I’m convinced that disciples are made in the overlap of three essential elements: gospel, relationship and mission. These elements are what I like to call “discipleship DNA.” They are the building blocks of transformational spiritual growth. It’s helpful to picture these three elements (gospel, family and mission) as three legs of a stool. Take out one of these essential elements and any approach to discipleship is likely to be unbalanced.
GOSPEL
During the Global Summit that our church hosted in early December, I had the privilege of eating lunch with Caesar Kalinowski who was in town as one of the speakers. In our conversation, he defined discipleship as the process of moving from unbelief to belief in every area of our lives. The more I chew on this definition, the more I like it. As Christians, we don’t often view ourselves as “unbelievers” and usually apply that term to those that don’t claim to be disciples of Jesus. But most Jesus followers, myself included, live with a gap between what we say we believe and what we actually live out. In a sense, we are all still “unbelievers.” It is the gospel that closes this gap.
Not only is the gospel essential for our salvation, it is the means of our sanctification. It’s how we come to faith, and also how we grow and live in Christ. Being a disciple and making disciples necessitates that we allow the gospel to intentionally shape every aspect of our lives. Without the gospel at the core, attempts at discipleship usually drift toward mere information exchange (becoming smarter sinners), or moralistic behavior modification devoid of any true life transformation.
On Tuesday mornings I have been participating in a men’s discipleship group led by Eric Hoffman (Franklin Campus Pastor). Eric has been careful to build his discipleship model on the foundation of the gospel. It has been refreshing and transforming to be part of a group that is learning how to speak the truth of the gospel to each other as we attempt to identify our idols and move from unbelief to belief in every aspect of our lives.
A great resource on the Gospel, if you’re interested in digging deeper, is Tim Keller’s Center Church.
RELATIONSHIP
One of my mentors consistently told me, “discipleship doesn’t take place from a distance.” Jesus didn’t say to his original 12, “Come to my Torah study on Sunday nights at 6:00.” Instead, he invited them to follow him through life. Mark 3:14 states it this way: He chose twelve “that they might be WITH him.” He walked through everyday life with them and used teachable moments to speak truth into various situations. For the original twelve, their discipleship happened over meals, at a wedding party, during a storm in the middle of a lake, and along the road. Because of this, I’m convinced that discipleship is more than just a Bible study. Yes, truth must be communicated, but it has greatest impact in the fertile soil of rich, deep family-like community where life is shared.
MISSION
When Jesus called his twelve to follow, he “front-loaded” his invitation with the purpose behind their discipleship. He didn’t simply say, “Come follow me.” He said, “Come follow me, AND I will make you a fishers of men.” Mark 3:14 puts it this way: “He appointed twelve so that they might be with him and he might send them out …”
Every disciple of Jesus is automatically given the role of a missionary. To be a disciple of Jesus involves the recognition that we are sent on mission to do his work in the world. What a privilege! We don’t live on mission because we are supposed to, but we get to! And as we participate in God’s redemptive mission, it’s important to understand that a “mission field” isn’t necessarily overseas. It is wherever God has planted us, and could be as close as next door.
Read this recent blog post on “The Art of Neighboring.”
I take great comfort in the fact that our role as missionaries isn’t something that we turn ourselves into or muster up on our own strength. I personally feel quite inadequate to the task! Observe closely that Jesus says, “I will make you fishers of men.” It’s a divine work in our hearts and lives as we simply open ourselves up to the transformational power of the Spirit. When we are insufficient, he is ALL sufficient and our feelings of inadequacy are not a good excuse for inactivity. He will work through us, in spite of ourselves, if we simply pray, “here’s my life Lord, please use me.” The original twelve was a rag-tag group of unschooled and ordinary men. If he could use the likes of them to turn the world upside down with the message of the gospel, then he can certainly use the likes of you and me as well! God has a history of using the inadequate to accomplish the impossible.
If you’d like to learn more about an upcoming pilot group that will seek to combine all three of the “discipleship DNA” elements, I would love to grab coffee or lunch with you!
Mark Irving
Pastor of Adult Discipleship
