Mind your own business discipleship
Have you visited Josh’s new site called “In Search of the City“? If you haven’t, you should. And, you can start with his post called “What’s it to you?”
Josh’s post is about following Jesus… and other people following Jesus… and how they follow Jesus into different things than we follow Jesus. He builds on the conversation between Jesus and Peter at the end of the Gospel of John.
At one point, Josh writes this concerning Jesus’ conversation with Peter (about John):
If this man shall follow me in that way, what is that to you? If I lead him to do a certain thing while you are busy with another, what difference does it make? You are following me and so is he. How each of you are called to follow is my business and not yours. Your responsibility is simply to be faithful in that to which I have called you.
Yes! God calls us to follow Jesus in different ways with different types of service to others. Of course, this is not really “mind your own business discipleship”. (By the way, Josh didn’t call it that… that was my “tongue-in-cheek” exaggeration.)
Instead, discipleship is helping others follow Jesus to do what he has called THEM to do – not what he has called US to do. Part of that, of course, is helping them to listen to him and helping them to determine what Jesus is calling them to. Meanwhile, we also allow others to help us follow Jesus as well.
Thanks, Josh, for the new site and for this post! It’s always good to think about helping each other follow Jesus.
I love when we get to experience this. Many times we have been encouraged by brothers/sisters who do not have the same calling as we do in a certain area — yet they can spur us on and speak wisdom into us and it does stir us closer to Christ & closer to our ‘next steps’ of ministry…. even if that step is ‘away’ from those doing the encouraging.
Even how Chris & us are linked up. We have very different paths/specific callings — yet we find great encouragement from each other & find unity in Him.
We have experienced this on both sides and I do believe it is a great witness to what His love could look like among the Church!
Love it. And very timely for me and my wife as we feel led to focus on relationships, even if it cuts into “church” stuff. We feel a little judged by friends in our traditional church group and in our “house church” group because we sometimes choose to do something apart from their program because we feel the Lord is leading us to do something with some other individuals.
Randi,
I loved this specific example: “Even how Chris & us are linked up. We have very different paths/specific callings — yet we find great encouragement from each other & find unity in Him.” Thank you for sharing!
Dan,
I definitely understand about being judged or questioned by people who are in both groups. Keep walking where Jesus leads you.
-Alan
For real, each of us has their job to do in Christ and the encouragement is love God’s, and this is true, what business is it of ours. Can you imagine if Abraham had ever gone to counselors, as Job did. And what would you all say. Noah even and it had not ever rained until that day. If you know you know. So I question worldly wisdom of flesh. This is where the discernment lies it is either of Spirit of the flesh or The spirit of truth. Wow!!! this goes deep you all
Thanks, Alan! I like the “tongue-in-cheek” expression!
You addressed it well Alan.
It is all connected to one of our core doctrines – the Priesthood of the believer – a very important anchor of the freedom and diversity in the work of the Gospel.
Jon
Thanks for the comments everyone. I’m glad that more and more people are recognizing that it is not our responsibility to tell them what Jesus is telling them, but to help them hear and to help them follow.
-Alan
It is growing in his grace not ours that leads us all to truth thanks Alan