5: Growing in discipleship
Growth isn't linear, it often happens in spurts. This is true both of kids growing up and of our spiritual growth as followers of Jesus. Growth also depends upon several factors, some of which are beyond our control.
Think of a kernel of wheat trying to grow into a mature plant full of seeds. The way it grows depends on how much sun and moisture it gets, the quality of the soil, the presence of birds and other pests, and so on. The result is that some wheat plants end up with a lot of seeds on them while others may have less, or none at all. I think you know that story from the Bible.
The same applies to children. If they don't get proper nutrition when they're young, their growth can be stunted. And even if children are raised by good parents in healthy environments, their eventual stature and physique when they grow up depends to some extent on the genetics they inherited from their mom and dad.
Growth in discipleship is the same. There are things we can do that can help us become better disciples, to become more like Jesus. And there are things we can do that can help others—that is, our brothers and sisters in Christ—become more like Jesus. In this chapter we'll focus mainly on the first goal of helping ourselves become better disciples. We'll look at the second goal, how to "make" disciples, in the chapter that follows this one.
So with that introduction, here are seven areas that we can focus on to become more like Jesus, which is the goal of discipleship. These are in no particular order, and there are probably more areas we could cover, but seven areas of concern is probably more than most of us can keep in the forefront of our minds. In fact, it may be at present that the Lord wants you to focus your attention just on one of these areas and apply yourself diligently to growing in that particular area.
1. Servant
A disciple must be a servant. We mentioned earlier how Jesus said that "It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master" (Matt 10:25). Servanthood is therefore synonymous with discipleship.
But a servant to whom? Jesus said pointedly that he had "come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 6:38). He said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:34). And he said, "I always do the things that are pleasing to him" (John 8:29). His top priority therefore was to know his Father's will and do it.
Our priority should be the same. "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" (John 20:21). In the same way that Jesus served the Father, we should serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, why call him Lord?
But there's another dimension to being a servant, and that is to serve one another. Remember the story in John 13 about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet? When he had finished, he said:
"Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."
Then he repeated that saying again:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
And he ends with this:
"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."
Discipleship is about doing, what we do. And serving one another is at the very root of it. And how are we to serve one another? In love (Gal 5:13), in humility (Mark 10:42-45), in harmony (Rom 12:16), with generosity (Heb 6:10), using our abilities (1 Pet 4:10), and so on. So if you want to grow as a disciple, learn to obey God when he asks (or tells) you to do something. And watch for opportunities to do good, especially to those in the household of faith (Gal 6:10).
Jesus taught his disciples many things about how to be a servant. A servant must be faithful and wise (Matt 24:45-46) and not be self-indulgent or treat his fellow servants harshly (Matt 24:48-51). A servant must be willing to take on any assignment from his Master, no matter how small, and to perform it with diligence (Matt 25:14-30). A servant must be free from the love of money (Matt 6:24) and not think too highly of himself (Luke 17:7-10). A servant must be willing to give his life for many the way Jesus did, for Jesus was the perfect example of a servant (Mark 10:45). Study these passages and think deeply about them if you want to grow as a disciple.
2. Messenger
Jesus said that "a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him" (John 13:16). So a disciple is also a messenger.
He followed this saying with "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17). In other words, once again discipleship is about doing.
What does being a messenger entail? Two things, really: we must know the message, and we must deliver it. What is the message Jesus has given us? And how should we deliver it?
Western Christians are especially lacking in this area of discipleship. This was brought home to me some years ago when I realized that I needed to become more effective in doing evangelism. Remember how we came to the conclusion earlier that being "like" Jesus simply means doing the same stuff that he did? And what did Jesus do? He went around healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. So what does Jesus want his disciples to do? You guessed it!
This means that personal evangelism—sharing your testimony with people and telling them about Jesus and what he has done for us and wants to do for them—is an essential part of being a disciple. So, wanting to learn how to become more effective in evangelism, I went to the local Christian bookstore.
And what did I find? About three hundred Christian novels, thirty-odd books on the prophetic, and three books on personal evangelism.
How utterly depressing. Instead of focusing on learning how to "do the stuff" we Western Christians are more interested in fantasizing about being great prophets and on being entertained. We need to repent.
But let's get back to what we said earlier that we need to understand the message Jesus has entrusted us with and to learn how we should deliver it.
So then, what is the message Jesus has given us? Simple! It's the same message that the Father gave to Jesus: the good news about the kingdom of God. And what exactly does this mean?
