I have been challenged of late at my lack of a holistic approach toward discipleship. We have minimized it to a rather troubling singular focus... intellect.
I am going to make the assumption that growing as a Christian is growing in our love for God. Of course after we are sanctified wholly we love Him with all of our heart, but I am not talking about a greater "quantity" of love; rather a more mature love or a growing "quality" of love. The day my wife and I entered into the marriage covenant I would have told you that I loved her with all my heart. Today, almost 20 years later, I would tell you that I love her in a deeper way than I ever knew was possible. So it is in our love for Christ: purity of heart is different than maturity of character.
Jesus said in Mark 12:30 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
I think the following are four areas that we are to grow in as a Christian.
1) Heart: Emotion
2) Soul: Character/Personality
3) Mind: Intellectual
4) Strength: Physical
1) The heart is the seat of our emotion. When is the last time you had an emotional response to God? I'm not proposing 'emotionalism' but a return to a place where emotion plays a role in our worship and relationship with God. We have downplayed it because of those who worship with heart outside of the other three, but I think this is vitally important to us today. If you don't get a little emotional about the fact that Christ died for your sins and paid the price for your redemption, then maybe something is wrong! To be sure, emotions can be evoked from a varied of sources, but I am talking about having hearts centered on person of Jesus! Is your love of God deepening since you have given Him all?
2) Soul is often used to refer to our spiritual life, but really describes who we are as a person: our character or personality. How do love God and grow our personality? Does it change from extrovert to introvert or vice versa? No. But it can be yielded to the work of the Holy Spirit! It is important to note that we often ascribe the carnal nature to our personality when, in fact, God's Spirit desires to cleanse those things that lead us to sin from our personality/character. However, we also believe that God can use any letter of the Myers-Briggs personality spectrum! Every personality yielded to Christ can be used for the kingdom! God can sanctify your character and even make holy who you are in the privacy of your own home and behind closed doors. I want my personality to be shaped by the Spirit of God and always bringing glory to the Father!
3) Mind is the one we always emphasis when we talk about discipleship or growing as a Christian. We tend to measure the mind's spirituality by how much we know about God. Certainly it is good and beneficial to know things about God, but how much more do we find the Bible calling us to have the mind of Christ! I don't believe ignorance is bliss, but God's invitation is beyond knowledge to actually thinking as He would about the people and world around us. Do you view your enemies as God would view someone He created? Do you priorities line up with what God's priority for your life would likely be?
4) Strength has to do with the physical aspect of our relationship. That faith without works is dead. That we are called not only to have the right answer (Christ), but to live out the right answer (Christian). Does your body bring glory to God? Have you committed every aspect of your physical being to serve the Savior? Do your steward your physical body in a way that is conducive to hosting the presence of the Holy Spirit? As my body grows older I realize more and more how significant it is that my body be cared for and act in ways that are in line with what I say I believe about God.
It is important to note that I do not want to create different sections of my life, or yours, that we can choose to love God in and other areas where we do not. However, we often do that very thing by not growing in all four of these areas! Which one do you think we neglect the most today?
In the Great Commission we are called to make disciples not just confessions, professions, or big attendance gains (although those will occur as the Great Commission is fulfilled). Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples! I hope you are committed to loving and serving God in every area of your life.
Discipleship is not optional!
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