Discipleship Materials And Resources Are Everywhere
And there are lots of them that are indeed free! There are books to read, lessons to study, messages to listen to, videos to watch. In fact, there are far more “discipleship resources” available than time to master them. Discipleship.org has wonderful resources. JustDisciple.com, a team of writers, editors, researchers and experts from Bethany Global University (BGU) lists their top choices for the 10 best free discipleship materials, including a 24-video series by Mark Beuving and Francis Chan.
Resources Or Tools?
But are any of these resources truly suitable to spur you to ongoing engagement with other people far from God? People who may be “good people” but either don’t know Him or who have walked away from a close walk with Jesus? Sure, we can study them together with others, but how does that specifically and directly allow or encourage you to actively live out and pursue the Great Commission? This may be a very nuanced difference, but it is vital to consider.
Think about the difference between resources and tools. Resources are generally things meant to be looked at, studied, observed. Typically, resources are passive – meant to be acted upon. Tools, by their very name, are implements to be used, designed to accomplish a very specific outcome. A hammer is meant to pound nails; pliers are meant to grab and hold something. A screwdriver is exactly that . . . meant to drive screws into (or out of) something!
I Have To Confess
I have to confess that I’ve spent my entire life as a Christian accumulating knowledge. I’ve consumed loads of really good Christian discipleship resources for all 51 years I’ve known Jesus . . . and despite all the great knowledge and wisdom I have acquired, I’ve continued in disobedience to the Great Commission. I have known a lot about the Great Commission; I’ve just never done it – at least not regularly as a part of my daily rhythms. Maybe part of the reason for that was I didn’t know the difference between resources and tools!
The bottom line is that my life has been completely out of balance when it comes to Knowledge, Obedience, and Sharing. People who knew me might have thought I “had it together” as a Christian, but I wasn’t living what I said I believed.
It’s pretty clear that trying to sit on a stool that looks like this would result in difficulty at best – and brokenness at worst. But this is what my life looked like!
I was constantly looking for the next best book, study, or video series. They’re all good things . . . but most of the time, I wasn’t sharing what I learned, and I certainly wasn’t being obedient to the truths I was “consuming” or learning. I was simply another consumer. I was living consumption Christianity. It was all for me, “trying to be the best Christian I could be.” My focus was on myself rather than on those around me who were “far from God.”
But I'm Learning
Being introduced to the NoPlaceLeft network has opened up a whole new world of options for me. I’m learning to master and use some easily reproducible and transferable TOOLS that are shaping the way I interact with my world, especially with those who are in my direct sphere of influence. I’m asking the Lord to break my heart with what breaks His heart . . . and to open opportunities to use some of these new tools I’m beginning to master. Might you want to learn about them too? In successive posts, we’ll explore a few of these life-changing tools.
Let me know what you think. And if you’d like training in how to become something other than a Christian consumer, let’s talk!
Your journey is very encouraging to me. Thank you for sharing, Rick! Love you guys!