Impact of Discipleship: Michael Black
“God used his grace through the lives and prayers of other believers to bring me to a halt.”
I’m not a big fan of talking about my background (because compared to people in other places in the world, I was blessed), but I think it is necessary to truly understand how biblical discipleship changed my life and perspective.
I was raised in a single-parent household where living situations were not convenient. There were seasons in life where having to live out of a car with my mother, showering in other people’s homes, going to bed hungry, and receiving food donations was a regular part of life. I hated the fact that I had to rely on others to survive instead of being grateful that the Lord provided for me and my family. As a result, I carried a chip on my shoulder which inwardly and outwardly communicated that in every arena of life (athletics, academics, whatever) I was going to out-work and excel past those who seemingly had better opportunities than I did. Thinking about this years later, my goodness, it makes me cringe. Regardless of the goals that I had achieved, I was always angry, aggressive, and discontent with what I had (which was God’s) and was envious of others. Basketball and success in school became my gods, in the hopes that those things alone would guide me to greener pastures.
Honestly, thank God that I was born to a woman who loved the Lord and was adamant about seeking him. She tried her hardest to show me and my siblings the grace of God and the importance of a relationship with him through Jesus Christ. But it wasn’t until she nearly died from heart complications that I seriously considered it. Her near-death experience in September 2016 exposed the thin line between life and death, and the questions of who Jesus was and where I would go when I died entered my heart and mind. On December 20, 2016, I repented of my sin, called upon the name of the Lord, and accepted the gift of salvation. It was the first time that I felt true peace and freedom in my life, but it was short-lived due to me not being established in God’s word or interested in building a relationship with him.
As a result, the old man and his mindsets still controlled my life, all the way until I got to UMKC. Over the course of three years in college, I was individually confronted by three men in C&YA to join a UMKC bible study. The first two interactions I had the excuses of, “I’m just focusing on school right now” and “I’ve got finals to study for” but that third interaction at the UMKC library my junior year caught my attention. God used his grace through the lives and prayers of other believers to bring me to a halt. I attended Bible study for a few weeks, then I came to C&YA for the first time, where I was shown the true love and openness of brothers and sisters in the body. This was made evident to me by a married couple who stood in front of everyone in C&YA and gave their testimony on how they still trusted God and his promises despite a complication with having a child. This example of vulnerability and complete reliance on the Lord, regardless of circumstance, showed me that MBT and C&YA were real, and that I needed to keep coming, so I could someday know the Lord in that kind of way.
“This laid a great foundation for running to his word, not just in seasons of conflict or trial”
As we all know, March 2020 was a weird time, but for me it was a proving ground for counting the cost of discipleship. I had just joined C&YA, but, due to the pandemic, all students living on campus at UMKC were instructed to go home. I went home to St. Louis and kept live streaming the services and virtually attending bible study. In late April, I attended the Cost of Discipleship class led by Van Sneed and told Myles, my bible study leader, that I was interested in discipleship. A few weeks later, I got a call from Myles, saying that his wife, and another couple were a few hours away from St. Louis and were planning to take me out to eat. After we ate and visited a few places, Myles sat me down and went over the four goals of discipleship with me. He emphasized that this was not an academic endeavor, but a relationship with the goal of being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and someday investing this same thing in the lives of others. He asked me if I was ready, and my response was: “I just don’t want to waste my life anymore, man.” I was so dramatic, but it was true.
Discipleship is where I learned to tremble at the word of God and have my mind completely changed. The word of God showed me the uselessness of my flesh and carnal ways of thinking, but also showed me that the answer was simply just submission to him. There were times in discipleship where hard decisions were made, and the giving up of fleshly pursuits was experienced. The Lord used my discipler to give me an example of a man that showed me what being faithful looked like in ministry, in marriage, and most importantly, with God through his word. The word of God showed me how to deal with sin and what responding in obedience meant. This laid a great foundation for running to his word, not just in seasons of conflict or trial, but in every season, good or bad. My discipler emphasized the fact that faithful men feared the Lord, and at the end of almost every lesson, he would ask the same thing, “A faithful man who can find?” (Pro 20:6). He taught that solely being faithful in the sight of men is pure vanity, but true faithfulness is demonstrated at its purest form on your knees.
If I had a need, was praying for a coworker, or anything else, there would be no hesitation for him to call upon the name of the Lord and pray prayers of intercession for me and the people in my life. Moments like that showed his heart for me, and they gave me a template for how I was supposed to pray for others and properly posture my heart towards prayer. It was in discipleship that I learned what it meant to be a man of prayer.
“I learned through discipleship that ministry is simply people and an open book.”
Discipleship showed me that God’s word was all that I needed in my life, and that he is more than just a provider. He is also my Father, who everyday bestows his grace upon me. Through discipleship, the Lord showed me what he cares about, how to have a heart for those things, and that regardless of how hard I worked, nothing was going to get done unless it was God doing it and him alone.
Psalm 39:4-5 was my prayer throughout discipleship: “Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. 5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreath; and mine age is nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.”Discipleship taught me to invest in things that are above (Col 3:2).
Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”
Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
Man, it is a privilege that the Lord would allow me to invest a spiritual thing (the word of God) into another spiritual thing (the souls of men). At the end of the day though, it is him that is working in their hearts. I learned through discipleship that ministry is simply people and an open book. After learning this simple truth, the Lord has granted me opportunities to do that with people in my everyday life, and it has been awesome to see him move in their lives. Through discipleship, I have received a front-row seat to witness his promises become a reality in my life and the lives of other men.
Michael Black is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He serves on the Tuesday Night Meal Team, C&YA Hospitality, and Postscript Team. He is also a part of one of the UMKC Men’s Bible studies.