290. The Five Convictions Every Disciple Needs

[00:00:08] Hi friends, welcome to another episode of Making Disciples. My name is Chris and I am your host. Warm, warm welcome to you. Now this will be the last episode of Making Disciples that will be going out while I live here in London. Just in a couple of weeks, Becky and I will be packing up our home and we'll be relocating to Birmingham on a new adventure.

[00:00:33] And that means over the summer, the podcast will hit pause, but we will be back in September. I'm not going to promise the date we'll be back because that would be foolish to make a promise, but we will be back. Don't you worry, the podcast will be carrying on. I know a few people have asked me that very question. Will it continue? The answer completely will continue. Making Disciples, this podcast is something that I have been doing now since 2017.

[00:01:02] Podcast hasn't been quite, we've gone on as long as that, but we're fast approaching our 300th episode. So this is something we will be carrying on into the future. One other thing, I recently published a book called Positive Urban Theology. It's all about urban mission and evangelism. And I am shocked by the number of people that have got copies and are reading it.

[00:01:25] But I've often had books that have come out, they've been a bit of a slow burn, and then after a little while they've kind of hit traction. And then suddenly they've become something. So the Bible book by book was a year before it really hit traction and started to win awards. So to get people coming up to me and saying, I bought your book, Chris, and I'm up to chapter six already, and that kind of thing. It's just been incredible. So if you're reading Positive Urban Theology, do let me know, because that has been really lovely hearing people's thoughts.

[00:01:54] And, you know, being able to talk to people that I barely know or don't know that I've met at things who've said, hey, I'm reading your book, has been, it's just been so outstanding. So today's episode is one that I have kind of held back for a little while. One of our listeners, his name is Steve. Actually, Steve sent a few questions in over the years. A bit more like Steve, sending questions.

[00:02:20] But he wrote a little message to me that I just thought was a fab way of ending kind of this season of life here in Bow before we moved to Birmingham. Great question. I thought, well, this is definitely worth an ending episode. So this is the message that I received. Hi, Chris. I want you to imagine we are sat having coffee together.

[00:02:44] And I ask you, Chris, after all the books you've read, the churches you've served, the sermons you've preached, the mistakes you've made and the people you've discipled, what are the things you're probably convinced of? Probably convinced of. I love that. I love the last little bit. Convinced of. There are things that I'm convinced of. And I'm like, yeah. And I've been brewing on it for a little while. Just jotting down thoughts and ideas.

[00:03:14] And I've got five things that I'd love to share kind of briefly with you that I'm convinced of when I think about discipleship and disciple making that I would love to share with you today. And this is not an episode for five things I'm convinced of for church leaders to do in their churches for discipleship. This is five things I'm convinced of as a disciple of Jesus that makes disciples of Jesus. So that's how I'm going to approach it. So this is for every listener. What is it I'm convinced of around disciple making?

[00:03:44] And most of them, if not all of them, are anchored around scripture. So hopefully we'll be building on what does the scripture say about discipleship, not just what does Chris think. So there you go. We're going to jump in. So I don't know what I'm going to title this episode yet. Maybe. What if I could say one thing about discipleship? What if I could say five things about discipleship? I don't know what we'll call it. We'll think of a catchy title.

[00:04:09] But let's dive into this brilliant question about the things that I'm convinced about around disciple making. These things I'm convinced about when it comes to discipleship. Number one, I would say Jesus really is worth following. And one of my favorite verses is from Mark 8.

[00:04:36] I think a lot of my understanding of discipleship and apprenticeship and following Jesus comes from Mark 8, where Jesus is called the way of the cross.

[00:05:14] It says, I think that line, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. I would say Jesus is worth it. Jesus is worth giving up it all to follow him. And essentially, discipleship, friends, starts with Jesus and it ends with Jesus. It's just all about Jesus.

[00:05:36] And anything else other than Jesus drifts into religiosity or drifts into rulemaking, rule behaving rather than the graceful encounter with Jesus. So we don't primarily follow the church, denominations, preachers, theology or programs. Yes, I'm Anglican. Yes, I'm Anglican, theologically conservative. But that isn't what defines me.

