How You See You
See yourself as a disciple, embracing the core values.
A letter to pastors & leaders
Adding the disciple paradigm back in with the new creation — so the call to be His disciple strengthens the local church and empowers members new and old.
Is there a search going on?
As pastors and leaders, we understand we must be about our Father’s business: making disciples. Less understood is the definition Jesus gave.
Two former staff pastors of a church of tens of thousands shared this: in various team discussions, the staff attempted to define a disciple — and couldn’t come up with an answer.
Churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike self-describe with the word Christian, and readily offer a variety of definitions. It is a legitimate term in Scripture and will continue to be used — but it was coined by those outside the church, isn’t well defined in Scripture, and appears only three times in the New Testament, two of them on the lips of outsiders.
By contrast, disciple is used some 300 times, and is the primary term in the Gospels and Acts for Jesus’ followers. We rarely use it to self-identify today — so it’s possible we’re not clarifying the core values that define one.
The three core values
Jesus called His followers disciples, and gave His expectations in the form of three defining values.
Two broad paradigms
The New Testament presents both. Kept in balance, they form a whole Christ-follower.
Paradigm one · The gate
What Jesus Christ did for us — and the new birth of the one who believes the good news: a new creation, a new identity.
On its own, it can produce a passive individual experience and church culture.
Paradigm two · The way
Growth that comes from embracing the three values — abiding in His Word, loving the others, and serving. Jesus calls this person His disciple.
On its own, it can produce a works-based outcome.
Enter by the narrow gate… because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
JesusMatthew 7:13–14 · NKJV
Both truths must be kept in balance.
Yet when a born-again Christ-follower gives account at the judgment, it will be for applying the three values as His disciple — the process paradigm.
Making disciples
Shepherds examine their sheep for health. Leaders can look for these values in their people — without being judgmental.
See yourself as a disciple, embracing the core values.
See your members as Jesus’ disciples, who will stand before Him on that day to give account for abiding in His Word, loving the others, and serving.
Ask and remind your people:
Since leaders will give account for their souls, it’s natural to have criteria for it (Heb. 13:17; 1 Cor. 13:4–7).
When leaders are made conscious and trained, small-group culture can encourage the three values among its members — keeping each other attentive to living for eternity (Eph. 4:11–14; Acts 2:42).
“The church needs to raise the bar for being a disciple and lower the bar for being a leader.”
Carl F. George · Leading Advanced Small Groups, 1997
Work through pastors
“You must work through pastors to accomplish your task.”
So said my friend Pastor Jorge in Houston. If God is in this Paradigm Add — adding the values of a disciple back into our church cultures — then leaders should be able to expect:
Growth & substance gained
When born-again people faithfully abide, love and serve as Jesus taught, they grow — and the local church grows stronger with them.
Sound doctrine gradually develops as an internal structure in a disciple who abides in His Word under solid leadership.
Godly relationships form when a disciple faithfully loves the others in community, according to the New Commandment.
Unique and fruitful ministries emerge when disciples serve the others, in the local church and outside it.
Jesus’ three “if–then” statements
you abide in My word
Thenyou are My disciples indeed — you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31–32you have love for one another
Thenall will know that you are My disciples.
John 13:35you bear much fruit
ThenMy Father is glorified, and you will be My disciples.
John 15:8