An edited journal excerpt from June 1991
In the church, we have sometimes tended to see discipleship as programmatic rather than as personal. Is this really how it works? How would a master mechanic to train a novice?
Plan A. The master mechanic hands the novice an auto repair manual to read and study. They meet weekly to go through it until they reach the end. Maybe they choose a different model of car to study next time. After studying a number of repair manuals, then the trained novice would go through them with someone else. Would you want these guys working on your car? Probably not.
Plan B. The master mechanic might hand the novice an auto repair manual and tell him to read the chapter on carburetors. He would also tell him to stop by the shop some afternoon when he is working on a carburetor. After this, the master mechanic might suggest that the next carburetor job that comes in be handled by the novice (with the master mechanic looking over his shoulder to help, of course). Finally, the novice would be both ready to repair carburetors on his own, and to teach other novices to do the same. Would you feel better about this trainee working on your car? Probably.
It’s not hard to figure out which method looks more like the way Jesus discipled the Twelve? The gospels say that “He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach (Mark 3:14, emphasis mine).” They needed to simply be with the Master.
How often are our methods more like sitting down with a younger Christian with a book on discipleship, going through it until we’re finished. Then we assume that this younger Christian is prepared to disciple another.
Jesus’s goal in discipleship was a changed life. His means was instruction and modeling. Often, our goal is the instruction alone, with the modeling and transformation largely assumed. It isn’t that our programs for discipleship are worthless. It is that they must act as servants to the process of building relationships and being transformed in character.
In discipleship programs, there is often too much “knowing about” and not enough “knowing of.” In other words, many discipleship programs produce disciples who know about prayer, about God’s love, about giving and other issues of Christian life. We unknowingly train Christians to be comfortable with a large amount of undigested ideas.
Instead, a discipleship process must be intentional about building relationship with God and His people, as well as about changing one’s life from the inside out. Discipleship must produce Christians who pray, who experience the faithful love of God, and who give sacrificially. Most Christians would agree with this, but might be hard pressed to show measurable and lasting change that takes place in a discipleship process that is program-oriented. Jesus’s method of discipleship was disciple-oriented. His instruction was often related to their specific needs and struggles. Father, give me wisdom to know how to lead others into greater maturity and likeness to Christ.
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