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Volume 1 Number 1 The raised hand caught Pastor Jim by surprise. He hadn’t expected someone to interrupt his message on disciplemaking. Here was the friendly challenge, “I could never make disciples,” the individual said. “I’m not a good public speaker like you.” Jim turned the question back to the audience, “How many of you are good at public speaking?” About four people raised their hands. “How many of you could befriend someone, then come alongside and read the Bible with them?” Nearly all the hands went up. What made the difference? Jim painted a picture of disciplemaking that many in the audience felt they could do. The picture in the mind’s eye made the difference. The reality is often this: the pictures we hold in the galleries of our minds will either motivate us in discipling others or hold us back. What picture hangs in the gallery of your mind? [View more Artful Ministry resources, news and information] Here are two pictures of disciplemaking that we need to remove from our mind’s gallery. The first is a classroom, with a gifted teacher leading the charge. This picture leads us to shout out like the man in Jim’s audience, “I could never make disciples because I’m not a teacher.” Over-complication is another picture to take down. A current disciplemaking book lists 30+ topics to cover in discipling others. We retreat from this list and say, “I’m not living out half of this curriculum! How can I make a disciple?” Suppose we hung a new picture in the gallery of our minds? What would happen if we called disciplemakers “alongsiders”? This wonderful New Testament word is paraklesis, a calling to one’s side. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate alongsider, the “counselor” or “helper,” who is with us forever (John 14:16). We partner with the Spirit when we come alongside people to counsel, encourage, or exhort (1 Thes 2:11,12). Alongsiders are people who live life2life with others, joining them in their life stories, helping them become wholehearted followers of Jesus. Instead of being the teacher, placed above people, alongsiders are companions on the way. Alongsiders intentionally do some simple things. They build authentic friendships, read the Bible with others, tell stories, and ask questions. Alongsiders encourage application and accountability. Finally, alongsiders invite people to live on mission with them, advancing the gospel and recruiting others to follow Jesus as His disciples. Is this a picture you would like to hang in your mind’s gallery? Reflect on the relationships you have where you live, work, play, or worship. Can you build an authentic friendship with someone? Can you can read the Bible with a friend? What about telling some stories or asking some questions? When you do these things, you’ve hung the picture of an alongsider in the gallery of your mind. Are you ready to take down some old ministry pictures and replace them a new one? Hanging a picture of an alongsider jump-starts a lifechanging adventure with God and others. |
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The Alongsider Adventure was crafted by Bill Mowry. Bill serves with The Navigators' Church Discipleship Ministry. You can contact him at info@artfulministry.com |