Month: November 2019

 “The terms “cruise ship” and “ocean liner” are often used interchangeably.  However, while both are types of passenger ships, there is a difference.

An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport passengers from point A to point B.  The classic example of such a voyage would be a transatlantic crossing from Europe to America.  Because a ship could encounter all types of weather on such a voyage, an ocean liner must be built to be strong by using a great deal of steel in the hull. The bow is long and tapered to allow the ship to cut through the waves and it has a deep draft for stability.

Cruise ships are built for the purpose of taking passengers on a journey that begins and ends in the same port.  A classic example of such a voyage is a Caribbean cruise that begins and ends in Miami, Florida.”¹

When air travel took the place of ocean liners, ship companies were left with huge investments with no purpose.  The solution was to turn ocean liners into cruise ships.  However, it was soon discovered that modifications were required.  Cruise ships didn’t need all the steel, pointed bows, or deep drafts since they sailed in moderately calm water. They did need to become more “boxy” to accommodate more passengers.

A few years ago my wife and I took a Caribbean cruise on what was, at that time, the largest cruise ship in the world.  The travel agent promoted it by saying, “This cruise is not about going somewhere.  The ship itself is the destination.” 

Are we on a spiritual cruise ship or an ocean liner?

Discipleship is like an old fashioned ocean liner designed to take us from point A to point B.  The implication is that we are on a journey or a quest that utilizes process.  The New Testament uses several metaphors to describe this process including an architectural, agricultural, physical, and athletic model.   Each model offers a unique picture of discipleship, but what is common to all of them is process.  So whether it is building, growing, maturing or running, they all model discipleship as a process of moving from one stage to another.  In each case the process is progressive, intentional, and systematic. 

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul rebukes the Corinthians not for being spiritual children but for being children for too long.  The writer of Hebrews also rebukes his audience for remaining immature when they should be able to teach others (Hebrews 5). 

In contrast, intentional discipleship advances our journey by establishing a process to reach our destination.  It is a progressive journey that requires taking one step at a time through specific “stages” that move us toward spiritual maturity.   

For example, Jesus led the twelve through several stages in their pathway to maturity:

• “Come and see” (John 1:39) – Exploring stage to learn about Jesus and connect with Him.
• “Follow Me” (Matt 4:19) – Establishing stage to grow in heart commitment to Jesus.
• “Be with Me” (Mk 3:14) – Equipping stage to develop lifetime habits for walking with Jesus.
• “Go for Me” (John 20:21)—Extending stage to serve and share truth as His ambassador.

Using the physical metaphor, spiritual stages could be identified as:²

• Child stage:  understanding our new identity in Christ, eating a healthy spiritual diet, knowing and connecting with our new family, learning to feed ourselves…
• Young adult stage:  taking responsibility for choices, learning self-discipline, gaining an overview of Scripture, developing skills for spiritual warfare, developing healthy spiritual habits…
• Adult stage:  contributing to the kingdom cause, living a balanced life, demonstrating love and self-control, setting and maintaining priorities, modeling a lifelong apprenticeship…
• Parent stage:  investing in others, mentoring, equipping the next generation, passing on spiritual wisdom…

Obviously, this process is not a straight line progression.  At times a child may act more mature than an adult or an adult may act childish.  The growth process is more like a spiral that moves in a direction, requiring intentionally taking one step at a time.

There is nothing wrong with being a child….just being one forever.

Questions for Reflection:

1.  What stage would you be in currently?  What would help you move to the next stage of maturity?

2.  What other indicators would you expect at each of the stages above?

^1.  Fodor’s travel service

^2. Jim Putnam in his book Real Life Discipleship uses a physical model and has 5 stages of spiritual development:  spiritually dead, infant, child, young adult, parent.  He also has some helpful indicators for each stage.

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important. 

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities. Stephan Covey

“I don’t have time” is the most common response I hear from people when I ask them to pursue a lifestyle of discipleship.  Living in the “tyranny of the urgent” people’s lives are more reactive than proactive.  Discipleship is something we may someday get around to pursuing, but for now life is too complex, hectic, and demanding.  We are already committed to Christian connecting and serving activities so time spent in the inner life of pursuing apprenticeship to Christ is optional.  Perhaps we will get around to it once life settles down.

If discipleship is the personal, intentional pursuit of Christ and His kingdom, why is it frequently an elective?

This is not only a 21^st century problem.  Jesus faced the same response from people in the 1^st century.  Luke gives us two case studies in which discipleship is an elective rather than a priority (Luke 9:57-62). 

In one case the answer to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him was, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” Jesus responded by saying, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:59-60 NASB). 

In the second example, the person’s response was, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” Jesus’ response was, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:61-62 NASB).

There are several reasons for our “elective” mentality of discipleship.

• We view Jesus Christ as the resurrected Savior and ignore that He is our ascended Lord and King who is worthy of our allegiance and alignment.
• We substitute Christian activity for personal apprenticeship.
• We pursue information about Christ rather than transformation to be like Christ.
• We live on the edge of urgency rather than on the platform of priority.

Leadership and time management coach, Stephen Covey said,

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage …to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.” 

More importantly Jesus said, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (discipleship), and all these things will be added to you” (Mat 6:31-33).

Reading the gospel accounts about discipleship, we will discover that discipleship is to be a priority over family, self, friends, comfort, and even worship. 

Which of the systemic life issues that plague us (divorce, fatherlessness, unwed mothers, drugs, alcoholism, abortion, crime, suicide, poverty, checked-out kids, cheating, disrespect for authority, hate) would not be solved if we made discipleship the priority?          

Discipleship is not urgent like a flat tire, but it is un-urgently critical.  It is the scheduled maintenance that prevents having to call Roadside Assistance.  According to the latest data (2017), the time the average American spends on social media is 2.5 hours per day.  Yet the common excuse for elective discipleship could be summed up as:

I am too busy trying to be a good parent, spouse, worker, and church member to daily spend time developing my personal relationship with Christ.

But if we really believed that the power to live the victorious Christian life comes from our relationship with Christ, shouldn’t our response be more like:

Life is so complex and demanding that I can’t afford NOT to spend daily time with Christ in His Word.

The result of our elective mentality is we live spiritually passive lives until we face a major problem.  Basically, we live our lives as practical deists, believing there is a real God but acting like He is not relevant to our daily ordinary lives.    True discipleship is not withdrawal from life, but rather it is making our relationship with Christ the ultimate governor of our daily lives and the choices we make.  The only way that will happen is if there is a bigger “yes” that burns in our hearts so our lives will no longer be controlled by what is urgent rather than by what is priority. 

Question for reflection:

• What are the “But firsts” that challenge your discipleship priority?
• What are other reasons for elective discipleship?