Faithfully Invested with Allen & Stacy Jo

You Are Already Discipling Others (Whether You Realize It or Not) | Allen & Stacy Jo

Allen & Stacy Jo Thorne

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Apply biblical leadership and faith-based principles to your marriage and mission with Allen and Stacy Jo Thorne.

Welcome to Season 8 of Faithfully Invested! In this episode, we dive into the essence of discipleship and how you are already a discipler, whether you realize it or not. Join us as we explore the importance of sharing your faith and experiences with others.

In this episode of Faithfully Invested, we explore how to integrate biblical wisdom into your daily decision-making. Whether you are navigating challenges in your career or seeking to strengthen your relationship, these discussions offer practical applications for leaders who want to align their life with their values. We break down complex topics with a lighthearted approach, making it easier to lead with purpose.

Our conversation focuses on actionable steps for those balancing professional responsibilities and personal commitments. By prioritizing biblical leadership, you can find clarity in your mission and build a stronger foundation for your marriage. We discuss real-life scenarios where faith informs our leadership principles, providing a roadmap for growth in both areas.
Key takeaways:

* Discipleship is a lifestyle, not a program.
* Everyone has the potential to disciple others.
* Authenticity is key in building relationships.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:27 Overview of Season 8
01:06 What is Discipleship?
02:20 Common Misinterpretations
03:24 Discipleship as a Lifestyle
04:55 Personal Stories of Discipleship
10:17 The Great Commission
12:40 Overcoming Excuses
15:50 The Importance of Intentionality
23:26 Getting Started with Discipleship
27:24 Final Thoughts

What's your biggest challenge with discipleship? Drop it in the comments!

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Empowering women in business through faith, community, and leadership.

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Allen

Are you ready to build a life, business, and legacy that truly lasts? Welcome to Faithfully Invested with Alan and Stacey Joe Thorne, where faith meets real talk, biblical wisdom meets everyday life, and leadership meets laughter.

Stacy Jo

Together we will uncover God's blueprint for leadership, marriage, and mission, helping faith-driven leaders invest in what matters most.

Allen

Each episode we explore biblical wisdom, have real conversations, and of course, have some fun along the way. Because let's be real, walking in faith is an adventure.

Stacy Jo

It sure is. So pull up a seat, grab your coffee or your sweet tea, and join us as we steward our callings with intention. Because when we invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase.

SPEAKER_00

Stacey Joe.

Stacy Jo

Yes, Alan Line. Season eight. Eight seasons. And if you're brand new here, welcome. You picked a great time to jump in. But seriously, go back and start from season one and stay tuned to see what's next.

Allen

Yeah, we've walked through the invested framework together.

Stacy Jo

Together.

Allen

Obviously. We've discussed topics uh like intimacy with God, nurturing a servant's heart, stewardship, uh, faithful unity, generosity, and kingdom legacy. And now we land right here on the big D. Discipling and multiplying. Uh, this is our final season in the invested framework, and this is the one that everything else was building towards. So let's get started.

Stacy Jo

That's right, because a faithfully invested life isn't meant to stop with you. Everything God has used in the last seven seasons to teach you through our experience is intended to be shared with someone else, just as we shared it with you. And that is discipleship. Learning, growing, sharing, repeat. Say it with me. Learning, growing, growing, sharing, repeat. And this is exactly what we are unpacking this season. So welcome to Faithfully Invested. I'm Stacey Joe.

Allen

And I'm Alan. And we're starting with the most important reframe of the entire season. You are already a discipler. Whether you know it or not, whether you feel qualified or not. So let's talk about what that actually means. Are you ready?

Stacy Jo

I'm ready.

Allen

Let's go.

Stacy Jo

All right. So, Alan, let me ask you a question. When most people hear the word discipleship, what do they think about?

Allen

Probably a Bible study. Um probably something a little stuffy, maybe.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Allen

Uh there's a uh a common misinterpretation of what a discipleship is. Maybe they the common layman, the the church attender, I think it's a uh a formal mentorship program where your your pastor is leading a small group. My goodness, doesn't that guy do enough?

SPEAKER_01

Right.

Allen

He does. Uh something intentionally organized happening inside a church building.

Stacy Jo

Most likely you're absolutely correct. Sounds a bit stiff, don't you think? Stuffy. Stuffy.

Allen

Sounds a little religious.

Stacy Jo

And that sort of portrait seems to disqualify some people before the conversation even starts because they think, well, I'm not a pastor with a program, so I must not have it together enough to pour into someone else. Hmm. So they opt out of something that Jesus actually commanded all of his followers to do.

