Secret #1: Go with the goers
Secret #2: Model greatness
You are not a mistake or a cosmic blip. You were not born for comfort and a cubicle. You were made to hitch your life to a great cause. You were made for greatness.
Many of you have been told what you can’t do all your life. That’s why I rebelled. I knew there had to be a great cause somewhere and as a senior in college I found it. Pol Pot was killing off his country. Two million of them. Cambodia was dying. The genocide was spilling onto the national press. I knew that was it.
I knew that whatever greatness was in me wasn’t about me. At 21 years of age I learned that greatness depended on serving a great cause.
Secret #3: Create security and danger
Your first challenge is to become trustworthy and to help your disciple trust God with their identity. You’re second job is to throw them into the deep end and help them live there.
Unless we are safe to ourselves, we can’t ever be dangerous to the enemy. We can only ever gather up the courage we need as we probe the recesses of our souls and map the places at one time marked “forbidden.” Wounds we received at a tender age can grow infected and fester unless they are either leached of their poison or cauterized.
Secret #4: Invest deep
In this decentralized, disconnected society in which we live, you must design connection. To connect with your disciple requires your intentionality. And when you connect, it requires your vulnerability.
Exposing your areas of weakness is a costly and brave act. It takes a strong person to say, “I’m messed up too.” But sharing that kicks off a cycle of reciprocity that helps lead your disciple into realms of self-discovery where they can begin to see that only God is adequate to help them. And ultimately, trust-building is of no use unless you put it to the test in challenging your disciple to grow at the deepest level.
Secret #5: Invest long
If Jesus invested three years in his disciples (that’s 15,000 hours!) using an intensive model of ministry, that should be our pattern too. We’ve just gotten a little far afield from his pattern.
The average youth minister may get three hours a week invested in a student’s life. That’s 468 hours over three years. Not even 3% of Jesus’ model. Of course we’re going to fail! The amazing thing is that we’d so easily sell out to a model that has so little hope of success.
The answer is radical: follow Jesus’ pattern. Remember how skittish the disciples were after he’d died? They just barely caught on – it took time for them to get it. Making disciples takes time! It is relational, There are no shortcuts.
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that’ll be a good book…
Agree with Matt.
Thanks Seth, I say finish the book!! What a great tool for this generation!
Thanks, Seth. These principles are good. Many of us have a struggle with sustaining relationships over time.
The disciples may have sometimes gotten sick of each other but they sure knew the heart, views, dreams and passions of each– no doubt.
By the way I am forwarding this note to Mark Sweeney in Florida.
Blessings.
Good advice, Seth. It checks my tendency to be a hermit. Thanks
Thank you! Lots to digest here…