If you meet any Worship Harvester(people who attend Worship Harvest UG)now, the big word is discipling! Who are you discipling? Who is discipling you? The first time I had these words from Angela Okullo, my walk home was very long. My thoughts centered around what do I have to offer to anyone? Being discipled in my opinion is easy, finding someone whose purpose & goals are in tune with yours but the one of finding someone to pour yourself into is not easy. It takes a lot of Humbleness, Openness, Truth (H.O.T) which to be frank not many wield. Last Sunday, the preacher reaffirmed my thoughts; he asked “If you moved from your neighborhood, would they miss you?” Thought provoking!
Then yesterday I landed on a movie called The Greatest Showman, tells of P.T Barnum story. For those who don’t know him; his the man who brought the circus to the world. He collected a group of “misfits”(people society had deemed abnormal) and created for them a safe haven to be themselves, he charged people to come see these “misfits”till his circus became a travelling act. In the movie though he got his goals twisted and ventured to “fit into the society” in so doing he forgot why he had started the circus, but this leads him to find his “ overcompensated apprentice”(Very interesting scene between Hugh Jackman & Zac Effron) He had to convince him to join his purpose; his apprentice was a play writer didn’t know much about a circus but P.T Barnum unknowingly hands the reigns over to him(Mr. play writer) P.T Barnum goes searching for the approval of society(loss of identity) in doing so, he turns his back on his misfits. He denies them, this for me is one of the most profound scenes in the whole movie; as believers, we tend to try to fit into the world moving away from being Christ- like. We are out there being more like the world and yet we are meant to be “the misfits of the earth” (Google, download Keale Settle “This Is Me” you shall thank me later)
The apprentice takes over the show, at first people aren’t buying into the whole act, protests increase outside the theatre because as always haters will be haters ( someone once told me that if you are doing something right, you must have haters!) In the end, the haters do burn up the theatre: their home, their safe haven but instead of giving up; this group of misfits comes back with a bigger much better show in a marquee (when you get back up, make it count!) from which came the origins of travelling circus (cutting out monthly rent!) Imagine, the “over compensated apprentice” saves the day by footing the entire bill for the first show in the marquee, using this as a bargaining chip to become a 50-50 business partner. P.T Barnum hit rock bottom lost almost everything apart from his group of misfits(now a family) who surprisingly stayed together to help him get back up!(this is the part of discipleship they don’t tell you about, one has to bare all the good, the bad & the ugly) Fast forward to the opening of the show, wow! Lights, fireworks, synchronized dancing and stunts etc, then we(the audience) are meant to follow different scenes with a top hat being passed along from each act, ending right back on P.T Barnum’s hand and he goes off stage for a minute; hands the hat to his business partner. He says “this is for you”, his partner says “ what will you be doing?” P.T Barnum replies, “living my life!watching my girls grow up.” This right here was my “aha moment” he indirectly discipled this young man to take over his business so that he could go about his real purpose. The next scene we see his daughters & wife waiting for him at the steps of the theatre ( I think they had been disappointed enough times but they still hoped that he would show up this time..) and indeed he comes in riding an elephant!! He still carried a piece of his dream with him, till the end. Everyone outside the theatre were amazed & wondering who this guy was riding an elephant to a ballet performance hahaha. This movie tackles abroad range of issues; turning your dreams into a reality, dealing with the reality, picking yourself up every time, accepting & loving one’s identity, what to look for in partnerships, disciplining, following one’s purpose to the ends of the earth, finding your tribe!! So many lessons!
Jesus had to leave so that the one (who can be everywhere at the same time) would come to assist His disciples in making other disciples and more disciples and more disciples and on and on. If Jesus hadn’t left, the gospel would have taken a much longer time to spread over the world. When Jesus left earth, he had accomplished His God given purpose, he was now going to intercede for us (the way it was always meant to be!) Leaving a mandate; MAKE DISCIPLES!
In your businesses, family, community etc, are you making disciples? Are you pouring yourself into someone intentionally or are you just haphazardly pouring in different vessels? Is there someone who you are training to take over? I know many businesses in Uganda which are centered on one individual, if that person falls sick or goes for a burial there is no one left to run the business. Are you open to suggestions from anyone else other than yourself? Are you pouring into your employees? Discipleship isn’t easy; you are opening yourself up to this person. Bearing ALL. Kwegamba, you are doing a Jesus of come and walk with me, eat with me, see me do life! No more mbu let’s do bible study for one hour then we chill, nada! It’s come for an afternoon we read the bible and pray, cook breakfast together and share what we have experienced!
What are you reproducing in your family, employees or fellow workmates? I know a family of doctors that dates back to 3rd generation their great great grandfather was the village Daktari, this was passed on from generation to generation(heal the sick), one of the millennial grand children tried to run away from it; he did IT and ended up developing an app to help pregnant mothers & infants in rural Kenya to get immediate medical assistance.(mission upgrade!!!) Imagine!
Who is reproducing your mission?
dmwecumi
Nice one
Evelyn Nuwagaba
Very well written. Interesting as well.