Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Dear Lord Jesus, until I ate grilled, lightly buttered asparagus, I assumed all asparagus was as disgusting as the canned asparagus to which I was exposed as a child. I rejected a good gift of creation based on a horrid misrepresentation of the real deal. It occurs to me that maybe we’ve done the same thing with discipleship, and the result isn’t acceptable… in fact, it’s lamentable and repent-able.
As I meditate on these words which we call “The Great Commission,” I’m taken back to my days as a young believer when this command was largely reduced to gospel-less pragmatics. Discipleship was defined largely in terms of mastering a few disciplines… like daily “quiet times,” Scripture memory, learning how to defend the faith, and regular evangelistic conversations with non-believers. All four of these are really, really good things. But when I discovered the lyric and music of the gospel of your grace, this form of “discipleship” began to feel more like a doable strategy than a life-giving calling. It felt “canned.”
The problem is, I didn’t replace distorted discipleship with gospel-driven discipleship. I just enjoyed swimming around in the invigorating waters of your grace, and invited others to join the same pool party. Truth is… there IS such a thing a grilled, lightly buttered version of discipleship. The problem isn’t with the disciplines, but with the gospel which driving the disciplines. Growth in grace presupposes availing ourselves of the means of grace—the Scriptures, prayer, the sacraments, service… not that I’m telling you anything you don’t know, Jesus…
My prayer today is simply this: In my own life, and in the wonderful circle of people with whom I get to walk, work and interact… Jesus, show us what gospel-driven models of discipleship actually look like. Cynicism about what discipleship is not only generates more cynicism and flabby believers. According to you, disciples… committed learners and followers… are made, they don’t simply happen. So very Amen, I pray, in your with-us-to-the-end-of-the-age name.