As a pastor, I have had the privilege of seeing many people come to Christ. It never gets old seeing the joy these new believers have. They are also usually filled with a passion for growing in their new relationship with Jesus. Sometimes they drop by mine or one of my co-worker’s offices to ask how they can keep feeding this hunger within them for Jesus. I’ve handed out Bibles before and walked them through how to read them. I’ve taught people how to pray and given out handouts on how to build prayer habits. If I’m lucky and they’re really excited, I’ll sometimes be able to convince them to serve in a ministry at the church. While some people really take off and go on to become spiritual titans in their own right, that’s not the typical response. Usually these new believers come on strong, but eventually the excitement wears out and the passion they once had fades out. This new relationship they have found in Christ has become routine and it gets pushed to the background.

I don’t mean to be too hard on these people, because I was once one of them. I understand that while this new life in Jesus is exciting and fresh, we still have our life here on Earth to keep up with. There’s work, school, kids have recitals and sports practice, obligations to parents and coworkers, grocery shopping, household chores, and the list goes on and on. We’re all busy people and life sometimes gets in the way of our own spiritual formation. I know that if you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the march of life. I think we all believe that growing as a disciple is important, but there are so many things in our lives that are important, too. We may say that discipleship is important, but we don’t really act like it is. As busy as we are, the trick is that we always make time for what is important to us. The reason why you make time to catch your favorite team play is because it’s important to you. It’s the same reason you decide to carve out time to watch your child’s dance recital, read a chapter in your book, finish that assignment for class, or catch a movie on the weekend. We believe these things are important, so we make time for them. The reason you’re not currently making time for discipleship in your life is simply because you don’t feel it’s very important.

I’m not saying that to make you feel guilty. It’s really not your fault. Most of the blame lies in our churches. We, as leaders of the church, have done a fairly poor job impressing upon our congregation just how important discipleship is. Jim Putman, author of Real Life Discipleship: Building Churches that Make Disciples, sees this as an issue with how the church communicates its mission. “We have no idea that conversion is just the beginning of a spiritual growth process and that what comes next—discipleship—will determine if a person matures spiritually to a stage where that disciple experiences real change that others will notice. Because of this view of Christianity, most believers are not equipped to do more than attend church” ^[1] It is my intention to impress upon you that discipleship is worth your time because it is extremely important.

The first reason why discipleship is important is actually a reason external to yourself. You becoming a better disciple actually reflects positively on your church, other believers, and Christianity as a whole. When churches engage in life long Christian education and discipleship, it actually has a positive effect on how people outside the church view the church as a whole. ^[2] There is no question that the Church as a worldwide movement has an image problem in the western world. Putman states that the reason for this negative perception of the Church is mostly due to the spiritual immaturity of most believers. I found this following excerpt from his book refreshingly honest and yet convicting.

Many believers who do share their faith are spiritually immature, self-absorbed, or unwise in how they relate to the lost. As a group, Christians are known more for what we are against than for our love. As a result of our spiritual immaturity, unbelievers don’t want what we have, which is understandable. If we are spiritually immature and act like spiritual brats, why would unbelievers want to hang out with us in the church? They can find enough drama in their own lives without joining our drama-filled buildings on the weekends. ^[3]

In other words, we need to stop seeing ourselves as individuals in the church and understand that the world is judging all of Christianity based off of our own representation of it. You are a representative of the Church to the world, whether you like it or not. It’s important that you are equipped to represent the Church and Christ well.

The other main reason that you should make discipleship a priority in your life is because Jesus says you should. This should really be reason enough, that the person you claim is the Lord of your life has asked you to do it. Too often we divorce ourselves from the scripture that we read. It feels like we’re reading fairy tales about other people, but the things we read in scripture are just as true for us as they were for the original audience who heard them. In Matthew 28-19-20 when Christ gives the command to the disciples to go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them, He’s also giving that command to us, too. In one light, that can feel like a very heavy burden, but I challenge you to change your perspective. In Jesus’ time, disciples usually chose their teachers. Jesus flipped this on its head. “Above all, whereas rabbinic pupils could select their teacher, Jesus Himself chose and called His disciples “ ^[4] This means you were chosen specifically by Jesus to be a disciple. You should feel honored and that should make you excited!

The final reason that you should make time for serious discipleship development in your life is, admittedly, a selfish one. It will make you a better version of yourself. Diane Chandler writes in her article “Whole-person Formation: An Integrative Approach to Christian Education” about the theory that good discipleship doesn’t just focus on us becoming more spiritually healthy. Instead, as image bearers of God, the more we practice discipleship and become more like the image of God, the more we find ourselves flourishing in all areas of our lives. ^[5] The image that God gives us of a perfect relationship with Him is that of the Garden of Eden. In this perfect creation, God and His created image bearers are able to flourish not only spiritually but relationally, emotionally, and physically. Imagine who you could become if you tried to be just a little more like Jesus every day through practicing discipleship. You would find a version of yourself that is more sure of who you are. You would doubt less about your purpose. You would understand how to better nurture and raise your children. Your relationships would be stronger and healthier. You could be a better spouse, friend, sibling, or parent. Your community would know they could rely on you for support. You would find new meaning in life. Most importantly, you would find contentment and be able to experience our creator’s love for you more fully and deeply. Isn’t all that important enough to make time for? You’re not too busy for that, right?

^[1] Putman, Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples, 22.

^[2] Park and Jeong, “Exploring Domestic Research Trends Related to Church Lifelong Education,” 223.

^[3] Putman, Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples, 23.

^[4] Meye, “Disciple,” 947.^[5] Chandler, “Whole-Person Formation.”