Essential Foundations for Making Disciples

Secular attempts have been made to describe “the abundant life.” One of the most popular is Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs.” Maslow began with basic physiological needs—the things needed to sustain life. Even these basic needs have varying degrees of urgency, though current expressions of Maslow’s ideas (through a triangular chart) do not always reflect that. All animal life, for example, needs oxygen more urgently than water or food. (“Breathing,” shown on many current charts, is not the need—oxygen is. “Sex” gets thrown into this physiological level because reproduction is a characteristic of all living organism. Not all reproduction involves sex, however; and the urgency of reproduction is more the need of the species than the physiological need of the individual organism.) Maslow’s second level, the need for “safety,” is a reflection that life thrives most readily when the basic physiological needs are able to be met on an ongoing basis. Different individuals and different cultures will define “safety” is different ways, and modern culture has tended to create “needs” that are social/psychological rather than physiological in nature. These “higher” needs are so important that they often influence our behavior with an urgency that exceeds their relative importance. In reality, unfulfilled needs at whatever level drive what we deem to be important or urgent. While these levels of concern may seem to have little to do with making disciples, we must at least acknowledge that the prospects of fulfilling higher needs that result in an abundant life are crippled if some sense of safety is not achieved for the individual in the community. A balanced and comprehensive attempt to make disciples will address whatever need hinders or impedes the achievement of the abundant life. In some settings that will involve engagement at the physiological level in feeding the poor. In some settings it will involve engagement at the safety level in assistance with employment or housing. To many people, these may not seem to have anything to do with making disciples; but they are foundational issues that will impede our efforts if they are neglected or ignored.

Jesus' Definition of Discipleship

Jesus had a lot to say about discipleship, and much of what he said spoke of challenge, sacrifice, hardship, rejection, and even the possibility of death. Sometimes we view these outcomes as the most significant aspect of what discipleship means. I think Jesus left a more significant insight into what he intended discipleship to mean when he said, “I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10, KJV). Obviously Jesus was talking of something more than physical life, for everyone has that. He was speaking of his “sheep,” those disciples whom “he calls … by name and leads” (v.3). These followers “know” him (v. 14), “hear his voice” (v. 2), and “follow him” (v. 4). If we truly want to know what discipleship means, we must probe the meaning of that full and abundant life that Jesus promised to those who know him, listen to his guidance, and follow him in discipleship.

The Nature of Discipleship

Many view the task of making disciples in the spirit of Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you?” Too often that discipleship is based on assumptions about things you should not think, feel, say, or do. The end result is that discipleship ends up taking on as ascetic quality that withdraws and separates from “the world.” I confess that I struggle with those tendencies, but I struggle with them more because they seem so antithetical to the spirit of Jesus. Most efforts toward developing disciples would probably fit better in the John the Baptist camp than in the daily discipleship walk with a Jesus who “saw the crowds [and] had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36).

The Imperative in the Great Commission

Many think the focus in the Great Commission is on “go.” It is not. “Go” is not an imperative in the Greek text; it is a participle (“as you go on your way”). Its force is in the assumption that Jesus’ disciples already were commissioned to go (the force of the aorist participle in Greek). “Make disciples” is the only imperative in Matthew 28:19-20. “Baptizing” and “teaching” are two present participles that extend the meaning of “make disciples.” One of these is administering a symbolic ritual that signifies commitment and identification with a cause; the other is the ongoing task of the church: “teaching them [these new disciples] to obey everything that I have commanded you” (NRSV). “Obey” translates a word that connotes “keep watch over, guard, hold on to, preserve, observe, fulfill, or pay attention to.” Our goal in making disciples is to invite commitment and instill devotion to Christ and his commands.

What are we striving to achieve?

