How Coffee Made Me A Better Disciple of Christ

How is making disciples a clear byproduct of your Christian journey?

What is a disciple. In the simplest terms it’s a follower. You can be a Bieber disciple, Chevy disciple, political disciple, or even self disciple to name a few. My favorite is being a coffee disciple.

I hated coffee. The bitterness, tongue burns, and expense kept me away for years. Then it happened. I met Deanna, my future wife. She has loved coffee longer than she’s loved me. We developed an understanding. She never pressured, ridiculed, or poked fun of my unsophisticated tastes, and I would do the same for her. But something changed. She simply enjoyed her coffee in front of me. Over time I become a believer. My wife’s love of coffee and spending time seeing her enjoy coffee won me over.

Let’s make this illustration relevant to the topic.

1. Are you building relationships with people near and far from God?

2. Do they see your love for the Father?

3. Do they see you enjoying Him?

4. Are you sharing God’s Word with them?

5. Are they becoming Disciples (Christians)?

Christian discipleship begins and ends in relationship forged through the Word of God and woven together through the Spirit.

How is making disciples a clear byproduct of your Christian journey?

In the book of Acts we see the Church recognizing the importance of making disciples. It was so important that the full number of disciples came together to discuss how God’s word could continue to be taught and the needs of people could be met. Lives were transformed through the power of the gospel. Read Acts 6:1-7 to see what happens when people are devoted to God’s word and simply caring for others by building relationships.

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6:1-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Here are a few examples to follow from the behavior of the early Church leaders.

Be Observant

The Hellenists identified a problem sought out the full number of the disciples to address the issue and came up with a solution. When we see a problem we should be quick to identify, address, and partner with others that can help. Being observant means seeing with more than your eyes, it’s seeing through the lens of the Spirit of God.

A disciple will give the Holy Spirit authority to lead their eyes as well as their actions.

Be Open

Rather than getting defensive, argumentative, or prideful the full number of disciples listened. They listened to the concerns, addressed the need, and took the concern to the Lord in prayer. They presented a unified plan because they were open to the Spirit’s direction.

A disciple will be open to the Spirit’s lead when dealing with others and addressing needs.

Be Prayerful and Mindful

The disciples recognized the widow’s needs, but also recognized the importance of prayer and the ministry of the word. As important as the needs were, sharing the gospel through prayer and the word could not be neglected. They trusted that God would raise up leaders needed to care for the needy and free them to continue do the work of the ministry.

A disciple will never neglect prayer and sharing God’s truth. The disciple will trust that God will give them wisdom to serve and appoint others to serve so that physical and spiritual needs will be met.

Be Proactive

There was time to pray and discuss, but there was also time for action. When the disciples determined a course of action they activity pursued individuals to participate in the ministry.

A disciple will prayerfully find a course of action that glorifies God and then act on the plan.

Everything done was to uphold the integrity of God’s word and to advance the gospel’s reach. I pray that you see this level of passion and desire alive in your journey with the Father.

1. Are you building relationships with people near and far from God?

2. Do they see your love for the Father?

3. Do they see you enjoying Him?

4. Are you sharing God’s Word with them?

5. Are they becoming Disciples (Christians)?

How is making disciples a clear byproduct of your Christian journey?

For help on becoming a disciple maker contact me at chad@chadspriggs.com