GFA School of Discipleship: More of Christ, Less of Me

Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas — Every institution, organization or program claim they exist because of differences that make them distinctive. The rationale is reasonable. The significance is not the difference. It is the distinctives.

There are two Scripture verses that eloquently describe what makes GFA School of Discipleship (SD) distinctive and, therefore, different.

John 3:30– “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Matthew 22:37-39– “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Though not officially parts of a motto or tagline, these texts are existential explanations for the School of Discipleship. They also represent the day-to-day value in the year-long discipleship program designed to train young Christian people who are hungry for God and who desire to serve Him.

More of Christ. Less of Me.

True discipleship happens in a relationship where self is set aside to follow the Master. This is exactly what happened when Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. They immediately left their vocations, homes and opportunities to “hang out” with Jesus. His invitation was, “Follow me,” which they did. Peter left his fishing boat. Matthew left his tax collection table. They all left their proverbial plow in the field to become disciples of Christ.

The path to genuine discipleship always begins with more of Christ and less of me. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Learning to Love Jesus with Every Part of Your Life

The Christian life is not divided into the secular and the sacred. For a Christian, all ground is sacred ground. Everything in which we engage our heart, our soul and our minds must center on Christ. Whether it is our emotions, our will or our intellect, all must belong to Christ. It is a discipline not easily learned in the 21st century.

By the way, did you notice the word, “discipline?” It’s practically the same as “disciple.” You might say that becoming a disciple is learning the disciplines required to be one. In fact, the GFA School of Discipleship is geared to help students build spiritual disciplines, such as making prayer part of our lifestyle. When we do that, we begin to see the Lord at work in our lives in everything we do. That’s what Solomon meant when he said that when we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths (Proverb 3:6). And we will see Him doing it.

One of the ways we see Him directing our paths is when we selflessly yield ourselves to serving others. The passage in Matthew explains this. We love Him first. When we do, we will be abled to selflessly love others.

“Serving the Lord at GFA is a privilege I do not deserve, yet by God’s grace, He has given me the opportunity to be part of this community of believers to bring Him glory. I am an unworthy servant.” –Billy, SD graduate


Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Generational Poverty: A Cycle Not Worth Repeating

Image
The cycle of generational poverty can seem impossible to break. Children inherit what their parents teach and show them. a joint report from Ascend: The Aspen Institute and Bernard van Leer Foundation affirms this. “What young children learn from the adults who raise and care for them lays the foundation for future social, emotional, language, and cognitive growth,” the report says. 1 Children raised in a generational poverty mindset often lack the tools they need to succeed or achieve a better life than that of their parents. As adults, these individuals often then raise their children in poverty similar to that of their own childhoods, and the cycle perpetuates. It’s a cycle not worth repeating, yet it does time and time again. For the 736 million people worldwide living below the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less, the focus is frequently on mere survival. 2 Children are disproportionately affected by extreme poverty, says UNICEF, as “children who grow up impoverished often...
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e...
Read more

What Do I Need to Know about the Global Poverty Rate?

Image
Statisticians are getting better at measuring the global poverty rate every year. The World Bank is one group working hard to accurately measure it so that the extent of the problem is fully known and so that progress can be measured. [1] Through governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we can more clearly see the last decade of progress and the most recent effects driving poverty rates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one area difficult to measure, but new data shows an overall reduction in the percentage of those in poverty. Unfortunately, there is an increase in total number of people living at or below the official poverty rate of $1.90 per day. [2] That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. With good statistics and a clear view of the problem, countries and organizations can use the proven methods to regain any ground lost. Additionally, valuable lessons have been learned about how to protect the most vulnerable and how to prevent some of the worst effects. GFA World is un...
Read more