Discipleship Letters 7-8

Discipleship Letter 7                                      April 20, 2008

“We’re going to evangelize everybody, and we’re going to do all this stuff and fill our churches. This is wonderful. All the goals are right. But this is slow, slow work, this is soul work, this bringing people into a life of obedience and love and joy before God” (Eugene Peterson).

Impatience and discipleship don’t go together. Without patience, it is no way to endure the process of one’s spiritual growth from conversion to maturity in Christ. An impatient person will never succeed to disciple others, for he/she refuses to rest in God’s care, God’s plan, and God’s timing. To invest one’s life into the lives of others in Christ is urgent at the church, but this urgent task can only be accomplished through a patient person. “God is patient with us; it makes senses that His leaders would be patient. Patience doesn’t cancel out urgency, standards, enthusiasm, or hard work.” [Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Pastor: Leading Others on the Journey of Faith. Revised and Expanded Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), p. 65.]

Those who determine to follow Christ’s command to make disciples ought to identify with David’s prayer: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 27:4 NLT).  

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Discipleship Letter 8                                                  April 27, 2008

“Sincere disciples of Christ accept His rules of conduct, as in a school, bringing every thought into obedience to their Master. Apart from this subjection of mind and body, there would be little development in Christian character” [Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Discipleship (Spire, 1994), p. 84.].

Believers are many; disciples are few. Why?

Believers believe in Christ Jesus, but they rarely or selectively submit to His rules of conduct. Someone said, “Selected obedience is not obedience at all; it’s merely convenience.” As long as it is convenient to my schedule or my lifestyle, I am “willing” to change and obey. This kind of “obedience” brings little development in Christian character. Believers always say, “I want to serve You, but I don’t want to change.”

Disciples believe in Christ and submit their plans to Christ. They usually say, “I am not good enough. But if you want to use a sinner like me, I will try to change to fit into Your plan.” In the early church, the disciples “were led because they obeyed. That obedience, in turn, led them to learn more of Christ” (Coleman, 88). Perhaps, we can also say that obedience will lead us to be more like Christ—Christ-like character.