Today’s guest author is Matthew Kelly, a Practicing Disciple-Maker. Matt serves as the Corporate Secretary for Reproducers for Christ. Today’s photo comes courtesy of www.freepik.com.
How F.A.T. Should They Be?
In a world of short attention spans and constant distractions, finding a man or woman who is hungry, thirsty, and persistent in their efforts towards knowing God and walking with Him is a rarity. This person is not full or satisfied with the status quo or the bare minimum. They are looking for “something more” than routine and mediocre. This is the person who “as the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”. (Psalm 42:1) This is the person we look for. (This attitude should continue to be a staple of our lives!) While there may be weak points in their life, this attitude, combined with the work of the Holy Spirit, leads to transformation and an abiding and reproducing life.
The tried-and-true saying is “find a F.A.T. man”, that is, find a man or woman who is faithful, available, and teachable. This guiding principle has shown incredible value in my disciple-making efforts. Selection is a crucial skill in being responsible for the call we have been given. There is, however, some nuance within this saying. Many men and women may be weak on one (or more) of these character traits.
What if you find someone who is teachable, but is lacking in faithfulness? Or faithful but lacking in availability? The reality is that people will rarely fit all three of these criteria perfectly. People do not often come “prepackaged”. They are more likely a mixed bag with individual strengths and weaknesses. Holding out for the “perfect” person to disciple could easily lead to becoming bitter, jaded, and discouraged by people and making disciples in general. What are we looking for then?
Isaiah 58 introduces a vivid picture of who to give ourselves to. I want to focus on a specific word, “hungry”. In this passage, we are instructed to “divide your bread with the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7) and “give yourself to the hungry” (Isaiah 58:10). Jesus picks up this theme in John 6 when He says “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35).
Jesus continues this concept by sharing a parable about a man who knocks on his neighbor’s door. The neighbor initially tells the man, “Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything” (Luke 11:7) but, because of the man’s persistence, Jesus continues by saying “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” (Luke 11:8)
Jesus concludes by saying, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).
Please realize that this is not going to be everyone you meet, but these people are out there, and they are worth waiting for. This type of person will be “strongly supported” by God (2 Chronicles 16:9) and be a blessing and joy to us (Phil 1:3-5). These are the men and women who, in Isaiah 58, will ultimately “rebuild the ancient ruins,” “raise up the age-old foundations,” and “ will be called the repairer of the breach, [t]he restorer of the streets in which to dwell” (Isaiah 58:12).