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#1 The Core of Discipleship Discipleship is a way of living in the present moment. It occurs in the midst of the network of relationships and life choices that are before us right now. There is an opportunity for discipleship this very moment. And again now. And again now. The Holy Spirit is in our lives to disciple us in our lives as we walk through each moment of our existence. The essential discipleship question is, “Are we listening to and acting upon what the Spirit is doing in our lives?” “If the Spirit is the source of our life, let the Spirit also direct our course.” Galatians 5:25 (New English Bible) #2 The Goal of Discipleship Discipleship is often seen as a training program. Worship, Bible study, homegroups, spiritual disciplines and Sunday school classes are some of the ways which churches develop to train their members in discipleship. And yet these activities are not the goal of discipleship. The goal of discipleship is doing what the Spirit teaches us to do in our everyday lives in a way that reflects the life and witness of Jesus. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (TNIV) #3 The Measure of Discipleship The measure of discipleship is the fruit of the Spirit. It is interesting to note that the fruit of the Spirit is not a series of fruits. Patience is not a pear while peace is a peach and kindness is a kiwi fruit. No, the fruit of the Spirit is singular. It is all one big banana. Discipleship, therefore, is not measured like a checklist of character traits (something like, “Our community of faith is good at kindness, but not at gentleness.”). Rather, this is a description of a way of life, a way of being in relationship that is naturally produced by consistently walking in the Spirit in our everyday lives. Our level of discipleship individually and as a congregation is measured by the fruit that we produce in our relationships with each other and the community around us. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a (TNIV) #4 The “Fuel” of Discipleship Discipleship is not about gritting our teeth. It is about falling in love. We begin to experience this love when we receive the gift of relationship given to us by God through Jesus Christ. It fills us as we obey God through the duties and sufferings of each moment of our life. As our experience of the love of God increases, we share the character of the fruit of the Spirit. God’s love begins to overflow through us into the lives of those around us. When people enter into relationship with us they gain a better understanding of God. Discipleship is fueled by the love of God. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 (TNIV) #5 The Means of Discipleship In the act of forgiveness we embody the heart of God. Forgiveness reveals the depth of our personal experience of the love of God. Forgiveness expresses the depth of our trust in God. Forgiveness embodies the self-sacrificial love of God seen so clearly in Christ. The process of hurting and being hurt, of asking and offering forgiveness, of being reconciled to one another in a new depth of relationship is the stuff of discipleship. Forgiveness is the means of discipleship. The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Luke 7:49 #6 The Locus of Discipleship Discipleship does not occur in a program, a conference, or a spiritual discipline. It is simpler than that. Discipleship isn’t about committing an hour, a day or a weekend to self-improvement. It is more difficult than that. Discipleship occurs in the network of relationships called the church. The church, with all of its dysfunction and unpleasantness, is the place where we are called to a patient and persevering commitment to the people of God. We learn to love and to forgive in these relationships. We are prepared to love those in the communities around us. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. Hebrews 10:25-25a #7 The End of Discipleship Christ’s call to make disciples all nations means that the shared consciousness and traditions, the shared mental processes and patterns of relationships, the things that mark out each nation and people, are within the scope of discipleship. Christ can become visible within the very things that constitute, not just an individual, but a culture. The individual is disciple in the church and the church disciples the culture. This is the end of discipleship. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…Matthew 28:18-19a
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