Making a Discipleship Plan

We have been talking all summer long about faith practices and looking each week during the summer at a different option to try for the week. perhaps you are tired of me saying so now, but the reminder all summer has been that these faith practices are the things that help us to become better disciples of Jesus. For many of us, that is where our journey of faith is at. Many of us are not brand new to the Christian faith; we are not exploring or considering discipleship for the first time. Our faith journeys are at a point of either becoming better disciples who are growing or becoming stagnant disciples who have plateaued.

Jesus is my savior = justification by grace through faith — completed through the cross

That means each one of us has a choice to make—I am going to be blunt about that. We have a choice to make about whether we are serious about discipleship or not. Let me frame the issue in the language of our beliefs. When people in our Reformed tradition come to a point of making Profession of Faith, one of the affirmations we make when professing our faith is that we have come to embrace Jesus as savior and lord. When I work with individuals preparing for Profession of Faith we talk about the distinction between those two declarations about Jesus—that he is both savior and lord. When we embrace Jesus as savior we acknowledge and accept what Jesus has already done for us out of grace. We acknowledge and accept that we are justified before God because Jesus has taken the guilt of our sin upon himself to the cross. when we say that Jesus is our savior, we acknowledge that God has done everything to make our salvation possible, and we can do nothing except to receive it and believe it in faith.

Jesus is my lord = sanctification through the Holy Spirit — ongoing process

To embrace Jesus as lord, however, is to acknowledge and accept something completely different. When we say that Jesus is our lord we acknowledge and accept that we are now being continually sanctified by the Holy Spirit working in our lives. sanctification is a journey of spiritual transformation and growth that never stops—every moment of our lives provides opportunities to be conformed more-and-more into the image of Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit within us. When we profess that Jesus is the lord of our lives, we commit ourselves to this path of discipleship. And we dedicate ourselves to a journey of faith that will always draw us closer and closer to Jesus.

when we profess that Jesus is the lord of my life, we commit ourselves to becoming better disciples of Jesus

ancient Christian “rule of life” tradition = personal discipleship plan

In other words, when we profess that Jesus is the lord of my life, we commit ourselves to becoming better disciples of Jesus. I have been trying to convince you all summer long that better discipleship is part of our sanctification, that better discipleship is possible for each one of us, and that better discipleship takes place with faith practices. So, we reach a point today of considering what a personal discipleship plan looks like. This is not a new idea; in fact, it is quite an ancient idea. Early church leaders who were monks and nuns living in monasteries dedicated themselves to this idea of a personal discipleship plan. They had a different term for it. They called it a “rule of life.” It goes all the way back to the time of Augustine, Benedict, and Basil. It has carried through the monastic traditions of the Catholic Church. And it has had a resurgence in books over the last twenty years by more contemporary authors. What the ancients referred to as a rule of life we call a personal discipleship plan.

But of course, this idea of discipleship is not something purely made up in the church. It has its foundation in scripture. We find our basis for this path of better discipleship coming to us through the Word of God in the Bible.

Ephesians 2:19–22 (NIV)

Ephesians 2:19–22 NIV

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 3:14–21 (NIV)

Ephesians 3:14–21 NIV

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

in chapter 2 there is no longer a dividing wall of hostility between people of various cultures, but all form one household of faith in Christ through the cross

Let’s set a little context around this passage from Ephesians. The apostle Paul is writing to a diverse church in Ephesus made up of both Jewish immigrants and native Greeks. The letter of Ephesians is Paul’s message to the Jewish Christians insisting that the gospel of Jesus expands the people of God beyond their own ethnicity and culture. He says earlier in chapter 2 that there is no longer a dividing wall of hostility between people of various cultures, but all form one household of faith in Christ through the cross. That is why the passage we began with at the end of chapter 2 begins with the word “consequently.” We in the church are now all considered brothers and sisters of the same family because of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.

