Shelley and I had been traveling for over 20 hours  from Ethiopia to Atlanta. We were coming home with our adopted, 8 month old son Andy. As we came to the top of the long escalator in the Atlanta airport, we were greeted with hugs, tears, laughter and all kinds of emotion from our family. It was one of the most amazing moments in our lives.  

Standing behind our family though was another special group of people.  It was a handful of college students.  This group of students was like extended family to us. We loved them and wanted them to be there when we brought Andy home. Shelley and I knew that arriving home with Andy was going to be profound and we wanted these students to experience it with us.  It was a moment of privilege for all of us.

The moment of privilege is when we Invite those we disciple to participate in our own encounters with God. This is easy to overlook and takes some planning but it can have a great deal of power in the life of the person you are discipling. 

Inviting people into our relationship with God provides them with a living example to follow. People that we disciples do not need to us to simply tell them how to relate to God.  They need us to show them with our lives. In his book, Transforming Discipleship, Greg Ogden says it this way, “As important as Jesus’ teaching was, it was His person that became the vehicle for  the transmission of His life to His disciples.”

Matthew 17:1-8 helped me understand this principle. This moment is referred to in Jesus’ life as “The Transfiguration”.  It is when Jesus has an incredible encounter with God and invites three of His disciples along to watch it happen. What is interesting is that the disciples did not have any responsibilities in this situation.  They were simply invited to be there. 

Jesus did not have to take Peter, James, and John up on the mountain with Him. But He did. I think He did this so that they would understand on a deeper level WHO HE was. Can you imagine standing there and watching Jesus shining so bright that He “shone like the sun”?

I love Peter’s simple response to Jesus. Peter said, “It’s good for us to be here!”

If that was not enough a “bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said: This is my beloved Son. Take delight in Him. Listen to Him.”  They heard the voice of the Father speaking to His Son, Jesus.  I can understand the disciple’s next response. “. . .they fell face down terrified.” They saw more of Jesus and they worshipped. 

Jesus gave them the privilege of witnessing an amazing moment between Him and The Father. Then to top it off, Jesus tells them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” It was thought He was telling them, “This privilege was just for you.” No doubt it was life changing for them.

Our challenge is clear. As we disciple people, we should invite them to experience our own deep encounters with God. Bring people into your privileged moments with your Father in Heaven.

For us, it does not always have to be a big dramatic moment.  It can be any moment that we consider spiritually important to us. 

These questions are for you to ask yourself as the discipler.

• Is there something God is teaching me that I could share with the people I am discipling.
• Is there something special or unique happening in my life that I need to invite those I am discipling to be a part of?
• How can I allow those I am discipling to see deeper into my own walk with God?