In the West we have a love affair with information. We believe that the more information we have the more power or wisdom we have to make good decisions, become better people and change things. The Western Church’s approach to discipleship reflects the belief in the power of information with it’s emphasis on preaching the word, Bible studies, discipleship and theological courses where the assimilation of information is central, and with our love affair with “How To” books, online videos, bloggs, sermons and articles and so forth. Never has a group of Christians had so much access to so much Biblical information. If Biblical teaching is the key to discipleship, why aren’t Western Christians leading the way in demonstrating what it looks like to follow Jesus?
I have spoken to a number of Christians who came from unchurched or atheistic backgrounds about their journey to faith. All have said that their journey began with the experience of being loved and cared for by Christians. It was this experience of love which spoke to them and prompted them to consider the claims of the gospel. The sharing of the gospel was for them the explanation of what they already experienced and knew in their hearts being the love of Jesus and awareness of their own selfishness.
Recently a number of young adults shared with me their dissatisfaction with their churches and concern for their weakening faith. For the most part they attend what would be considered strong evangelistic churches with solid Biblical teaching. They had no complaint about what was being taught but rather they did not feel cared for or loved by the members of the church. It wasn’t that the members were rude or unkind but rather it was rare for somebody to take time to really listen to them, to ask how they were doing, to mutually share burdens and encourage one another. One of them when asked in a church meeting what the church needed answered with a request for more community. The pastor’s response was that they did community Wednesday evenings. What did they do then? They prayed for the needs of the church and had a teaching from the pastor. There was little time for the members to have meaningful conversations with each other. Teaching and the needs of the church was the primary goal of this “community” time.
What these people long for is to experience in community with others what is taught. This is essential to discipleship because knowing comes through sharing life in community with others. To be taught that as the people of God we are to love one another and then have little opportunity to show real care for one another is contradictory. It is like teaching a person how to love their spouse but then the person rarely has time to be with them; to serve them, listen to their stories of the day’s events, their feelings about what is going on in their lives, to enjoy each others company and so on. Until the person spends a significant amount of time with their spouse, working out what he/she has been been taught it is meaningless.
Likewise Biblical teaching that lacks a community context where it is lived out becomes meaningless after a time. We need time together to mutually share our fears, doubts, challenges, struggles, discoveries, joys and victories, to carry one another’s burdens, serve one another in tangible ways, together serve others, work together and even play and relax together. It is unfortunate that in many churches little value is given to such activities as reflected in the time set aside. In the little time that believers do have together, teaching of the word is prioritised over informal community. Yet Jesus demonstrated an approach to discipleship that emphasised sharing life together. It is said that he called the twelve so that "he might be with him" (Mark 3:14).
We tend to focus on what Jesus taught but his disciples were with him 24/7 for 3 years. They did life together; eating, playing, resting, working, teaching, ministering and more. Jesus expected that learning came not just from what he taught but from what they experienced together. When the disciples found themselves without bread Jesus used this as an opportunity to warn them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, a warning that they completely misunderstood. Jesus then says to them:
“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?
Jesus expected that their present lack of bread and the two experiences of feeding the large crowds in which they took part would enable them to understand his warning about the leaven of religious leaders. Other examples of this discipleship principle are Zacchaeus’ transformation as a result of Jesus inviting himself to have dinner with him, a clear act of respect, honour and kindness for a disreputable member of the community. Peter was humbled by Jesus’ enabling him to net a great catch of fish. He washed the disciples feet, paid their taxes, gathered grain from a field so they could eat, took children onto his lap, healed Peter’s mother, turn water into wine for a marriage feast and did a lot of eating and drinking with people. For much of his time with his disciples Jesus wasn’t teaching but just sharing life together as it came. These experiences provided the context for what Jesus taught. They understood and believed not just for what Jesus said but also for what they did together.
Information, that is Biblical teaching alone, will not disciple believers. The gospel is about relationship, our relationship with God and with others. Jesus said that “. . . all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Discipling is ultimately growing a person's love for Jesus and for others. It is difficult do this when we study it a lot but have little time to do it through sharing life together. It is the doing that makes scripture a reality in our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment