Life on Purpose (Part 4 of 5)
I sat in the booth of a local burger joint a bit confused. I was a senior in high school and a leader from my youth group was trying to speak into my life. But what he said didn’t make sense to me at that moment. It still doesn’t today.
He told me that he had been accidentally discipling me. I have to admit that I was pretty unfamiliar with the concept of discipleship, but it just didn’t sound like something that should be done accidentally. Making disciples should happen with intentionality. It is part of living life on purpose.
In fact, I would say that intentionality is the most important key to living a lifestyle of disciple making. As I mentioned in the first article, the apostle Paul lays out the importance of intentional investment in 2 Timothy 2:2.
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
I want to share 6 areas where it is important to be intentional.
1. Be intentional WHO you are investing in: Make sure that you are purposeful in who you are spending time with, or else you will likely invest in no one. Learn to recognize God’s favor on relationships and follow that favor to help you determine who to invest in.
2. Be intentional WHAT you are investing in: Make sure that you are imparting the essentials of what it means to follow Jesus to those you are discipling. Invest what you know that God has entrusted to you.
3. Be intentional WHEN you are investing: Be aware of the season you are in, and invest according to that season. Be aware when you go for long seasons without intentional discipling relationships.
4. Be intentional WHERE you are investing: Make sure that there is someone that you are discipling that lives in proximity to you. This is essential for actually sharing life.
5. Be intentional WHY you are investing: Make sure that your heart motives are to see Jesus receive glory and those you are discipling be loved and led.
6. Be intentional HOW you are investing: Model a simple, reproducible lifestyle for those you are in relationships with. Be intentional about developing natural loving relationships . Obviously, there is much more that could be written about what it looks like to BE INTENTIONAL. My goal in sharing these 6 things is to give you a tool by asking these basic questions that will help you evaluate the way you are living life. The main take away from this blog is to make sure you are not leaving discipleship to chance. Live life intentionally – ON PURPOSE. Your life matters and you will make an impact.Want more? Download my Free eBook The Shared Life: A Practical Guide to Relational Discipleship.
This is 40 page tool I’ve written to share practical and implementable expressions of relational discipleship that will immediately empower you to start producing world changing disciples and experiencing life-giving relationships like Jesus did. Get My FREE eBook Now!
Written by Brad McKoy
