Today there are more discipleship materials, books, DVD’s, resources, and strategies available than ever before. Some of these books help us see the state of discipleship in our culture; George Barna’s, Growing True Disciples and The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner are two examples. Others are more focused on methods of discipleship like Leroy Eims, The Lost Art of Disciple Making or Simple Discipleship by Tom Cocklereece.
It is somewhat ironic that in a day where we have so many great resources and possibilities for disciple making the truth is we are doing so little. Would you say your church at the present time is truly a disciple making church? Would you say that the DNA in your congregation is filled with the mandate to “make disciples?”
Something is missing…Many believers have lost their passion for following Christ. The distractions of the world have caused Christians to focus on the wrong things. The essence of discipleship is focusing on Jesus 24/7 or as 1 Corinthians 7:35b says, “undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
Let me suggest what has already been proven over and over in research indicating the primary factor among growing Christians. The bottom line for growing Christians is…drum roll please…this is it…consistently reading God’s Word. I don’t mean a casual reading just to say, “yea I did by devotion today so I can check that activity off my list” but a reading that approaches the Bible with humility and eagerness to see what God wants to say to us personally.
This is not rocket science or only engineers at NASA would be smart enough to be disciples. Every one of us has at our fingertips the possibility of spiritual growth and deepening our discipleship walk. All we need is a copy of God’s Word and a bookmark. The bookmark reminds us of where we were yesterday in our Bible reading journey and where to start today. If the bookmark never moves, we will never grow, but as the bookmark moves and we journey consistently through the pages of the Bible, it begins to do a remarkable work in us and through us. We grow! So what are you waiting for? Get a bookmark and your Bible. Ready…set…go!
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Corinthians 3:16-17
Good comments by Mike James on discipleship. My thoughts: Mike is correct! making disciples is as easy as many Christians having a genuine passion for Christ and making disciples. However, like God used Peter’s message at Pentecost, Jonathan Edward’s message to spark a great awakening, or Henry Blackaby’s “Experiencing God” at Brownsville Assembly of God church in Pensacola, FL, God can use the messages and materials written by his servants in the 21st century. God does not NEED our help but the Great Commission demands it. Let’s get busy using whatever we can to rekindle the flame of the church for the passion for Christ!