After our retreat with other missionary families in March, I felt refreshed and encouraged to get back to work in Arequipa. I’ve always felt that my calling was to focus on making a few, strong, fellow disciples of Jesus; quality over quantity, so to speak, if one must be chosen over the other.
I was already meeting with my friend Percy, who I have mentioned here before (and who wrote a newsletter article of his own), in an intentional, weekly attempt to become better disciples of Jesus. But I wanted to include more Peruvians in this. On my list of potential folks who might be interested were Nimer (NEE-mare), a college student who Chase began to disciple and who was baptized about two years ago, and Paul, one of our closest friends that we’ve known since first arriving in Peru almost four years ago.
Jeremy agreed to meet with us too, as this had also been on his mind. So it’s me, Jeremy, Percy, Nimer, and Paul. We started with Jesus. We’re studying the Gospel of Mark together, trying to understand the man to whom we are apprenticed. Jeremy and I have made it a point to share some strategic ways that Mark can be used as an evangelistic study with friends and family.
Please be praying for this group of guys by name as we try to grow as disciples and learn how to make more disciples. Some resources on the topic of discipleship that I’ve found helpful are The Great Omission by Dallas Willard and The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman. If you have any good resources on this topic, please share by replying to this email.
As an interesting aside, here are the goals that Percy and I came up with for his (and my own) growth as a disciple:
- Gain a greater fascination with and love for Jesus as his follower.
- Recall where things are located in the Bible and explain the main themes of each book.
- Experiment with a wide range of spiritual disciplines and incorporate some or all into the normal rhythms of life.
- Integrate myself into a church community where continued discipleship, worship, and accountability can happen.
- Be able to interact humbly with people with a wide range of beliefs and share faith and inspiration.
What discipleship goals would you set for yourself and/or a new Christian you are in relationship with?