How I Got Here - Discipleship

I mentioned in a previous post that my friend Dieter Zander introduced me to Missional Church nine years ago. During that meeting he suggested another book that I was unfamiliar with at the time: The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. I have to admit that I had a difficult time first working through this book. However, over the last five or six years his work has played a major role in shaping the way I view discipleship.

There's a great article that I'd like to recommend for anyone who is unfamiliar with Dallas Willard, or who simply wants to understand better what it means to follow Jesus. I say "great" for two reasons. The first reason is that it's short; 2 pages. Anyone can read 2 pages. Second, it encapsulates some of the major themes from The Divine Conspiracy, such as:

• Disciple = apprentice
• Discipleship is not primarily about knowing facts. Instead, it centers on the amazing fact that Jesus wants to show us how to live life. He is the model. He is the teacher.
• Discipleship is not a passive activity. It requires more than just "trying." It requires training.
• The purpose of spiritual disciplines
• The Kingdom of God

I'll recommend one more article. Though a bit longer, I want to recommend it because it focuses on his VIM pattern for spiritual formation. It comes out of his book Renovation of the Heart. This has been helpful in showing not just why we need to become Jesus' apprentices, but how we become Jesus' apprentices.