Discipleship is a term that has grown tired and shopworn in the last 25 years. I’ve tried to replace it in my vocabulary with something not so ’80’s-sounding, but perhaps what we need to do is just give it a fresh definition: Waking up someone to their identity and role in the kingdom of
God.
So, if you’re being discipled, how do you know how well you’re doing? The other day as I was running thru the
Peruvian back streets, I asked God this (a process called Listening Prayer). I often come away feeling hard-of-hearing. But I was delighted that on this go-around he gave me three diagnostic questions from 2 Cor. 5:17-19.
When I
arrived panting back at camp (a five mile run isn’t any big deal, but getting
by all those maniacal, nappy, yapping dogs is), I grabbed the first person I
saw – Rusty Jackson and he helped me write them down:
Identity
Am I less concerned with what I look like than what Jesus
says I look like? (Verse 17)
Role
Do I see my primary role on earth to be a minister of reconciliation?
(Verse 18)
Kingdom
Am I less concerned with what the world looks like than what
it should look like? (Verse 19)
If you’re wondering where you are in the discipleship
process, I recommend getting alone with God for an hour and asking him to help
you answer these questions. Ask him what he wants to reveal to you about the
kingdom, your identity in it, and your role in it.
I’m convinced that he wants to talk to us
about this – these are the critical issues of our lives. Whatever else we’re doing, it may well be a
distraction from this.
Comments (8)
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Seth Barnes
I'm motivated to join God in his global reclamation project. He's on the move, setting his sons and daughters free from their places of captivity. And he's partnering with those of us who have been freed to go and free others.
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I think that’s an excellent definition. I’m going to use that.
I love this except I don’t see where you are getting kingdom in 17 & identity in 18. I definitely see it the other way –
Identity(17)+ Kingdom(18)+ Role(19) = Ambassador(20)
17 – Establishment of My identity as In Christ
18 – Christ purpose in the world is Kingdom
Please if you are willing, I’d love to hear why you feel it is the other way around?
Great questions Seth. Brilliant, in fact. Thanks for sharing.
BTW, I replaced “discipleship” with “apprenticeship” a long time ago, and it’s made all the difference in the world for me.
I love the apprentice model… an apprentice doesn’t know what he’s doing. he’s making mistakes and getting corrected by the master. he’s learning.
must easier than the super-Christian model where you “just get it” as soon as you “get saved.”
Ack! Kevin – you’re absolutely right. I messed up on the verses. Must have been blurry-eyed that morning! I’ll go back in there and fix it. Actually, I see it going this way:
17 Identity – “he is a new creation”
18 Role – “gave us the ministry of reconciliation”
19 Kingdom – “reconciling the world to himself”
Good catch – no one will know what happened unless they read these comments!
ok… blonde moment…
i JUST read the blog and the comments, then I read the blog again trying to “find” your mistake… hahaha… going “no, this is right”
N