Discipling Up, Down & Across

I have an intensely growing passion for discipleship.  Especially obedience based discipleship which I define HERE.

 

I have blogged about the fact that I think we have a discipleship crisis HERE recently. 

 

Then, I got lots of questions about whether you should pursue discipling relationships or wait on them.  I answered that HERE.

 

Even earlier, I had blogged about 2-way discipleship.  Read that HERE.

 

I actually now belive that there are 3 primary discipling relationships, not 2:

1. Up (someone more spiritually mature shapes you, they speak truth into you, they challenge and encourage you, they say hard things and ask provoking questions, they are ahead of you in the race, you honor them by offering them the truth of who you are and where you are at).
2. Down (you, as the more mature one, shapes and disciples the less mature follower of Jesus, you love them by digging into the dark or raw places of their life, hold them accountable and reproduce what you are receiving from the ones discipling you).
3. Across (peer discipling - you and a peer disiple each other back and forth on various spiritual issues, sometimes you are being shaped and sometime you are shaping your peer, you both share openly and sharpen each other without needing to name a leader among you--deep accountable friendship).

***I want to say that this year/right now is the first time in my entire life I have had all three of these discipling relationships-- and it is paying major dividends in who I am becoming.***

 

Soon, I will blog a series of three posts below.  I think it is a real need as people just do not know where to start becuase they have never done it:

1. How to choose someone to disciple you.
2. How to choose someone to disciple.
3. How to choose peer disciples.