Jeff Gardner has a unique illustration of discipleship.
“Imagine if I had 12 plastic cups on a table and a bucket of water; then I splash the water toward the cups. What would happen? Some cups would get a little water, and some would be knocked over.
“I think discipleship is taking the time to fill cups individually,” Gardner told pastors from Shelby Baptist Association at a Jan. 24 gathering at Wilton Baptist Church in Montevallo.
“Discipleship takes time and it means we get involved in the lives of individuals, not just the masses,” declared the minister to university students and young adults at First Baptist Church in Trussville.
‘A huge difference’
Gardner said several years ago, he filled out an employee evaluation and left one area blank. The question was, “What do you see yourself doing in three years?”
“I was in student ministry, and kids were coming to Christ,” he recalled. “But my kids were coming into the group, and I thought they needed space. And I wasn’t as fulfilled as I thought I should be. My pastor helped me into a new position, and he blessed my vision to disciple individuals.
“It’s made a huge difference in me, and now discipleship consumes me.”
‘Doing church’
Gardner believes much of “doing church” takes focus away from the task of discipleship.
“In ministry we maintain, we go to meetings and we sponsor programs,” he explained. “All this has its place. Worship is needed, and Sunday School is important. I wouldn’t suggest we ‘blow up the boat,’ but I do think we should rewire the boat.”
Gardner said churches should have a clear goal and a correct definition of success. In evaluating programs, he suggested the KISS acronym:
- What do you need to Keep?
- What do you need to Improve?
- What do you need to Stop?
- What do you need to Start?
Disciple makers don’t pretend to know it all or to have arrived, Gardner admitted, but are committed to grow along with their group.
He told of a professor in a seminary class who cautioned students that they can’t have friends in church in ministry.
‘The other side’
“I believed this for a time,” Gardner said, “but then I saw the fallacy of it. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul said, ‘We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us.’
“Discipleship means we get into the lives of individuals — sometimes into their ‘mess’ — and walk with them to get to the other side,” Gardner asserted. “The ‘other side’ is when people live with Jesus, live like Jesus and live for Jesus.”
He remembered being challenged by someone who read the story of Joseph in Genesis for the first time.
“He told me he was surprised how the story ended,” Gardner related. “I asked him why, and he said, ‘If I’d been Joseph, I’d have cut off their heads. But he forgave them. That was amazing.’
“I suppose I’ve heard this story a hundred times, and it may have become routine,” Gardner said, “but here was a man active in his church who read the Bible consistently for the first time and it made an impact.
“One of the goals of discipleship is to translate what we read into our lives, or, ‘What does this mean to me?’ This kind of Scripture reading and application makes a difference.”
Gardner said he sees the basics of discipleship as reading the Bible, praying, appropriating the fruits of the Spirit in order to be kind and loving, and being intentionally on mission.
‘My mission field’
He meets with a group on Thursday mornings, and most often his groups meet for a year or more, Gardner noted.
“One of my group members works in an office. He told us one day, ‘This office is my mission field!’ This was an exciting word. This is an office I can’t get into, but he can, so he can be a minister. It was wonderful to hear he discovered this truth.
“One of my guys travels a lot, and we’ve Facetimed some because he’s out of town,” Gardner said. “And it works. We share our struggles and our joys and pray for one another.”
Gardner noted many program resources are available for discipleship groups, but he advises simplicity.
“If it’s overwhelming it may get to be burdensome,” he cautioned. “I like simple, biblical and applicable.”
Gardner told the pastors he didn’t want to give them another “plate to spin,” but urged them to pray for God’s wisdom in making disciples.
“Pray for God to reveal people to you who are available and teachable and invite them to read the Bible with you,” Gardner said. “Keep your focus on individuals who can make a difference in church leadership and God’s kingdom.”
Gardner can be reached at fbctrussville.org or 205-655-2403.
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