discipleship process

For a person to become more like Jesus they must go through the discipleship process.  That process is rarely easy, but it is actually quite simple.  The discipleship process revolves around three simple realities of human growth and formation.

First, we cannot grow into something without a vision of what we are growing into.  Even if that vision is fuzzy and undefined, we still need to see where we are headed if we are going to go anywhere.  When people lack the ability to see where they are headed, they won’t be able to get there.  When people can’t see, they can’t grow.  Discipleship requires seeing.

Second, we cannot grow into something unless we intend to do so.  Here too, our desires are often muddled and unclear, but we still have to choose to pursue growth if we are going to actually grow.  Whether people haven’t become aware of the decision they need to make, or because they refuse to pay the price of making that decision, when people haven’t made a decision to grow, they won’t grow.  Discipleship requires choosing.

Third, we cannot grow into something unless we have a practical method of getting where we are going.  Again, we may be doing things poorly, or with very little understanding, but if we are not actually creating room for growth to happen through our actions, we will not grow.  When people want to grow, but they don’t know what to do, or how to do it, it becomes impossible to grow.  Discipleship requires doing.

Each of these basic tasks, or movements, of the discipleship process are essential.  Without all three, discipleship will not be successful.  It is like a bicycle that requires the three basic parts: pedals, wheels, and handlebars.  A bicycle with only one or two of those three parts wouldn’t be functional, all three are required for the bicycle to get anywhere.

This process of seeing, choosing, and doing must be repeated over and over.  It doesn’t really matter where we start (doing, choosing, or seeing), we must move through all three of these tasks in an endless process of seeing Jesus, choosing His way over our own, and doing the things He teaches us to do.