2:22 — Paul includes Christ as the cornerstone of this one family of faith

But notice that Paul includes Christ as the cornerstone of this one family of faith. he says at the very end of chapter 2,

Ephesians 2:22 (NIV)

Ephesians 2:22 NIV

22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

3:19 — the result of this interconnectedness of God’s people together with Christ: to be filled with the fullness of God

Further down in chapter 3 Paul uses the words of his prayer for the Ephesians to reinforce the interconnectedness that God’s household of faith has with one another and with Christ. And what does Paul see as the aim or the result of this interconnectedness of God’s people together with Christ? He says it in chapter 3:19b,

Ephesians 3:19 (NIV)

Ephesians 3:19 NIV

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It was never God’s intent that faith and discipleship should be a purely independent and individual endeavor

discipleship needs the Holy Spirit discipleship needs community

Filled with the fullness of God. We have been considering all summer long the way in which faith practices assist us in pursuing a deeper discipleship. These are habits that help make us better disciples of Jesus. The reminder we see in scripture today from Ephesians is that we cannot do it alone. It was never God’s intent that faith and discipleship should be a purely independent and individual endeavor. It has always been the message of the Bible that God works through a gathered people—in the case of Ephesians and so many other New Testament letters, it is a diverse gathering different people.

the only way your personal discipleship plan will work is with other people

All that to say, while it is true that I am encouraging each person here to come up with and commit to a personal discipleship plan, the only way your personal discipleship plan will work is with other people. We make a personal and individual profession of our faith that Jesus is savior and lord. But the very reason in our tradition that we make a public profession of faith is because we can only live out what it means for Jesus to be lord of my life with one another. We need the Holy Spirit for discipleship to happen; and we need each other for discipleship to happen.

people are more successful in developing and maintaining positive habits when they do those things together with other people

You don’t even need to be a Christian to know that this is true. Research proves to us that people are more successful in developing and maintaining positive habits when they do those things together with other people. People who try to lose weight by sticking to a diet tend to be better at keeping the habits of a diet when others in their household are doing the same thing. Those seeking to develop a new habit of exercise tend to be better at keeping with that habit when they commit to exercising along with someone else. Engaging new habits together with other people gives us some built in accountability in the process. It is no wonder that the Bible would tell us we are better disciples when we live into our discipleship together in community.

twelve faith practices: Sabbath, Gratitude, Generosity, Hospitality, Engaging Scripture, Justice and Mercy, Listening, Celebrating, Prayer, Wonder, Remembering, and Service

I want to invite all of us to take a step or two in that direction here today. We have spent the summer examining twelve faith practices: Sabbath, Gratitude, Generosity, Hospitality, Engaging Scripture, Justice and Mercy, Listening, Celebrating, Prayer, Wonder, Remembering, and Service. I want you to look at that list. If you have been following along with us through the summer, there has been opportunity to try out a little bit from each one of these twelve habits. I have been encouraging you all the way through to take some notes and keep track of how these habits have been working out for you.

identify just a few faith practice habits from this list that will rise to the top and become a central pattern in shaping deeper, better discipleship

The next thing each one of us needs to do is narrow that list down a bit. Let’s be honest, no one can start up twelve new habits all at once. Don’t even try to tackle all twelve of these faith practices at the same time. We all need to make some choices now. If you have been following along all summer and taking notes each week as we go, maybe you are ready to make some of those choices right now today. But I will also say it is okay to circle back and take a closer look at a few of these faith practices in coming days and weeks as well. Either way, the next step forward we each need to take is identifying just a few faith practice habits from this list that will rise to the top and become a central pattern in shaping deeper, better discipleship.

circle one that deeply resonates with me more than the others — feels life-giving, rejuvenating, energizing

There are some guidelines you can use to help make those selections from the list. I encourage everyone to pick at least two out of these twelve. Let me give some guiding thoughts for how to select which two you might select. In all the samplings we have done over the summer with these twelve faith practices, is there any one that felt like it deeply resonated with you more than the others? Is there one faith practice on this list that just feels natural and seems to happen in your life more easily than the rest? Or maybe another way of thinking about it is to ask yourself if any one of these twelve faith practices produces in you a greater sense of connection to God. Maybe you have a few that fits this description; that’s okay, go ahead and put a checkmark by two or three or four which all rise to the top as faith practices which resonate and fill you up. Eventually I would suggest you find your way to just circling one of those (we will get to that in a moment).

