I received a much-needed reminder that the kind of discipleship we are to pursue for ourselves and for others must be rooted firmly in the gospel for it to take root. The reminder comes from Jonathan Dodson, a pastor in the Austin, TX area. He writes:
Making disciples requires not only “sharing our faith”, but also sharing our lives – failures and successes, disobedience and obedience. Discipleship is not a codeword for evangelism, nor is it a hierarchical system for spiritual growth, a way for professional Christians to pass on their best practices to novice Christians. Real discipleship is messy, imperfect, and honest.
The tendency to share our faith but not our life with people is a self-protective mechanism aimed at hiding our sin from people so they will think more highly of us (more than they ought-Rom. 12:3). When I do that I negate the reality and the power of the gospel to forgive the very sin I’m trying to hide. I give a false picture and perhaps even false hope to those who are younger in the faith when I share only my victories with them. Discipleship is not about sharing the “highlight reel” of our life (like in a newscast) but sharing the raw footage of our life…the failed attempts to get something right the first, second, fifth, tenth time. Herein is an authentic picture of the gospel discipleship for us to see and live out.
brett eubank | unfinished 