Radical, Chapter 5: Multiplying the Community

I have to say that I’m really enjoying the time we’ve spent reading this book.  It is very convicting, and this chapter might be the most convicting for me so far.  I took a turn facilitating the blog this week, and it was very refreshing!  I’ve been reading right along but for some reason the blog keeps eating my comments =[  This time I finally got smart and wrote my blog in a word document!

  This chapter is all about discipleship and what that looks like practically.  Throughout the chapter he weaves this theme that discipleship is a messy, down and dirty, in your face process that takes time…lots of it.  He does this is several ways, starting with the ultimate example: Jesus.  From time to time I’ve wondered about how Jesus did things.  He had all these adoring crowds surrounding Him, but time after time He gently but firmly extricated Himself to either pray to His Father or explain a parable to the disciples.  He was incredibly focused on following the Father’s will and teaching His human companions.  I think about how a human would handle the same situations.  I’m thinking that I, for one, would consider all the attention to be a “God given opportunity” and “a platform” to speak from.  Soon I would be all about myself and the truth would be watered down.  It really seems like Jesus had two missions while on this earth: redeem humanity and make disciples.  This was His last command to us: go into all the world and make disciples.  This is His model, to reproduce ourselves.  How can we look for another way?

He makes the point that people are not impressed with drive by evangelism.  He illustrates this by documenting his experience evangelizing in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  No one opened up to him until they realized he was there to stay and genuinely cared about them.  And all of us understand this.  When have you ever been convinced to like something by someone who isn’t passionate and doesn’t seem to care about your well-being?

My final thought before getting to the questions is the concept of listening to reproduce.  I think this is my favorite part of the chapter.  So often we listen to sermons and other teachings to see what we can get out of it and how it applies to our lives.  There’s really nothing wrong with that, but the author points to a bigger purpose that we are called to be a part of: listening to reproduce.  Meaning, I’m paying close attention to the sermon so I can explain this passage to someone who doesn’t understand it or has never read the Bible.  Wow.  Now I need to step up my game.  This reminds me of college.  I paid very close attention in my nursing classes, especially lectures that had to do with keeping people alive.  This was because I knew it was vital knowledge that would actually save lives someday.  I felt a weight of responsibility to understand the material that I didn’t feel in my Bible classes (I minored in Bible).  What if I approached every sermon this way?  Knowing that I had the opportunity to learn vital knowledge that would save a soul someday?

Ok, so for the questions:

1. Who do you look to as an influence of discipleship in your life?  

For me it’s been different people at different times.  There was a family that really took me in while I was living in Cleveland.  They were so passionate about the Lord and read His Word continually.  They opened up their home and their hearts to me, and really challenged me to go deeper in my commitment to the Lord.  I’m so thankful for my time with them.

2.    

Do you have the opportunity right now to disciple someone?  Think of that person or persons, and think of ways you can pour into their life.  Also, keeping in mind Jesus’ last command, who can you disciple who does not currently identify faith in Christ?  

a.    Personally, this chapter challenged me to continue to disciple a few women whom God has brought into my life, even though their lives and mine are messy.  Discipling is hard.  I get easily discouraged.  But those who trust in the Lord renew their strength.  We serve a good God. 

b.    As I think about the second part of my question, I realize I’m surrounded by people who need the gospel.  My neighbors from China and India for instance.  They never heard the gospel before the Helms and I moved into this building.  Or how about my new co-worker who just lost a good friend to cancer?  Turns out that friend was a Christian and had been witnessing to her already.  I never got to meet her, but she passed me a baton of sorts =]  And finally, there are the Somalian refugees who populate our city.  I’ve met some of them already, they work at the hospital with me.  They never got to hear the gospel in their own country, so God brought them to us. 

3.    What are some practical ways you can listen to reproduce?

a.    A couple things come to mind for me right off the bat.  First, I need to be more diligent in daily Bible reading.  It often gets pushed right off the priority list for me.  I need to make it a part of the daily routine.  Another thing I can do is review sermon notes and read over the passages again.  Kind of like studying for an exam in college =]