Discipleship, Part Two: Modeling

Commitment to your discipleship of someone is vastly important, as the last two posts in this series have shown. Commitment is only a pierce of the puzzle, though. Today we will look into a second part: modeling.

"For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me... Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ... Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us... Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you... and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia... For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you; we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us." -1 Corinthians 4:15, 11:1; Philippians 3:17, 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 (HCSB)

Noticing a theme here? Paul really wanted his disciples to imitate him as he imitated Christ. He wanted them to look at him and mirror how he walked with God. But just what about our lives should we model for our disciples? I'm glad you asked, because Paul has that answer, too.

"Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love,  in faith, in purity." -1 Timothy 4:12, HCSB

So, basically, everything. Your words? Yep. The way you act with people and tasks? Yep. The amount you love God and people? Yep. The depth of your faith in the Lord? Yep. Your purity in your day-to-day life? Yep. All of it. Their eyes are on you, and you are to live in a way that they can reflect those things as they see them in you in their own lives. No pressure.

To close, I want to remind you: you will screw up. At some point, you will fail to be a perfect model. When you do, admit it. The apostle John did as much in 1 John 1:8, when he said that we deceive ourselves if we pretend we are perfect.

Your disciples need you to be real with them. I don't mean that you sin to relate or "increase your ability to disciple." We never sin for any kind of "good" reason (see Romans 6:15). Instead, be honest. You aren't perfect. Confess and repent, so your disciples can mirror that, too.