June 1, 2016

I am continuing to examine the seven-step discipleship process that was originally published in 1934 by Forward Movement, and today we arrive at Step 7. As a reminder, the first six steps in this process were Turn, Follow, Learn, Pray, Serve, and (corporate) Worship.

The final step in this discipleship process is Share.

To share is, at its most fundamental level, offering what we have to others. In this process of discipleship, the act of sharing has two specific meanings.

The first can be considered as charitable acts – the sharing of our abundance and stuff with those less fortunate than ourselves. The gospels and epistles provide us with numerous examples of and admonitions to share food, clothing, and other resources with people in need. And there is no shortage of people in need and ways to reach them in our own community – from food banks and the people who rely on them to our own association with Ft. Vannoy Elementary School – we who have much have both the opportunity and obligation to share our abundance and stuff.

The second is the act of evangelism. Evangelism, as I've said many times before, is not standing out on the corner of 6^th & G accosting people with your big, floppy Scofield Reference Bible, or with free tickets to hell or heaven that a parishioner recently found in his coat pocket and gave to me this past Sunday (no, I'm not kidding; it's in my office and I'll show it to you if you ask). Going back to the original definition, evangelism is offering to share what we have with others. It's offering to share our faith. It's offering to share our traditions. It's offering to share the meal that is Holy Communion. We have an amazing faith, and we have a particular way of living out that faith, and those are things that need to be shared.

The act of discipleship is a life-long endeavor. As fallible humans, we have many (perhaps too many) opportunities to turn back to Christ. As a disciple, we need to put our trust in Christ and follow where he leads us. As disciples, we need to recognize that we don't know everything and are constantly challenged to learn. As people of faith, we need to deepen our bond with God and practice daily prayer. As disciples, we need to be open to serving, in the sense of answering a call to serve within the church and in our actively reaching out and serving others. As people of faith, we need to participate in corporate worship on a regular basis, because it is through this act that we participate with the whole host of heaven as well as developing relational ties among those who worship with us. And as apostles, we share both of our abundance and of our faith.

These are the seven steps of discipleship. I'm sure there are others, or that other actions can be added or substituted, but this is a good list from which to begin. Seven steps of discipleship. What do you do well? What do you need to work on? What hadn't you considered, but now seem drawn to?

I’ve talked about moving from discipleship to apostleship in recent sermons – may I suggest that that journey begins with seven steps.

Amen.