Susan’s eyebrows arched in surprise and a smile spread across her lips. “What would that look like?”
“Well,” I said. “I guess studying the Bible together once a week.”
She nodded her head. “Okay, then yes.”
Twenty-two years later, my understanding of discipleship has transformed. Learning to follow Christ isn’t merely about studying the Bible together—although that can certainly transpire—but more about a lifestyle that models pursuit of Christ above all else. The Bible exhorts us to spur each other on in our faith (Heb. 10:24, 25) and for older women to invest into younger women (Titus 2:3, 4). While inviting discipleship is good, we may wrestle with how to do so practically.
Sometimes I’ve struggled to remain proactive in discipleship. Lofty ideas of what discipleship “should” look like fill my mind and prevent me from partaking in the very means God designed to sharpen my faith and build biblical community. I can convince myself I’ll do that when I have more time. Or the right circumstances.
But discipleship can’t be relegated for only those who have ample free time and no troubles. Instead discipleship invites us to link arms together with our sisters in Christ in the messy, busy lives we have today and trust God can use our finite moments to bear fruit. Discipleship can take many forms and involves gleaning from those ahead of us, walking alongside us, and trailing behind us.
THOSE AHEAD OF US
Receiving discipleship from godly older women can feel as elusive as winning free coffee for life from our favorite café. And while it’s vital to have wise ladies speaking into our lives, sometimes our churches lack this population. Over the years, I’ve found myself in places where I had to become creative in seeking out these seasoned women of the faith. Sometimes it meant reading Christian books written by wise, godly women. Other times, I had to reach out to women no longer geographically close.
We must be intentional about what it is we’re seeking from these wiser women of faith. We likely won’t ask an older Christian to study the Bible one-on-one with us, but we may invite her over for tea to discuss parenting advice for the season of life we find ourselves, set-up a phone call to walk through a big life decision, or craft an email about an area of struggle to seek her input. We want to benefit from her faithful walk with Jesus over the years and glean from her perspective as we navigate life. Discipleship from this group may not involve weekly meetings, but continually inviting her voice to counsel us along our path. We don’t need to ask for a long-term commitment, but pursue her input along our faith journey.
THOSE WALKING ALONGSIDE US
Perhaps most surprising of the discipleship equation is peer-to-peer. We can readily grow in our faith and be sharpened by those in our same or near life season when we are intentional regarding our time. Often peer relationships are most easily accessible and can be used to deepen our faith—an “iron sharpens iron” framework (Prov. 27:17).
These peer relationships don’t necessarily need to be with close friends (but can be!), but encountered through keeping God at the center of a church relationship for a specified season of time. For example, we can invite another believer to read through a Christian book or study a book of the Bible together. This could transpire during a lunch break, after the kids are tucked in bed, or taking a walk after church. This meeting has a clear purpose and timeframe. Both people will benefit from this focused time and lives out the command to encourage one another in our faith while getting to know another church member. Additionally, once the study is over there’s no pressure to keep meeting (but you could!).
Read the rest of this article at The Round Farmhouse.
[1] https://christianityexplored.us/
[2] https://research.lifeway.com/2019/01/15/most-teenagers-drop-out-of-church-as-young-adults/#:~:text=Two%2Dthirds%20(66%20percent),from%20Nashville%2Dbased%20Lifeway%20Research.