Here I'm not going to do the work for you, you're going to have to put in some effort yourself. The best place for you to begin is to read the book Power Evangelism by John Wimber. In my opinion John's exposition of the subject has just the right balance between theology and practice. Another good resource is Wimber's streaming video series The Kingdom of God which you can watch with a subscription to VineyardDigital.org (it doesn't cost very much). And there are other books and resources available from the Vineyard on the kingdom of God which you can easily find by googling for them.
Hey, wait a minute! Why are you telling me that I have to spend money to learn this kingdom of God stuff? I thought your book was supposed to make this discipleship stuff simple for me.
Well, I think you forget something. "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40). Who does a teacher teach? Students. So "student" is another word for disciple. And since you're a student, I'm just giving you a bit of homework. So stop complaining and get to work :-)
And anyways, what I really want to focus on here is how we should deliver the message God has entrusted to us, not the content of the message. Anyone (like you) who already knows Jesus, who has been born again and has received the Spirit of God, must have some idea of what they should tell people, right? If you believe Jesus died for your sins, then you've already got a story to tell people and a testimony you can share with them.
So how you can share the gospel more effectively is my main concern here. Let me share a few tips Ingrid and I have gleaned over the years from hearing John Wimber and others talk about how to do personal evangelism.
"Evangelism is just guts." We learned this years ago from Ken Blue, a former Vineyard pastor and church planter. And it's Biblical! Check out Acts 4:29-31 where the disciples prayed for boldness (guts) and what the result was!
That saying is often helpful to me when I want to share Christ with someone as I usually get nervous beforehand. So I start by silently praying one of Wimber's prayers, like "Oh God, oh God, oh God..." or simply "Help!!"
Then I open my mouth and say something. And sometimes one thing leads to another, and I start asking them simple and direct questions, such as "What do you think it means to be a Christian?" or "How does one become a Christian?" And they often respond by saying they really don't know, and then I share my testimony with them.
"You need to speak the J-word" is another valuable piece of evangelism advice that we learned from Mac Jardine during our time at a Canadian west coast Vineyard church. Mac and his wife Louise were co-pastors at that church, and afterwards they ministered with Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong. A typical conversation where the J-word surfaces might go something like this:
"Hey, good to see you again. How's life these days?"
"Not very good, been really struggling."
"Sorry to hear that. Would you like a new life?"
"What do you mean?"
"Jesus. He said that he's the way, the truth and the life. And I can personally testify to that."
Many years ago Ingrid learned another important point about being a witness for Jesus. "1 Peter 3:15 really spoke to me one day where it says to always be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks you for the reason of the hope that is in you." As disciples we need to have a solid understanding of the gospel message so we can be prepared to respond to people who ask about our faith in Jesus Christ. Disciples must therefore be students of God's word, and diligent students at that.
John Wimber led hundreds of people into a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ, and Ingrid and I learned many valuable tips from him on how to do personal evangelism. "The key is just to talk with people," said John. "There's no easy way to begin, so try to find common ground by listening. Be sincere and try to use Scripture when you answer their questions. If you don't know how to respond, then simply say so, for example by saying, "I don't know how to answer your question, but this I do know..." And if this makes them upset, just respond by saying, "Jesus said that, not me."
John said we should expect people to get upset when we tell them about Jesus, because we're often challenging the truths they've built their whole life on. And it's actually a good thing if they do get upset, because it means we're hitting the mark. But we need to be patient with people. After all, how long did it take you to come to Jesus? For me, it took many months of struggling to try and squeeze myself through that narrow door.
One other thing John said which was probably paramount in making him so effective in personal evangelism was this: "Start with God's love." There's no more powerful verse for opening the door to someone's heart than John 3:16. "God loves you! You don't have to live under Satan's rule anymore as God's kingdom is available to you through Jesus." That in a nutshell is the kingdom message.
Anyways, now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them!
3. Power
Jesus went around healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. And he told his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." Jesus therefore wants his disciples (us!) to go around healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the good news. Simple to understand, isn't it? But is it simple for us to do?
It can be—if we work on becoming "fully trained." All it takes is the knowledge of our authority in Jesus and an understanding of how God's power is available to us by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom 5:5).
Once again this is an area of discipleship where you're going to have to put in some effort to achieve growth. The best way for you to proceed in my opinion would be to read John Wimber's book Power Healing and to watch Healing and Spiritual Warfare, two streaming video series by Wimber on VineyardDigital.org.
