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Frank Viola | Beyond Evangelical
Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.
Problems and Solutions in Discipleship: Part II
Frank Viola | Beyond Evangelical
Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.
This post has moved here.
Seems to me that there’s a common link among all three problems. Namely that at some point in history, Christianity became primarily an academic-mental pursuit (read more books, get more degrees, etc.).
While the mind certainly is to be engaged, I’m finding that to live by the Life is to habitually engage one’s spirit with Christ’s Spirit and to yield to his moment-by-moment nudges. Unfortunately, this is all to ‘mystical’ for some believers and is regularly poo-poo’d within various thought strongholds in the Church. This is a shame as the entire Gospel of John testifies to the source and means of Jesus’ true strength.
Right on! I lived half my life living my Christian life (in “ministry”) living by all 3 points; it equaled to me, myself and I, sometimes God. I saw so many Christian workers burn out. This is what we see so much of in the Church…people trying to be “good Christians” but it falls really flat and looks a lot like the world.
Following Christ is tough; one often has to go against the flow of other believers and be persecuted as a result. True followers stick out like sore thumbs, get criticized left right and center, are often told they are legalistic and unbending. In truth, they are the real leaders and their lives are rock solid.
Discipleship is a needed part of all Christians lives.