We had a great conversation on Sunday about a very important topic in the life of our church and the whole Church – Making Disciples. Jesus told his disciples to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything he had taught them! That Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples continues to be the call on the church. In order to do that we need to understand just what disciples are and what it means to make disciples!
Thank you for your input on Sunday as we got the Making Disciples conversation started. We are continuing the work that we have started toward improving our ability as a church to fulfill our calling! I have not had an opportunity yet to read through your many comments about discipleship, but I am looking forward to it. And I look forward to where this will take us as a church!
We looked at the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4 as a model for making disciples and I want to share that here with a quick summary. Jesus met a Samaritan Woman at the well and asked her for a cup of water. She couldn’t believe that he was speaking to her because a Jewish man would never be seen speaking with a Samaritan, let alone a Samaritan woman!
I see three questions from this text that can help us understand stages of discipleship. They are:
- Do you choose to know Jesus?
- Do you choose to let Jesus know you in your woundedness?
- Do you choose to let others know you and see God in you?
The Woman at the Well was confronted with each of these questions as she is made a “Disciple” right in front of our eyes. We can do the same.
Step one is saying Yes to Jesus – It is saying yes to the gospel! It is salvation! When Jesus told the woman at the well about the Living Water that he offered she accepted it. He pursued her, he initiated the conversation, he invited her – and she said “Yes, give me that water!” to him! She chose to know Jesus. We know this step in becoming a disciple, although we often forget that it is Jesus who has pursued us when we finally say “Yes” to Jesus. We also forget that this step never ends – we get to say “Yes” every day!
Step two is letting Jesus say Yes to you (as you are): This part too often gets skipped, but it is a key component to discipleship. It takes work and then more work after that. Accepting Jesus is one thing – accepting who you are is another. This is where we let God love us where we are rather than thinking we need to become something else to earn his love. The woman at the well tried to hide who she was by simply saying she had no husband. But Jesus knew her story and still offered her the opportunity to be a disciple! This part of discipleship is doing the hard work to deal with disappointments, fears, and wounds that damage our souls. If we can’t recognize them in ourselves, we can’t give them to Jesus. Jesus knows who we are and loves us all the same! Be yourself! Let Jesus know you, so that you can know yourself. This takes a lot of soul care to master this. What do you need to do to let Jesus have those parts of you?
Step three is ministry – joining in on the kingdom work of Jesus. The woman went back and told people about Jesus as a transformed person, but she did not hide who she was. She wanted people to see God in her and so she said, “He told me everything about me!” This woman who was probably at the well to avoid people since she was on her sixth “husband!” But her story, her testimony, the love that Jesus showed her shown through her. This is an important part of discipleship. Joining the cause as who you really are.
These are all important steps about discipleship. We need all three!! I know I often emphasize stage three the most in my teachings in inviting people to work for justice, to work on intercultural competence and to build bridges into our communities. Right now, I am spending my own time on number two, and it is hard work. And step one is key to the whole process. What can we do to balance all three of these things so that we can follow through on God’s call to Make Disciples?
We know about the conversation that Jesus had with the Woman at the Well because it most likely transformed a community. Others heard and found Jesus. Jesus loved them and invited them to arrange their lives – and rearrange them – so that they could learn what it means to be a disciple.
See this definition of discipleship by Dallas Willard.
Discipleship:
The disciple or apprentice of Jesus is one who has firmly decided to learn from him how to lead his or her life, whatever that may be, as Jesus himself would do it. And, as best they know how, they are making plans – taking the necessary steps, progressively arranging and rearranging their affairs – to do this.
Dallas Willard, Divine Conspiracy
