The Need for The Life

There has never been a time when Christians and Churches have needed depth more. American culture is a fertile breeding ground for the superficial. The Church’s need for significance and meaning can be easily satisfied with bodies, bucks, and buildings. But as mentioned above, these traditional benchmarks of success are breaking down. Evangelical church attendance is still stalled or in decline, followers of Jesus don’t seem to have distinctive lives. The watching world doesn’t see any compelling reason to attend church. In fact many people who do attend church are searching for a compelling reason to continue.

Religious activity without transformation

My pastoral experience tells me there is something wrong. It has troubled me for years, but particularly in the last four. It is the feeling and the fact that we are engaged in a routine of religious activity that is not working. We put so much effort into our weekend services, bible studies, small groups, and outreach events. Yet it doesn’t work because we are missing transformation.

The spiritual formation concept comes from Paul’s word in Galatians. “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” 5

All of us have a spirit that is formed or shaped by forces around us. The problem seems to be that many influences apart from the transformational power of the scriptures and the Holy Spirit have shaped our spirits. Because of this the life most disciples have followed has been one of attending, serving, and giving. These are wonderful things and are evidence of sincerity of heart, but the acceptance of these activities as enough has led to generations of believers whose lives are a mile wide and one inch deep. This in turn has led to a church that lacks passion, perseverance, and a commitment to reach the world around them.

George Barna’s research tells us the reason many people have chosen not to invest in a life of serious discipleship.

1. Lack of passion.
2. Too busy.
3. Satisfied with process or activity without regard to product.
4. Satisfied with good activity that doesn’t challenge to transformation.

Barna concluded in his study of the Church and its commitment to making disciples “ I will argue that unless we embrace a comprehensive and far reaching commitment to radical change in how we conduct our lives and our ministries, we are doomed to minimal results.” 6

We have now reached that point so eloquently spoken by George Orwell, “ We have now sunk to such a depth that the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” And what is that obvious duty? It is to consider the command to make disciples the first duty of the Church. It is for church leaders to choose spiritual formation as their primary work. But what does this mean? In order to answer the question we must ask what did it mean at the time of Christ to be a disciple?

There were several characteristics that made a person a disciple.

1. The person would make an intentional choice to follow a teacher. Luke 6:39,40
2. The student would choose his own Rabbi. Jesus was unique in that He chose His disciples John 15:16
3. The disciple would submit to his Rabbi’s interpretation of scripture and way of life. I Corinthians 4:14-16
4. The teacher would teach the student everything he knew Luke 6:40
5. The student would eventually graduate to Rabbi John 15:15 From servant/slave to friend. This would then require the new Rabbi to repeat the process with others.

Choosing the life of discipleship was very much like joining a special order or group. There were rites of passage and it was to be a life of submission to spiritual authority. This is why I have stated that our discipleship hasn’t been working, it has been too program oriented and frankly too superficial to really change people. The new movement is attempting to restore the original intent to the Church’s work beginning with the leaders. So how would this look in today’s world? What distinctive would be a follower of Jesus have?

Definition of a disciple: “ A disciple is a follower of a person or cause who has decided to attach himself to another person in mutual submission in order to become capable of doing what that person does or what that person is. It is the intention to join with at least one other kindred spirit to break through obedience barriers, to learn everything you can and experience transformation.

This is radical in that it makes it impossible for a person to keep an arms length relationship to Christ and others. The majority of church people become genuine believers, but the only transformation they experience is forgiveness of sins and membership in the body of Christ. They only know Christ as savior, but they don’t experience Him as teacher or leader. Therefore, their lives are tragically stalled out and they don’t reach the pinnacle of a high impact life that comes from the spiritual depths. A soul that has been deeply crafted by the disciplines of the Spirit of God. The belief that being baptized and attending church will make you a full throttle disciple of Jesus is to misunderstand the teaching of the New Testament. “ Finding forgiveness for our sins and taking his yoke upon us and learn[ing] of him, the idea that these two things can be separated” as A.W. Tozer said, “is a modern heresy.” 7

The Church’s cardiovascular system is clogged with immature disciples who agree with all we’ve said but don’t act. The Church is up to its eyeballs in agreement, but only standing ankle deep in behavioral change. This is primarily a leadership issue; leaders are not modeling spiritual formation as the first and most important task of the Church. Again, spiritual greatness in our culture is all about size, size of the churches, and size of book sales, size of crowds at special events. The church is drunk on the wine of success and size; it is time for an intervention, to challenge our addiction and to do the right thing.

1 Willard, Dallas Renovation of the heart , Navpress , Page 239

2 Matthew 28:18-20 The depth has no meaning unless it leads to obedience to what Christ has commanded

3 Acts 1:8 After the Holy Spirit comes on the Church, then the mandate can be carried out.

4 Luke 9:23 the only reason to say no to self is in order to say yes to God.

5 Galatians 4:19

6 Barna, George Growing True Disciples Water Books page 10

7 Willard, Dallas Renovation of the Heart , Navpress 2002 page 242