Being a Whole Disciple

 Today I would like to start diving into the idea of balanced or whole discipleship, of which I will continue for the next couple of weeks or so. When you think of a disciple of Christ what comes to mind? Maybe for you it is a constant learner, someone who cannot get away from God’s word nor from books about it. Maybe you think of a doer, the disciple of Christ is one who does things that honors God and loves those around them. Maybe you are one who are more heart centered and think the disciple of Christ is one who primarily feels the way Christ would about those around them. Empathy might be key to being a disciple for this person. Simply enough, all of those things make up a disciple, but they must all be together. Our head, heart, and hands must work together to follow Christ.

Which one most often takes the lead for you? For many in today’s Christianity we are a head centered faith. The true way to Christ is through our brain and thoughts. While this is good and biblical, it is certainly not more important than the other two. Think about how Christ led his disciples. While he did teach them many things they also learned how to follow Christ in other ways. Jesus did not always explain exactly why he was doing something, he simply did it and the disciples watched on. By reading through the life of Jesus it is obvious that action matters a lot in the faith. And that action comes from a deep care and compassion for the people, not just a tremendous knowledge of them. Christ displayed a perfectly balanced faith. We will of course fail to be so balanced, but over the next few weeks lets take time to find out where we are strong, and where we are weak so we know how to grow in a more balanced faith and lead others in such a faith.

   That is one of the more interesting things about our faith. We are constantly in the tension of disciples and disciple makers. We are never passed the stage of being disciples, or being made more like Christ. And on the other side, we are never in a place that we are incapable of making disciples. In the following weeks I will go through discipleship focusing on the head, the heart, and the hands each individually. At the end of the day be thankful that we have the word of God to instruct us, guide, and grow us in being more like Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

We Exist to Constantly Lead Students to Christ

Welcome to the first installment on the official Christian Student Fellowship at IUS blog! The point of this blog is to stay connected with each other and to give you resources to grow you closer to Christ. Throughout the summer we will have contributions from several students on a wide array of topics from theology to how to prepare for your first semester in college. Today, I want to spend time explaining what this organization exists to do. What is our mission?

   Simply enough, our mission is to be constantly connecting students to Christ. We are able to do this through two key things. Evangelism and discipleship. These are two pillars(foundational truths) of CSF and Christianity as a whole. I want to be sure to include discipleship because the journey does not stop when someone commits to following Jesus. We are then tasked with helping them grow up into a mature believer, who is a faithful member of a church and multiplying themselves through discipleship. The church member part is not to be missed or overlooked. I don’t want you to just be good at being a Christian in college but for you to be prepared to be faithful for the rest of your life.

   Matthew 28 says “Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”

  I am guessing most of you reading this are believers, and if that is true this message from Jesus is directed at you. Stop for a second and ask yourself what it means for you to obey this here and now as a Christian in a college context? I truly believe that the most effective way of reaching students who do not know Jesus is with students who do know him. You are their peers, classmates, roommates, and friends. You have built credibility with them and have the relational capital to have big conversations with them. That being said, be bold and confident as we seek to fulfill this calling of making disciples, starting with where we are. It is also pertinent to mention that we are currently in a time of isolation, being restricted from seeing our friends and maybe even our families. You might be confused on how to move forward. Just remember that Jesus tells us, “I am with you always to the end of the age.” Do you believe that? Live in confidence that it is true and if you are unsure about that statement and do not feel as though he is present pray for him to comfort you and guide you!

-Andy Davidson CSF Director
 adavidson@sojournchurch.com

Action Steps
1) Contact someone you have not spoken to in a while and see how they are doing
2) Study this passage in Matthew and write down how you can live it out while in college and how you will live it out in your career
3) Pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort you and others during this time of isolation
4) DM the CSF instagram or email me (Andy) if you have any prayer requests or questions