Doctrine Without Discipleship…
We discipled people in doctrine rather than discipled people in Jesus and that has caused some major problems.
Discipleship is teaching someone a way of living and specific truths to believe.
We did the second without the first and the second was cherrypicked so that many important things were left out. For example – the doctrines we taught were often our distinctives (what set us apart from other groups) so the doctrine was very selective.
And if you learn a selective set of doctrine, based on how you are distinct from others, you are going to divide over it…especially when other more important doctrines were left out…and double especially when they way of living is left out.
That leaves us with a specific subset of doctrine, that misses the weightier matters and leaves out how to live out the Christian life.
Selective doctrine without discipleship matters a great deal because I believe it accounts for the way many churches and Christians have created significant problems, divided, had a prideful spirit, lacked love and so much more.
If you teach a fuller set of doctrine and practice (way of living like Jesus) you are going to be more loving, more merciful, more dependent on the Holy Spirit, more graceful and probably produce more fruit of the Spirit. You will be less prideful, less divisive and more effective in the mission.
Two questions for you:
1 – What are some weightier doctrines we have missed/left out that would have helped us be healthier and more Christ-like?
2 – How would actually discipling people in both a fuller set of doctrine and a specific way of living like Jesus in the world help going forward?
Bonus – 3 – what are you going to do about it personally (not hope someone else will do it or that your church starts a new program for it so you can say it is happening)? đŸ˜‰
PS – if you want practical help with discipleship and learning to make disciples, just let me know in the comments and I will get those resources to you.
Learn the 4 P’s of Discipleship!
