Discipling

Introduction

Dever begins by describing how individualistic the world is and continues to be. But the Christian life is a life of we. The Christian life is about relationships and relationships are defined by discipleship. So what is discipleship? This would be an important question to first answer. It begins with the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18, "go and make disciples". Dever says, "...the working definition of discipling in this book: helping others to follow Jesus" (p.13). Dever then goes on to elaborate on a few essential characteristics of discipling:

• To disciple you must first be a disciple. You must be a follower of Christ. This means every single detail of your life is coming into conformity with God's will. You are always increasing in likeness to Christ. You are set apart for Him and Him alone.

• Dever asks the important question, "Why disciple?". It is motivated by love for others, which is a product of love for God. As 1 John says, We love because He first loved us" (4:19). Dever says, "Discipling others - doing deliberate spiritual good to help them follow Christ - demonstrates this love for God and others as well as anything" (p.17). Obedience to Christ is the other motive in discipleship. The Great Commission is a command from Christ. He commands every Christian to make disciples. Love for God drives love for others and obedience to God, all of which is captures in making disciples.

• Dever then asks the question, "Where and How?". His answer is simple. First, it is a command to be obeyed among all the nations. Every person in every place is a candidate for discipleship. Where has God placed you? Start discipling there. Is God calling you to go beyond your borders? Go and make disciples. And discipleship happens through our churches. As the people of God devote themselves to the things of God in the assembly known as the church discipleship happens. The church is commissioned and given the authority to administer the sacraments and the ministry of the Word and the structure for leadership and shepherding. The church is where discipleship happens.

• The main point is: every Christian must embrace the command to make disciples and work intentionally work toward the fulfillment of this command. Are you making disciples? EVERY Christian must say yes. Even if you feel you are not "qualified". Dever says, "Part of growing in maturity is helping others grow in maturity" (p.20). Followers of Christ must help others follow Christ.

Part 1 - What is Discipling?

Chapter 1: The Inevitability of Influence

God does not change, but humans are always changing. The ability to change and the inevitability of change must help us realize that we have the opportunity for influence. Influence is another way to understand the process of bringing change. So Dever asks, How are you using your influence? Are you using your inevitable influence to point others to Christ? The question is not if you have influence, it's how are you using your influence. Discipleship begins by understanding that the you must employ your everyday influence to bring about positive change in others; aka to help them follow Christ.

Chapter 2: Oriented Toward Others

People tend to live their lives like pigs... selfish fighting for the best spot at the slop trough. Being a disciple of Christ means being oriented toward others. Dever says, "The discipling life is an others-oriented life. It labors in the power of God to proclaim Christ and present others mature in Christ. That is the pattern we see in the Bible" (p.28). THE BIBLICAL PATTERN The Bible illustrates the nurturing/discipling concept in God's design for the family and in leadership throughout history. Supremely modeled by Jesus Christ who selected a few men to "be with him" (Mark 3:13-14). Paul demonstrated it as well, calling for extended generations of spiritual children (2 Tim 2:2). TOILING AND STRUGGLING From Colossians 1:28-29 Dever describes the spiritual work of discipling as "toiling" and "struggling". Working to do good for others is hard! "Spiritual power is exercised in strenuous self-giving service for others", Dever says (p.30). GOD'S POWERFUL WORK Continuing in Colossians 1:28-29, Paul says, "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (emphasis added). Ultimately the work of discipleship is God's work. Dever says, "If you or I hope to contribute any good to others, if we hope to influence others for Christ's sake, as we talked about in the last chapter, it will only happen as God's Spirit works in us and through us" (p.31). PROCLAIM AND PRESENT These two words capture the nature of the work Paul did in discipleship. "Proclaim the Word of God now; present the saints mature in Christ when he comes later" (p.32). Dever goes on to say, "The work of discipling occurs in the present, but it has its eyes set on the Last Day". A BRIEF WORD TO PASTORS Dever strongly encourages those who are called or feel called to full time vocational ministry to examine this passage. Ministry work "requires utter selflessness on our part" (p.33). The motivation to toil and struggle is rooted in love for Christ, which spills out into love for others. "We disciple and teach and warn so that we can present the people we love to God, because we most love him, because he most loved us" (p.34). TRUE FAITH WORKS FOR OTHERS True Christian faith works hard on behalf of others. It is like the work of a patient farmer, tilling soil, planting seeds, nurturing, cultivating and trusting that God will bring growth. Dever says, "Discipling others now is how I try to leave time-bombs of grace" (p.34).

Chapter 3: The Work of Discipling

The work of discipling is simple. It's about communicating the truth of God to others in the context of life-sharing with a focus on the Last Day. It requires initiative, humility, and correction, modeling, and mutual love, with authenticity. Dever discussing the act of Initiating discipling relationships, discipling activity inside and outside the church, teaching, correcting, modeling, mutual love, humility, and "guiding toward heaven". All of these ideas paint the simple, yet multifaceted portrait of discipleship.

