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Discipleship Training is like Training for a Marathon
Free Bible Study Materials for Christian Discipleship May 2009
Dear Fellow Disciple-makers,
Just like training for a marathon or a football game, discipleship training requires practice. People learn by doing. No one becomes like Jesus by merely thinking about him. In August 2008, Nebraska football player Phillip Dillard was quoted in the Omaha World Herald on what Bo Pelini and the other defensive coaches at Nebraska were expecting. “They’re not really trying to correct stuff from last year; they’re just coaching their defense. They tell you what you’re supposed to do and you’re supposed to
do it."
photo courtesy of Kiley
Learn by practicing
Is learning how to live the Christian life any different? Jesus told his disciples what to do and they were supposed to do it. Of course they didn’t do things perfectly at first, and neither do we. That’s why we
practice.
The key to spiritual growth is more than learning Bible facts. We mature by practicing a godly lifestyle.
The infamous Rosie Ruiz
In 1981, Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. She achieved the third fastest time ever recorded for a female runner. But ironically, she was barely sweating. Race officials immediately began to question her victory and eventually she was disqualified. When the truth came out, it appears that soon after the race began, Rosie intentionally got off the course, took the subway to a point near the finish line, jumped back into the race and positioned herself to be the winner.
In the interview between Rosie and a sports reporter (before she was found out), a reporter asked Rosie, “As you prepared for the race, what kind of intervals did you run?” Rosie said, “What’s an interval?” Can you imagine a follower of Jesus asking, “What’s a spiritual discipline?"
US Marathoner, Frank Shorter said it best. Literally minutes after Frank finished second in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, a reporter asked him, “I know you must be disappointed with the silver. Do you plan to go for the gold medal again in 1980?” Frank calmly looked at the reporter and said, “Well of course I wanted to win the Gold medal. But the question I have to ask myself now is, ‘Will I commit myself to running 10 miles per day, every day, for the next 4 years?’” Likewise, discipleship training leads to spiritual maturity. There are no short cuts.
The Apostle Paul said it best
I have fought the fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. We aren't training for a sprint - we're training for a marathon!
Who are you training for a marathon?
Who are you discipling? What spiritual disciplines are you modeling and asking of your disciple? Jesus said, “A wise man hears my words and puts them into practice.”
Do you want to teach this lesson to your small group or Sunday school class? We have it as a
devotion
with discussion questions.
What does Jesus ask of his disciple? Discover more in this Sunday School lesson.
