Implications of a Big Yes

The moment someone decides to make a 'Big Yes' to Jesus, a whole string of fresh questions are triggered both for now and into the future. These basically come down to: 'How should I live my life in the light of this Big Yes decision?'. This is the fundamental question of discipleship, and its scope includes way more than good habits to pick up (such as pray daily, read scripture, attend church gatherings).

For each new believer it means working out: 'What about the other gods in my life?'. For someone who has come from a different faith background, that god or those gods will be readily apparent. However we shouldn't kid ourselves thinking that those from a secular or nominal Christian background do not have the same dilemma - the reality is that we have all trusted in other gods such as wealth, commerce, career aspirations etc. So the same basic question is always pertinent.

Our task in discipling someone is to help them navigate these thought processes as they journey into discipleship. We could of course give a simple and direct list: "Stop this, abandon that, leave such & such behind ...". That would technically be correct, but not necessarily good discipleship mentoring:

1. because the person needs to discover for themselves that these are false gods compared to Jesus - it needs to be their decision that they now own
2. because we want to train the person to take their own responsibility through the rest of their lives to seek God, discern, and act willingly on that discernment

The temptation is to load onto someone, or rush them into what you see 'as obvious' ... but they need to work it out for themselves. In other words the Discovery Process continues past the 'Big Yes' decision into ongoing discipleship.

I once read a story back in the 1700's of someone coming to faith in a Quaker environment. The new convert asked their mentor 'Should I still wear my sword out in public?' (apparently people wore or carried swords in everyday life!). The Christian mentor gave a wise reply: "Wear it for as long as it feels comfortable ...". I think they were saying: "Ask God, and when you realise what He is telling you, then it is definitely time to act!"

In our mission activity, let us not get people to tick boxes that we choose to put in front of them! No - let us point people to Jesus, and enable them to be true Jesus-followers in their own right, where they take action on what Jesus lays on their heart. Sure it will need some direction, prodding and pointing on the way, and the process may be frustrating or slow ... but ultimately way more fruitful.