One of my daughter’s favorite activities is to walk along the rock wall in front of our house separating the flowerbeds and the yard. The rocks are small and she tries to stand on them and walk the entire way without falling off…quite a challenge for a three year old.
It is amazing as an adult attempting to walk with Christ, how much of life mirrors such a tight wire act…trying to walk from Point A to Point B without falling off to either, potentially destructive side. Discipleship is no different.
We know that the point is to multiply disciples. That is where we should be going, both as individual Christians and as a local church. And yet there are two potentially destructive ways that I see people “fall off” and never really make a disciple. Instead of becoming a disciple-maker, they become:
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A Teacher – for them the goal is to find a less knowledgeable Christian and download all the right theology and doctrine into their raw subject. Primarily the goal of disciple multiplication for a teacher is focused on the mind.
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A Friend – for them the goal is to find someone a lot like them, hang out together, shoot some ball, eat a meal, and call this discipleship. For them the goal of disciple multiplication is focused on social dynamics.
In a sense, both are right. The teacher typically does great job of capturing the mind of a disciple and teaching a life of faith. The friend typically does a great job of capturing the heart of disciple and modeling a life of faith.
However, left alone, both are doomed.
According to Jesus, the task is that we would love him with “all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Capturing the mind alone multiplies scholars. Capturing the heart alone multiplies consumers.
Capturing the “heart, soul, mind, and strength” is the only way to multiply disciples.
