Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…not quite sure how this will go. Oh well, I guess I’ll try fishing here today. I had never fished this pond before and wasn’t even sure if there were fish here, oh well, here goes nothing. I began fishing and with every cast was extremely intentional with lure and placement. With every lure change and cast I became more impatient and less intentional. I walked around the entire pond for what seemed like an eternity. After I had tried what seemed like every lure in my tackle box and fished every square inch of that pond, I finally caught a fish. It didn’t even matter that I’d been fishing for three hours. I had finally caught a fish. I guess that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.
As I look back at this story I did everything in my power that I could possibly do to catch that fish. I chose the pond to fish in. I chose the lure that I was going to use and where I was going to cast. There was one thing that I couldn’t control and that was what the fish was going to do. The reason that I became so impatient was because I felt I was doing my part and the fish was not doing his part. I felt like I was doing all I could to catch a certain fish, but they weren’t cooperating or so it seemed.
I feel that I sometimes do this very same thing when I am trying to identify a new person to disciple. I ask myself the question, “What do I need to do to identify the next person to disciple “the next fish”? I get all of my “fishing gear” ready. I start looking for someone who is hungry, just like that fish. I begin to get to know them, what they like and what they don’t like. Spend time with them having intentional conversations, while building relational equity. In doing so, I have noticed many times that there seem to be a lot of “I” statements. Often I have to stop myself and ask, “Are you doing God’s part, your part or their part”?
I believe there are 3 main things I must consider when identifying a new person to disciple.
- Am I praying for God to send me someone to disciple? Instead, of me taking it upon myself to seek someone out, praying to God and allowing him to do his part. Jesus set the example for us. He never acted or spoke outside of the will of the Father. (John 5:19; John 12:49)
- I am modeling what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? I am living the life of a disciple maker by modeling what it means to intentionally love God and others. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. (John 13:34-35)
- Are they are teachable/coachable? Meaning, do they exhibit a willingness to be taught and intentionality of pursuing spiritual growth?
I can easily make it about me when I identify a new person to disciple. The truth is, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray and ask God to send me the person He has for me to disciple. Through that same power I am able to live and walk out the life of a disciple maker observed by others, so they want what I have. In the end, the Holy Spirit moves in these relationships and identifies teachable individuals for me to disciple through His power. I guess I don’t have much to do with identifying a new person to disciple after all!
This post originally appeared at: Here Fishy, Fishy… | Relational Discipleship Network (rdn1.com)