J.R. Briggs

Why I stopped talking about discipleship

October 17, 2011

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“Whoever claims to live in him, must live as Jesus did.” -1 John 2:6

There seems to be a lot of talk about discipleship lately – and that can be a good thing. But I’m longing to see it actually done. I’m beginning to assess the health of well-established Christian leaders not by what they say up front, but by the disciples they are producing.

In all of this, I decided to stop talking about it. I wanted to actually do it.

This summer I had a burning desire to go back to the basics: I wanted to invite men into a radical and purposeful rhythm of direct apprenticeship to Jesus – even if I failed at trying.

I called a handful of men and explained what I was looking to do on Tuesday nights this fall. I told them I was not looking to start a Bible study – although those are important. I was not looking to start a group that hangs out – although that is cool. I was not looking to start an accountability group – although those can be beneficial. I was looking for is more than that: men who had a purposeful intent to grow as followers of Jesus, who will commit to a focused and intense time of connection with God and one another in a high challenge/high accountability setting like nothing they have experienced before and and who will want to learn how to be discipled and to disciple others.

I asked them to commit to five areas:

1. Attend at least 80% of our group meetings (Tuesday nights) – and to be on time every time.

2. Attend the Renew men’s retreat in October (cost: $110).

3. Be all in – with your presence, your effort and your honesty.

4. Complete all of the assigned work each week entirely. (Those who do not complete the assigned work throughout the week are allowed to attend, but are asked to not participate that evening).

5. At the end of the fall, each one is expected to disciple at least two other guys the way they have seen it modeled in our group.

I told them if they weren’t sure they could do it or weren’t fully convinced that they even wanted to do it, that it was better to say no now than to jack the whole thing up and quit half way through. I tried to scare prepare them for what was ahead.

Twelve men signed up – an eerie numerical total. It was more than I imagined. It’s one of the most unique things I’ve done in my time as a pastor. And it might be one of the most fruitful things I’ve ever been a part of. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Frankly, I was a bit nervous. I’d never called men into something so intensely and I wondered if it might actually work. I communicated to them that I would know how successful this group was by the quality of those they disciple.

We’re about half way through the fall now and I have to tell you: I’m so grateful for these guys. These dudes are hungry to learn, willing to be pushed, learning to care for each other as well and challenging me in my own growth. 

We’ve been spending our time exploring the Gospel of John. Growing up I was told that the Gospel of John is the book that every new believer should read first. But I found John to be ethereal and difficult to understand, especially if you’re new to this whole faith thing. I always preferred Mark – straightforward, lots of action, the people treated him like a rock star in a crowd.

But in the past few years, I’ve noticed that John gives a robust framework for discipleship. And so, we use the key themes in John to teach, process, unpack and embrace the radical basics of discipleship.

John 1: the implications of the incarnation – of God putting skin on: we learn that we’re called to live like Jesus would if he lived in our context in 2011.

John 5: Jesus says that he does nothing apart from what He sees his Father doing: we learn to do only what our Father instructs.

John 10: discerning, listening and obeying the voice of the Good Shepherd: we learn to pay attention to God and learn to respond appropriately.

John 14: the work of the Holy Spirit: we learn to actually trust the Spirit to teach and remind. Yeah, he can actually be trusted entirely.

John 15: remaining connected to the vine: we learn its not what we do for God, but learning that what he wants is for us to be with him.

John 20: the resurrection: realizing without an empty tomb we have empty lives.

And I find myself quoting Dallas Willard all the time (which isn’t always a bad thing). Last week we looked at Willard’s Golden Triangle of Discipleship.

We’ve read entire New Testament books, memorized large portions of Scripture, learned about and participated in fasting (from food – and technology), done things that have scared us, wrestled with the bold claims of Jesus and shared vulnerably about the difficulties and joys of trying to live in such a way as Jesus would if he lived here today.

Together we’ve memorized an important passage in the discipleship process: 2 Timothy 2:2 – “And the things you’ve heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will be qualified to teach others.”

It has been said that if you have a church you may or may not have disciples. But if you make disciples, you will always have a church. We’ve got a long way to go. We don’t have this discipleship thing figured out. We probably never will. But we’re trying, and longing and praying and striving for it – and, by the grace of God, we’re seeing evidence of faithfulness, fruitfulness and fulfillment in it. Talking about discipleship is good stuff. But doing it is quite a different animal altogether. 

When all is said and done, our church will be evaluated by only one thing – and so will your church.

What are you doing about it?

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