We do not need more information, we need more transformation!
We have been pouring bible knowledge into peoples heads for years.
Dave Browning observed: “I am convinced that the gap holding back most believers is not the gap between what they know and what they don’t know. It’s the gap between what they know and what they’re living… We are educated beyond our obedience.” (Dave Browning, Deliberate Simplicity)
Not that we should stop teaching, but we should not stop at teaching.
A mechanic who only has attended classes and read books is not prepared to work on cars.
They need to train, they need time as an apprentice to apply what they’ve learned.
And they need to try for themselves, step out of the class and into real world.
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (Hebrews 5:11-12)
I think this describes many church-goers today.
This is why we need to rediscover the discipling process as practiced by Jesus.
A disciple is someone who learns from Jesus, trains with Jesus, then serves for Jesus.
As a church, do we have a strategy for moving people beyond hearing into doing?
Not just the concept on paper, nor the hope that it happens, but an actual plan.
“Determine where you’re heading and how you will get there. Define what a disciple looks like and develop a strategy for equipping your people. Remember, if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” (Rob Gallaty, 5 Steps for Creating a Disciple-Making Culture)
As a church, I feel we have had the hope for making disciples, but not the plan.
We’ve passed on a lot of information, but seen minimal transformation.
It’s time to aim for the target, and take steps to get there.