It was spring break two years ago and as a teacher, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have a week off away from students! Many of my teacher friends (and a whole lot of my students’ families) were departing for warm, tropical destinations preluding the warm summer days to come. But I piled in a minivan with a bunch of women from Heartland and headed to Minneapolis for a long weekend of equipping at a 3DM women’s conference. We joked that it was the “reverse spring break” with Minnesota’s 10-below wind chill. So much for “spring”!
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I had decided to go at the last minute. I honestly didn’t even really know what I was signing up for. I just felt like I wanted to spend time with these women and felt like I needed a little bit of God-focused time. Some of my fellow travelers were long-time friends. Some I barely knew. Some I wanted to get to know more deeply. Many of them had already been involved in a discipling leadership group and I was about to join one, but hadn’t yet begun. While most spring breakers were tanning themselves by the beach, we were diving head-first into new waters of our faith journeys. I am so glad that I took the plunge for that experience. God used it to propel me into an amazing chapter of my life, to expand my spiritual identity and purpose, and to deepen friendships that have been a solid place for my soul.
Discipling another person can be a scary thought, but as Christ-followers, we are all called to do it. Go and make disciples.
“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19 The Message)
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like the call to go and make disciples is a job I’m not qualified for. What do I say? How do I reach out to people, but not come off as pushy? Would anyone really want to learn from me? Shouldn’t that be a job for someone in full time ministry? But really, no matter what our background, whether we are new to faith in Jesus or have been walking with him for years, we are all leaders. We are all disciple-makers. We do it in our homes, in our workplaces, in every sphere of influence. We teach. We coach. We show people what we have learned and share our stories.
That was one of the biggest takeaways I had from my weekend in Minnesota. I learned that although sometimes evangelism (telling others about Jesus) and discipleship (helping others become more like Jesus) scare me, God created me with a natural bent toward sharing and teaching what I know. It comes out when I talk about a movie I love, a new album I’ve discovered, an excellent restaurant. It comes out when I talk about my college, about hiking in the mountains, or making music.
I can’t help but talk about the things that I love.
It reminds me of the illustration Steve Weatherford used in his sermon this past Sunday about the Holy Spirit “going viral.” <Watch It Here> We all know those videos that get passed around the internet faster than fathomable. We pass them along because somehow they strike a chord with us whether humorous or poignant. We like it. We hit share. We pass it along. What would happen in my the lives of those around me -- and beyond in the Kingdom -- if I were as quick to talk about what Jesus is doing in my life as I am those other things that I love?
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And the best part is that He promises to be with us as we live out the Great Commission.
“I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
This weekend, Heartland will have the privilege of hosting 3DM’s STAND Conference for women. <Register Here> Wherever you are in your faith journey, I hope you will plan to join us. We will come together in worship, learn from other women, and gain some practical tools to help us walk out this mission of discipleship as we stand UP, stand IN, and stand OUT. It will be a great way to spend a November weekend -- and I’m fairly certain it will be warmer than my “reverse spring break”! Hope to see you there!
~Meredith M.
