Who Are You Investing Your Life In?

By Adam Forsberg

Luke 12:48b: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Usually when we read this verse our mind jumps right to money and the financial aspect of our Christian life. While this verse does pertain to our finances, I also believe that it applies to our knowledge of God, and the growth in our relationship with Him. The more that we know about God, the more that we need to be passing on to others. This is a biblical concept know as discipleship.

A discipleship relationship is when a Christian who has been growing in their relationship with Christ comes alongside of a younger believer to help them grow in their faith. The main goals of discipleship are for the younger believer to develop Christ-like character, and for Spiritual maturity in Christ to be taking place. This is more than just sitting down and having a Bible study, it’s being a part of their life. There are two ways that the discipler impacts the person he’s discipling- transmission of information, and transmission of example. Paul is a great example of this. In 2 Timothy 2:1-16 we see him doing this with Timothy. Paul talks about the experiences that they shared together in ministry (vs. 2 “and the things you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses…”), and then goes on to give Timothy information about God and how to apply it. Paul teaches Timothy by example and by passing on information. It is also crucial to remember that God’s promise, working, Spirit, grace, and Word are ultimately what is changing people’s lives.

My challenge to the church is to find somebody to invest your life in. This past year I had the privilege to disciple two guys in the youth group, and it has been an amazing experience. It’s been awesome to see them grow in their faith throughout this past year. I get so excited when I think about how much spiritual grow can take place in our church if discipleship became a part of everybody’s life. I’m in still in college and am very new at discipleship, and I still saw God work in big ways, so I get so pumped to think about people who are way more spiritually mature than me discipling others.

It can be hard to start discipling another person, but it is definitely a worthwhile experience that helps you grow in your faith as well. In the fall the Grace Community Church will be having a discipleship class that teaches people how to be involved in a discipleship relationship. Please consider taking this class, and then start pouring your life into others, helping them grow closer to Christ.