importance of

Scripture memorization.

So, to keep me motivated, and perhaps you also, here are…

3 Reasons to Keep Memorizing Scripture:

1. The example of Jesus!

You’ll remember that Jesus fasted, prayed and was tempted for 40 days in the

wilderness. You can see the account in Matthew 4:1-11. But in each case when

the devil tempted Jesus, His response was to quote Scripture that He had

memorized.

So, WWJD? He would memorize Bible passages. To see what that area looks like,

check out the video attached to this blog, which we recorded on location in the

Judean wilderness where Jesus fasted, prayed and was tempted for those 40 days.

If you and I are going to fight temptation, we must memorize Bible passages that

speak to our areas of temptation.

In this day of the internet, it is super easy to search “Bible verses on

________________” and then fill in the temptation:

• Worry

• Lust

• Unforgiveness

• Anger

• Contempt

• Cheating

• And so on

Your search engine will likely come up with a great list of websites with

Scriptures on the topic.

To test this, I searched “Bible verses on laziness” and it up came with links to…

• 21 Best Bible Verses About Laziness

• 24 Bible Verses To Deal A Blow Against Laziness

• Top 7 Bible Verses About Laziness

And there were more. Google search says it came up with: “About 615,000

results (0.48 seconds).”

2. The teaching of scripture

Along with the example of Jesus, the Bible encourages memorization in verses

such as:

Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

Psalm 37:31

“The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.”

John 15:7

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,

and it will be done for you.”

Joshua 1:8

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall

meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to

all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and

then you will have success.” The best way to meditate on God’s Word is

to memorize it!"

3. It is the best spiritual discipline

Our natural inclination is to ask, “How little can I get away with?” and “Can I get

away with not memorizing the Bible?” But those are the wrong questions. The question, when it comes to our relationship with the Lord ought to be, “How can I best enhance my walk with God?” One clear answer is to memorize Scriptures.

According to renowned teacher Dallas Willard, it is the BEST spiritual discipline

to practice:

• If I had to—and of course I don’t have to—choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life and take only one, I would choose Bible memorization. I would not be a pastor of a church that did not have a program of Bible memorization in it, because Bible memorization is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what they need. Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship (p. 58). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

CONCLUSION:

Growing up I was so blessed to be part of a church that had an AWANA youth program

where a major component was Bible memorization. I learned many verses during my

childhood and have learned more since then. I can testify to the power of God’s Word

hidden in my heart.

When our boys were young, we had a family theme verse we memorized together:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for

building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

(Ephesians 4:29 NIV)

As you might imagine, we pulled that one out of our memories and “preached” it to our

fussing boys many times!

Am I a Bible memorization ninja? Not hardly. But I’m hanging in there with Bible

memory for the reasons listed above. How about you?

It's helpful to have a tool.

Discipleship Journeys with Jesus (DJJ), where the video above comes from, has

suggested Bible memory verses with each journey lesson. DJJ is a free tool for disciple

making that makes it far easier to “make disciples.” Thousands are being discipled using

these studies based on biblical journeys with Jesus. You can join with them.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• The Goal of the Great Commission is Disciples

• How To Know If You Are Truly Saved

• Please DO Call Yourself Christian If...

• Please DON'T Call Yourself Christian If...

• Submit To Get What You Want

• How To Attain Christian Nobility

• Four Kinds of People, Which One Are You?

• Vlog: Build Stuff that Will Last

• Quote Card: Spurgeon On Being A Missionary

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• 3 Acceptable Sins You Can Enjoy Today...or NOT!

• Podcast: Will someone lose their salvation if they commit terrible sins?

• Who Needs Jesus, I'm A Good Person

• 4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust The Bible Today

• How Digging In The Dirt Proves The Bible Is Reliable

• Podcast: How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?

• Podcast: Why do some bible versions omit certain verses?

• Video Vlog: Twisting Scripture

NOTE: Social media is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't

miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to

Unlock Heaven on Earth.