Sometimes we complicate things. I am the best at complicating things, especially something as simple as discipleship. After college, I struggled to understand what discipleship meant. I helped in the youth group and talked to my students. But anytime I was asked to disciple someone, I always felt inadequate or like I didn’t have enough training. As we have been serving in Costa Rica, I have finally learned how uncomplicated discipleship can be. If we just open up our hearts and our homes, we can have many great opportunities to disciple.
1) Open your home. Just between you and me, I always want my house to look like an Instagram post before inviting someone in. Now it is good to have a clean home and to take care of what God has given us. That does not mean I cannot invite someone over when my house is in disarray because my kids have been building a blanket fort. Or that I cannot sit down with someone over mugs of hot coffee at my cleared kitchen table while a sink full of dishes waits for me. Sometimes the best discipleship happens when the “disciplee” is helping me wash that sink full of dishes. This leads me to the second point.
2) Open your life. Share. Be open about your struggles and hard times. Let the Holy Spirit use your story in the lives of others. Often I find it easier to be open about my life when my hands are busy. And often, the young ladies I am discipling find it easier to ask questions when their hands are busy. But when the discipleship needs more intentionality, follow the next point.
3) Open the Bible. Sit down and study the book of Ephesians together. Sit down and read God’s life-giving Word. Then ask the questions of what does it mean, what does it tell me about God, and what does it tell me about myself. Opening the Bible gives a more intentional structure to your discipleship. It doesn’t have to be a hard book of the Bible like Jeremiah (but it could be!). And the questions don’t need to be deep and complicated. Just listen to God’s Word and ask the simple questions.
I have loved going through One-to-One Bible Reading by David Helm with young ladies of our church. It gives great structure to any Bible study without overcomplicating it. Another great resource in discipleship has been Growing Together by Melissa Kruger. It gives the questions that you might not know to ask. But honestly, it starts with a small step – open your home. Just do it.
By Sara Ferguson.
