The Timothies Who Are Yet To Come

(Translated upon request from a Chinese note I wrote on facebook)

Brother Chung-Ching just came back from a discipleship conference, his heart still glowing with fervent excitement. He couldn’t wait to share with me how he believed all churches must take discipleship more seriously than they ever have, and that Christians must make a mutual life impact on each other through one-on-one accountability. He also encouraged me to focus more on this aspect when ministering to people, since he thinks I would make a pretty decent discipler …

In God’s kingdom, it becomes increasingly hard to come by someone who has the same vision and zeal as brother Chung-Ching’s. What’s more, Chung-Ching is not just a man of words but of deeds: he is willing to lavish his time and caring with no other motive than help a younger brother grow in his spiritual walk. Many people may not even understand what this is about; and for those who do, their understanding does not entail an interest or intent to actually take some action.

I have long recognized and acknowledged the need for discipleship, but willing as I am to be a discipler, I have never met a younger brother who longs to be discipled. This, I must say, is not quite surprising for at least two reasons. First, the disciple ought to have a desire for spiritual growth; but many young believers are sloppy with their faith and they tend more towards fleshly indulgence than spiritual discipline by a veteran. Second, many young Christians find it hard or intimidating to open up their “deeper self” to be known, or they may not even know how to do that. It is therefore a severe challenge for them to build a direct, honest, and accountable relationship with a discipler. Given a choice, they would much rather not complicate things and simply tumble along in their spiritual walk.

One of my greatest regrets is that I have never been discipled by anyone. I have never met a mentor who teaches me how to live out my Christian faith, a mentor who is willing to invest himself in me and make an impact on my life. More ironically, despite my willingness to give myself away as a mentor, I have yet to come across someone who is willing to take me up on my offer. Maybe that is because even the person who takes me on has a price to pay too – for his presumed loss of selfhood …

Even so, I still believe discipleship is the way to go. I suppose I will just wait on with patience while my Timothies are taking their time to make their long-awaited appearances in the path of my life.