Effective Discipleship

To be a real disciple of Jesus is challenging.  But if we have some guides they will help us to go in the right direction.  Here is a guide of being an effective disciple from Charisma Magazine.

I pray that this list is helpful in your walk with Jesus:

• Practice spiritual disciplines. Read the Bible daily, confess and repent of your sins and pray for the lost. Your relationship with Christ is a priority and the key to effectively discipling others.
• Remain conservative in your ethics. Remember that pride can be dangerous. Pride may imply that you are judging others falsely, and is said to be the mother of all sins, because pride resides in each one of us.
• Lead by example. "Do as I say, not as I do" is not an effective way to disciple someone. Make sure your life is worthy of emulating.
• Be patient with people who anger you. Forgive those who may have hurt you. You must learn to love your enemies and teach others to do them same. God loves everyone, and we all need to, also. Say farewell to selective loving. If you have a hard time loving your enemies, pray to God for help. Teach anyone you are discipling the importance of forgiveness.
• Be there. Many times the simple act of letting someone know that they can call on you for help, advice and prayer at any time can make a difference in their life. Be sure to use wisdom and discernment to keep healthy boundaries. But letting someone know you care and are there, can go a long way.
• Admonish with grace. Being harsh, rude and "in your face" only tear people down. Be understanding and try to help people through their struggles and faults with love and wisdom. Remember you, too, were once a sinner saved by grace.
• Be a humble servant. We read in Mark 10:43-44 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all." Our attitude should be that of a servant of Christ and we should live this out by serving those around us.
• Put Christ first in all things. As disciples of Christ we need to be set apart from the world. Our focus should be on our Lord and pleasing Him in every area of our lives. We must put off self-centeredness and put on Christ-centeredness.
• Try to see the perspectives (point of view) of others, even if you personally disagree with them.
• Be accountable. Have an accountability partner you can turn to for encouragement and wisdom and to discuss any weaknesses you may be encountering. Accountability is being responsible for one's own actions. You may not be able to share everything with your disciple, even though they may share a lot with you, but you should find someone you can discuss your struggles with to help maintain your integrity.