What is the Content of Discipleship?

Alan Hirsch of the Verge Network:

“Now the question is, between the incarnation and the cross there is a huge gap, right? In that gap, what ever happened to that part of it in the way we think about ourselves? What happened to the model—the exemplary life of Jesus? His teachings? His message? His commands as our Lord…?

The problem is in that middle piece, folks, that’s where we get the agenda. The content of discipleship comes from the life and the teachings of Jesus…That’s where we get the agenda for discipleship. You take that out of our theology and our thinking and you won’t have any agenda for Christian life…

Because all you do when you focus on the ‘cross stuff’ and we have nothing else about christology that informs the way we are then we have a very truncated, it’s called a reduction of the gospel. It’s a reducing of the gospel down to one point…That reduction has damaged our capacity to be disciples, because we don’t have any content. If the cross stuff is where Jesus is my Savior…the other stuff is where He’s my Lord…”

Share this page

About the author

Profile photo for Alan Hirsch

Alan Hirsch is the founding Director of Forge Mission Training Network. He is also part of the leadership team of Christian Associates, a missional church-planting agency with focus on Western Europe. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is a teacher and key mission strategist for churches across the western world.

Alan is a plenary speaker at the 2021 Mission Central Conference.

More on Mission Central

Article

7 Secrets to Being a Missionary in Your Golden Years

How old is too old to be a missionary? Is there really an ideal missionary age? Read more Read more...

Devotional

Passionate Love and Hearing

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbour as yourself Read more Read more...

Article

A Missions Conference Just for Kids

“Children need to understand that culture is different, but the need for salvation remains the same." Read more Read more...

Devotional

Altar Vision Devotional - Week 10

What is the connection between surrender and unity? Read more Read more...

Devotional

Love Your Enemies

If you have an enemy in your life, if someone hates you, consider how Jesus is asking you to go to them? Hearing and obeying requires embodied action. Read more Read more...

Devotional

Holiness and Obedience

Our goals, the accumulation of power, and things that we spend so much time on may have less importance than we may be willing to admit. Read more Read more...

Article

Acquainted With Grief

"Being Christ-like must then involve, at least in some part, our willingness to acquaint ourselves with grief." Read more Read more...

Article

The Gospel: A Basis for Certainty

The gospel in my context means the life, purpose and teachings of Jesus explained in many ways. Read more Read more...