IMITATE ME!

 

Who were your HEROES growing up? Besides the obvious, my dad and my Grandpa Lewis, I had other people I wanted to be like. One of those was a pastor I had as a teenager,  Pastor Ted Blosser. I have had other pastors I admire, but Ted was really someone special in a time when I was just starting to take seriously my faith. He led by example. One of the things I remember the most about PASTOR TED was that he spent time with me. We had normal conversations about stuff beyond just God. We went on backpack trips together, and all the kids in our youth group thought we were the main reason HE and Lynn got married. 

For the past several years, I have been immersed in learning how to MAKE DISCIPLES who MAKE DISCIPLES. I cannot tell you the number of books I have read and the time I have buried my head in scriptures to explore this topic. Ironically, I have come to believe that there is NO perfect program, there is no perfect method, no magical formula for making disciples. My conclusion, and I think it is the FINAL WORD on how to make DISCIPLES, is SIMPLE. IN order to make disciples, you need to do this;

"Spend time with someone who doesn't know Jesus!"

I was finishing up Philippians chapter 4 today, and I think PAUL would agree with my statement.

"Keep putting into practice all you learned from and received from me --- everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9, NLT)

Pretty simple. Paul was telling the Church at Philippi to just do what he was doing, follow his example, use his life as a MODEL for how they should live their life. WOW! I have a big, bold note in my study bible that says, "Can I be someone's ROLE MODEL?" I would answer that question by saying, "It depends on what day it is." There are many times I am confident I am living as a good example for others, and there are other days I think, "Oh boy, I really messed up today!"

In reality, I think doing life with someone like Pastor Ted is so powerful. We got to see his flaws, his hopes, his dreams, his faith, his weaknesses, his strengths, his doubts, his worries, and we learned from all of those things. Yes, we got to study God's word with him. We got to listen to his preaching. We got to sing praise songs with him, but I don't remember a single one of his sermons or bible studies. What I DO REMEMBER is the type of person he was, how he treated us "kids" and how he lived his life. 

I think that is what Paul was saying. TO ME A DISCIPLE MAKER requires a commitment to be a role model for others, to show them OUTWARDLY your love for Jesus and how you rely upon your faith every day, how you can't get through a crisis with out PRAYER, how you can't go through life without THANKING GOD for the blessings in your life. You need to show your craving for God's WORD and how you long to be a part of the FELLOWSHIP of believers. Just LET THEM SEE how you put into practice all you have learned from JESUS. 

The process of making a disciple is PRIMARILY about GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS, sharing life together. It's not about an intense bible study, knowing the right doctrine, praying a certain way, worshipping, or preaching. JUST SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE AND LET THEM SEE HOW IMPORTANT JESUS IS IN YOUR DAILY LIFE.

"I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:33-11:1, NLT)