Good morning Lord Jesus, I begin my day long in my time in your Word and prayer to hear your story and to make it mine as well.
I love Acts 18 as Acts 18 is a chapter on discipleship. In this chapter we meet Aquila and Priscilla. A couple that took Paul in and were discipled by him for 1 1/2 -2 years in Corinth. And where did he disciple them? At work. “because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade” v.3. Paul discipled them in his workplace. He shared his faith with them as they worked together. The result was that that when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, it was not Barnabas, Timothy or Silas that accompanied him on his trip, but Aquila and Priscilla.
While Paul was in Ephesus, God led him to witness in his neighborhood. “And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God who’s house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” v, 7-8. Paul prayer walked his neighborhood and made disciples of his next door neighbors. And Paul took Aquila and Priscilla with him as he walked his neighborhood. They watched him, learnied from him, shared their faith as well and were themselves being deeper discipled by him as he discipled others. The results of this was that after Paul spent time in Ephesus, he left but Aqulai and Pricilla stayed behind, as long term missionaries and they helped plant and birth the church in Ephesus and making disciples.
We then see later in 18, how Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos into their house, and discipled him for a time, then sent him out to Achia to grow the church. “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” v. 26. Discipleship, changes individual(s) to go out and change the world and to go out and make disciples who make disciples.
The Lord spoke to Paul, ”Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." vs. 9-10. The Lord said there were many in his city that were “his people”, people who the soil of their hearts was good and ready to receive the seed of the gospel if Paul would just go and sow it in them. The Lord is speaking the same to you and I. Put your name and city in that verse, “Do not be afraid Gary, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in Madison and Huntsville who are my people."
So who are you discipling now? In your workplace? In your neighborhood? Who are your Aquilas and Pricillas that you are pouring into and giving them real access to your lives so they can watch you, learn from you, and become disciples? Real access does not just happen. Real access does not happen and can not happen in a Sunday morning church service or Bible Study, text message, or Facebook post. Real access to your faith requires a personal intentional investment of real time
My family, we are called to grow our churches with discipleship making at the core of what we do. Many of you reading this have invested decades: 10, 20, 30, 40 years or more in your faith going to church services, Bible studies, and praying. You are the ones Jesus is directly speaking to in the Parable of the Talents found beginning in Matthew 25:14. Read it. You are the ones not just given 5, or 3 talents, but hundreds of talents over decades of being a Christian. As the parable declares one day you will stand before Jesus and he will settle up your account. The first question he will ask you is what have you done with the talents I gave you? How many disciples did you make from my investment in you? Are you going to say you you buried them in the ground? Remember Jesus commission to the church in Matthew 28? “Go and make disciples…. “ Discipleship requires investing personal and intimate time with other individuals. This flows out of us individually from investing more personal and intimate time with God. I pray that God will strengthen your resolve to invest time in Him by daily reading our chapter in Acts, fasting one day a week, spending one solid hour a week in prayer, meeting weekly in a Band group for accountability.
I pray that you will today intentionally form a Band Group to allow “Pauls”, “Aquillas” and “Priscillas” to pour into you and you pour into them.
Pray that as your church moves forward and you will invest more in each other, that true discipleship among you will occur. Pray for unity among us.
Pray as we move forward we will invest more in others by inviting them into our houses, inviting them into a Band Group, prayer walking, and other discipling ministries and increased fruits in those you are discipling now. and that God will start sowing seeds into those our church will disciple.
Think of two or three people you know who need discipling in their walk now and pray that God will give you the love to step into their life. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections on chapter 18 with us in the comment box below.
Please allow me to intentionally give you access to my life!
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches, organizations, or groups understand the how and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you are interested I would love to talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
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