Allen

He absolutely did. I mean, it's not the great suggestion.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

Allen

And discipleship's not about a program, it's a lifestyle. And it happens when you let people in close enough to watch how you live out your faith. And there it is. Discipleship is doing life close enough with others uh that they become comfortable with asking hard questions, and they allow themselves and you allow them to be shaped by how God um how you allow God to to lead and teach you.

Stacy Jo

Yeah. Think about the people who discipled you. Were they all pastors? Were they all running formal programs? Probably not. They were just people who let you in close enough to see how they lived their faith out loud for all to witness. You know the ones. I know you can see them right now. You know, they're the ones that had the real conversations about real life and real time. Just drafting off their experience sparked a change in you over time, and that's discipleship. And for me, that was my grandma. My grandma was the one who discipled me a lot. I mean, my mom too, but my grandma's the one who, when I think of discipleship, that's who I think of because she taught me about Jesus. She taught me about scripture, she taught me to hide scripture in my heart so that it was there when I needed it. Who is it for you?

Allen

I would um it's funny you were not funny, ha ha, but it's it's it's cool that you asked that because I have three right off the top of my head, uh two, uh I'm gonna I'm gonna really accentuate the two and then bring the third one in. Uh, because I would be remiss not to mention him. Uh but uh when I think of of discipleship, I think of my dear friend Dick Smith.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Allen

And um, I get a little choked up. Because um that guy uh he was I'm sure the Lord would have guided me into recovery one way or another, but it was Dick who was on the other end of the phone. It was him who I called when a room when my the people in the room, my my new family, uh were they were just fed up with me already. And uh and he his first question was uh how are you with the Lord, son? And uh he assured me that the God that we serve is not the the the toe tapping, finger waving, you know, I can't believe you did this again, uh, sort of God. But it and it was Dick's suggestion that that led me toward recovery in the first place. Uh this this coming week uh 13 years ago. So um it's been a uh a great 13 years uh of learning. And uh and I like I love how God works here because uh the second guy I we met at at Dick and Brenda's house uh and chemo and Natalie Bethea. Yeah. Uh chemo is is my other I consider chemo a spiritual uh father, and he uh he taught me all about inner healing. He taught me all about what truth is, uh, and he was the man who facilitated uh the inner healing sessions that transformed my life.

Stacy Jo

Yeah, I would say the same thing about Natalie for me as well.

Allen

And it was uh so so God used uh Dick who introduced me to Chemo. And I I was I got I'll be admitting chemo. If if you're listening to this, I do apologize. But the first time I met chemo, I was like, who is this freaking guy? This guy's you haven't shared that with him yet?

Stacy Jo

You're sharing with him on the button.

Allen

No, he's he's heard this before, but who is this? This guy is a little weird, but he was just so full of the spirit and still is so full of the spirit and truth, and and I wasn't there yet. So the Lord's like this, and then a couple about a year and a half later, I we cross paths again as the Lord brought us into revive church, and he's the one that I've learned so much from, and he's mentored me so well and discipled me so well. Um, and uh and just by letting us letting me see how he lived his life and teaching me what what what he knew and just uh observation and then before all that actually not before all in between all that there was my my dear brother Jonathan Rice.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Allen

He's uh 10 years younger than me, taught me more about Jesus, that all that stuff about Jesus I didn't already know. He Jonathan's the one that moved it past religion to relation for me and uh and called me all my crap. He was my first uh my first sponsor in recovery, and even though we don't see each other all the time, uh he's a uh a great brother who I'm I'll always be grateful for.

Stacy Jo

Well, you make me think too of course Brenda Smith and Diana Phelps for me. As you're going through your list, I'm thinking of all these women who have discipled me, who have directed me, who have spoken life into me and and corrected me when I needed correcting.

Allen

Yeah. And uh And we lose touch sometimes. And there's there there is a fourth uh Steve Harmon who who taught me about expectations.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

Allen

Uh to uh not not rely on those expectations. Be wary of those expectations. Steve led the first uh step study and I went through it was it was pretty good. But those those are the key guys that have discipled me over the years and continue. And just because one uh introduces another and we and we and we keep gaining people who we draft off of and we learn from doesn't mean that the ones in the beginning go away.

SPEAKER_01

No.

Allen

So it's it's uh it's pretty cool. I love the did you know questions. So I would ask you, did you know that all of us are discipling someone?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Allen

Whether you know it or not. The question is whether we're doing it intentionally or are we doing it accidentally? How are you influencing people? Because that's what it's all about. It's it's how we've been influenced, who've we've been influenced by for the Lord's kingdom, and how are we influencing people? Do you even realize that you're leaving parts of yourself and everyone around you?

unknown

Yeah.