[00:06:03] What defines me is Jesus and the love of Jesus and the grace of Jesus and the mercy of Jesus. That Jesus meets us where we are is the beginning and is the end of all of this. We follow a person, not a philosophy, not a theology, not an idea. We follow a person. His name is Jesus. And Jesus never invited people to believe a long list of doctrines, although doctrines are helpful, like fence posts in a playground. It keeps us in the place to play safely.

[00:06:31] He invites us to follow him. So Jesus is not simply useful. He is beautiful. Following Jesus costs us everything. Following Jesus gives us everything. And the call has never changed. Therefore, go. Make disciples. I'll come to that in a minute. But the call to be a disciple maker. So if Jesus asked you today to leave everything and follow him, would the answer be yes?

[00:07:01] I would say, number one, Jesus is worth following. Second thing that I've realized, particularly around discipleship, is this. Character matters more than gifting. Character matters more than gifting. You might be the most gifted preacher. But if your character does not match the competency, you are going to just implode.

[00:07:26] You may have a great gift, a great skill, great passion. But if that is not matched by great character, you are going to explode or implode and it's going to be messy. And this is what you see when church leaders fail. Their ability is not matched by their character. Character is more important than anything else. And there's a long bit. Will I read all of this?

[00:07:56] Maybe, maybe not. We'll see. 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 13 is all about this character stuff. Here is a trustworthy saying, Paul says. Whoever aspires to be an overseer, that would be a pastor, preacher, an evangelist, an elder. Whoever has been an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach. Faithful to his wife. Temperate. Self-controlled. Respectable.

[00:08:26] Hospitable. Able to teach. Not giving over to drunkenness. Not violent but gentle. Not quarrelsome. Not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well. And see his children obey him. He must do so in a manner worthy, full of respect. And it just goes on. In other words, somebody who is growing in leadership.

[00:08:55] And if you're a disciple, you are growing in leadership. There is character. Character. Your character formation is important. The number of people over the years that I've just had to put pause on them growing as a leader because their character doesn't match. And what I would say to us as disciples, make your character formation essential part of your discipleship.

[00:09:21] Make your character formation an essential part of your discipleship. And the New Testament spends far more time talking about who leaders are than what leaders do. Our culture celebrates platforms, doesn't it? And a number of followers. Because Jesus celebrates the fruit. So character formation is an essential part of us growing as disciples.

[00:09:50] And it's a challenge. It's challenging because the number of times I have to call out character defects in people. And that's not me saying that I'm perfect. Gosh, I'm not. The times about my mentors have named something and said, Chris, you need to look at this. If you don't look at this particular area, then you at some point are going to come unstuck. And I remember years ago,

[00:10:18] I talked about a lot of different things. A friend of mine sat me down who was mentoring me and called out the way that I was speaking about another church. This is about 20 years ago now. Just sat down and called it out. And if that friend didn't do that and challenged this character defect in me, I'd have never gone on to plant the church that I have now led. Because the things that I said about the particular church and group of churches, so critically off,

[00:10:48] actually went on to be the most generous people to Becky and I when we came to launch All Hallows Bay. They would say to us, what do you need? And they would never ask for anything in response. And I realized that if God had not dealt with the character defect in me, I'd have never actually gone on to do what God was calling me to. So character is really important. Gifts get attention. Character earned trust. Gifts may open doors. Character keeps those doors open.

[00:11:18] People often remember how you made them feel long after they have forgotten one of your sermons. How you make people feel is essential. God is far more interested in forming Christ in us than making us impressive people. Let me just say that again.

[00:11:46] God is far more interested in forming Christ in us than making impressive people. The world wants to make impressive people. God wants to form us with Christ in our lives. So number one was Jesus is worth following. Number two, character matters more than gifting. The third thing I've been reflecting on in terms of this question of discipleship.

[00:12:15] I recognize now that transformation is usually incredibly slow. And one of the verses that really jumps out to me to think about this would be Philippians 1.6. It says, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion to the day of his return. He who began a good work will carry it on to completion. In other words, the journey of formation is a long road. And he will carry it on to be done, but it's not an overnight task.

