A QUALITY DISCIPLESHIP RELATIONSHIP.

Let me tell you with all the earnestness I possess that you may not find things easy as a Christian in this end time as you are graduating from school if you do not have a quality discipleship relationship with a human discipler. From practical experience, you may manage without a human discipler while you are a student on campus even though you miss some essential trainings and exposures. But as you are leaving the campus to start the real life, an elder in the faith is needed to stand with you both in prayers and practical guidance. Many of our brethren missed this as they graduated and they are regretting it today.

I have taken time to study these two types of brethren and how they fared after graduation. My discovery is that many of them that went out alone or with just fellowship friends are struggling with their walk with God after graduation. For some of them, it affected their physical life, but some others seem to be doing well physically but disconnected spiritually. Friend, do you know the roles a genuine spiritual father plays over his spiritual son? A real discipler who understands the work God has entrusted into his hand over the disciples takes that work serious. He takes time to always pray for him; he calls him unto himself deliberately to practically teach him the life of Christ; he takes his problems/challenges as his own and does everything possible to get them solved; he prays with him at critical junctions of his life to help him confirm the will of God; he guides him in the paths of practical life such as career, marriage, ministry, etc and will not rest until he sees him get established. These and many more are the real needs of a graduating Christian student as he steps out of the school.

All of us know how our physical parents and guidance feel as we graduate: they feel that they have finished their part in our training and many of them do not care again or care less in guiding us further in becoming what God has called us to become. This is where the spiritual father steps in to provide tangible help to you. It is really a pity that most of you do not have someone you can freely run to at the time of confusion, who will understand you to really help you out. I do not mean those who claim to have a discipler when there is no real relationship that is going on. That is why we are talking about ‘quality’ discipleship relationship and not just anything.

Even though, we know that ‘genuine disciplers’ who understood what it means to really disciple a younger person and who are willing to do so are very scarce, yet, some of you who have the opportunity to meet them have been very lazy about submitting your life to be discipled. You will be doing yourself a favour to humbly yield yourself now to be discipled into God’s purpose for your life than continue the way you are going. Those of you that are still in school, the best time to enter into a discipleship relationship is now that you are still in school so that at your graduation you will start reaping the fruit of it.

Some of you that have been deceived by Satan to start an opposite-sex relationship that you may be thinking that it will end in marriage, is it not too early? Most of such hasty relationships end up in sexual immorality without marriage or sexual immorality before marriage. Instead of looking for a sister or a brother you will engage in an unripe opposite-sex relationship, why don’t you seek for God’s guidance on an elderly Christian you will submit your life to be discipled? This is very crucial for you if you will stand the test of time.

CONCLUSION

Finally, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:24-27.

“

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Dear friend who is graduating this season, I have a question for you: will you stand the test of time? Do not be in a haste to answer this question; think about it first before you answer. Will you anchor still hold when the storms of life dare you? I know you have a powerful faith that things will work out ‘fast and fire’ for you after graduation, what if it did not go that way? What if the people that had promised you help after graduation disappoint you when you need them most? When the rain of life’s troubles, the stormy wind of oppositions and the flood of persecution orchestrated by the Devil and his agents beat upon you, will your anchor still hold?

Standing the test of time is not by mere wishing or empty slogan; there are practical things that you must do if you’ll be standing for Christ advancing his kingdom in the next 5,10, 20 years as he gives us opportunity to live. To stand the test of time, don’t forget that you must develop an intimate relationship with God that grows with time; you must deliberately and diligently give yourself completely to know God’s word and live according to it; you must have a quality discipleship relationship with a human discipler for proper training and guidance. If you will do these today, then we will not just hear about you tomorrow, but we would hear about your exploits for your God in the years ahead of you.

May God’s grace and peace be with you. Amen.