Allen

People are watching. Uh today and and through the next several episodes, we'd like to help you do that and share how we've learned to do that on purpose, and we'd like to help you disciple those around you on purpose because it's important what we leave with them. Uh it's important that what we leave with the people around us uh only glorifies God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Yes. And the rest of it, anything else is just it's fluff at best. So uh the challenge, there's always a challenge where there's progress, there's always going to be challenges. So what are we learning in the challenges? Um I would say that uh I'd take it to the word, uh, Matthew's gospel, chapter 28, 18 through 20. Jesus tells his disciples, and we mentioned this last episode as well, we go a little further here. Uh and he said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples. As he says, I have all the authority. He's telling them to go, he's given them a command. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them all that I have commanded you. And I am with you, Jesus says. I am with you to the end of the age. That's the great commission. And it wasn't given to a select group of ministry professionals.

SPEAKER_01

Right. Right.

Allen

It was given to a group of ordinary guys, just regular people who had spent time with Jesus, and that's the point. That's the only qualification, spending time and getting to know Jesus. Are you doing that? What can you share about that?

Stacy Jo

Yeah, you know, the challenge is that most believers have mentally outsourced their great commission, like you said, to so-called professionals like pastors, missionaries, um, and ministry leaders. And while those rules are absolutely vital, Jesus was not talking only to them.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

Stacy Jo

You know, he was talking to everyone who follows him. Go make disciples. That's for you in your homes and your businesses and your neighborhoods and your teams. How well are you leading your team? We've had we've talked about that before. How do they see Jesus in you?

Allen

How do they see Jesus in you?

Stacy Jo

That's always my prayer. Lord, let them see Jesus in me.

Allen

Right. I'm not getting out of this truck until they can see Jesus in me.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

unknown

Right.

Allen

I love uh when I think of discipleship biblical discipleship, obviously there's there's Jesus and the uh the eleven and and twelve disciples. Uh, but then there's I also I I go right to Paul and Timothy.

Stacy Jo

Yeah.

Allen

And uh in Second Timothy uh chapter two, verse two, uh Paul shows us the multiplication picture where he declares to Timothy what you have heard from me, and trust to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. And if we look at that simple verse, one sentence, count the layers in that verse. You got from from Paul to Timothy, Timothy to faithful people, and from faithful people to others. That's four generations of discipleship in just one sentence. And that's how the kingdom multiplies. Uh not through one person doing everything, hello. Uh through all people sharing their Jesus experiences, not what we've read in the book, but how we've experienced him. Have you experienced him? It's about all of us sharing our Jesus experiences with the next one on down our God-given line.

Stacy Jo

Yeah, and when we're honest with ourselves, we know that there is not a lack of opportunity. There is not a lack of opportunity that the people who need what God has given you are already in your life. How about the friend who keeps calling you when things are falling apart? Or the new believer at your church who's watching how you handle hard things. Look around. They're already there. The challenge is being intentional about what you do with that access.

Allen

Absolutely. So what keeps you from moving into this mandate? And it's it's it's a mandate. It's what it's what the savior of all mankind told us to do. So what's keeping you from moving there? Most believers genuinely want they want to make a difference, but most of us make excuses. Now like you what you've you've said time and we've said time and time again, we can either make excuses or we can make a difference. Uh they're not we're not opting out because we don't care. Uh so what's really in the way? Well, what's block what's blocking up most people from proper discipleship?

Stacy Jo

Uh the number one thing I hear is I don't feel qualified.

unknown

Yeah.

Stacy Jo

Or I'm still figuring things out myself, so who am I to pour into someone else?

Allen

Right. And we get it. But the truth is that hello, nobody has it all figured out.

Stacy Jo

That's the truth. That might be the understatement of the year.

Allen

Including this guy. Nobody has none of us have it all figured out. If you're waiting for the perfect time, it'll it's never gonna happen. There is no perfect timing for discipleship. Remember, Paul was writing letters to his churches while he was sitting in a prison cell. Right. Not a perfect time. He had some time, but far from perfect. Moses, he told God he had a speech impediment. I don't speak well. Maybe my brother. But he God didn't call Aaron. He used Aaron, but he called Moses. Peter denied Jesus three times before he preached the sermon of his lifetime and changed 3,000 lives. God never once he never once waited for someone to be fully ready before he used them for his kingdom.

