Title: Choose The Life
1Choose The Life
- Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship
- Bill Hull 2004
2Hulls Thesis
- The key to inner transformation is making the
spiritual disciplines habit forming. (74) - It is vital that the discipleship movement and
the spiritual transformation movement merge into
a balanced your tour de force to advance the
kingdom. (44, n. 2)
3Jesus Idea of Discipleship
- Obedience
- . . . Learning from him how to doeasily
and routinely dothe very things he said for us
to do. Obedience is the only sound objective of
a Christian spirituality (6) - Natural obedience vs. trying to obey
- Apprenticeship learning how to do the Great
Commission.
4The Problem of the 21st Century Church
- Our inability to be what we advertise ourselves
to be - Our unwillingness to leave all things behind and
follow Jesus wherever he leads. - Separation of salvation from discipleship
- Generation of a fringe Christianity mentality
5Hulls Solution SummarizedFive Dimensions of
Discipleship
- Believe what Jesus believed (transformed mind)
- Live as Jesus lived (transformed character)
- Love as Jesus loved (transformed relationships)
- Minister as Jesus ministered (transformed
service) - Lead as Jesus led (transformed influence)
6Hulls Definition of Discipleship
- . . . Believing what Jesus believed, living the
way Jesus lived, loving the way Jesus loved,
ministering the way Jesus ministered, and leading
the way he led. (18) - Reconnecting belief and behavior
- Faith as not just mental agreement but commitment
to follow Jesus (29)
7The NT Model of Discipleship
- A disciple submits to a teacher who teaches him
or her how to follow Jesus - A disciple learns Jesus words
- A disciple learns Jesus way of ministry
- A disciple imitates Jesus life and character
- A disciple finds and teaches other disciples for
Jesus (36)
8Choose the Life Society
- When I called my fellow Christians to choose the
life, I told them that it included submitting to
at least one other person. I told them that the
days of arms-length, nondiscipleship
Christianity were over. The rest of the staff
and I called on them to make that commitment, and
over one hundred of them did. It was a starting
pointa place to stand and to begin. We started
our own Choose the Life Society, composed of
those who made a public declaration to take up
their cross and follow Jesus. (37)
9The Need for a New Model
- The classic discipleship that has been practiced
in the past fifty years has done much good. But
it falls short in that it has been too
programmed, too superficial, and frankly too
passé for many leaders. Fill-in-the-blank Bible
studies and check-off lists have ceased to appeal
to new generations. (45)
10The Habits of the Life
- See Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines
- See Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
- The key is accountability to one other person
Attachment to at least one other person is
absolutely essential. (69)
11The Disciplines
- Disciplines of Abstinence
- Solitude
- Silence
- Fasting
- Frugality
- Chastity
- Secrecy
- Sacrifice
12The Disciplines(Spirit of the Disciplines, 158)
- Disciplines of Engagement
- Study
- Worship
- Celebration
- Service
- Prayers
- Fellowship
- Confession
- Submission
13Another Source for Hull
- Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath, The
Ascent of a Leader (San Francisco Jossey-Bass,
1999). - Relationships of grace in environments of grace
(Choose the Life, ch. 7, pp. 127-156) - Climbing the character ladder instead of the
capacity ladder (pp. 46, 140, 144)
14The Capacity Ladder
- Relationships of power leverage
- Environments of mistrust ungrace
- Steps to success
- Discover what I can do
- Develop my capacities
- Acquire title or position
- Attain individual potential
- If it doesnt work here, pack up and take it
elsewhere
15The Character Ladder
- Relationships of grace
- Environments of grace
- Steps to discovering my destiny in Christ
- Trust God and others with me
- Choose vulnerability
- Align with truth
- Pay the price
- Discover my destiny
16The Costs of Character Formation
- Humility
- Submission
- Obedience
- Suffering/maturity
17Capacity Character Integrated
- See page 146, The Ascent of a Leader
18Back to Hull A Bottom-Line Question
- When the people we have depended on are not
there anymore, will God be enough? (170) - . . . The lesson from Jesus is that when our
support system is gone, our relationship with God
himself should be sufficient to motivate and
sustain our staying in the mission. (171)
19Hulls Thesis Restated
- A transformed life is needed, a life of depth of
true disciples who have chosen to follow the life
that Jesus lived. The reason the mission
languishes is the acceptance of a nondiscipleship
Christianity that creates shallow believers with
hollow lives who dont affect those around them.
This has led to the marginalization of the gospel
and has retarded its spread because of its lack
of authenticity and power. (215)
20So, How Does It Look In Real Life?
- The Old Way
- I am filled with the Spirit
- Therefore, whatever my desires are, they will be
blessed by God - I have an idea, create a strategy, seek counsel,
raise the money, recruit the personnel, set a
timetable, and launch - Tweak, learn, tweak , learn, make sure it grows,
and if not, figure out why fix it (205)
21So, How Does It Look In Real Life?
- The New Way
- Silence, solitude, time alone with Goddwelling
in His presence and building passion for Him and
sensitivity to the Spirit - See God working out in front of me pray about
that path - Ask God for a desire consistent with the proper
path (Phil. 213). Is He putting His will in me
for some good work?
22The New Way (contd)
- Ask God directly about my desires and ideas.
Listen to Him through Scripture, counsel of
others, and circumstances - Ask for Gods confirmation about the right path,
through supply of resources, personnel, and
opportunity - Take action!
23A Possible Hullian Integration
- Filled with the Spirit
- Time alone with Godlistening to Him
- Seeing God at work in front of me
- Ask God for His desires to be mine (Phil. 213
Prov. 35-6) - Allow the idea to come from within, brought out
by the Holy Spirit, counsel of others,
circumstances - Seek confirmation by the Holy Spirit, supply of
resources, personnel, opportunity - Take action modify as necessary along the way