Quotes from the chapter:

• Jesus taught his disciples to live in view not of today or tomorrow, but eternity. We try to help others follow Jesus; we do deliberate spiritual good; we pray for gospel influence; we proclaim God's words, and we do all this for the sake of the Last Day. Yes, we may see some fruit now. But the goal is always to present people mature in Christ then (p.35).

• [On Initiating] You cannot disciple everybody, so you have to pick this person and not that one... you don't want to waste time with people who are not teachable, because you will be wasting time. Look instead for people who, like the wise son in Proverbs, welcome counsel and instruction (p.36).

• [On Outside the church, inside the church] Discipling in the fullest sense...includes evangelism and conversion... When the church scatters, the ministry of teaching and oversight should continue in the lives of members. This happens over weeknight desserts of Saturday morning breakfasts, while folding laundry or taking trips to the grocery store. Discipling lasts all week as members meet to talk, pray, encourage, and assist one another in the fight for love and holiness (p.37).

• [On Teaching] At its core, discipling is teaching. We teach with words. We teach all the words that Jesus taught his disciples, and all the words of the Bible (p.38).

• [On Correcting] Part of being a Christian is recognizing that sin deceives us, and we need other believers to help us see the things we cannot see about ourselves (p.38-39).

• [On Modeling] It's worth noticing that Jesus didn't just command his disciples to teach people. He told them to teach people to obey. The goal of dicsipling is to see lives transformed, which means it involves more than reading a book or even the Bible with another person. Ultimately, discipling involves living out the whole Christian life before others. Christ is our example here. He "left you an example that you should follow" (1 Peter 2:21) (p.39).

• A church can be thick with mentoring relationships even if they are not formally called "discipling relationships". After all, discipling really is just a bunch of church members taking responsibility to prepare one another for glory (p.43).

Chapter 4: Objections to Discipling

In this chapter, Dever gives answers to common objections to discipling and excuses for not discipling. These objections include: This discipler is not ideal; If a person is always listening to her discipler, she might no longer submit to other good authorites like parents, husband, or church; This whole thing seems self-centered and prideful; Isn't it just pushy, and aren't you imposing yourself on someone else?; I don't need it. I mean, surely the most important things about the Christian life are self-evident! So I'm too busy to this to be a priority; This is just for extroverts; I can't disciple. I'm imperfect, erring, and too young! Dever answers all these objections and points us again to the clear command for discipling given by Jesus to His disciples. Our discipling is part of our discipleship to Christ and the reproduction of Christ-followers throughout the generations.

PART 2 - Where Should We Disciple?

Chapter 5: The Local Church

Dever makes the case plainly that discipleship is to be set in the context of the local church. Dever spends some time discussing parachurch ministries that have usurped or supplanted the local church in the work of discipleship, which I can attest to as a reality from my own experience and observation. "Yet the Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling" (p.53). The structure and the authority of the local church provide, by God's design, the best context for discipleship. "In short, the gathered assembly possesses the authority to affirm or disaffirm who belongs to the body of Christ, or who is a disciple. And in so doing it provides the context of accountability for discipling" (p.56).

Chapter 6: Pastors and Members

In this chapter, Dever explains how pastors and church members are both critical parts of the discipleship process in the local church. Dever says of pastors, "In the New Testament, the fundamental role of the pastor or elder is to disciple by teaching God's Word" (p.59). Through the authority and administration of the pastors in the sacraments and the Word "the elders help to give a church its form and make it an environment where discipling can flourish" (p.61). Pastors are also given as examples to the body. Dever says, "The elders are men given by the Spirit and recognized by the congregation as exemplary models. They are not perfect, but they are above reproach" (p.62). Ultimately, "A church 'works' when the members honor and submit to their pastors" (p.63). Of members, Dever says, we are responsible for one another. "The whole congregation is responsible to make sure that each member...are loved and spurred on to love (1 Cor 12:12-26; Heb 10:24)" (p.64). "This is a community that takes responsibility for its own members" (p.65).

A few more quotes to summarize the chapter:

• In the life of a church, spiritual growth and health should be the norm. It should be normal to see people growing and maturing spiritually. In fact, spiritual growth is not optional for the Christian; it indicates life. Things that are truly alive grow. Dead things don't. God has gifted a church with elders for the purposes of growth, and he has given us one another. It's within the context of all these relationships with members and pastors alike, all covenanted together, that we find the richest soil (along with the Christian family) for discipling relationships to (super)naturally grow. Our doctrine and life attain their shape within the doctrine and life of the community. This is a culture of discipling (p.67).

