Viewpoint: Disciples require steady diet of soul food
09-28-2009Bud Reeves
Special contributor
Everyone knows that one of the keys to good health is diet. Personally, this has been an area of struggle my whole life. You might say it has been my “growing” edge.
Since my childhood in “husky” sizes, I was trained to eat, and I still love to eat. I have been able for the last 25 years or so to maintain the same waist size, but it has not been without extreme pressure sometimes on my waistband. It has required constant caloric vigilance and a perpetual discipline of eating less than I would really like to.
Diet is a key to spiritual health as well. Unfortunately, the more common problem with our faith is a lack of nutrition.
We suffer from a sort of anorexia spirituosa that leaves us weak and wanting more. For too long, we have been content to let seekers become church members without developing vigorous disciples.
Our language, at least, has turned around, and we are now getting more concerned with “making disciples” and transforming the world through them. However, if we expect to make disciples, we’d better feed them.
The plans for feeding disciples are legion. Rick Warren has five purposes for the church. United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase has five fruitful practices. George Barna advocates six “foundational faith practices.” Jesus narrowed it down to two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” That still works, too.
I would like to propose seven dietary requirements for developing disciples. Like the five food groups in our physical diet, these practices must be balanced to be healthy. We cannot overindulge in one or avoid another if we want to grow and be effective.
Spiritual development. Personal contact with the Creator is the foundation of our relationship. Daily time in prayer is indispensable, and other strategies of spirituality — like determining our spiritual giftedness — can lay the groundwork for discipleship.
Worship. The spiritual body of a disciple withers without worship. We must get together often with the community of faith to corporately worship our God. Nutritional worship — no matter the style — cannot be like broccoli in a buffet: overdone, mushy and tasteless. Rather, like a healthy salad, worship has to pop, snap, refresh and invigorate the hungry disciple.
Fellowship. Growing disciples get together with others on the journey. This is one of the purposes of small groups in any local church — classes, ministry and mission groups, social functions. Discipleship demands an authentic and personal community of faith.
Study. Discipleship is a learning process. I have taught and preached the Bible for over thirty years; there are still new insights every time I research a passage. Scripture is the filet mignon of discipleship. (Or if you’re vegetarian, imagine a big, juicy slab of eggplant.)
The depths of tradition, history and doctrine are deeper than I will ever fathom.
Disciples have to be constant learners, asking the questions and struggling with the answers until they are all resolved on the other side.
Stewardship. Effective disciples know how to deal with their stuff. We live in a selfish, materialistic, consumer culture. How do we make faithful sense of that? We live on a planet that is a gift. How do we take care of that? Disciples have to learn how to use money, time, talent and creation in a godly way if we want to be nourished.
Outreach. It’s not about us. Discipleship is about developing our faith so we can help others. We want to help the sick and the poor and the oppressed. We want to help the lost know Christ. Learning how to witness and engaging in compassionate service are like the dessert platter. That’s why you eat your vegetables; it’s the sweetest part.
Methodism. Particularly for disciples who follow Wesley as well as Jesus, it is important to know our distinctive heritage. Methodism as a movement grew out of a troubled time much like ours. We have a gospel of grace and holiness that can speak to our contemporary culture and transform our society — if we will let it. We need to celebrate our heritage, claim our inheritance, and develop a new generation of Wesleyan Methodist disciples.
Churches that provide a balanced diet for their disciples will be more healthy, prosperous and effective.
In this season of the year, as the competing voices of the secular world call us in many directions, I know it’s hard to eat right, spiritually speaking.
But it’s no small matter. It’s about the care and feeding of the Body of Christ. It’s about developing dynamic disciples who will have the courage and strength to transform the world. It’s about having enough energy to make the journey to the Kingdom of God. Let’s eat!
William O. “Bud” Reeves is senior pastor of First UMC, Hot Springs. He can be reached at brobud@fumchs.com.
