R.E.A.L. Discipleship

Real discipleship—do we even know what that means today? I am much afraid that our understanding of discipleship is very distorted when held up in the light of God’s Word. Listening to someone teach about “true” discipleship today is akin to sitting through a time management course. Our understanding of discipleship consists of learning how to arrange all the things that are really important to us so as to free up some volunteer time for the church.

Recently I have wrestled with the confusion that we instill into the lives of Christians as pastors and church leaders. People today are extremely busy with all the things we deem as important in life; there are those things of the world and then there are those things of the church. I am convinced that, more times than not, all we do is bombard the lives of our church members with more stuff. We have forfeited teaching the church about real discipleship and have merely offered them business rather than teaching them how to turn away from the things of this world and turn to the things of God. We call ourselves successful if we can get folks more involved in religious activity than worldly activity. In reality, all we have done is confuse and stress everybody. For the believer to ever accomplish real discipleship, he or she must learn to relinquish every aspect of life.

The Bible’s proclamation that we were “bought for a price” is not just a noble idea or a metaphor; we must come to the realization that we are God’s possession. Without fail throughout the Word of God, when Jesus Christ calls one to Himself and forgiveness of sin is realized. At that time, a new heart is received; that heart now beats for God; that heart longs for God. If not, it is not Jesus who has possessed us! Do you long for God? Let’s be REAL disciples of Christ and Relinquish Every Aspect of Life to Him.

Pastor Barry