How (really) to Make Disciples Part 2

     Last time I promised to write a little on how Jesus actually trained His disciples. Again, I am no expert, but I offer a few observations based on Scripture and my knowledge of the Jewish culture of that time.
     Note that Jesus taught the crowds, but He trained the disciples. This alerts us right up front that there's a difference between being taught and being trained. Being trained certainly includes being taught, but it goes far beyond mere instruction and information. So how did Jesus train His disciples?
     First, He trained them in the context of an almost continuous relationship with Him. Last week we noted that in Mark's Gospel (3:13-15) Jesus called the Twelve to be with Him because life-changing training takes place only in the context of relationship. And that's because modeling is an essential part of training people. People learn best when they want to learn something or feel a need to learn something because they see it in another person. They also have the gaps filled in for them in terms of what the "lesson" looks like. For example, the disciples learned about living in a place of peace by watching Jesus' completely peaceful life (sleeping through a storm comes to mind!). They learned about prayer by watching Jesus pray (see Luke 11). They learned about compassion by seeing it flow from Jesus all the time--you get the picture.
     Second, Jesus trained them via OJT (On the Job Training). We see Him using OJT virtually all the time. They learned how to heal the sick and cast out demons by being given authority and power to do so and being sent out (after watching Him do it a lot)--see Matthew 10:5-15 and Luke 9:1-6, etc. They learned how to announce the presence of the Kingdom of God in the same way. Indeed, all the "doing" parts of being a disciple were learned by doing--isn't that amazing! I wonder what that would look like in today's world? I know--do you?
     Third, Jesus trained His disciples via JIT (Just In Time) training. In other words, He trained the disciples as the opportunity arose. We see Him often using an event to dialog with His followers about what they need to learn. Some more notable instances of this in my mind are Jesus answering questions from the disciples about the parables (see Mark 4:1-20 for one example), Peter learning how to walk on water :-), the disciples learning how to cast out stubborn demons (see Mark 9:14-29), and there are many others. Jesus knew that not only do people learn best what they want to learn, they also learn best when the need to learn something is obvious.
     Fourth, even when Jesus taught the disciples, He did so not in lecture format but in dialog format. Jesus often asked His followers questions to initiate a teaching time. Indeed, the straight lecture-type impartation of information would have been a completely foreign concept to people in Jesus' day. Jesus knew that only an active mind--one that is being stimulated by interaction and by curiosity--really learns something! Hmmm, I wonder how we got so far from this one! (Hint: our western culture is far more heavily influenced by Greek culture than by the Hebraic culture of the Bible!).
     Fifth, Jesus, of course, trained His disciples on the basis of God's word. A careful observer of Jesus' teaching will see that almost everything He said or did clearly derives from Scripture. But it's how Jesus imparted the Word of God that is most important. You see, Jesus taught God's word as the living Voice of God as the Holy Spirit directed Him. Jesus constantly heard His Father's voice as He lived His life and taught others (see John 12:49). Thus Jesus understood Scripture to be the living voice of His Abba. Think about this one, friend. Having that perspective changes everything about how we impart God's word!
     Jesus also taught the Word from a place of perfect obedience to it. Again, think about that one--one reason Jesus could teach and train with complete authority was that He lived in complete obedience to God's word. Hmmm. Living that one out might change how we make disciples a wee bit, eh?
     Finally, Jesus taught God's word from a vast treasure store of God's word in His heart and mind. Like many Jews of His day, Jesus had committed vast amounts of Scripture to memory--it appears likely that He had committed much more than even others of His day. Thus He was truly able to "meditate on it all day long" (Psalm 119:97). Hmmm. What if this an essential part of making disciples? Today we are far more likely to have the Bible in our hand (or computer or PDA or cell phone) than we are in our hearts. But I am convinced that if we are to make disciples, and train people like Jesus did, we will have to change our ways drastically. Psalm 1 says that the blessed man of God meditates on God's word day and night. If that was the expectation under the old covenant, what is the expectation for the far better covenant?
     What if God indeed wants us to train others from the place of personal obedience and true saturation with His Word and dependence upon the Spirit? Something to think about. I am quite sure that He does indeed expect that! And so I pray, "God, help us--we are so very far from this. But we cannot change ourselves! All we can do is submit to you with a totally yielded will and invite you to be ruthless but kind in transforming us!"
     Well, I am quite sure that this is enough for you to ponder this time! My sincere prayer is that you will be challenged as I am to reconsider everything about how we make disciples by taking this honest, if brief, look at how Jesus did.

Stay grace embraced,

Tom, one of Abba's children