Nuggets #29

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Life is Not a Stage
I didn't experience the stage theory of discipleship, a view that the spiritual journey is a series of building blocks or spiritual Legos. You build into a person one aspect of the Christian faith at a time, and if a person follows Christ long enough, then all the elements of spiritual maturity will be finally engaged.

The stage theory approach to discipleship is often doctrinally heavy and spiritually light.

Only after a proper theological foundation has been established do we begin to expect the fruit of ministry to emerge. For most people the extent of this expression relates to faithful attendance at church. If a Christian has a sound theological perspective and is a regular attendee in church life, he or she is perceived as qualified for the highest levels of leadership in most churches. Around these two foundational commitments of sound doctrine and regular attendance, we build another level of commitment: church participation and service.

Tragically, the basics of spiritual formation are seen as expressions of extraordinary Christian maturity. Some people move to an extraordinary level of faith and actually become evangelistic. Some begin to express an unusual connection through prayer. Others seem compelled to extraordinary sacrifice and begin to tithe, and still others receive a unique missionary distinction characterized by their willingness to uproot and go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel. The stage paradigm for Christian discipleship works on an assumption that the core is proper beliefs and the journey is adding on the different components of spiritual life.

The best biblical metaphor for the discipleship process is that new Christians are new babies, not new buildings. To make disciples is not to add a second floor and a third floor and a fourth floor, but to nurture what is already there and allow it to grow naturally.

Newborn babies are disproportionate to their adult shape, with large heads, very small bodies, and tiny fingers and toes. But they have every part they're ever going to have.

It's important to note that discipleship should be a natural process, not a legalistic one. It should be strategic and unique for the disciple maker, taking an inventory of the gifts and makeup of the disciple, and then developing what God has already given that person. They still need every aspect of spiritual maturity, but they were given their spiritual gifts for a purpose and those should be developed. Liken it to someone with a passion for a certain career. They still need to take their general ed courses, but they concentrate on their major.