Discipleship
August 16, 2011“Discipleship, at its most basic level is a pairing of relationships that foster a greater dependence on God, a deeper trust in one another and an intentional accountability that moves both parties further along on their faith journey – resulting in a fertile influence on others to join the journey.” – Pastor Jeff
The destination of “Discipleship” is the place where I focus on the goal to become like Christ through my commitment to spiritual disciplines and accountability. Today as we have looked at this destination, we can only make confident progress when we know that we are headed in the right direction. WWJD has become one of the most well-known acronyms of our era. “What Would Jesus Do?” has found its way into our vocabulary for sure. The deeper question is, has it made its way into our lifestyle?
Scripture is abundantly clear that God has a plan for our lives, which is to be conformed to His likeness. That doesn’t happen because it’s a church priority, it happens when it becomes your priority; it doesn’t happen because you are convicted that it is right; it happens when you build the accountability to do what is right. It doesn’t happen because you aspire to godliness; it happens when you discipline yourself for godliness. It doesn’t happen when you think you are strong, but when you know you are weak. It is the spiritual result of the believer who has learned to depend on the indwelling Spirit as their guide and to follow His eternal word (Bible) as their map.
A few weeks ago we looked at the destination of Worship, which is our ultimate destination. If I am “Responding appropriately to God” in all that I do, I am functioning as a fully devoted follower of Christ. Discipleship is one of the mile markers that helps to confirm that I am heading in the right direction. If you are participating in spiritual disciplines, then you are moving toward that ultimate goal. Dallas Willard says it well, “The spiritual life is a life of interaction with a personal God, and it is pure delusion to suppose that it can be carried on sloppily. The will to do His will can only be carried into reality as we take measures to be ready and able to meet and draw upon Him in our actions.”
Willard refers to those measures that are commonly known as “Spiritual Disciplines”, which I defined in your notes as: “a habit or regular pattern of behavior that consistently brings you back to God and opens you up for what he is saying and doing in your life, to conform you into a greater reflection of Himself.” I have listed eight Spiritual Disciplines for you to consider as critical patterns of behavior that will be present in a growing disciple and absent in one that is stalled or adrift. There are many variations and amplifications to these disciples and numerous books for further study. Please take some time this week to select a few of them and begin to evaluate how you are fitting them into your “Time”, “Team”, and “Trials”.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES:
Bible Study – 2 Tim. 2:15, the habit of regularly opening God’s Word for the purpose of knowing what the Bible says and how it intersects with real life.
Meditation and Memorization – Josh. 1:8, the habit of looking deeply into God’s word allowing it to become part of your thoughts and desires as it becomes affixed to your memory.
Prayer – Eph. 6:18 & Phil. 4:6, the habit of practicing and enjoying God’s presence by engaging Him in a frequent dialogue, to capture His perspective and relinquish your control into His hands.
Solitude – Mark 1:35 & Lam. 3:28, the habit of being absent from people and things to attend to God.
Confession and self-examination – Psa. 139:23-24 & James 5:16, the habit of surrendering your faults and weaknesses to the forgiving love of Christ and the intentional departure of your character defects for the purpose of honoring Him in all that you do.
Accountability – Gal. 6:1-2, the habit of giving regular and honest account of your choices, priorities, and temptations to a godly and wise companion who challenges and supports your commitment to Christ.
Community – 1 Tim. 3:14-15 & Col. 3:15-16, the habit of meeting regularly for authentic connection with other believers, where the truth of God is expressed and lived out in caring, loving relationships.
Service – 1 Peter 4:10 & John 12:26, the habit of serving within the body of Christ through the use of your gifts and time for the purpose of extending God love and truth to others.
As you consider the above disciplines, I encourage you to begin now to establish accountability with someone you know and trust, who will support you in your efforts to fit these practices into your lifestyle.
In His Love,
PJ