Some have focused on “faith development,” “spiritual growth,” or some other terminology, but I like the central idea of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), which is “make disciples.” Actually even that is somewhat distorted by our English translations, where a single Greek verb is turned into a verb “make” and a direct object “disciples.” If we will understand “disciple” as a verb, then we can grasp a more complete view of our central task in the church. The idea certainly involves teaching; but it also carries an underlying theme of transforming a person into a learner, a pupil, an apprentice, an adherent, and ultimately into a witness (the Greek word for the latter is the word from which we derive “martyr”). To me, that gives a better focus to what we are striving to achieve in our churches.

Thinking Ahead About Thinking Aloud

For the last 16 months, I have focused my "Thinking Aloud" comments on Facebook. Most recently I have drawn the comments for my daily posts from writing that I have been doing for The New International Lesson Annual. Now that assignment is behind me (to be published in the 2012-13 Annual, although a previous set of lessons I wrote is in the current 2010-11 Annual and will be studied in the June-August quarter, 2011), and I want to move in a different direction with my "Thinking Aloud" daily posts.

First, Facebook limits posts to about 420 characters unless you post them as Notes. I find that rather restrictive, although I know many folks appreciate a short devotional idea more than an extended one, especially when so much is posted on Facebook that you want to keep up with. I would like a little more freedom to lengthen my daily musings, however, so I've decided to post them on my Mike's Thinking Aloud blog and link to the blog on Facebook.

Second, one of the ongoing passions of my life has been conceptualizing the task of making disciples. I began thinking more deeply in that area in the early 1990's when I was working at LifeWay and was assigned to a special workgroup that was redesigning LifeWay's entire Sunday School program and resources. Most of my thinking had been fleshed out by 1997, but I have continued to add to it and tweak it from time to time. In recent years I have used my Making Disciple design in China and India. I'm ready to lay it out more widely now to invite interaction and to generate a broader discussion on how we develop disciples in the church.

Finally, I have been serving on the Mission Visioning Committee in my church (First Baptist, Jefferson City, TN). That committee is winding down now, and the one major area still left to address in the area of Christian spiritual development. I am working with a group of very talented professors and educators on a team looking at how we can improved the discipleship ministry of our church. With the focus currently before me, I'd like to begin addressing little pieces of my Making Disciples design on a daily (or almost daily basis) in place of my regular posts on Facebook.

You can choose to use the link from Facebook to my blog, or you can go to my blog and sign up to follow it--that will give you notice whenever something is added to the discussion. I think the blog also will afford a better place for you to interact with me about discipleship development.

I'll try this out for a while and see where the discussion and interaction lead me. Thanks to those of you have interacted with me on Facebook. I hope you will feel even freer to interact with me on Mike's Thinking Aloud.

TODAY I AM THANKFUL . . .

I have a lot of things for which I am thankful, but today’s gratitude is worth a short list.

1. After long hours of work over the last five days, Evelyn and I have finished patching and sealing our asphalt driveway. In 90 degree weather, this was a laborious job; but we gained skill as we worked and finished with flying colors shortly after noon today. I won’t say it looks professional, but we certainly have stopped the deterioration with the repaired cracks; and the sealer should protect it for several years (we used 7-year sealer, but I won’t count on our application lasting quite that long).

2. Yesterday I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor for my atrial fibrillation episode back in May. I have been taking a beta-blocker since release from the hospital, and the side effects of the medication have either made me sluggish or hyper. I am now off all blood pressure medication on my pledge that I will exercise regularly and keep a check on my blood pressure. Anybody who can do #1 above should be healthy enough to get back to his status before the hospitalization—and I am!

3. My wife is a modern-day marvel. She can out-work me in almost every way (OK, occasionally she needs a strong arm to lift or open something or a tall person to reach something, but there’s not much else she can’t do). She loves the outdoors; and sun, heat, and hard work never slow her down. Working with her on the driveway project was a reminder what a wonderful woman, wife, and companion she is. I am so proud of her and appreciate her so much. She is indeed the love of my life!

Thank you, Lord!