by Dan Phillips
From 2006 to 2012, PyroManiacs
turned out almost-daily updates from the Post-Evangelical wasteland --
usually to the fear and loathing of more-polite and more-irenic bloggers
and readers. The results lurk in the archives of this blog in spite of
the hope of many that Google will "accidentally" swallow these words
and pictures whole.
This feature enters the murky depths of the archives to fish out the classic hits from the golden age of internet drubbings.
The following excerpt was written by Dan back in October 2012. Dan addressed common misconceptions about it means to be a disciple.
As usual, the comments are closed.
Decades back, I used to ask groups I came to teach whether anyone could
define the word "disciple." As a rule, folks were fairly confident, and
completely wrong. They'd never been taught about it. Probably the most
common answer was "follower." After that came "apostle," or "disciplined
person." None of which is true.
The Greek word translated
disciple is perfectly straightforward and uncontroversial. It is μαθητὴς (
mathētēs), and it means "student, pupil, learner."
That's it.
What, you're waiting for some deeply-spiritual, mystical sense? There
isn't one. And I think that in itself is really terribly important.
The way I've seen many folks approach Christianity in general, and
church-selection and church-involvement in particular, has convinced me
that they have no clue about this element. They do not see themselves as
disciples, which is to say they do not see themselves as
students, learners, pupils of Jesus Christ.
Christians simply do not see themselves as students who are expected (
by God!)
constantly to learn and grow, and never to graduate. So when it comes
to picking a church, the thought of selecting a church which above all
teach them the Word of God simply is not a priority, or
perhaps not even a factor. When they evaluate a church, its music or
furnishings or programs or a thousand other elements are central, but
its effectiveness in
teaching them God's Word is not.
But once they have selected a Bible-teaching church, even then this
concept seems to fall by the wayside. They sit and stand, sing and pray;
they watch the pastor. They go home, they have lunch. They've already
forgotten what happened. So how were they disciples? Surely, if they
seriously saw themselves as
disciples, they would have
taken some steps to make sure that the service contributed to their growth as disciples?
Perhaps someone is thinking, "I don't see the Bible making the big deal about this that you're making." No? How about this?
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
"Make disciples" (
mathēteusate) is the lone imperative verb in
the Greek text, so it is the anchor-thought. The rest supports this
activity. The presence of Jesus is guaranteed to the church
as it engages in this activity — making disciples, pupils, students, learners.
"Oh, huh," you say. "I always thought that was about evangelism."
Evangelism is included, but it's just the introduction to the whole
enchilada, the discipleship enchilada.
But did you know that Jesus
defined, in so many words, what it meant to be a genuine disciple? He did in a number of ways, but in our connection one passage stands out:
John 8:31-32 —
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Break it down:
- The path to freedom lies in knowing the truth.
- The path to knowing the truth lies in being a genuine disciple/student.
- The path to being a genuine student is in continuing in Jesus' word.
Straightforward, eh?
Spread the word. Make it loud, plain, and inescapable: if you're a real Christian, you're a
student. Your priority is to get taught, and to learn. It is to learn the words of God.
And if you're not being a student, you're not being a Christian.
It's definitional.
Not optional.
And it should affect how we approach church selection, organization,
and involvement.