Instruction and Imitation

I remember the first time I sought to be discipled. I was in the 9th grade, and I attended one of the largest youth groups in the county, which was led by the coolest youth pastor in the county. I kind of wanted to be a youth pastor myself! And so, I tried to imitate him in my life. I observed the way he led others, and tried to lead that way myself. I observed the way he loved others, and tried to love others that way myself. But there was something missing. As much as I tried to imitate him, I found that I wasn’t actually growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I sought to be discipled again. This time, I was formally assigned to meet with an older man in my church. We had never met before, but he was up for eldership, and I was ready to grow. We met once-a-week for eight weeks in a row and talked about life and struggles with sin and relationships. He had a lot of wisdom to offer. But even with all the instruction he gave, I found that our times were not helping me actually grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

You see, in the first scenario, I was seeking to imitate my discipler but wasn’t being instructed by him. In the second case, I was being instructed by my discipler, but had no means of imitating his life. And both are crucial to true discipleship.

If you are discipling someone, be intentional to instruct them in applying the Gospel to their lives. But be just as intentional to form a real relationship with them where they can see your life and imitate you as you follow Christ.

Likewise, if you are seeking to be discipled, look for a godly believer who you want to imitate. But don’t just try to imitate them from afar – invite them into your life and receive their instruction in the Gospel.

If both elements are present – instruction and imitation – then we will grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.