Am I willing to disciple someone?

I was talking with Bruce Ollington recently and he reflected that a key question is 'Am I willing to disciple someone?'  He had observed that for people who had answered yes to that question, people to disciple had come into their lives.  On the other hand, people who hadn't made that decision, people to disciple had not come into their lives.

This question is not asking whether we are willing run a discipleship course, an alpha course or a bible study (although it may include some or all of those).  Rather it is asking whether we are willing to invite someone into our lives, give them access to our lives, and pass on what we have learned about following Jesus.  It is not dependent on us already being perfect or being able to use long theological words, but it is being willing to say: whatever you see in me that is like Jesus, copy that.  It is not something that we do in isolation, it is done in community where we can learn from each other, support each other and hold each other accountable.

Discipleship can seem like a commitment/challenge and it is, but it is also deeply rewarding as it is something that Jesus is deeply committed to.  That is why it is an important question for each of us to think about.