Grey Couch Ministry

By: Becki Baxter

“No one is called to be constantly fed without leading and feeding others”, penned by Francis Chan, one of our modern-day bible teachers. This phrase has really stuck with me over the last year since reading his book, Letters To The Church.

There weren’t many things on the “To-Do List” that Jesus gave His followers, but this is one of them: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We know it as the Great Commission, which was written to everyone who follows Him, but we tend to reserve it for those in “ministry”.

I know, it sounds pretty fancy and maybe even confusing. What does it mean to make a disciple, anyways?

Let me clarify – a disciple is simply someone who believes in Jesus and chooses to follow Him. For us to make disciples, we have to be sharing our faith, or pointing people to Jesus, in some form or another. This isn’t about full-time ministry; it’s about regular every-day life!

I love having friends over for coffee. Because I still have small kids at home, I try to plan it during nap time so we can actually carry a conversation uninterrupted. We often end up on the grey couch in my living room, where we can really get into the deep stuff of life. It’s a place where many tears have been shed, prayers have been offered, stories have been shared and answered prayers have been celebrated!

Some may call that a coffee-date, but I call it disciple-making. Because on this couch is where I get to hash out life with friends, pray with them and point them to Jesus. And there are many days when it’s me who is receiving the prayer and the re-direction. We all need to be discipled!

It IS that simple. So often we over-complicate things, when really, all we have to do is give away what God has given to us. Love. Hope. Truth. Encouragement. And always pointing back to Jesus. It really is amazing how a short time of intentional conversation can make a powerful impact in our lives.

If you're not sure how to break the rut of small-talk conversation, here are some great questions to ask next time you are with a good friend:

1. How is your heart?

2. What has God been showing you lately?

3. Are you struggling with anything?

4. How can I be praying for you?

So, think again about this quote – “No one is called to be constantly fed without leading and feeding others.” If you’re a church goer, you are fed every Sunday. Possibly more with podcasts, books and small groups. And that is awesome!! So, with this new school year starting and possibly opening up more time in your schedule, I challenge you to think how you can share God with someone else.

We have more tools for communicating than ever – talking, texting, writing, videos, blogging … the list goes on! What is one small way you can take a step in the direction of sharing God with others? I would love to hear how it goes!

- Becki