For some time now I have been thinking about discipleship. I have not been able shake or satisfactorily answer the question “what does a disciple of Jesus Christ actually look like in our contemporary North American context.” In theory, the question is easily answered in Biblical terms. In practice, full schedules and programmatic thinking often relationally impoverish our lives, leaving little time for the kind of life sharing seen in the Gospel narratives.
So what is the answer? Does showing up at church on Sunday define being a disciple? I hope you would agree that it is not enough. Some suggest “Bible Study” or “care” groups are the answer. For others it is evangelism and others social action. I find none of these answers all that satisfactory. I humbly suggest that we need to begin thinking in terms of discipleship communities.
Discipleship communities are groups of people who are committed to the Spiritual growth of one another. These are groups of people who learn together, worship together, pray together and serve together. These groups look inward to love one another and look outward to love their neighbours. They look inward to care, encourage, heal, grow and challenge one another. They look outward to care, encourage, heal, share the Gospel message and thoughtfully challenge their neighbours to consider the deeper eternal things in life. In other words, these groups are outwardly what they are inwardly.
In practice, this is easier said than done. The need to build intimacy must co-exist with open doors. It means risking personal vulnerability while protecting others. It means offering grace and mercy to those who may not offer it in return. It means “breaking bread” with those who may betray us. It means re-evaluating our priorities and stepping out of the ordinary into the life offered to us by Jesus Christ.