True Discipleship

The very first command given by God to mankind was “Be fruitful and multiply…” (Genesis 1:28) Jesus later told His disciples “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8) True discipleship, like a coin, has two sides to it. The first side is being – our relationship to God. The other side is doing - bearing the fruit that comes from being with God. This fruit, full of God’s eternal life, flows through us to others and multiplies!

These two aspects of discipleship cannot be separated any more than the two sides of a coin. They can also occur only in the correct order. One must first be a disciple in order to disciple others. Without first being, our doing becomes only an activity energized by our flesh with no eternal value. Jesus emphasized this to His disciples when they were rejoicing about successful ministry. He told them to rejoice instead that their names were written in heaven. (Luke 10:17-20) Like Martha, ministry can distract us from the priority of spending time with God. (Luke 10:38-42)

God created us for His glory. It is through our relationship with both Him and others that He is glorified. We glorify Him by receiving God’s love and then reflecting His love to others. We were never intended to live the Christian life alone. God said that it is not good for us to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) It is by growing deeper together in our relationship with God that He is truly glorified.

Keep on abiding,

Steve