Discipleship Letters 15-16

Discipleship Letter 15                                                            June 15, 2008

“The high cost of our discipleship begins with the cost of discipline-ship” [Stephen Macchia, Becoming a Healthy Disciple: 10 Traits of a Vital Christian (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004), p. 71.]. The disciplined life of reading the Scriptures is the most important nutrient for the total well-being of the soul. In the Scriptures, Christ’s disciples begin to see the heart and the mind of God in Christ.

Here is a good reminder why it’s important to read the Scriptures daily: “The more I skipped days of reading the Bible, the more I allowed myself the privilege of filling my days with ‘more important’ activities, and the more I filled my days with activity, the further away I got from the heart of God. The further away I got from God, the more I began to make my own decisions, and the more I made my own decisions, the deeper I got into a lifestyle that was unbecoming of Christ” (p. 79).

Scripture reading is a daily priority. How do you prioritize your time to read the Scriptures? Do you read the Scriptures daily? If you think that you are too busy and have no time to read the Scriptures, you are busy for nothing, for you neglect the most important nutrient for your soul.

You are busy for life; you forget your soul. Churchgoers are busy for life. Disciples rarely forget their souls.

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Discipleship Letter 16                                                            June 22, 2008

“Any community that is not safe is a pseudocommunity, for these principles of safety are basic to the healthy disciples’ experience in a genuine community of faith…Safety in community means that we are free to be who we are while at the same time growing to become all that God intends” [Stephen Macchia, Becoming a Healthy Disciple: 10 Traits of a Vital Christian (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004, p. 98.).

A Christian community must hold up to the principle of safety. We must be careful and sensitive to one another’s personal story and struggle. We cannot pretend to listen to one another on the one hand; we criticize on the other. This is a pseudo-community.

A genuine community is a place where we let brothers and sisters just as they are. But we remind one another of the importance of growing toward maturity in Christ—to become all that God intends. As Christ’s disciples, we must grow and accept the fact that we need to grow. We grow in partnership. We grow in spiritual discipline, such as reading the Scriptures and practicing prayer. We grow in relationship. We grow in stewardship, like managing His money, His time, and His gifts wisely. We grow in attitude. We grow in knowledge. We grow in holiness. We grow in whatever we need to change and grow.

I must help you feel safe; you must help me feel safe. We must grow!