Continuing on with the WELCOME of my new book. Being a follower, apprentice or disciple of Jesus has been a core part of our conversations on Zoom over the last couple of years. The seed was sown and the hunger within has stirred my own heart to pursue this subject as a way of life rather than gathering regurgitated information. Dallas Willard puts it succinctly,
“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”
But in my defence, there has been three influencers who have triggered my thinking on this subject matter namely, Charles in Sweden, Ron in New Zealand and Guy in South Africa. They didn’t suggest I write the book or were even aware that I was writing it until I sprang it on them at the last hurdle or umpteenth draft and then I asked them to read the manuscript.
It all slowly dawned upon me as I wrote this script which started as a trickle coming out of several conversations spanning a couple of years and a new desire in my own heart to understand what I thought and felt about discipleship. More importantly, what is best represented in Scripture about this often-neglected subject. I began to discover a gap between what it means to be a Christian in the crowds today when the biblical mandate points readers more fully towards being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
This gap has become a key part of the life puzzle that I wanted to explore, although I’m not sure if I’ve fully satisfied my own curiosity of experience and the study of Scripture so this process will no doubt continue, of that I’m certain. After all, we never stop being His disciples! And of course, the goal is that we might become like Him. I love that thought, because it cuts across the idea of filling my mind with information about God rather than the priority of knowing Him personally and intimately.
You will pick up I hope, that even with my limited understanding of the worldwide Church my conviction is that the present status and practice of biblical discipleship in Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Charismatic Church circles doesn’t seem to be working too well. However, there are those believing believers who do participate faithfully and contribute to changing that oversight and there are those among them I call leaders who do it naturally! We continue to pray for the extravagant power of the Spirit to influence and inspire hungry people as together, we participate in the heavenly calling of sharing the message of reconciliation between God and people and the obvious rewards of a transformed life.
An excerpt from our new book, “Conversations: observations, experiences, and questions while on the Jesus way” to be published in 2025.