Saturday, October 14, 2006

discipleship principles

I've read a lot of church growth stuff and unlike many, I really like what I read. I find it Biblical and helpful. But in the end Jesus left only a single plan for church growth, that is multiplication through disciples making disciples. To be a "missional" people, we need to recapture the adage, "Christians do not go to church, they are the church."

When we add to that a life ground in the Word and filled with the Spirit, we become part of the greatest adventure/purpose of all. Our lives are transformed. All that we do brings others to question and in turn to transform. When the power of God (to semi-quote Piper again) "fills our sails and our keel is deep in the water of the Word", our life becomes memorable and multipliable. People will be compelled to ask why we are different. This will lead to either persecution or disciple making.

As we sail through life, the water around us is stirred. My concern as I listen to many of my friends is that they err too far to one side or the other in this analogy. Some are cessationists and simply speaking, their keel is deep in the Word but the boat isn't moving. The Word is more like mud or cement rather than water to move through. They are often not making an impact and some are making a negative impact in that others see them as static and lifeless and not representative of a life they might be called to live.

On the other hand, my charismatic friends are making a huge splash. With no keel at all, the boat is all over the place and sadly, too often, falls over. This makes waves all over the place but the impact is negative and harmful to the purposes of the Kingdom.

I want to be solidly supported in the Word but moving whenever and wherever the Spirit of God leads. So today, I don't go to the four walls of the church building, I meet with people of God and we are going out to the world. In that activity, I pray we are moved by God and living out His Word. This will make us disciples as well as disciple-makers.

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1 comment:

Missional Jerry said...

great post. Thanks

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