Theology of Discipleship: Part 2

This thread started here

Last time, the focus was that we all have different journeys and thus the changes that are required in our lives are somewhat unique for each one of us as we follow Christ in discipleship. This time, I want to look at some of the common elements to our journeys.

• The Bible must become the primary path through which we discover who Jesus is and how we live our lives in Christ.
• Since the Bible is very words of God, we will discover Him more easily and more accurately through reading, studying and meditating on His word. New believers need a little help getting started because starting in Genesis may become difficult after too long (Leviticus if not sooner).
• As "Christians," we are followers of Jesus -- we are intended to imitate His words, actions and attitudes. There is nowhere better to meet our Savior than by discovering His life in the gospels. If we did nothing but read and study the gospels, we may not get a full picture of Scripture or of revelation but we would certainly know Jesus and His heart well!
• Prayer must become the path through which we express our faith in God and bring our praise, confessions and requests.
• Since discipleship is a relationship with the teacher, we follow Jesus. We need the two-way communication with God that prayer offers.
• Prayer consists in a minimal sense of:
• Worship: Declaring the greatness of God and thanking Him for all His blessings.
• Confession: Confessing sin and enjoying forgiveness.
• Requests: Expressing faith in God's ability to provide, fix problems and work miracles.
• The practice of prayer should be simple and extemporaneous. Too many times, prayer is taught like a morning workout routine. We pray at a certain time, in a certain way, using certain methods. Let's just teach people to talk with God in a natural way.
  
• Jesus gave His 2 guiding commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:36ff)
  
• If we seek to love God, we can evaluate if we are giving everything to Him. So much of Christian piety can be based on this verse. Martin Luther said that breaking any commandment pretty much involves breaking the first commandment (Thou shalt have no other gods before Me). ALL my heart. ALL my soul. ALL my mind.
  
• If we strive to love our neighbor with the depth that Christ is asking of us, we couldn't steal, gossip, hate or worse.

I guess I'm suggesting that this is the place to start for people who are starting or re-starting on the path of discipleship. These are the basic building blocks of discipleship -- following Christ. Certainly there is much more to discipleship and following Christ but perhaps this is enough to start without creating a burden.

Perhaps this is like in Acts 15 when the church had a debate about the requirements for the inclusion of gentiles into the previously Jewish church. Some believed that the gentiles must be circumcised in order to be included (probably just the men) while others believed that they should just follow Christ.

As Peter said, "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are (Acts 15:10-11).”

Scope Creep

I work in the computer software industry and we have a term called "Scope Creep." Scope is the process of designating the amount of work in any given piece of software. So, we get a list of requirements and these get discussed and debated until a document of Scope is created. Scope Creep is when more "little" things "creep" into the scope.

Sometimes, software needs to be done quickly and a small scope is chosen to get just essentials. At other times, a larger scope is chosen, to produce a more fully completed piece of software. Both paths are correct, but they are based upon the conditions at the time.

Some discipleship methodologies try to teach too much too soon and build a new believer with lots in the head, but the heart is not developed well enough yet. Also, many new believers don't want a "college" class in the Bible (I've seen some people scared off by these kind of programs).

These basic principles, getting to know Jesus through the Bible and prayer, and focusing on the 2 greatest commandments give a manageable foundation for the new believer. As for all the other GREAT discipleship elements (memorization, meditation, further study, etc.), they are built upon the foundation at different places on the journey.

How does this fit into the church?

Typically, discipleship happens in classes or groups that start periodically. My suggestion is that a basic lesson on these essentials become a part of the community structure of the church. Almost any community can provide this foundation. Small groups, Sunday School, ministry teams, women's studies, men's studies. So, when someone decides to start a relationship with Jesus, he or she should be included in a community through which this basic information. If Bob and Suzie's neighbors Stan & Jill become believers, Bob & Suzie involve them in a community (perhaps a home small group), and that first night is just for sharing the foundation. This serves as both instruction to Stan & Jill, a reminder to everyone else in the group of the essentials of the faith and the opportunity for everyone in the group to come together around each other.

Next post: Community in the Theology of Discipleship.

-Derek