• Churches don't need programs so much as they need cultures of discipling (p.68).

Part 3 - How Should We Disciple?

Chapter 7: Choose Someone

In order to disciple, you must choose someone. How? In this chapter, Dever gives 9 factors to consider in your selection. They are: Family member, Spiritual state, Church membership, Gender, Age, Different from you, Teachability, Faithfulness to teach others, Proximity and schedules. These factors are guidelines according to what Scripture prioritizes for the best discipleship situation, but it is not necessary to fulfill all of them. For example, Scripture places a priority on caring for family members first (1 Tim 5:8), but hopefully you will also be discipling someone who is not a direct, blood relative. "In all of this, whether you are self-consciously discipling one person of four, make sure that you are growing spiritually, and then help those around you to grow" (p.81).

Chapter 8: Have Clear Aims

Dever explains how important it is to have clear goals in every discipleship relationship. Otherwise, it is unlikely you will accomplish anything. Dever points to 1 Tim 4:16 as a guideline for growing in "life" and "doctrine", or in terms of what people understand and how they live. "No matter who you disciple, you want to help them better follow Jesus by growing in the knowledge of God and by learning to put that knowledge into practice - to understand better and to live better" (p.86).

Chapter 9: Pay the Cost

Discipleship relationships are costly. You must be willing to pay the price. Be prepared, be excited to give and spend your time, your study and your love to others in discipleship. Dever discusses how discipleship requires time: "Anytime we do life-on-life relationships, we give each other the gift of time" (p.88). Discipleship also requires study: "...we want to feed faith with the Word... In your discipling relationships, use the Bible. Spend time in the Word" (p.88-89). Discipling relationships require prayer and love. Dever discusses how Love initiates a discipling relationship, Love perseveres in a discipling relationship, Love humbly receives the criticism that often comes in a discipling relationship, Love humbly gives of itself in a discipling relationship, and Love allows us to end discipling relationships.

Chapter 10: Raising Up Leaders

Raising up leaders is essential to the church. In this chapter, Dever gives 9 specific encouragements to create optimal leadership development. They are: Shepherd toward biblical qualifications, Adopt a posture of looking, Spend personal time, Advance trust, Delegate responsibility, Give feedback, Encourage godly authority, Expect clarity, and Foster a culture of humility.

Quotes from the chapter:

• "Wherever you reside, endeavor always to acquire and maintain an influence with young men. They are the hope of the church and of the state; and he who becomes instrumental in imbuing their minds with sentiments of wisdom, virtue and piety, is one of the greatest benefactors of his species. They are, therefore, worthy of your special and unwearied attention... In short, employ every Christian method of attaching them to your person and ministry, and of inducing them to take an early interest in the affairs of the church" - Samuel Miller, quoted by Dever (p.94).

• ...an elder does what an ordinary Christian should do extraordinarily well. He is a model for the whole flock. He is a picture of maturity for all of them (p.95).

• If you want to raise up leaders, you need to be on permanent lookout for more leaders (p.96).

• ...they [pastors] see the hint of something that, with a little encouragement, could grow and flourish [in an emerging leader]. So they advance credit and let the your disciple spend it! ...Congregations, for their part, need to be patient with young men in leadership as they make young-man mistakes (p.98).

• Godly authority blesses those under it... Just as Jesus tutored his disciples in the godly use of authority, so must we with any men whom we are raising up in leadership. And pastors must model such authority (p.102-103).

• A leader must possess a clear-headedness about the truth (p.103)

Dever's closing statement: "What a joy to be used by God to disciple others! Why would you not spend your life doing this?" (p.104).

Conclusion by Jonathan Leeman

The conclusion of the book is written by Jonathan Leeman, a friend of Mark Dever. It is a list of suggestions and best practices for how to exercise and give away authority, which is a critical role in discipleship, and leadership in the church. Jonathan draws a lot of these from the example of Dever's personal life in ministry.

Quotes from the conclusion:

• ...what I would commend to you no matter your vocation or role in the church, is to combine these two things: exercising authority and giving away authority (p.105).

• The work of discipling is about more than the one-on-one relationships that have been the focus of this book. Discipling, finally, is a lifestyle and way of living with others. It's about structuring all of your interactions in order to be an exporter of opportunity (p.107)

• Create many other opportunities to teach. Do you actively seek to create ministry opportunities for others? (p.108)

• Pray for other churches and other denominations. This defeats tribalism and focuses us on the gospel instead of the church leader. This prayer in turn engenders further gospel initiative among other budding leaders in the church. Do you encourage the work of other people and teams that are pursuing the same ends as you? Or is everything about winning for you? (p.110).

• God has given me a time and talent, and I'm going to use the best of my time and talent to equip and empower others. I'm not going to just tend my own garden. I'm going to help them tend theirs (p.110).