Does anyone out there want to be a disciple?

Pastor Pete Beck III • November 17, 2015

One of the advantages of having followed Jesus for 44 years now is that it gives me some perspective. I have lived through several end of the world predictions, seen fads in the Body of Christ come and go, and watched what God has been doing in the world and locally. At the risk of being nostalgic and out of touch with what the Spirit is up to right now, I fondly remember what it was like when Martha and I first became believers in Christ back in 1971 at the height of what some call the Jesus Movement. Thousands of young people were coming to faith in Christ during those years, many of whom were part of the “hippie” movement. Out of that group, many are pastors and leaders in the church today. It was an extremely significant harvest time. Not only were people “getting saved,” nearly everyone I knew had a deep hunger to learn more about what the Bible teaches and to be part of the local church. Many of us met several times a week for Bible teaching and other church meetings. We were hungry to receive the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit and to learn how to use them in ministry. In addition, we wanted to be part of an authentic expression of the church as it was in the early days of the New Testament. Sure, we had our deficiencies. There was too much focus on church and not enough on reaching out, but we were doing what we thought was the right thing to do. The main point I want to make is that people had an inner drive to be disciples. We flocked to hear our pastor teach us more because we believed that we would be one day teaching others. Isn’t that what disciples do? Of course we were somewhat naive, not fully grasping the cost of being a disciple. But that is always the case. Faith plunges in anyway. When we become too old and wise, too afraid, or too apathetic to give it a try, we stop being a disciple. Sadly, some have never even started being one. Following Christ is not for the spiritual couch potato.

When I look out on the Body of Christ in our area today, I don’t see that same inner drive in very many, which is deeply disturbing to me. We have lots of fine people who love the Lord, but we have been captured by the culture in which we live. Consumerism has “converted” many of us into spectators who imagine that following Christ is passive, like watching TV, and our responsibility is to observe others do the teaching and ministry, clap for them, and say “AMEN.” Christianity is actually a participatory thing and is radically subversive to the culture in which it lives, not acquiescent to it. Discipleship leads us to make a firm commitment to follow Christ and his teachings regardless of the cost. Discipleship invites us to make sacrifices of time, energy, money, and ourselves. Discipleship is never imposed from the top down: it is a choice we make because we believe Jesus is worth it.

I am waiting for the glorious day when more and more people will start pulling on those of us who have been at this for a while, asking us to teach them what we know and show them how to minister. I look forward to our gatherings being overrun with young and older believers who want to become leaders and disciple makers in their own right. When that happens, I will know we are in a real revival. Until then, my question is this: does anyone out there want to be a disciple?

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

By Pete Beck III • December 3, 2024
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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