Passing the Baton of Discipleship
Discipleship—The Continuing Saga
Discipleship in the context of the local church – that sounds like a familiar phrase. Ah yes, it was a book we were required to read in our training! Yet it is such an important part of seeing thriving churches in all people groups.
Wes Goddard has been ministering among the Paí Tavy Terá in Paraguay for several years. He is a third-generation missionary in Paraguay. He watched as his parents and grandparents discipled the ones with whom they worked. He is keeping up the family tradition as God intended it to be done.
Discipleship Is Catching
He has worked with many of the believers among the Paí, and it is paying dividends. One lady named Juana has watched him and now is doing the work of discipling herself. She has gone into the community where her sister lives and has passed out audio Bible players and is trying to find out a good time for Bible teaching to start there.
Wes routinely co-teaches with a Paí believer named Elvio. The two of them were going to pick up some people for the Bible study when a lady approached them. Wes said, “A Paí lady came out to the entrance and spoke with us. She was very angry with us and upset about God’s Word, indicating that God’s Word is a threat to the Paí culture. Pray that God would enable her and others like her to understand that God’s Word is what they need, and that God’s Word is in fact very good.”
Discipling to Freedom
Wes has also been discipling another Paí named Jorge. Wes and the two co-teachers go to another Paí community to share the truth about God and His laws. Pray with them that they would be able to express clearly what God desires for the Paí nation – freedom through His Son.