Stacy Jo

Yeah, the enemy the enemy loves that lie. Because if he can convince you that you need to have it all together before you can disciple anyone else, he can keep you on the sidelines for as long as you allow him to keep you there. And you have to remember there's always someone that you're a step ahead of. Even if it's one step ahead of them. There will always be another area to grow in, another wound to heal, another season to get through first. And that's a lie from the enemy to keep you on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the people God placed in your life are waiting for someone to show up for them. They're waiting on your obedience. You know, that I love um I've heard it said time and time again, and I use it myself. Someone's blessing is waiting on the other side of my obedience.

Allen

Yeah.

Stacy Jo

And we can make excuses or we can make a difference. There it is, again. It's up to us.

Allen

That's it. Write that down. Put that on a t-shirt, put that on your bathroom mirror. Today I'm not making excuses. Today I'm making a difference.

Stacy Jo

Yes.

Allen

I heard this kid and at 56 next week. I've uh, you know, a lot of the people I hang out with are are kids, but uh and that's cool. But uh he gave his he gave a piece of his testimony some time ago. I was like, wow. And I I I know where this kid's at. And uh and the Lord's like, yep, we're gonna we're we're working this. The Lord's working that out. And I and I laid it out there, you know. I kind of offered, you know, hey, I know where you're at, you know, uh, I know the way out of the hole that you're that you find yourself in, you know. And so and it's all always not about me, it's always about Jesus. But it it's as time goes by, he's starting to ask questions. He's starting, he's he's becoming more comfortable uh in knowing that people are there for him.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Allen

So that's and that's what discipleship's all about. Um but the second thing that we're talking about is time. Boy, howdy, can I relate to that one? I think we can both relate to that one. We get we get time challenges. There's only so many time so much time in the day, and uh uh life is full and leadership is demanding. What the heck, man? I mean, seriously, we're already stretched, and we're stretched ridiculously thin most of the time, and adding intentional discipleship on top of everything else feels next to impossible. So, how are we going to do this? Here's what we've learned over the years where we're discipleship's concerned. Discipleship, it doesn't have to be a separate thing to add to your schedule. It happens in the margins of things that we're already doing. Like a conversation on the way to a meeting, or you know, a conversation in the back of the hike, or just a conversation, a meal with someone who who needs to be seen, or how about a phone call that that you keep putting off? That you know, oh, you know the phone call you keep putting off with that person that where you actually ask the hard questions and you then you wait and you listen for that real answer.

Stacy Jo

Yeah. Have y'all noticed that Jesus didn't run a program? He just he just let people be with him.

Allen

He didn't even have a whiteboard.

Stacy Jo

He didn't have a whiteboard. And Mark 314 says he appointed twelve that they might be with him.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Stacy Jo

That's the exemplar model, proximity and presence. Letting people watch how you live, listen, and respond to God. You don't need a curriculum for that. You just need to be available.

Allen

Yeah. Number three the fear of being seen too closely. My goodness, don't let fear fall into pride. It could. Yeah. Fear is the antithesis of faith. But uh don't I would say don't let fear hold you back from sharing your faith or living out your faith uh out loud, you know. Uh the fear of being seen too closely. Discipleship just requires authenticity. Whether you're whether you're male or female, man or woman, it doesn't matter. Discipleship requires authenticity. Who are you really? So we gotta we gotta let people in close enough to see that we're not perfect. There's only one perfect one. I think you know who he is. But letting people in to see our challenges, it's uncomfortable. Uh especially for leaders who are who are known for projecting strength and having answers. But again, the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 35 says, the people will know that you are my disciples by how you love one another. He doesn't say how polished you are, but but how real that we are with each other. Authenticity is a main point for discipleship. We gotta be real. And I would say this boldly fake has no place in a heart sold out for Jesus.

Stacy Jo

Amen.

Allen

Yes.

Stacy Jo

Amen. So here is where you can get started because we don't want to leave you inspired and then let leave you feeling stuck. So we always want to give something that you can use throughout the week, or something, you know, hopefully not just throughout the week, but throughout your lifetime. So here are three things that you can do right now to get started.

Allen

Right. First, numero uno, who are your people? Not a program, not a group. Just two or three people. Or maybe just start with one. One's a great place to start, and then we go, you go from there. Who are the people that are already in your life who need what God gave you? Maybe they're a little further behind in their faith. Maybe they're newer in their career. Uh maybe they're newer in their marriage. Maybe they need some help there. Uh maybe they're just watching you from a distance and hoping that you see them. Name them, pray over them by name, and make one intentional move toward them this week.

Stacy Jo

Yeah. Second, just stop waiting until you are ready and start with where you are. You do not disciple people from perfection. Yeah. Jesus is the only perfect one. Right. You disciple them with your story along your journey, and we gotta share the things that God has walked us through. We gotta share the mistakes that we've made and what God taught us through them. That's the stuff that actually changes people.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

Stacy Jo

Not a polished presentation, but a real life lived intentionally in front of them.

