Saturday, February 5, 2011

How Long

   I read an interesting question yesterday from the Making Disciples facebook wall, “How much time must a disciple-maker spend with one being made into a disciple?” It’s an interesting question, and may seem to be quite complex at initial glance. I admit that my first thought was to modern culture and somewhere between the thought of the mobile society we live in and Master Yoda of Star Wars.

   How much time must I spend discipline to make them a disciple? Wait a minute, I don’t make disciples. I can help mentor and grow and teach those who are learning to follow Christ, but it is He who makes them, not me. Now that the pressure of making things is off, I can think more about the time.
   We do live in a very mobile world now. People that may have once never traveled much farther than their homes, may now move around the entire world. When the physical distance grows, the time factor mentioned in this question can become quite difficult. Communication, even through the social media technology available currently, can still be quite different than talking in person. In addition, the person needed and most suited to work with that individual at that time, may not be the person to grow with them and teach them later. That is the beauty of the body, each piece functioning as it should.
   So, I will go back to my original answer of my post – “as much time as we are given.” As God moves us along our own lives, He will move us in and out of these places, so we are both “made.”

No comments:

Post a Comment