Discipleship a Journey of Discovery and Adventure!

A journey of grace is on everybody's lips. These words have made me think about my own journey of discipleship. Firstly, my thoughts took me to the journey that the Emmaus disciples had with Jesus in Luke 24. The words that stood out for me are in Luke 24:32 (MSG): “Back and forth they talked. ‘Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?’”

This has been my experience of being discipled and discipling those who are on the journey with me. My words to people often are that we are on this journey together allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us and the community around us, focused on the teaching of Scripture and following in the footprints that Jesus left for us.

Scripture should always be at the centre of discipleship, and we should experience the Holy Spirit at work in us and through us.

Secondly, Isaiah 61 has been the scripture that has kept me on track in my journey, keeping me accountable to the calling that God has placed on my life, especially verses 1-3 (NIV):

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.

Thirdly, in this journey, I want to focus on how God has equipped me for ministry. God equipped me through ministries that have already been established. I did not have to reinvent the wheel! He prepared the good works for me, and I gladly share two ministries that have impacted me the most.

In 1998, my husband and I did the Alpha course, which is an evangelical tool that can be used to reach out to people in your community by sharing a plate of food and fellowship, and watching a 20-minute discussion on the building blocks of Christian faith. Alpha is a tool that we still use to introduce people to the Christian faith through building relationships.

In 2003, a friend was incarcerated, and I needed a tool to reach out to him and his family. Kairos Prison Ministries International was the tool that crossed my path, and together with a group of friends, we started reaching out to those in prison.

I share these two tools from my discipleship "tool box," which includes many more. God has been faithful in equipping me for ministry, and there are no favorites in his kingdom. I know he wants to do the same for you as a disciple.

As a disciple, look out for what God has already prepared in your journey of grace; keep walking, actively making disciples as commissioned in Mathew 28:19-20.

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Rev. Susan Booth serves as the NDI representative on the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene. Susan currently serves as the NDI coordinator on the Africa South Field, which includes 26 districts and five countries.