The Other Half of Discipleship

There are some things you only learn by doing. If we want to learn how to change a tire, the first thing we should do is research YouTube and find all the videos on changing a tire. We should consult our car's owner's manual - you know, that paper book that keeps falling out of your glove compartment when you're looking for your ice scraper? - to see how our car is designed to facilitate changing a flat tire.

Even with that, we still wouldn't know how to change a tire. We would know ABOUT changing a tire, but not how to change a tire. They are two different things.

To know how to change a tire, we actually have to change a tire. We'd have to find our carjack, our tire tool, and our spare tire. Then, we would have to find a way to steady our car and jack it up so we could loosen the lug nuts on our flat tire. (Be warned. We will lose all our religion trying to break loose the lug nuts on our flat tire, but that's another blog.)

Then, we'd have to replace the tire, tighten the lug nuts to hold it on, and replace any decorative trim pieces that made our car look good in the first place.

Now, you can change a tire. You learn to change a tire by changing a tire. You learn by doing.

We forget this when we talk about discipleship. For most of us, discipleship is about attending classes to learn more about Jesus. We read books. We answer questions. Then, we sign up for another course. Successful discipleship is determined by how many trivia questions we can answer about Jesus. We forget that knowing about Jesus isn't the same as knowing Jesus.

Let's remember how Jesus trained the first disciples. First, they would walk. There were hours of unforced, unhurried conversations about every aspect of life. He preached and taught. They would have heard all of this. Then, he would send them out on their own. After their short mission trip, the disciples would return and Jesus would take them into the wilderness to discuss what they had learned on their assignments.

Notice the pattern. Jesus would teach. Then, Jesus would send. Jesus would review, teach some more, then send again. The disciples learned both by hearing and doing. Our discipleship ministries should follow the same pattern. Teach, send, review, teach, and send again.

We've talked about this before. The first reformation gave the Bible back to the people. The second reformation is giving ministry back to the people. The role of a pastor has changed from one who does the ministry to one who trains others to do the ministry. Instead of visiting the hospital, a pastor will train those in the church to visit the sick. In this way, the pastor multiplies the impact of the church and the depth of ministry.

This is the way the truth of what is being learned is confirmed in real life. Don't be worried, Jesus promised His followers, when you are dragged before the religious leaders. The Spirit will give you the words to say. If you never find yourself in a position where your teaching about Jesus has been challenged or attacked, how do you know that this is true? How do you verify that a soft answer really does turn away wrath? You learn it when you're in a tense situation and you don't respond to anger with more anger.

When this happens, people can't wait to get to worship. They are eager to celebrate what they have seen God do in their lives and in that, they will begin to anticipate what God will do in the coming days. That kind of worship only happens when disciples are learning obedience in the doing of Jesus' words.

Too many times, well-meaning church leaders rob members of their blessing because they won't give new disciples opportunities to follow Christ in a moment of tough obedience to learn the truth of Jesus' words. There are some things that can only be learned in obedience.

The test of every great recipe is, does the dish taste good when it's prepared? The test of truth for every disciple is, did the teaching of Jesus prove true when it was lived out? Paul was confident of Jesus' faithfulness because he had lived out the teachings of Jesus in the most trying of circumstances. That's why he was able to write, "I know in whom I have believed."

Most of us lack this kind of true life confidence in God's Word because we've never tried to live out what we know. A memorized discipleship is only half known. There are some things that can only be learned by doing.

This essay was first posted in Scot McKnight’s newsletter.