The One Commodity Needed for Discipleship

If I were to ask you:  What is the one thing that you need in order to effectively disciple others?  What would you answer?

I can imagine a great number of you would say "A knowledge of God's Word" or "Effective ways for reaching out".  And while these things are paramount, even necessary, they are but an outgrowth of something even more necessary than that.

The one commodity needed for discipleship, above everything else, is TIME.

If I take away time, then I can take away knowledge of the Word of God.  I can take away opportunities for outreach.  I can take away everything that has to do with discipleship, by simply taking away time.

Take a look at the Great Commission:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.--The words of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)

How can we possibly complete this lofty mission given to us...without time?

As a pastor over youth, I can tell you that the most effective times of ministry haven't been when youth show up on a Wednesday night, but when they choose to show up outside of that time.

When they meander into my office to talk about a question that they have or when they just come in to hang for a while, that is when true discipleship takes place.  One conversation about the latest movie leads to interesting questions to ponder from a biblical point of view...and we are off.  We begin the process of seeing how the Word of God and a relationship with Christ intersects the real world that we live in.

To be sure, there may be many rounds of Super Smash or Mario Kart in between conversations, but the conversations only come because the time was there to be used.

And that is what concerns me...

Youth and adults have become more and more busy.  I speak often about, and seemingly against, sports and extracurricular activities, but in truth, I am speaking against lack of time.  The number one complaint that I have received from youth and from adults alike is the lack of time that they have to disciple others, whether it be those in their own family or the people they come in contact with, or even themselves.  But the busyness of our society has crowded out the time that we need to both become mature disciples of Christ and to make disciples out of anyone else.

Doug Fields made an astute observation that many pastors (and many people, in general) pride themselves on being busy.  It is like we wear busyness a some sort of sick badge of honor.  We equate busyness to importance.  So we fill every minute of every day with stuff to do, but we have become so busy that we have no time for people, whether it be family, friends or anyone else whom we could touch with the love of Christ.

And while the objection will come that doing some of these things, such as extra curricular activities, can present opportunities for discipleship, it is often the ones who make this observation who also give the excuse of not having time to do it.  You can't have it both ways.

So let me ask you a few questions:  Do you have time on a weekly basis just to hang with people, to have fun, but to also talk about potentially deep conversations (read: discipleship)?  Do you have time to read a good book that will encourage you in your faith (or even just the Bible itself)?  Or is your life so busy that you would have to schedule a time in a couple of weeks or months or maybe sometime before the year 2020?

Don't think that this indictment is against you alone.  I struggle mightily with it too.  As a homeschooling parent who has three teenagers, I know just how valuable time is as a commodity.  However, it shouldn't take me 6 months to plan a night out with friends to fellowship or have deep conversation with...but it does.  (And my kids aren't involved in a lot of things.)

The freedom, or lack thereof, of our calendar life on a daily and weekly basis is, like it or not, an indication of the priority toward fulfilling God's commission for our lives.  The busyness we pride ourselves in is actually the greatest barrier to discipleship that we face.

Remember Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42)...  Martha was so busy doing what she thought needed to be done that she was actually offended that Mary was listening to Jesus.  Busyness had become a barrier to holiness and discipleship.

Time is the commodity that we need more than any other...how are you spending yours?

I pray that by shining a light on the problem, together we can both make the time we truly need to both be and make disciples.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16