I have a dream that sometimes seems so unrealistic, I don’t talk about it with anyone. My dream is that churches would be seized by a passion
to disciple their people. I believe it’s such an important dream that I’ve committed my life to it.
A number of years ago, I used to get
more excited by people praying the prayer of salvation.
We used to hand out tracts in Mexico. But
after a while, I grew convicted about my hit-and-run ways. I learned that, absent a plan for long-term discipleship, not much
really changes.
Discipleship requires lots and lots of time. And it’s often done one-on-one.
Most churches don’t have a lot of time. They average maybe three hours a week of
their congregants’ time. And like the wife of a workaholic, they guard
it jealously. It’s not enough time to disciple people as Jesus did.
And, of course, to
maximize the time they’re allocated, churches focus on the excellence of
their programmatic activities.The worship music that comes out of our local mega-church is really, really good. It’s almost enough to make me want to endure the hassle of parking there.
2 Timothy 3:16 talks about the activities of a discipler: teaching,
rebuking, correcting, and training. Of these, teaching is the only
activity that lends itself to larger groups – the other three are best
done individually.
We are a nation that likes to “super-size” stuff –
make it bigger and better. Super-sizing was never Jesus’ model and it can’t be ours.
I was going to end this post there, but I don’t want to be a downer. If you’ve sensed this in your spirit and want more, you have options. Here are a couple of ideas for you:
1. Ask a pastor or someone at your church to disciple you – many don’t like the system they find themselves stuck in and will work with you.
2. Or, consider engaging more with the community on this blog. For those willing to invest, we can help. We’re all just beggars looking for bread and then helping others when we find it.
A very honorable dream this is, Seth. And I will tell you myself that our generation doesn’t want a three hour program anymore. We want discipleship and a challenge. We want to be stirred up with something more than a sermon once a week. We want the true Jesus… that would be, the Radical Jesus.
I’m thoroughly convinced that the reason why people do not teach discipleship is because they are unwilling to discipline themselves. Enough said.
Seth this blog caused me really to do a double take! We attend the Church of Brookhills in Birmingham, where David Platt is our pastor and this has been his message as we have been studying first Timothy for the last month. How strange is that! Great Blog as always, love to start my day with HIM!! Frank <><
Amen. I remember very vividly the moment I committed my life to Jesus, during the sharing time at the church I worshipped for ten years; and how I still love my family there. But, discipleship? Non-existent. Because I was so hungry I chased after being fed, but based on the response, you wouldn’t have known I had so much as a hunger pang.
And it seemed so superficial and false. Where was the life transformation? Where was the concern, other than becoming more and more a part of the Christian bubble?
So what am I doing about it? Seeking to invest in relationships, seeking to worship in a community where those tight knit groups modeled after doing life together are alive, seeking to walk alongside, seeking to see evangelism as missional living, not just a once and done decision. And humbly seeking to remember that yes, I must submit to being disciplined and doing life with Jesus as my teacher.
I felt so isolated in these convictions that I was beginning to feel like I was the only one who believed this way, but am relieved to discover there are others…Thank God to them, and that you have answered the call from God to be a part of that.
The Spirit is putting this on my heart a lot lately too. I just consulted with a youth ministry yesterday that was looking to increase staff to do more. I was burdened that they thought more programming would be better. The sad truth was that they had no idea how doing more or adding staff would help a single individual.
We need less programs and more practices. We need less doing and more being.
I love #2, I say it all the time. I definitely need discipleship from an older generation.
Amen Paul and Connie L.! Simply being is always the hardest thing to do, isn’t it?