Apprenticed to Jesus

To quote Dallas Willard, the foremost expert on biblical discipleship, "Christians have responded to the Great Commission by making 'Christians', not 'disciples'." Willard writes, "The word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament...Christian is found only three." As Willard points out in his book The Great Omission, the church is full of undiscipled disciples. We have replaced biblical discipleship with canned Bible studies, small group fellowships and slick programs. While these are good tools to grow in our knowledge of God's Word, they cannot and should not replace one-on-one discipleship. The One is a call to return.

Learning To Be

Learning to be a disciple is difficult these days with all the quick fix books on spirituality. Discipleship today is more of "what do I get", rather than "what can I give." I was reminded of this today when I received an email on Facebook from a person I haven't seen in 18 years. She writes:

"Please pray for my husband. He is at crossroads right now. He wants a personal relationship with God but has many questions. We have come this far before and he retreats with doubt so the more prayer warriors the better. I am very thankful he is asking questions, praying God places the right people in his life..."

What struck me most about this "prayer request" was her prayer that God would place the "right" people in his life. If this is not a call to discipleship, I don't know what is. Not a call to her husband, but a call to...me! Will I be The One? Will I be the "right" person God sends into his life?

Being the Right Person

This week, you will pass by all kinds of people. People you work with. People you go to church with. People you see everyday and think nothing about. Maybe, this is the week you don't pass by. Maybe, this is the week you stop and start asking questions. Maybe, this week you will be the "right" person God places in the life of another. Isn't this real discipleship?

Living Wide Awake

Here is a great resource that can motivate and encourage you to be the "right" person in another's life. This is the trailer to a DVD that accompanies Erwin McManus's book Wide Awake. I want to encourage you to get a copy of the DVD and watch the first short film "Beauty." It's an elegant story about a lonely girl who experiences a simple act of kindness that changes the way she sees the world.