I have run a dozen Peachtree Road Races and never once have I run alone. Yes, there are 59,999 other runners with me but that’s not what I mean. Every time I run the world’s largest 10K I always run with someone I know. Even if we don’t run side by side, I at least start with them and finish with them. We travel to and from the race together. The point here is this, it is never fun to run a race alone! In fact, if you are the only one running it won’t be much of a race. You will always win!
This year, as like most, my wife and I and her running partner all loaded in my truck and headed to the race “together”. We pulled in to the transit station to catch a train and found four or five other friends headed to the start line as well. Our little pack of runners made the trip to the start line easier.
As I prepared to start my run, a guy and gal from our church came over to say “Hi” and offer a little encouragement for the run. I was about a mile or two into the race when I saw a mother and daughter from our church running together. We shared some fist bumps as I continued my run.
The whole time I was at the race I was surrounded by tens of thousands of people but the only time I got really excited was when I saw someone I knew! Let me repeat. The only time I got really excited was when I saw someone I knew. Did you catch that? One of the most important Disciple Making Lessons ever- Relationships matter!
Jesus made disciples in the context of relationships. Peter and John were not numbers, they were people living in relationship. The race organizers and some 59,999 other people only knew me as number 43,350 but about seven other people knew my name.
When Jesus started a movement of disciple making, he called a handful of men by name. Jesus called Peter, James, John, and others to “come and follow” him because he was inviting them into a relationship. Disciple making does not happen on line or in a crowd. Disciple making happens in a personal and relational context. Jesus used a small group to develop men that would change the world. Are you committed to a disciple making relationship? Impact Ministries helps people learn how to be and build disciples in relationship. Discover more at impactdisciples.com.
