By Thais Sitoe, Africa Region NDI Coordinator
When reading the Gospels, something about Jesus’ ministry catches my attention: he emphasis on discipleship through relationships. A significant portion of the teachings of the Master occurred during his interactions with ordinary people engaged in everyday activities.
Jesus gave powerful and enlightening affirmations of his mission to unknown individuals with no social relevance at the time. It was to a Samaritan woman of questionable character, doing an ordinary task, that Jesus declared: “Everyone who drinks
this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14, NIV).
Relationships are the foundation of Jesus’ discipleship. And for us Africans, relationships are a precious jewel. We are observing significant numerical growth in the African church. Despite our material and educational limitations, the gospel has spread
like wildfire across the continent.
The saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is revealed powerfully through the relationships of his people within the community, serving as a testimony to the new life in Christ.
The African proverb “It takes a whole village to raise a child” reveals the spirit of community and family that prevails in African culture. And so, one by one, neighbor after neighbor, the love of Christ continues to spread and reach the most unlikely people in society. Ultimately, discipleship is precisely that: a relationship.