That's basically how Ingrid and I got started many years ago. My sister and her husband visited Wimber's church when it was still meeting in Canyon High School, and when they came back they gave us a box of cassette tapes that included Wimber teaching on healing, spiritual warfare, spiritual gifts and other topics. As we listened to these tapes, we began praying for the sick. The first thing we prayed for was a plant—Ingrid's philodendron—whose leaves were turning brown and falling off despite her horticultural efforts to rescue it. We laid hands on it together and told it to "be healed" in Jesus' name. Then we promptly forgot about it. A few days later Ingrid went to water it and excitedly called me saying "Look!" I came and looked, and the plant was full of green leaves again!
You laughed when you read that story. I know it, confess. But you shouldn't have laughed. Know why? Because of how Jesus reacted when the seventy-two disciples he sent out had returned with joy saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (Luke 10:17). After he had told them to dial down their excitement over the power works they had performed, Jesus was suddenly overcome by the Holy Spirit and joyfully prayed, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children" (Luke 10:21).
Little children. That's what Ingrid and I were like when we started praying for the sick, and that's how you too should start taking your first steps in power ministry.
And I'll tell you a secret: we're still like children when it comes to following in Jesus' footsteps! And we both want to remain that way, because Jesus also said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3). And Ingrid and I both definitely want to enter the kingdom of heaven.
So become like a little child again if you want to begin learning to heal the sick and cast out demons. And apply yourself diligently to learning all you can about power ministry from the resources that are available so you can grow in this area of discipleship.
But as you grow more effective in healing and deliverance, don't stop being a little child in your heart.
4. Character
This passage from the Gospel of Matthew:
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." (Matt 7:21–23)
has always puzzled me. Because if what I said earlier is true—that the job of a disciple is to heal the sick, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God—then how could someone who is successful in doing these things be an evildoer?
But then one day it hit me: look at the context. The verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount, and chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew are all about character, the character of a disciple. So anyone who "does the stuff" but fails in regard to character is someone who doesn't really know God and isn't known by Him.
This peril is especially evident among widely known Evangelical Christian leaders, some of whom have fallen notably into sin in recent years with repercussions both for their supporters and the church at large. Part of the reason for this is the culture of success that has infected much of the church, especially here in North America but also in other parts of the world. We'll examine this further in the next chapter which talks about making disciples.
But another important reason why these failures have occurred is because the church frequently prioritizes gifting over character when it comes to leadership selection. And this even though Scripture specifically warns us against this (see Acts 6:1-6 and 1 Tim 3:1-3).
Whatever the reasons behind these broadly publicized fallen leaders, it's crucial that those seeking to grow in discipleship make developing godly character their number one pursuit. The way to do this of course is by learning from Scripture how God wants us to behave and then doing it by being obedient to Him. A few examples:
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Pet 1:14-16)
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:12–14)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:31–32)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34–35)
There are many more verses I could quote, but it's better if you make the effort to find the ones yourself that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.
5. Interior life
Closely tied to character growth is the importance of cultivating an interior life. By this I particularly mean prayer, solitude and the devotional reading of Scripture.
Jesus himself is once again the model for us, as in all areas of discipleship. Luke often describes Jesus as spending time (sometimes whole nights!) in prayer (see for example Luke 5:16, 9:28, 22:32). Jesus also frequently withdrew from the crowds that followed him to spend time alone with the Father (Mark 1:35, 6:46, 7:24). And his knowledge of the Old Testament as evidenced in his disputes with the Pharisees clearly demonstrates his devotion to reading and meditating upon Scripture.
Ingrid shares here some valuable insights on how developing your interior life as a disciple can help you grow in the areas of both gifting and character:
"It's important that you learn to hear the Lord. Reading his Word, praying and worshipping are all essential for this. You may need to learn how to let other things go in your life to make room for this, because you can't do everything.
"As we learn to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us, we will also grow more effective in power ministry. Because to do the stuff, we must be able to receive insight and direction from the Lord as we minister to people.
"Character develops slowly. There may only be four or five things that the Lord wants you to keep focussed on in your present life. For myself, during our hectic years of running our business it was the Psalms that I read daily, they helped me bring our needs to God through prayer. He also gave us promises through the Psalms to strengthen and encourage us, and to guide us and help us make difficult decisions. Then as life began to slow down for us, I've been spending more time in the Gospels again, learning what Jesus wants of us as his followers. I now wish I had read the Gospels more as a young Christian instead of focusing so much on the Epistles.
