“They who will not wear Christ’s yoke will much less bear his burden.”
–William Gurnall
Dear church family,
What is discipleship? And how long of a process is it? For the answer to the first question, we will simply repeat the definition that Darin recently shared, “Discipleship [is] the intentional, passionate, and consistent pursuit of spiritual growth and fruitfulness, not only for our ourselves, but for others that God has put in our lives.” This pursuit of spiritual growth is centered around the believer’s close adherence to Jesus Christ. This attachment to Jesus means there will be growth in love and obedience or perhaps it is better to say, a growth in love fueled obedience. Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…” (John 14:23 excerpted) To obey Jesus is to teach others to obey Jesus. Voila! Disciple-making is born. Regarding others, Jesus instructed the disciples to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:20 excerpted)
How long of a process is it? From the perspective of man, it begins when we go to Jesus Christ and wear his yoke. Jesus invites people to himself, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29) James Leo Garrett summarizes the whole process for us:
“Discipleship stretches from the initial becoming of a disciple through continuance in Christ to the death of the disciple. It involves an attachment to the person of Jesus Christ in terms of followship along the road or way of Christ. It means living under the yoke and lordship of Christ, receiving the teaching of Christ, bearing one’s cross after Christ in suffering and persecution, and making of other disciples after the commission of Christ.”[1]
Meditate on this: our knowledge of the nature and greatness of God will always be growing. Even after our death, we will know Him and worship Him and be amazed at who He is. But our opportunity to make disciples is limited. It is an activity for right now and for however long the Lord keeps us on this earth. Let us then be very wise with our time and the opportunities He grants us. Have a blessed week and we will see you on Sunday. D. V.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
[1] James Leo Garrett Jr., Systematic Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Second Edition., vol. 2 (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2014), 386.
