The Dynamic of Reproduction
posted by Navigators on June 10th, 2020 in Discipleship | Generations | Gospel
By Ram Marrero, first published in The Discipler, Issue 21, Winter 2020, used with permission.
The strategy is generations of disciples reproducing generations of reproducing disciple-makers.
I can remember meeting [with] Jono early in the morning on Coolum Beach. He would bring his surfboard and a Bible; I would bring my lawn chair and my Bible. We would have a quiet time and I would share with him on the subject of discipleship.
Ram Marrero and his wife, Monika.
At the time when I began to work with Jono, he had already been impacted by YWAM (Youth with a Mission) as well as the influence of his Christian parents. All I was doing was topping up what he already knew. He shared with me that, in spite of his training, he was unsure how to continue to minister in his local community! So I shared with him what the Old Navs used to call “the Vision” which, simply put, is the dynamics of “one-to-one training” — how to help a faithful disciple help other faithful disciples as found in 2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV):
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
From top: Jono, Olie and Jared.
Over the years, Jono has helped many other disciples as he headed Christian Surfers on the Sunshine Coast. Let me tell you about Oliver, one of the faithful disciples he helped. Olie embraced what he was taught and began to help Jared. Now a third-generation of faithful men, Jared later served overseas in the Middle East for 5 years.
So what I passed on to Jono, he passed on to Olie who in turn passed it on to Jared, and Jared passed on to those he helped overseas. This is a simple picture of how one person can multiply his life onto someone else, and I trust many others will continue to yield fruit.
Here is the challenge “many aspire but few attain”. There are a lot of disciples that start well in their journey of discipleship but only a handful stay faithful to the end. Please pray for us that, no matter what else we pursue in life, making disciples would stay the focus of our lives.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV): Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
˜˜˜
* If you’d like to know more about one-to-one discipleship, we have plenty of resources for you to check out. You can start with some great books on Discipling from our online bookshop. We have sermons you can listen to, such as ‘The Vision‘, ‘Many Aspire, Few Attain’ and ‘Born To Reproduce’ from the Audio tab on our Resources page. Our Essentials page also has several tools you can use to help others as they begin their Christian journey. And below is a list of suggested articles written by our lifelong labourers. If you’d like to find out more by speaking with one of our leaders, don’t hesitate to contact us using the form below.
One-to-one: Matters of Love and Encouragement
“You Teach Him!” — The Beginning of the Navigators
Contact Us