Allen

Number three, we gotta make room for people to be with us. Jesus, like you said earlier, Jesus made room for people to be with him. Invite someone into what you're already doing. Bring them into a meeting and debrief after that. Have have them over for dinner and let them see what your family actually looks like. Field their questions and let them watch how you handle the tough stuff. That's discipleship. And it costs nothing but intentionality.

Stacy Jo

I know that's right. I know that's right. And you know, the Great Commission doesn't start with going to the ends of the earth. It starts with the people right here, right now. And if you're faithful there, if you're intentional with the people that God's already placed in your life, the multiplication just takes care of itself. Paul to Timothy, Timothy to faithful people, faithful people to others.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

Stacy Jo

And the change just started with one person being willing to show up for another person.

Allen

Right.

Stacy Jo

That's how it always starts.

Allen

Right. There is this, there was this TV commercial on the the shampoo back in the 70s. It was super popular. Right. Uh gee, your hair smells terrific was the name of the shampoo. And then and they told two people, and then they told two people, and they told two people, and so on, and so on, and so on. And then everybody's hair smelled terrific.

unknown

Right.

Allen

Anyway.

Stacy Jo

So I was thinking it was a different brand, but I'm pretty sure that was it.

Allen

I could be wrong. I've been wrong several times today, so but I think I'm I think I'm on on that.

Stacy Jo

You might be wrong.

Allen

But it's on YouTube.

Stacy Jo

Yeah.

Allen

But uh anyway, so back to our point. Um go tell two people about faithfully invested and encourage them to tell two people. Uh but one thing this week, just one thing for you this week. Name the person. Name that one person. Joby Martin says, Who's your one more? Although they talk when he's talking to 3,000 people, who's your one more? Who are you uh who are you sharing Jesus with? Who are you bringing to church? Who are you discipling? Uh, who's your one more? Who's that one person that God's put in your life for this? Not the one that you wish he'd put in your life. Right. Uh, but uh, because when I when I was starting, I laugh at this because when I was uh starting in recovery, I was like, I think I want that person to be my sponsor. And then I'm like, and then the Lord's like, nope. You get him.

Stacy Jo

That one.

Allen

And I was like, dude, he's 10 years younger than me. What am I gonna learn from him? But he was also three years ahead of me in recovery. And uh, yeah, yeah, the Lord knows what he was doing. So, so who's the Lord already placed in your life? Not the one that you wished he would, but the one who's already right there right now, and then pray over them, like you mentioned earlier, by name, and ask God, ask the Holy Spirit, what do you got to show me about? What's my next step with this specific person today?

Stacy Jo

Yeah, because discipleship always starts with a name. Jesus did not disciple an audience, he discipled Peter, James, John, Mary. He had specific people he was unintentional about. And your assignment is the same. So, Alan, I think we should pray.

Allen

Yeah, absolutely. Father, we just thank you. Uh, your word says, enter your course with thanksgiving and praise. Uh, so we thank you for everyone that you've placed in our life who needs what you've given us. We ask that you uh you open our eyes. That you open our eyes to see clearly, that you break off every excuse, the time excuses, the the I'm not ready excuses, the oh, I've gotta have it all together thing. You never asked us to be perfect, Lord. Lord, we thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are the only perfect one. You asked us to be faithful. Would you show us, Holy Spirit, how to be faithful here?

SPEAKER_00

Because today we say yes. Show us who our people are. Who is that one?

Allen

And would you show us how to make that step toward them this week? And we ask that you let everything that you've built in us over our journey with you, uh, that you give us opportunity to share everything that we've learned from you with them. Thank you for entrusting us with your wisdom. Thank you for entrusting us with your people. Thank you for entrusting us with your ministry uh with us. Uh, thank you for entrusting us with this podcast. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Stacy Jo

Amen. Friends, episode two is coming, and we are going into the heart posture that makes discipleship actually work. Because before you can multiply anything in someone else, something has to be settled in you. So don't miss it.

Allen

Right. And until then, we encourage you to stay faithfully invested because when you do, God brings the increase. He absolutely does. We love you. God bless you and your families.

Stacy Jo

God bless. We'll see you next week.

Allen

Thanks for joining us on Faithfully Invested with Alan and Stacey Joe. If today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you see your calling more clearly, don't keep it to yourself.

Stacy Jo

That's right. Share it with a friend, leave a five-star review, and keep leaning into God's blueprint for your life, your leadership, and your legacy. So until next time, remember when you invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase.

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