Here is the second in a series of my thoughts on some important quotes from The Lost Art of Disciplemaking by LeRoy Eims. Click here to read the first post in the series.
These quotes have a lot to do with spending your time with and investing your life with others. This is key to good discipleship, for it is in life that discipleship is tested.
- “To have people become involved with you, you must first become involved with them. This is following God’s pattern, for He took the initiative with us.”
The initiative for a discipling relationship must always begin with me. As with every other relationship I have, I must involve myself first. I must take the first step to get to know someone. They will most likely not come to me. - “Where there is no involvement, there is no real training. In order to meet the needs of the person whom we are training, we have to know that person and be involved with him.” Get involved! Take the initiative and be involved with people. It’s not always easy, but it is important. Our lives must overlap with the lives of other people in order to be able to train them. Like I have said in class time and time again, programs are just excuses for involvement in the lives of students.
- “Jesus’ message was personalized in the everyday affairs of life. His clasrooms were the events of the day. He was what He taught. He transmitted the message by His life.” Discipleship is not a class. It is us learning how to follow Christ in normal, everyday life. How we act minute-by-minute is more important than if we have the right answers in a Bible study. The best way for us to teach and train is in how we live our life.
- “Jesus and His men were immersed in life together.” The word immersed is key in this quote. It’s not enough to just spend our “spare time” with people. We should be willing to share our life with them. This is never easy, but it makes a big difference.
