Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2019

THROUGH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP God’s design for discipleship is for truth to be transmitted through personal relationships. Jesus modeled life-on-life discipleship through the manner in which He called the disciples. For example, in Luke chapter five, Peter, James, and John are called out of the boat and Levi is called out of the tax booth to follow Jesus. This calling was one of being with Jesus. Through the personal investment of the God-Man in their lives, the disciples of Jesus grew. Not only did they grow, they would become fishers of men. The calling to follow Jesus comes full circle as they received the commission to take the Gospel of Christ forward and make disciples of all nations. Jesus demonstrates the normal trajectory for a Christian: growing toward maturity and leading others to do the same. The process of discipleship is not complete until a follower of Jesus takes the Gospel forward and seeks to multiply followers of Jesus. The Apostle Paul modeled life-on- life discipleship throughout his ministry and captured the essence of spiritual multiplication in 2 Timothy 2:1–2 . Paul’s first exhortation is for followers of Jesus to be firmly rooted disciples, strong in the grace of Jesus Christ. Then, as an outgrowth of personal following, to lead others to do the same. Paul’s instruction captures the essence of spiritual multiplication by pointing to four generations of believers, all facilitated by personal investment from Paul to Timothy to “faithful men” to “others.” From this brief snapshot of discipleship ministry in the life of Jesus and Paul, it is evident God’s design is that discipleship on the go bears the fruit of multiplication. It takes an entire community to make a disciple, yet every semester I am amazed at the ways individual students embrace a personal vision for discipleship on the go. There’s nothing more encouraging than examples like the ones that follow of students leading the way in life-on-life discipleship. ON THE ROAD Andrew arrived at Cedarville with a wonderful heritage of discipleship from his family. Through chapel, Bible classes, and a continued pursuit of the Lord, Andrew grew in maturity and Christlikeness. As an underclassman, Andrew served on chapel bands and through HeartSong Ministries. As the years passed, it became evident Andrew was prepared to lead. One discipleship role Andrew filled was team leader of a HeartSong team. In this position, students are expected to coordinate travel logistics, lead worship services, and counsel campers, but more importantly, invest in the lives of HeartSong team members as they serve. Through Andrew’s team discipleship, a team member, Josh, was equipped to step into leadership as a HeartSong team leader. Discipleship on the go bears the fruit of multiplication. IN THE RESIDENCE HALL Kelsey sought to walk with the Lord and be an encouragement to everyone she met on campus. She possessed a godliness and a spirit that edified those around her. As she grew, she found her niche drawing together other ladies in the residence hall in friendship, which involved sharing the Word of God with one another. In due time, Kelsey’s discipleship influence on those around her found a home when she was hired as a Resident Assistant. Kelsey had a great impact as she modeled a consistent example of Christlikeness and intentionally built up younger women through the Scriptures. One of those impacted was a student named Mandy who found in Kelsey a consistent model for the pursuit of Christ and a friend who was a few steps ahead of her in the journey. Of course, the next chapter of the story is that Mandy in turn sought to impact others in her residence hall. And down the line, Mandy became a Resident Assistant herself. Discipleship on the go bears the fruit of multiplication. SIDE BY SIDE Joel grew through the influence of upperclassmen and Bible professors throughout his undergraduate degree. As a student chaplain, a leader in Discipleship Ministries, and a young man who quietly and consistently influenced others for Christ, Joel left an imprint on several lives by the time he graduated. Yet, the story did not end there. A year after graduating with his undergraduate degree, Joel returned to pursue his Master of Divinity degree. With ministry experience under his The process of discipleship is not complete until a follower of Jesus takes the Gospel forward and seeks to multiply followers of Jesus. 12 | Cedarville Magazine