The following reflections are from John Jones, an active member of The Timothy Network. John is a technician with the Ericsson Company. He is a married father of two and currently serves as a deacon with the North Boulevard church in Murfreesboro. He and his wife Crystal are two of the most compassionate and loving people I know. As John points out below, compassion is a necessary component of disciple making. ms

Matthew 9: 35-38 is a beautiful passage that gives us one glimpse into the heart of Christ. While he is teaching and healing, he simply looks up at the people and has compassion on them. He knew they were helpless, like “sheep without a shepherd.” He also knew that their lives were full of sin, but he had compassion on them.

What do you see when you look at someone? I am thankful that someone viewed me with compassion. Someone took the time to listen to my problems, struggles, and fears, yet they still intentionally decided to invest in a relationship with me. That person was able to see something in me that I was unable to see in myself.

God prepared my heart for what I needed to hear, and now it’s my turn. Right now, God is preparing the hearts of others to hear. Will I see them with the compassion of Christ? Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” He said this before sending his apostles out into the world. Now it is we who have been discipled, and as we go out into the world must look to his example as we seek to invest in the lives of others.

Discipling others is not as difficult as we sometimes think. From what I’ve learned, discipling people is just putting a Christ-centering on all of the organic components of a genuinely loving and true relationship. What are those organic components? Transparency, meaningful conversation, accountability, honesty, compassion, etc. It’s about living life together, bearing one another’s burdens, and sharing in our God-given call to make disciples.

You don’t need a defined program. Just be intentional and observant! Find two or three people who are interested in spiritual things or have questions about God, Jesus, and the Bible. Decide on a course of Bible study. Having a meal together helps the setting, so consider this, too. For things to really work well, you need to openly share your life with those who are hungry to know Jesus. Show them Jesus’ promises and expectations. They will observe you and eventually start asking questions and studying on their own. The goal is to make fully equipped disciple makers ready to strike out on their own! No, it doesn’t happen overnight, but it is an intentional investment in others which leads to committed followers of Christ Jesus. This is the concept of multiplication so integral to Timothy Network