Impact of Discipleship: Rebekka Brown
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed in humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
In first grade, I stole an eraser off my classmates’ desk. It was covered in green and blue swirls, and I swiped the gem without a second thought as we lined up for recess. After the rush dissipated, it became the most miserable recess of my life thus far. I knew I had done wrong, and my mind could not be put at ease. The next opportunity I had to discreetly return that eraser to the owner’s desk, I did. I never told a soul, as I was fearful of the reprimand. I was afraid of being disliked by my teacher and classmates, I was afraid of disappointing my parents, and I was afraid of acknowledging my flaws. I was a perfectionist people-pleaser who was full of pride from the beginning and in this moment, I realized the hard truth that I was full of ick.
“l needed to choose if I was going to abuse my God-given liberties”
I had committed a crime and I knew that disobedience grieved the Lord. I thought about the coloring page of the Ten Commandments tacked to the bulletin board in the hallway by my sister’s bedroom. Number 8 was clear: “Thou shalt not steal.” It was through this experience that I recognized I was a sinner who needed a Savior. I had known who Jesus Christ was from Sunday school. I knew he was the Son of God and that he came to earth, died on a cross, and rose again on the third day. I knew he wanted me to obey his word and trust in him, but until then I did not understand that a life with Christ required repentance of MY sin.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
At the surface level, it seems like a silly story, but it is intended to introduce the serious, important subject matter that follows. As I grew older, I continued to learn about stories from God's word. However, the years went on, and I realized that although I knew who God was and is as a person, I did not know who he was in my life. I had fallen into my old pattern of being agreeable and focusing first on pleasing others for the glory of myself. I was missing out on a personal relationship with the creator of the universe, and what I desperately needed was to submit to a pattern of discipleship through which I would learn how to live my life bringing God the glory due his name.
Fast forward through the years, past stories of people whose lives the Lord strategically intersected with my own to begin showing me how a daily, intimate relationship with the Lord is lived out, to life post college. A desperate season of prayer followed a challenging series of months packed with jarring life transitions. By the grace of God, I was unexpectedly invited to a Bible study by a random gal I met at a dance class (God is cool and so is hip hop). I will never forget the first night of that study—it was undeniable that God was working in the hearts and minds of these ladies. They were genuine, hospitable, welcoming, and it was clear that they desired to know the Lord and his word. They knew how to study the word for themselves and on that first night they began to teach me as well.
A few weeks passed of proving out the Bible study, and it was confirmed that this was where God had me to stay. I was in a pivotal season in which I needed to decide whether I was going to lay my life down for the Lord or I was going to give into the desires I was holding on to in the world (Mat 6:24). I was a lukewarm Christian who wanted to be on fire for the Lord (Rev 3:15-16). I craved knowing the Word of God for myself (as opposed to blindly obeying the words of a preacher) and I wanted to learn how to live my life for Christ. The Lord had led me to recognize that he will not use the indifferent, he will not force the lost to choose him for salvation, and he will not force the saved to reach the nations. We each have a free will; l needed to choose if I was going to abuse my God-given liberties or if I would use them to bring him glory.
Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
As I learned about the opportunity of being in a discipleship relationship at MBT—how it is a biblical method for the older teaching the younger the ways of the Lord—I knew this was God’s answer to my fervent prayers. Praise the Lord for JJ Harper, who, from that initial invitation at dance class, showed me the importance of opening our mouths to share with others the goodness of God and how he is working in our lives. JJ’s obedience and faithfulness played a large role in leading me to the place where I was paired with two faithful, godly women (Mercy Mugeche and Anna Ryan) to walk with through discipleship. The following 10 months were transformative: I learned to trust God’s word, I understood God’s plan for my life, and I began to grow in becoming the woman God would have me to be.
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
“In the past year, my burden for souls has heightened as I begin to see people the way the Lord does”
As someone who knew the Lord from a young age and who was raised in a loving, Christian home, there were a few initial hurdles I had to overcome. I needed to be receptive when lessons were taught that 1) were full of content I proudly thought I already knew and lived out and 2) contained information that came in conflict with my previous beliefs. I first needed to submit in humility to the truth of scripture and know that it is the inspired, infallible, complete, preserved word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17). My approach to reading the words in my open Bible was no longer “what do I want the Bible to say to me”, but “what does God want the Bible to say to me.” Mercy and Anna led by example, and as I followed them, my relationship with the Lord strengthened through the development of a daily, intimate walk with him. I spoke to him consistently through prayer and he was faithful to answer my requests through his word. I learned to give the Lord my firstfruits of time, talent, and treasure in replacement of my previously allocated sleepy evenings and spare change. Firsthand, I witnessed the Lord draw nigh to me as I drew nigh to him while my desires turned away from pleasing people and moved towards pleasing God.
As I learned God’s word, I began to understand God’s purpose and plan for my life. I trusted him with lighting my footsteps down the path he is leading me (Psa 119:105). Discipleship taught me how to cleave to the Lord and consider how I can live my life for his glory. In the past year, my burden for souls has heightened as I begin to see people the way the Lord does (thank you to the word of God, discipleship, and Pastor Brandon Briscoe). During discipleship it “clicked” for me as I understood God’s call for us to speak up and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with whoever will listen. I have become more aware of opportunities that the Lord provides to share the truth with the lost, and slowly but surely, by God’s grace, I am putting this into practice. It is not comfortable for me to do so, but in the midst of my fear I ask myself why I would want to hide such a precious, critical, eternal gift with those who are broken, suffering, and searching for answers. We will be disliked by the world. We must acknowledge our accuser and continue in the faith and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
Through discipleship, the Lord showed me abundant grace as I learned to trust him and walk in his ways as a woman of God in a fallen, broken world. As I unraveled my world-given beliefs of how “traditional” Bible believing women are weak or submissive to a fault, the word showed me God-given truths of how godly women are truly strong in the Lord, that they work heartily unto him, and that they are essential to the ministry. The ladies who discipled me are wise, meek, gracious, funny, hard-working, and selfless. They passed down to me what had been passed down to them so that I can pass it along, by the grace of God, to others (2 Tim 2:2). Mercy and Anna remain two of my closest friends who I can continue to reach out to for counsel. As my disciplers, they did not call me to be perfect, they called me to be obedient, consistent, and willing. They are a picture of Christ and his love to us, and I am forever thankful for the impact they had on my life.
Rebekka Brown is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and a part of C&YA. She serves on the C&YA Hospitality Team and Kidtown. She is also involved in one of the Midtown KC Women’s Bible studies.