Discipleship...

Soooooooo, this whole thing called discipleship.  It's got me thinking.  How does it work?  What's the importance?  Is this a job for the professionals?   And so on and so on.  Of course I would get to thinking while reading.  This is kinda wierd, and dangerous.  I never really used to read anything in my "spare time".  I'm a terribly slow reader, so I get frustrated easily when reading longer (or what appear to be longer) books.  However, lately I've found a slew of reading material that has really peaked my interest.   I have no doubt that there has been some divine intervention in the discovering of said books, but I'm okay with that.  Most recently, I picked up a book I was encouraged to read by my buddy Jeff.  It's called "Radical", by David Platt.  I would only encourage you to read this book if you're serious about your faith and want to dial in the focus on your walk with Christ.  In Chapter 5, there is a wonderful subtitle, which says "Discipling or Disinfecting".  I find this section especially appealing because it hit home pretty hard.  Being that I lead people in ministry in the body of Christ, I was a little convicted to analyze my approach against the writing in this section of Platt's book.

I grew up in a conservative, Bible-believin', southern Baptist church.  Everything was structured so well, from children's ministry (Shoutout to my mom!), to students, and up on through the gray-haired folks.  Sunday mornings were very informative and to the point: I needed to live my life in a manner that is pleasing to Jesus.  I guess I always understood this as "don't do bad stuff" and "don't be a sinner".  Well, I've come to recognize that I'll always be a sinner here on earth, and I'll probably make some mistakes from time to time......sooo......bummer.  David Platt points out that there is so much more than that.  Despite that it is what most churched people feel they are taking home from "church", that's really not what Christ had in mind when it comes to changing the world.  Instead of taking all our time to make sure we're little angels, we should be mobilizing our hearts and minds, and infiltrating a world so desperately in need of Jesus.  There are too many people dying without the understanding of what it means to have a relationship with Christ.  

I guess my point is that it's time to analyze the way we do "church" as individuals.  Are we going to take the wisdom and knowledge we learn on Sundays and apply it to our everyday lives? Are we going to impart this wisdom with people around us, to offer hope, encouragement, and strength?  Are we going to  encourage others to take the wisdom we share with them, and share it with others?  Are we truly discipling others, or are we just pumping the hand sanitizer, only to go home and wait for next Sunday morning to come?

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -Jesus