I have been doing some reading of late on William Tyndale. He believed it was a travesty that the common people of his day could not hear or have a copy of the Bible in their own language. The cost he was willing to pay to see that happen was being burned at the stake. I am sure he felt like giving up often as he fought against the religious establishment of his day.
Ordinary people do have the Bible in their own language today, but the assignment we are pursuing in our day is placing the tools of discipleship and mission into the hands of ordinary people as well. Don’t underestimate the weight and cost of this assignment and vision. This isn’t a church growth strategy, a way of pleasing contemporary church culture, or a strategy of gaining quick wins. It is a long obedience in the same direction, and you will feel like giving up lots of times along the way, especially in those first few years.
I discipled someone in the “Core” group in our church who just recently started discipling a few people himself in the “Committed” group. One of them in his discipleship huddle is my 73-year-old father-in-law, who has been a Christian for only 10 years and just moved to our city a year ago.
Last week, he prayed for healing for one of his golf buddies, which was the first time he had ever prayed out loud for anyone. He came to our house afterward and was so excited. Untrained, ordinary people discipling other ordinary people. It’s happening! Sounds like Acts 4:13 kind of stuff. All the pain of D2 is worth it when you start to experience glimpses of D3 breakthrough.
The fact is that when you invest in building a discipling culture, what most people see outwardly in the church for the first few years is … not much at all! If you feel like giving up, and you are still in the five-year time frame, keep persevering. You are building a root structure that will produce massive fruit eventually, if you keep investing and don’t give up.
He has to do it in us before he does it through us.
I am so glad I haven’t given up yet, and I am still praying I won’t in the future!
