Like Father, Like Son

By Frank Webster

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be like my dad. That isn’t unusual for a son, especially if you’re the oldest in the litter. But, here is how it worked. He liked to play basketball, so I liked to play basketball. He liked to keep the yard mowed and manicured, so I worked along with him to do that. He liked Oklahoma Sooner football, so I am a Boomer Sooner fan. He was an electrician, so I worked alongside him and became an electrician, too. He liked to noodle for flathead catfish among the rocks, limbs, and dumped cars along those mud-bottom Oklahoma rivers, so…well, I left that one for my younger brothers.

The point is I wanted to be like Dad. That mentality is key to discipleship, the desire to be like Jesus. We can put together a program by announcing, “The Beginners Class is meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m.,” but the program doesn’t create desire. We can examine and choose from great materials for a discipleship group study with electronic helps and video clips, but the material is useless without desire within the new Christian.

So, where do we get the desire, the “want to”? I’ve lived in the Show Me State for more than 35 years now, and I guess the “show me” concept is about as simple as I can make it. You see, I wanted to be like Dad in the things he enjoyed. Dad didn’t like doing the dishes; he complained more than he helped. So, I didn’t like doing dishes either. Getting the picture? We need to have fun being a disciple of Jesus and make that clear to the new believers around us.

Stop and think. How much time do you complain about things happening at church compared to how much you laugh about things you enjoyed at church? What is your “Bragging to Nagging” ratio toward the ministry leadership? Are family devotions fun or a waste of time? There is also another side to this “want to” thing. I remember the first time I beat my dad in a game of H-O-R-S-E. I remember mowing the yard by myself for the first time, and it passed inspection. I remember wiring my first section of a house with Dad. I was so proud of those small accomplishments. Each one made me more like my Dad. And, I knew Dad was proud, too, because he bragged about me to others.

How did I get to that level of accomplishment? Through practice and obedience! If you’re a fairly new Christian, you have to understand something. You are in charge of you. If I had not gone to the driveway to practice basketball, I never would have been able to outshoot him. It took me more than one shot to pass inspection on the yard. And, the wiring thing took some time, too. Before I arrived at the proud level, I listened to hours upon hours of helpful advice that Dad gave: where to place my hands on the ball; how to keep the mowing line straight; and why you don’t want to get your wires crossed—all valuable pieces of instruction. I wanted to be like Dad, so I worked and listened.

Ask yourself, newbie, do you really want to be like Jesus? If the answer is yes, get in there and do something about it. Be committed, be diligent, listen carefully, and be like Him. Church, do you want to be proud of your new Christians? Remember to enjoy life together and brag on each other now and again. Between your showing and their doing, you will be amazed how new believers will come to look more like Jesus.

About the Writer: Frank Webster is missions director for the Missouri State Association of Free Will Baptists and serves on the National Home Mission Board.