Unintentional Discipleship

“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.” 2 Corinthians 3:2

After church there is a pot luck. Someone is asked to pray over the meal. Everyone gets quiet. She stands and prays. Unintentional discipleship.

Your Fourth Day group meets at Denny’s. Someone has just ordered a Grand Slam and gets a text asking him to come and respond to a pastoral emergency. He dismisses himself and leaves without a thought. Unintentional discipleship.

One in church a man stands and nervously shares a “word” he feels God is giving him for the congregation. It is powerful.  Afterwards he mentions he has never done this sort of thing before and sits down, a bit embarrassed. Unintentional discipleship.

A teacher in the teacher’s lounge is frustrated at a broken copier. She lays her hands on it and asks Jesus to make it work. It works. Her colleagues stare in disbelief. Unintentional discipleship.


Discipleship can be intentional (through academic curriculums, Scripture memorization, topical studies, etc.) or unintentional (through the doing of life and responding to it’s daily demands with grace and spiritual fortitude). Either way, whether in the classroom or on the street, discipleship happens. It is both taught and caught. Truth is: People watch us. They copy us. They may even wind up doing the same things as us.

When I was a youth leader in Denver I led a worship set and it was really nice. Kid’s were genuinely brought into the presence of the Lord. When I was packing up my guitar a teen came up and told me he had been watching me lead music for years and wanted to be just like me. He even asked me to pray for him to be just like me.

Unintentional discipleship. You see, people are watching, learning, and actually believing that the way we pray, respond to pastoral needs, share what we think the Lord is saying, or lay hands on machines is the way they need to be doing those same things. It’s both a sobering responsibility and, at the same time, a magnificent opportunity. Just think. People look to us so they know how to share the how life in the Kingdom works with others.

TakeAway: Think of the people God has surrounded you with. How has He intentionally and unintentionally work His Gospel into their lives’ through you? Take time this month to ask God to fill you with his Spirit that you may be living witnesses to the Loving God, intentionally and unintentionally, in everything you do.