The first and foremost need of the day?
Instead of asking, "What does disciplemaking look like in the church?" perhaps we should start asking, "What does disciplemaking look like in my everyday life?"
Study the above diagram closely. I dare you to think this through.
* What happens if you start at the top?* What happens if you start at the bottom?
Perhaps the way to see disciplemaking like Jesus realized in the church is to start with making lots and lots of disciplemaking men and women.
Think about it.
Might that, in turn, help marriages? Might that, in turn, help families? Might that help churches and ministries?
My disciplemaking friend, Jason Schifo, who also happens to be a senior pastor, says it better than me:
“Asking what disciplemaking looks like in the church begs for the creation of a program to do it ‘in the church.’ The big miss in this is not understanding that a church is a collection of lives devoted to following the way of Christ. A church filled with disciplemaking lives will do disciplemaking everywhere they go including the church.”
Instead of first asking, What does disciplemaking look like in the church? perhaps we should ask the much scarier and personal question, What does disciplemaking look like in my everyday life?
Now, take what you know about Jesus' life and ministry and run it through the above diagram. Where did Jesus start in his disciplemaking?
Could it really be that the first and foremost need of our day is disciplemaking men and women?
I concede that focusing on helping men and women live and share a disciplemaking way of life with others isn't as sexy or cool as say, "casting a compelling vision" for a whole community, neighborhood, or church.
But since when have the followers of Jesus been about the sexy and cool?
I'll say it one more time: Instead of asking, "What does disciplemaking look like in the church?" perhaps we should start asking, "What does disciplemaking look like in my everyday life?"
I dare you.
Here are some further thoughts—if you dare...
Want to explore this post on a deeper level?
Where is a good place to start as a disciplemaker?
Do you need a word of encouragement about disciplemaking?
What if disciplemaking really is the main thing?
Are you at the mercy of the next cool thing?
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