The First Stream: Discipleship

First stream: Discipleship or walking with God. 

“Jesus spoke to those who were doing all the “right” things: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you” Matthew 7:23

Knowing God. That’s the point.” (Waking the Dead)

“Only by walking with God can we hope to find the path that leads to life. That is what it means to be a disciple. After all—aren’t we “followers of Christ”? Then by all means, let’s actually follow him. Not ideas about him. Not just his principles. Him.”(Eldredge)

Knowing God. And the path that leads to life, and actually following Him. Not ideas about Him, but Him.

The verse and this idea that Some people believe in God and trust Him but don’t know Him but think they know Him and walk with Him, go to church and serve, but in the same breath, the Bible says those same people were never actually known by God, well, my ears have always been peaked. Makes me nervous really.

I don’t think our savior wants us nervous though, so the solution I sense is to just build an ongoing walk or relationship with Him.
Sometimes I feel like we can conclude we have a relationship with God by just serving, or doing Christian activities FOR God, but in the end there really isn’t a relationship involved. You know?

I have been caught in this trap. I have led or spearheaded many activities in the name of The Strengthened Heart ministry and done all the work, I have even discipled many men over the years, but have lost sight of what I think this verse is getting at.

Since I took a sabbatical these last two years I have inadvertently stripped the “service” part of me being a disciple of Christ. I haven’t discipled anybody, I haven’t held a retreat, I haven’t drummed at church, I haven’t really done any activity for God or in the name of God, but attend church or online church.

Because of this, my lack of “activity” has caused my heart to feel weak.
I haven’t been swimming in the four streams, I haven’t even dipped my toe in any of Gods waters other than attend church. It’s why over the last couple of months I felt challenged by God to reacquaint myself with Him.

When I did that, oh man, I swam in the waters of discipleship, I walked with God, and fellowshiped with God by reading my Bible, I sat in my back yard by my fire pit and prayed and I sensed my heart coming back to life. I felt stronger in my heart.

I think what the stream of discipleship is getting at is, God wants to spend time with us. He wants us to seek Him, to know Him. He wants a relationship. There are people that were once in my life that I simply don’t know today. I think of old highschool friends and old college buddies I haven’t talked to in years. I don’t know a single thing about what’s going on in their daily lives. I’d love to know, but either they don’t call, or I don’t.

On the other hand, today, there are many people I call almost every day, I intimately know what’s going on in their lives. We call each other. It’s a mutual relationship that is reciprocated.

That’s what God is getting at here. He wants us calling Him daily through prayer. He simply wants relationship.

It’s simple really, you know if you’re in tune with God. Pick up the phone and call Him. There are many years of story to catch up on! He wants to hear your story, your heart aches, your success stories. He wants to hear from you.

So, today, give Him a call. The stream of discipleship is amazing with God. Do you miss Him? I know He misses time with you.

Next time I will dig into the idea of intimate Counsel and what that looks like in our walk with God and what that streams flow will bring to strengthen your heart in Christ.

Matt