Discipleship

Back in 1988 when I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and began to walk in relationship with Him, I was blessed to be a part of the church that excelled in Biblical teaching. I was given in-depth teaching about core doctrine. After those first principles were instilled, the teaching continued to build. One of things they taught me that has stuck with me through the years is the importance of having a Christian mentor - someone who is spiritually older and wiser and has been walking with the Lord longer. Scripture is full of verses about the importance of spiritual leaders as well as many examples of Biblical characters who have mentored and were mentored. Throughout my Christian life, God has always been faithful to provide me with one no matter where I have gone. The funny thing is that I have never sought them out - the Lord has just made it happen. When I went to Bible College, I found Ann Marie who was my supervisor at Burger King. She poured into me during my two years there and stayed in touch when I returned home until she went to be with Jesus a few years ago. When I returned to Pittsburgh and to my home church, I found a new pastor had been hired and he became mentor for many years before moving on to Orchard Hill Church. When I came to North Way in 2007, God supplied me with a faithful mentor who has stood by me for the past five years. While I did not purposely seek out these folks, God hand-picked them for me for that season. Once I began to mature spiritually, one of my mentors told me it was time to start serving and mentoring others. This is discipleship. The Bible tells us to go and make disciples, not converts. Nowhere in Scripture does it talk about getting saved and then being on your own. We are meant to disciple and to be discipled until we see Jesus face to face and are made complete. I am thankful that I learned this foundational truth early on, and God has provided for me ever since. I pray He makes me as good of discipler as the folks He has given me.