Embodying Whole Life Discipleship

As I continue to unpack the five elements necessary for us to participate in what we hope and pray will be another great awakening from the Lord resulting in an exponential movement of God’s Kingdom (you can watch my whole National Gathering talk that includes the five elements here), I want to focus on the need to embody whole-life discipleship.

One of the great strengths of the Presbyterian tradition is our commitment to thoughtful faith. We love Scripture. We value theology. We believe that loving God includes loving Him with our minds. That is a gift. But it can also create a subtle temptation: we can begin to assume that knowing is the same as growing.

It is possible to know more about prayer without praying more. It is possible to study generosity without becoming generous. It is possible to understand forgiveness while still harboring bitterness. It is possible to affirm the Great Commission while never sharing our faith.

Knowledge matters. Healthy discipleship always includes learning. But discipleship is not ultimately about accumulating information. It is about being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not simply teach His disciples what to believe. He taught them how to live. He invited them into a way of life. They learned to pray by praying, to serve by serving, to trust God by walking through situations that required trust, and to love their neighbors by actually engaging them.

The church today faces no shortage of information. Sermons, podcasts, books, videos, courses, and commentaries are available with the click of a button. Yet despite unprecedented access to biblical knowledge, many churches struggle to see corresponding levels of spiritual maturity.

Whole-life discipleship asks different questions. Not merely, “What do you know?” but, “How are you being changed?” How is your relationship with Christ shaping your marriage, parenting, friendships, finances, work, priorities, and witness? How is the Holy Spirit forming Christlike character within you?

If we want to participate in God’s greater work of renewal, multiplication, and movement, we must recover a vision of discipleship that extends beyond the classroom into everyday life. The church does not simply exist to help people know about Jesus. It exists to help people become like Jesus.

In Christ,

Dana

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