| Five years ago my family and I started a new | | | | has lost its edge in our culture. |
| church in the suburbs of Philadelphia. When we | | | | Disciple: A More Potent Word |
| arrived I wanted the first dollar our church spent | | | | I want us to dust off an old, seemingly out of |
| to make a statement about the kind of church | | | | date and often misunderstood word. In my mind, |
| we were going to become. So I took every | | | | replacing the word "Christian" with this word is a |
| penny we had in our church's checking account, | | | | vital key to understanding what it means to be a |
| which wasn't much, and blew it all in one day. | | | | Christ follower. What is it? |
| I called the police station in our area and asked, | | | | "Disciple." |
| "Where is the most drug infested, crime-ridden | | | | In fact, from now on, I want to challenge you to |
| neighborhood in our entire region?" Without | | | | use the word "disciple" every time you are about |
| hesitation he named a neighborhood twenty-five | | | | to use the word "Christian." Say both of them out |
| minutes away. He said, "We send a car there | | | | loud. "I'm glad I'm a Christian." Now try, "I'm glad I |
| every night, why?" I said, "I'm a Christian and I | | | | am a disciple." At first it is going to seem a little |
| want to show people God's love in a tangible way. | | | | awkward. Your neighbors might think you've |
| I thought I would buy groceries for the entire | | | | joined some strange chicken sacrificing cult. But |
| neighborhood." "Why the %!@+% would you want | | | | that's precisely the point. Jim Jones and Charles |
| to do that?" he said. "I wouldn't go there without | | | | Manson stole this word from us. We're stealing it |
| a gun. Knock yourself out." That afternoon I | | | | back. |
| drove to a wholesale grocery outlet and filled | | | | "Disciple" occurs not three times, but over two |
| every inch of my van with boxes of groceries. | | | | hundred and sixty times throughout the pages of |
| When I arrived you can just imagine what I saw. | | | | the New Testament. As philosopher Dallas Willard |
| It looked like a scene from a war zone. Broken | | | | says, "The New Testament is a book about |
| windows. Graffiti everywhere. Trash throughout | | | | disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus." |
| the street. Cars on blocks. People passed out on | | | | Derived from the original Greek word "mathetes," |
| the sidewalk. And here was this young suburban | | | | which means a "learner or student," a disciple is |
| kid looking like Barney Fife with his arms full of | | | | someone that learns from a teacher. But |
| pancake mix and peanut butter. To say I was | | | | according to Matthew 28:18-20, our mission on |
| petrified is an understatement. | | | | earth is not just to create Christ followers that |
| "Okay God," I muttered as I knocked on the first | | | | learn his teachings, but ones that obey his |
| door, "work through me, your chicken." I was | | | | teachings. |
| taken back by the response. For the next few | | | | Changed Vocabulary - Changed Behavior |
| hours I gave away groceries and prayed for a | | | | So why use the word disciple instead of the word |
| prostitute, a drug addict, a guard at the local | | | | Christian? |
| penitentiary sleeping on the floor of his apartment, | | | | When we use the word "Christian," we mistakenly |
| and a dozen or so others. These people had | | | | give the impression that obeying Jesus' teachings |
| nothing. Zilch. As I moved slowly through the | | | | is something that can be put off until later, like |
| neighborhood I touched and hugged and prayed | | | | dieting or changing the oil in the car. We tend to |
| for as many people as I could. | | | | communicate, "First you become a Christian, and |
| When I finally got in my empty van, instead of | | | | after that you can work at becoming a disciple." |
| feeling a sense of joy, I recalled my conversation | | | | Discipleship is treated sort of like honors courses |
| with the police officer and got angry. "Why would | | | | in high school. They're not essential for graduation |
| that cop be surprised that a Christian would want | | | | but a good thing to do if you so choose. |
| to do this?" I asked myself, "Why is it that people | | | | According to Jesus, discipleship begins at |
| have grown to expect so little out of Christians?" | | | | conversion. Trusting Christ to forgive your sins |
