A Sharp Tool

Author - Keyshawn Parkman

We've finally reached November, a season of thanksgiving. Sadly, the weather hasn't changed much, as temperatures still reach the high 70s. We've finally received a bit of rain by the grace of God, as it's been much needed. Regardless of the weather, time has continued to pass by, and God has continued to speak. I find myself at peace whenever I think about God's involvement in our fellowship and how active He's been. I've been careful in following how He's been using us to make us into better disciple-makers.

As we've continued to progress here, I've recalled several occasions where God moved through our team. For starters, a good disciple-maker should know how to pass down the Word of God. Through our morning reading, I've been challenged. Our time in the Word, whether in the morning or throughout the day, just might be my favorite part, as I'm constantly challenged regarding my theology. Not only has this time challenged me to question aspects I may not have considered before, but it has also led me to think deeper about my commitment to the Lord. God has been using this time and my team to bring me into new revelation and sharpen my understanding of Him.

A good disciple-maker should be a good storyteller. When you look back at the gospels and examine the life of Jesus, one thing that stands out about Him is his ability to tell stories. During our time here, we've had plenty of opportunities to sharpen our ability to tell biblical stories. In addition to the Talk Thru the Bible hand signs we've been learning, we've also been challenged to tell the backstory of each hand sign. It's been difficult. But I've seen how my team members use their own authenticity to tell the stories. I've learned so much from listening to them. We are even memorizing whole passages of scripture as a team. We can already recite John 1:1-9 in a little over a week! There are just nine more verses to memorize in the prologue to John's gospel.

Most importantly, a good disciple-maker should know how to love others. I've been blessed with the opportunity to learn how to love my team, as learning how to love each person has taught me tremendously how to love. Love can be described as so many things. But recently, I've been learning about the sacrificial aspect of love. As we learn to come together as a team week after week, each of us has to sacrifice in some way or another, including me. From these sacrifices, I see God working through my team in incredible ways.

As we continue to grow as a team, I believe listening to God is the most important aspect. I'm confident that he's involved in what we have going on and is pruning us in individual and specific ways. As time progresses, I will listen to Him speak through each of my team members. I'm confident that we are God's workmanship, and for this particular season, He's using us to prune and sharpen each other.