[00:12:45] And 2 Corinthians 3.18 being transformed with ever increasing glory. So in other words, we go from glory to glory to glory. It's a journey that we are on. So transformation is usually a slow process. It does not happen overnight. And when I look at my discipleship and others' discipleship, it's a slow process. So we love instant results. God grows oak trees.

[00:13:13] He's much more interested in the slow journey of building someone who becomes an oak tree. Discipleship isn't a microwave. It's more like a slow cooker. Discipleship is not like a microwave. It's a slow cooker. It takes time. It forms you. But actually what comes out is far richer in flavor because the time it took for it to kind of marinate in the juices, you become so much richer.

[00:13:42] Most growth is invisible. Faithfulness beats intensity. And the Holy Spirit is patient. So it's a slow process. It takes time. And recognizing that, and recognizing that that may mean it'll take you longer to get somewhere and it's worth the journey rather than the rush. Because where you get at the end will be far more impressive than if you try to get there fast.

[00:14:09] So transformation is usually slow. So the fourth thing would be this. You become what you repeatedly give your attention to. I've realized everything's forming us all the time. Everyone's trying to form us. And who are we giving our attention to will ultimately shape us in their image. I do love Romans. Romans 12, 1-2

[00:14:37] Therefore I urge your brothers and sisters a view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform by the pattern of this world. So do not be shaped by the world, its culture that is around you. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is. Good, pleasing and perfect will.

[00:15:04] So you become what you repeatedly give your attention to. So giving all your attention to the patterns of this world or patterns of this era. Actually a good translation of that word. Whatever you're giving your attention to, it will shape you. So if you want to be shaped and transformed by God and the renewing of your mind, then you need to actually be focusing on God because that's where you will get that renewal.

[00:15:34] So attention is one of the greatest spiritual battles of our age. And everything wants to disciple us all the time. Our phones, politics, consumerism, fear, social media, the news. And Jesus simply says, follow me. In a world of people crying out for you to follow them.

[00:16:00] Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, whatever will come next. Into that world, Jesus says, follow me. And the reality is I've noticed that my calendar reveals a lot about my priorities. What's most important to me. And your habits shape your heart. If you're daily going to scripture, that is going to shape your heart. If you're daily going to McDonald's, these things are going to shape your heart. If you're daily going to the dogs, it'll shape your heart.

[00:16:28] If you're daily watching something like pornography or violent movies, it will shape your heart. If you're always reading romantic novels, it'll shape your heart. Are you being shaped by the Lord? And that is the ultimate challenge. Because what you repeatedly give your attention to will form you and shape you. The things you repeatedly consume slowly over time become the things that you believe. It will shape your belief system.

[00:16:58] So attention eventually becomes affection. Attention eventually becomes affection. Affection becomes imitation. Imitation becomes identity. Let me say that again. Attention eventually becomes affection. Affection eventually becomes attention. It's imitation.

[00:17:27] And imitation becomes identity. So the question we have to ask ourselves is this. Who is discipling me? Who is discipling you every single day? Not just on a Sunday or when I go to a small group. But who is discipling you every single day? The fifth thing and the final thing I'd say is this. Making disciples is the greatest adventure you will ever live. Nothing is the same. Once you have said, my life is now.

[00:17:56] Pointing and aiming towards disciple making. You have no idea where you are going to go. Did Becky and I know this time last year we'll be moving to Birmingham this summer? Not a clue. No idea. But when God has called you to be a disciple maker and you're listening to him, things, his calling comes up and he says, right now, this is the next task I want you to take on. Disciple making is the greatest adventure you will ever live.

[00:18:24] Matthew 28, 18 to 20. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to obey everything that I've commanded you. Surely I am with you always. The very end of the age. Amazing little verse. Therefore go.

[00:18:55] The Great Commission is for normal Christian life. Therefore go. It's a past, present and future tense phrase. Wherever you've been, wherever you are, wherever you are going, wherever you find yourself, make disciples. That is what a normal Christian life is meant to be. Every disciple makes disciples.

[00:19:19] And friends, I really have to, you know, I will say kind of bluntly, I guess, if you're not making another person a disciple of Jesus, if you're not investing into someone else, you're not sharing the gospel with someone else, you're not speaking into their life. I would really challenge you to ask the question, are you actually a disciple of Jesus? Because a disciple isn't somebody who's just been formed by him. We become somebody who's forming others. And I think we've disconnected this off in our discipleship.

