“You’re a really good gardener. The plant should have tried harder.” I resonate with that remark. As much as I like plants, they do not seem to thrive under my care. In one of our spring storms a beautiful crepe myrtle just fell over and died in our yard. I propped it up, but to no avail. Finally, I picked it up and disposed of it. Last week a neighbor of mine and I noticed a new plant growing where the crepe myrtle had been. My plant app says it is a crepe myrtle, too. The crepe myrtle has returned to life, so to speak. This makes me very happy. What does it take for a plant to thrive? They need water and they need light, in the correct proportions. How about disciples? What do they need to thrive and survive?
Paul was a very effective disciple-maker.To be clear, his formula was not just for the new believers to try a little harder. Luke was an eyewitness to this portion of Paul’s work. Eventually, the uproar in Ephesus ended. (Isn’t this good news? In the middle of an uproar, it may seem like it will never end. But they end. Someone said their favorite scripture passage says, “And it came to pass.”) When the rioters went home, Paul called the disciples and encouraged them. Then he went back to Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) and spoke many words of encouragement. To be sure, disciples have to be encouraged in order to survive. Whenever possible, Paul and Barnabas always went back and encouraged the disciples.
After three months in Greece (Athens, Corinth), Paul escaped another plot on his life by heading back to Philippi in Macedonia. Thankfully, he did not travel alone as he made disciples of all nations. The disciples Paul made became disciple-makers with him. These friends from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, and Asia went ahead of him and waited for him at Troas. This is where Paul had seen the Macedonian call (Acts 16:9). Luke and Paul joined the others at Troas where they stayed for seven days. Disciples also need to stay together and abide with each other to survive. Discipleship is not a solo event.
If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are called to make disciples. So whom are you encouraging in these days? For that matter, who is encouraging you. With whom do you share koinonia? We don’t just try harder. We need to train to become disciples. A stranger told me recently that he and his friends come to Tallowood to work out at 5:30 in the morning. I took his word for it. Right here on our parking lot, they are meeting together and encouraging each other as they train together to become more healthy. Their mutual encouragement seems to be working. Every Sunday at 9 and 10:30, we meet together to train in our Christian walk. Crepe myrtles may make it all by themselves, but not disciples. We need each other.
