Discipleship is more than meeting for coffee
Some of Jesus' last words to his followers are to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28). Regarding discipleship, the apostle Paul tells the young pastor Timothy that "what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2).
We know that discipleship is something that's important, something we probably should be doing, but how do we go about doing it?
Trevin Wax at the Gospel Coalition blog has some great insights into discipleship. He sees that churches typically fall into two camps on opposite sides of the pendulum swing that imperfectly pursue discipleship. Camp 1 forgoes thoughtful discussion about the Bible and simply tells people in detail how to live. Camp 2 faithfully communicates doctrine, but is not very helpful when the rubber of application hits the road of life.
Jesus' example of discipleship included years of living and traveling with his followers and friends. There was definite doctrinal instruction, but also a clear example of doing life together. While a weekly meeting at the coffee house is a good starting point for discipleship, we are being called to something deeper.
