Introduction
For the Christian life is a constant
state of learning, because human beings come into the world desiring their own
wants. After committing ourselves to Christ we must be taught how to become
more Christ-like, which is no easy task. James Houston says, “Dietrich
Bonhoeffer’s well-known classic, The Cost of Discipleship, demonstrates that
discipleship might cost us our lives, physically. But more usually, as M.
Wilkins outlined in his challenging work, Follow
the Master, it means embracing a new way of life, with a new sense of
identity, not as a program but as a life task.”[1]
Learning
Styles
In Christian circles there are several different terms
that get thrown around somewhat interchangeably; education, discipleship, and
spiritual formation. Over the last decade the waters have become muddied in
trying to make any distinction. According to William “Rick” Yount,
The term education
has become an increasingly loaded term for the Church, especially in
theological circles. A theologian friend of mine recently remarked that my
continued use of the term “tainted me.” He couldn’t tell me why, exactly, but
the term had taken on “liberal” connotation. It would be far better, he said,
to use word like discipleship or equipping, or even the term popularized
by our Catholic brethren: spiritual
formation.[2]
After hearing that
description it would be hard to say that there really is any distinction
between the different terms, wouldn’t it? One way that we could possibly look
at it is there is the broad view of education that can take place in a class
room, while discipleship takes place on a more personal level, and the outcome
is a greater spiritual formation.
Education itself is “the creative process of utilizing
external and internal forces to facilitate the functions of teaching and
training in promoting and attaining growth and development, enabling complete
individuals to comprehend, contemplate, and contribute to their community and
culture.”[3]
Again education can take shape in multiple forms and the most common form we
are finding in the church now is discipleship. Houston describes discipleship
this way, “For discipleship is a “personal” call, not an abstract profession,
nor a program, but a daily living with Jesus Christ. This can only be taken
seriously with daily devotions, spending time in continual prayer, reading and
meditating each day on a passage of the Bible, and the celebration of God’s
daily presence.”[4]
In the last several years there has been a major shift in
the way American evangelicalism looks at spiritual formation, as a whole it has
shifted focus from a person doing all of their growing in the worship hall and
the Sunday School classroom to more intimate settings. This growth takes place
because, “…the process of growing spiritually is connecting with other
believers in meaningful ways, and this happens best in small, interactive and
even smaller groupings within the classes.”[5] It
is in those smaller groupings in which we can begin to see differences. When
Christ taught, it was very rarely one-on-one, but often in either large
congregations or to medium/small groups. E. Byron Anderson says, “First, as a
place and a people, we enter school knowing that we learn not alone “but as
part of a company.” That is, we come not as a disciple, but as the company of disciples—in
twos or threes as we see in the calling of Jesus’ first disciples….”[6]
The Ultimate Focus
Not matter what form the local body chooses to employ
there will be a reciprocal effect that takes place. As the believer grows in
knowledge of Jesus, they will worship him more; and as they go deeper in their
worship of him the more intimate their knowledge of him will be. Mitchell says it this way, “Discipleship
prepares for worship, and conversely, worship is the product of discipleship.”[7]
With that being the case we need not separate and compartmentalize areas of our
life as Anderson states, “what we undertake in worship, what we participate in
as we worship, is itself an act of discipling and discipleship. We therefore
need to think of worship as one of the places for our apprenticeship in the Christian
life.”[8]
While the ultimate goal is to create disciples who
worship Jesus, is there a different way we can recognize that goal? Yount might
say “Yes.” While the goal is the same or at least similar the way Yount
describes it is “Our calling is to help learners grow toward Christlikeness.”[9] If
worship is not the evidence of discipleship then what is? Could it be them learning
to be more committed followers of Christ? William Yount said, “We provoke our learners
to grow in the Lord as we teach them to depend on Him.”[10] At
this point it would serve us well to understand the different forms worship can
take. According to Mitchell “Worship, though, cannot be restricted or minimized
to contain only words, whether spoken or sung, whether in acknowledgement or adoration.
Worshippers must also act in service to Christ.”[11] Once
a person comprehends that worship is not just words and songs but an attitude of
the heart and a lifestyle of service, worship can then become the ultimate evidence
of discipleship; because the closer we come to the Lord the more we will want to
serve Him. Anderson suggest, “…Christ’s claim upon us, the yoke to which we submit
ourselves as we learn Christ’s way (Matt 11:27-29), is about what we offer in service—in
the service of worship and in our care for the least among us.”[12]
Conclusion
As disciples of Jesus it should be our
goal to follow the great commandment (Matt 28) and make more disciples; having the
understanding that in the act of creating disciples, we are educating them in areas
of spiritual maturation. It should be the goal of every Gospel preaching ministry
to not just share the Gospel, but to also make disciples that love and serve Jesus,
even in the act of creating more disciples.
[1]
James M.Houston, "The future of spiritual formation." Journal
Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 4, no. 2 (September 1, 2011):
131-139. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
May 24, 2013)132.
[2]
William R. Yount,(ed.). The Teaching Ministry of the Church
2nd edition. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2008)5.
[3] Michael R. Mitchell, Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples.
(Bloomngton: Crossbooks, 2010)233.
[4]
Houston, Spiritual
Formation, 132.
[5]
Yount., Teaching Ministry., 10.
[6]
E Byron. Anderson,
"Worship: schooling in the tradition of Jesus." Theology
Today 66, no. 1 (April 1, 2009): 21-32. ATLA Religion Database
with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 24, 2013)28.
[7]
Mitchell., Leading., 259.
[8]
Anderson, Worship., 29.
[9]
Yount, Teaching, 185.
[10] Ibid., 107.
[11]
Mitchell, Leading., 259.
[12]
Anderson, Worship., 28.
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