circle one which I find more challenging than the others — stretches my boundaries, pushes beyond my comfort zone

Now I want you to think about selecting a second faith practice from this list in a different way. As you look over the list, is there any faith practice which you find challenging—maybe even difficult? Maybe this can be a faith practice that you wish you could do better, but it just doesn’t feel all that easy or natural. Maybe this is a faith practice that stretches the boundaries of your comfort zone and especially pushed you to grow. This would be a faith practice that particularly gets you outside of your way of living and doing things currently and presses you into a new direction. This might be a faith practice which would be hard for you to do, but something inside you just lays it on your heart that if you could do this one particular faith practice, you know that it could be hugely beneficial in helping you become a better disciple of Jesus. Circle that one on the list. Or if you find several which fit that category, put some marks next to them.

share with somebody in the next week or two — a friend or family member to get some feedback

Alright, everyone should now be looking towards a list with two faith practices circled—one that resonates as natural and life-giving, and one which figures as challenging but you know it will stretch you to grow. Or at least you should have certain faith practices on this list marked somehow in a way which helps you narrow down those choices. Here is the next thing everyone needs to do. Share that with somebody in the next week or two. With a friend or family member get some feedback about this list. Someone who knows you well will be able to affirm and tell you that your thoughts and choices are correct, or perhaps challenge you to think a little differently about it. If you have several potential choices and seem to have difficulty knowing which two faith practices to select, someone who knows you well can give a listening ear and help you talk through those marked faith practices on your list and possibly help you get closer making some selections. After all, the whole point of the passage we see here in Ephesians today is that we should not walk this path of discipleship alone. Take what we are doing here right now today and share it with somebody in the next week or two.

take is slow — pray about which faith practices I will take to the next level, further explore faith practice habits, seek guidance from others

Once you have two selections from this list, you can begin to move forward in the process of forming some new habits. I know over the summer we rushed way too quickly through all these faith practices. Now it’s time to slow down and take your time to set a manageable pace that is realistic and sustainable. Start by going back in the faith practices booklet and read through the chapters on just those faith practices you have selected. Let those options sit for a while before you jump all-in on trying new things. This allows time and space for the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and ideas towards a pattern of discipleship that will be best for you.

begin working at some faith practices in a group right now three group sessions — gratitude, engaging scripture, prayer

In the meantime, there is something else we can all begin right now. Get yourself into a faith practices group which will spend some time this fall encouraging us to engage in some faith practices together. We have chosen three of these faith practices as a place to begin with a group: gratitude, engaging scripture, and prayer. We chose those three because at some level the habits of gratitude, scripture, and prayer are essential practices for every one of us. Those three are a foundation which hold up the other faith practices. We have opportunities for you to join a group that is forming here at church. Or because some of you have busy schedules, I would encourage using the sessions we have prepared in your own small group that you are already a part of. It can be group of ten to twelve people, or it can be a group of two or three people—the size of the group is not important. It can be all men or all women or a mix of people. It can meet here at church or meet in homes or meet online. These groups are a great place to start the next steps in embracing faith practices. And these groups would be a great place for you to gain some ideas for developing a personal discipleship plan that enfolds those two faith practices which rise to the top of your own list.

3:20 — discipleship comes with a blessing

Today’s passage comes with a blessing,

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Ephesians 3:20 NIV

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

step into what God can do in and through his people—more than all we ask or imagine—when I profess Jesus as lord of my life and accept the call to follow him in discipleship

Don’t take a sideline seat and sit this one out. Don’t take a pass on the invitation of Jesus to connect you with the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Step into what God can do in and through his people—more than all we ask or imagine—when I profess Jesus as lord of my life and accept the call to follow him in discipleship.