Discipleship and Mentoring

A small thought at the end of my day.

Lately I have been thinking about the importance of Discipleship and making Disciples, and I wonder - “ where have all the good men gone”?!!. 
I know of a young male who has met Jesus and is desperate for a mentor - someone to walk along side him and teach him the way of the Master. 

I started to think about all the men I know and could honestly say only a few of them would know how to Disciple, but are too busy to take this young guy on.

This lead me to questioning what Discipleship looks like in the 21st century. 

What are the foundations. Can anyone do it? 

If we are to “Go into all the Earth, Preach and teach and make Disciples’ what does that mean? Women seem to know how to talk; but disciple? And when men get together do they dabble in the Word - so to speak?
Simply put - 

Preach - tell them how it is

Teach - make them understand

Disciple - walk with them through life to help them discipline themselves to be more Christlike

Is this happening today in modern Churches? I would have to say no, it isn’t. Pastors have grasped Alter calls, but not the ‘discipling’ Process.

Most Churches are about the show, the numbers, the Pastors talk, the programs, the money. They are simply too busy to do the things that count. 

Imagine for a second that the Pastor stood at the pulpit and asked people to stand up who:

Shared the Gospel of Jesus this week with an unbeliever and what was their name?

or if they deliberately spent time with someone younger or older mentoring them. 

An Alter call is NOT obedience to the call. Where is the follow up? It is the follow up that is Discipleship. Feeding the sheep is relational.

What a difference to the Church of believers it would be if the line of mentoring was a priority, maybe even accountability to ‘making disciples’.

Let the older women teach the younger women..... (Titus 2:4-6).

The concept is invaluable. But alas - there are very few men who think it applies to them. 

Discipleship is not just about getting together and being social, it is deliberate about learning ‘the way’ and walking in it with accountability. If there was a ‘Sinners Anonymous ‘ then we would all have a sponsor to call on to keep us on the right track. 

If I had not had so many women and mentors in my life then I don’t know where my Faith would be, it is the inspiration and challenges I have received from them to keep going, that has kept me growing. 

I fear for my children, for this next generation of believers.....

Does any follower care enough to ‘train up’; to Disciple? 

Start your next conversation with “How is your walk with the Lord going? What have you read lately?” Then discuss it. 

Obedience. Tick.