Making Disciples

Among all this atmosphere of exams and works at the campus, students get more stressed and don’t show up as frequently as they use to. But you can easily find them in the library or in study rooms. I passed through a situation like this some weeks ago and probably will do it again very soon. I was spending lots of time studying for exams and working at the museum so that I didn’t spend so much time on ministry issues as I use to.

As I’ve already said, I am a very relational person. I love to be with people, to care about them, to walk aside them, to truly know them. That’s why one of the things I most like is discipleship. How I love it! I remember when I started to disciple my current disciples. I felt just like I wasn’t so ready for that and I noticed that my relationship with them wasn’t that deep as I wanted it to be. It took some time for us to settle a real friendship. I learned that discipleship is all about investing your life in people; to love them, to help them to walk day by day, to be close and also to be friends. It is also to lead, to learn from them, to love. I’m so glad cause I can see myself so mature and I can also see their growth. It is something mutual, we’re developing together. Today I feel joy when I see each of them, my disciples, going on in their spiritual and ministerial journeys. I can see the fruits. The most wonderful thing is to see these fruits tending to generate new trees, from which other new fruits will sprout with time.

Discipleship gives me pleasure, simply because I am helping someone in this one’s Christian journey and it is surely contributing to make this one to do the same with another person someday. It improves me, I am edified, and I get to know more about myself.

One question was making me wonder “How can I do this same thing out of my campus?”. I started to pray and every new day I was getting more enchanted by the idea of starting a discipleship at church. I started to have weekly meeting with a boy whom had just started to go to church. Nevertheless, he’s not converted to Christ. We’re studying about Jesus’ life and he’s loving it! He feels really happy because I showed myself willing to help him to understand more about God’s love and also because now he’s got someone who can help him with his doubts and questions. His spontaneous interest amazes me. Thank You, Lord!

I am deeply happy because of it all. Making disciples brings me nonpareil satisfaction as I see lives being changed and edified. To walk with someone who’s just got to know Jesus, helping this one to grow and progress in the journey and have a relationship with Christ is all I ever dreamt of. Plus, seeing my old disciples making new disciples drives me to immeasurable happiness.

I came to share about it because it was our last monthly meeting’s theme [at this meeting many students from several universities in Rio de Janeiro get together to celebrate, make friends, to pray and to be inspired to keep on in their campus ministries]; We were wonderfully ministered about discipleship. Who spoke that night is a missionary from “BrasilMúsica e Missão”, a ministry which uses musical and visual arts to evangelize people. After that meeting I felt more engaged in keep on in this journey, helping my friends to grow even more spiritually and personally. As that missionary said, based on John 15, “we should spend all our energies on fructifying”. All our life is supposed to do it, just like Jesus did. We should walk as He did, speak as He did, behave as He did. He not only gave His life but He is Life.

Sam