[00:19:48] So, discipleship is not just what you receive. It's also then what you are given to give away. And that is what a disciple is. And the church has failed that second half because we've made it all about formation rather than actually going and sharing and proclaiming the good news. So, every disciple makes disciples. We do that not perfectly. We do that not through professionally. But we do do that personally.

[00:20:14] So, we aim to build our lives towards being somebody who makes disciples, who makes disciples. Don't aim your life towards the platform. Aim your life towards investing in others. Your greatest legacy will not be your sermons, the books that you've written, the podcasts that you've recorded.

[00:20:42] Your greatest legacy is actually what you are placing into somebody else. And as they take what you've planted in them and they pass it to the next generation and to the next generation, that becomes the legacy of being a disciple of Jesus. So, we need to be people who are looking more like Jesus because we've walked alongside of him. A disciple is somebody who makes another disciple because we go on to change history.

[00:21:12] And the church has always been someone or an institution or a gathering or a family that have grown from person to person to person. So, the question I was asked at the beginning was this. Hi, Chris. I want you to imagine we're sat having coffee together and I ask you, Chris, after all the books you've read, the churches you've served, the sermons you've preached, the mistakes you have made and the people you've discipled, what other things you're absolutely convinced of? And I would say this. I'm convinced of this.

[00:21:41] Jesus is worth following. Character matters more than gifting. Transformation is usually slow and takes time. Four, you become what you repeatedly give your attention to. And five, making disciples is the greatest adventure you and I could ever be on. So, I'm going to avoid ending with practical tips.

[00:22:08] Instead, I want to land with something that feels a bit like a commissioning. If I could leave you with just those five convictions, then it would be this. Jesus is worth following. Character matters more than gifting. Transformation is slow, but don't lose heart. Guard your attention because it shapes your soul. And never forget that helping one person follow Jesus is one of the greatest privileges God has given you and I.

[00:22:37] At the end of life, people won't ask how many podcasts I've recorded. They're not going to ask me any books I've written. How many churches I've planted or how many followers that I've gained. The question will be so much simpler. Chris, did you follow Jesus and did you help others follow him too? And I would say that's the same question you will be asked. Did you follow Jesus and did you help others follow him too?

[00:23:06] And that, I think, is the one thing that I'm absolutely convinced of. Did you follow Jesus and did you help others follow him too? And if the answer is yes, then your life will be well lived. Let me end by just saying, friends, as we come to the end of this academic year, last episode uploading from London.

[00:23:35] By the way, when I move to Birmingham, I think the recording studio that I'll be using will be in our loft. And from that point on, the episodes will be recorded in the loft space and the upper room. And I'm going to call it my upper room. And there's a lovely little window that overlooks the particular area of Birmingham, Erdington, that we're going to be living in. And overseas, kind of the city, kind of looks out of us. It's quite a view.

[00:24:03] And I'm excited to make that my office, but it will be the place that I'll be recording all future episodes from the upper room. So we'll be transitioning from a very messy workspace study to an upper room in a house that overlooks the city. So I'm really excited about recording future episodes from that new recording space that we're going to put together there in Birmingham. Now, as we go, I am going to pray for us.

[00:24:31] And I hope that you have a great summer and we'll see each other or hear each other back in the future in September. But let me pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that Jesus is worth following. Thank you, he's worth following. We thank you, Lord, that actually our character is of most importance and you are wanting to form our character. Lord, I thank you that that is your desire for us.

[00:24:55] Lord, I thank you that you do transform us, that it's slow, but it's worthwhile because over time we really become something beautiful. And Lord, I thank you that we can pay our attention to you because our attention on you is what will ultimately form us into your life. And Lord, this question about being a disciple maker.

[00:25:18] Lord, may we have a momentum of disciple making in our own lives that overflows into the disciple making of others. May we become disciple makers and not just disciples. We pray that wonderful name of Jesus Christ. All the saints said. Amen. Friends, until next time, grace and peace. And we will catch up soon.