| That word, "Christian," has become as tantalizing | | | | and getting baptized are simply the first steps of |
| to an unbelieving world as drinking a warm soft | | | | a lifetime of "discipleship." With the word disciple, |
| drink at a summer picnic. | | | | life change is expected. Transformation is |
| The Problem With The Word "Christian" | | | | assumed from the beginning of one's spiritual |
| One of the problems with the word "Christian" is | | | | journey. |
| despite its wide use in our culture it is not a real | | | | Sadly, our culture has caught on to the fact that |
| popular term in the Bible. In fact, it only occurs | | | | when it comes to behavior, there is virtually no |
| three times in the entire New Testament. It | | | | difference between the way "Christians" act and |
| never crossed Jesus' lips. Paul never used it. In | | | | the way "non-Christians" act. Upon completing a |
| fact, on every occasion when it does occur the | | | | poll for U.S. News and PBS' Religion & Ethics |
| biblical author quotes a non-Christian who used it | | | | Weekly, the researchers concluded, |
| to describe followers of Jesus. Acts 11:26 tells us, | | | | "...Evangelicals-their distinctive faith aside-are acting |
| "...The disciples were first called Christians at | | | | more and more like the rest of us." Should we be |
| Antioch." By whom? The unbelievers in Antioch. | | | | surprised? |
| "Christian" comes from the Greek word | | | | We are simply reaping what one author calls, "the |
| "Christianos" which means "belonging to Christ." | | | | cost of non-discipleship." |
| Not a bad word. But it was a nickname | | | | By far the most important reason we need to |
| non-believers gave us, and for some reason it | | | | re-engage the word "disciple" is for our skeptical |
| stuck. | | | | friends. When Christians become disciples we |
| Another difficulty with the word "Christian" is our | | | | become the "salt and light" Jesus exhorted us to |
| market-driven culture has taken it hostage. Rather | | | | become. |
| than evoking hostility and persecution, as Jesus | | | | A few years ago I was driving in center city |
| said might happen to his followers, "Christian" has | | | | Philadelphia and got lost, which is a common |
| become a corporate marketing niche. "Christian" | | | | occurrence for me. Without knowing it, I pulled |
| offends no-one. In America we have "Christian" | | | | onto a narrow one way road. Cars started |
| paraphernalia galore. We have Christian | | | | barreling towards me. Horns were blaring. Cars |
| bookstores, Christian television stations, and | | | | were pulling out of my way. People motioned for |
| Christian websites. Those who are curious can flip | | | | me to go back the other way and said things I |
| through a Christian bestseller, thumb through one | | | | can't repeat. It reminded me of that bumper |
| of hundreds of Christian magazines, or sit back | | | | sticker, "If you don't like the way I drive, stay off |
| and enjoy a blockbuster Christian motion picture. | | | | the sidewalk." Say what you want about my |
| One can quickly find Christian solutions for any | | | | navigational ability, there wasn't a person on that |
| and every problem a bewildered American faces. | | | | street that (A) didn't know I was there and (B) |
| There are Christian exercise videos, Christian | | | | which direction I was headed. That's what |
| weight-loss programs, and now, much to our | | | | happens when Christians become disciples. |
| relief, Christian vitamins. | | | | People notice disciples. Disciples do not blend in |
| But the biggest problem with the word "Christian" | | | | very easily. Disciples do not just believe |
| is it doesn't capture what a Christ follower does. I | | | | differently, they behave differently. They stick |
| like titles that are behaviorally descriptive. A | | | | out. They provoke. They cause people to think. |
| baseball player plays baseball. A stockbroker buys | | | | They jar people to evaluate their lives, even |
| and sells company stock. A "Christian" tells us to | | | | without uttering a word. Disciples point people to |
| whom we belong but not what we do. It isn't an | | | | the kingdom of God simply by their behavior |
| action word. It doesn't carry an inherent job | | | | alone. |
| description or implied set of behavioral | | | | The result is people want what we have. |
| expectations. It communicates that we "belong to | | | | Isn't this what Jesus intended? |
| Christ," a solid idea in and of itself, but one that | | | | |