"Spending time alone with God also helps us find our own path with Christ. While each of us is called to discipleship, we're also individually called to specific tasks, roles and ministries in life. Also, you cannot build the outward life (doing the kingdom of God stuff) unless you first renovate the inward man by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
"Cultivating an interior life also helps us when we get confused, dissatisfied, or disappointed. It helps us keep moving forward with Christ and it can also prevent the Enemy from regaining ground in our life.
"In addition to reading the Bible, it's also helpful to read good books on men and women who have walked with God and who know Him. And remember that where the Bible is concerned, it's not just about knowing Scripture, it's also about doing it!"
6. Good works
In Acts 10:38 Peter describes "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" and then summarizes Jesus' time among us by saying that "He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." While the Gospels emphasize the teaching and healing ministries of Jesus, there are also indications that he helped people in practical ways.
John 12:6 for example tells us that Jesus and his disciples carried around a communal moneybag which the context suggests was mainly used for helping the poor when the opportunity arose. Another passage that suggests Jesus often did good works in practical ways can be inferred from these instructions he gave to his disciples:
"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys." (Luke 12:32-33).
Since Jesus presented himself as a model for his disciples, it's difficult to believe he would ask his disciples to do something that he himself didn't do. Therefore, if Jesus showed mercy to the poor around him, then so should we as his followers.
Mercy in fact is at the very heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. "Be merciful," Jesus told his disciples, "just like your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). How is our heavenly Father merciful? He sends the rain on both the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45). If God shows kindness even to those who are ungrateful and don't acknowledge Him, shouldn't we His children do the same?
Why is our heavenly Father merciful? Because it's in His very nature to be merciful. When Moses asked God to reveal his ways (character) to him, the Lord had Moses stand in a crevice on Mount Sinai while He passed by proclaiming "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6).
When Jesus said we should love our neighbor as ourselves, a religious expert challenged him by saying "Who exactly do you mean by neighbor?" Jesus responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan and finished by asking the expert which character in the story—the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan—had fulfilled the law by loving his neighbor. The expert, who was a Jew and therefore despised Samaritans, couldn't even bring himself to utter the word "Samaritan" and responded that the one who showed mercy was the man who had loved his neighbor. Jesus then replied, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).
As we have seen, 'go and do likewise' (be like Jesus) is our marching orders as Jesus' disciples. So whenever we meet the poor—even the ungrateful poor—we should try to show mercy like he did. And if you step onto the path of discipleship and follow Jesus, then you're bound to meet the poor along the way. And the more good works you do, the more you will grow in the love of God (Matt 5:7).
7. Perseverance
Finally, perseverance is essential if you want to grow as a disciple. Why? I'll give two reasons. First, because Jesus tells us that "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt 7:14). Note that he's not just talking about becoming a Christian, but about entering into eternal life in God's kingdom.
Secondly, Jesus also tells us that "the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt 24:13). Wow, that doesn't seem fair, does it? I mean, shouldn't we be judged by weighing all the good things we did in our lives against the bad things we did? Here however Jesus seems to be saying that only those who hang on until the end will get saved.
Well, that's what Jesus said, so it is what it is. And who defines what's fair, anyways?
Anyways, the point is that following Jesus can be hard. Because no matter how mild and sincere you are, you're going to face some flack. But the reward will also be great—if you persevere (Matt 5:10-12).
How then can we grow in our ability to persevere the trials we will face along the Way? Let me tell you a story.
The other day we looked out our entrance window and saw a doe, a female deer, step away from our neighbor's hedge. A few moments later a tiny faun rose from the tall grass, its little legs trembling and shaking. The faun had just been born!
The doe looked at the little faun, then she turned away and walked a few paces. The faun struggled to follow her, almost falling. The doe turned and looked at the faun. The faun looked back. Then the doe turned and began walking across the road. The faun clumsily followed, its thin little legs still trembling.
The doe turned once again and looked at the faun, and the faun looked back. Then the doe turned away and walked down the street. The little faun followed, gradually getting stronger as it followed its mother. Ingrid and I continued watching until both deer disappeared into the woods down at the end of our street.
Hear what I'm sayin'?
---> Go to chapter 6
