Discipleship is a big topic! It probably starts with the first act or conversation revealing Jesus to us. And it ends with… What? Do we ever reach the point that we don’t need to be discipled? Until we see Jesus face-to-face, we strive to be better, more surrendered disciples.
Stateside, we have so many resources to continue to grow, be challenged, have spiritual conversations, and have other Jesus followers speak into our lives. On the field, especially in the early years, your opportunities are much more limited. It is much easier than when missionaries like Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) left England for China. He said goodbye to his family knowing it would be years, if ever, he would see them again. No phones. No Zoom. Only occasion and unreliable mail. The only fellow believers were the ones you took with you or the ones who learned from you. It is easier for missionaries to be spiritually fed now, but it has to be very intentional. It does not happen without purposeful and self-disciplined actions.
Please be in prayer for our missionaries across the world to be growing not just in discipling others, but in being discipled in their own walk with Christ. Pray that the Father will continue to feed and tend His shepherds as they tend, feed, and lead new sheep to the Great Shepherd.
Prayer: Father, we come on behalf of those You have called to other parts of the world to make Your Name and Your Gospel known. Please help them to hold tightly to Your Hand! Help them to find ways to have deep fellowship, vibrant prayer lives, and spiritual meat to feast on. May they continue to grow, mature, and flourish in their relationships with you!
