Biblical Love & Discipleship

We hear these words a lot lately: "acceptance", "tolerance", "meeting the person where they're at", etc...specially in relation to what love and discipleship should look like. These words and their meanings seem to reflect the current societal mindset of coexistence. while these attributes are indeed good, i think its necessary to break down their implications a lil bit further. Lets compare two differing spheres of discipleship in context to these definitions of love: Christian to Christian; Christian to non-Christian.


Christian. This is an extremely broad term...specially in today's context. Lets define a Christian as believing in Christ and choosing to follow him with your life. This is not saying that there are not differing levels of Christ-following that Christians are operating at, furthermore, there is definitely a necessity in taking into account the spiritual age of a Christ-follower.

Okay. Now...lets look at discipleship dynamics in context of Christian to Christian...as well as in relation to the above termed concepts of love. Acceptance. What exactly are we implying by this? When i look at what acceptance should look like Biblically...this is what i'm understanding: The full acceptance of the person. However...the person should be separated from their non-biblical behaviors...don't you think? Is is not possibly true, that we should indeed accept a person for all that they are, but at the same time should challenge them to act according to who they are in Christ? If not...we are actually not believing that Christ can be fully formed within the individual. For this is love...that we spur one another forward to love and good deeds...that we don't accept less than who they are fully in Christ. It is not loving nor beneficial to let someone sin or sit in their crap. yes...you love them thru their resistance, it is called unconditional love afterall...but God himself gives us a vision...a standard to strive for (strive)...That standard is Jesus Christ, himself! Why does God set us up with such a high and actually unattainable earthly standard? Because if he doesn't...then he is saying we are not perfect within Christ...he would be saying that we are not capable of more...he would take away the striving part of Christianity and we would remain stagnant...not striving for more freedom...not pursuing more of God...ourselves-without Christ- would be enough. I think that refutes Christianity all-together does it not?

Come on Christians...this is true discipleship...this is how Jesus did it...he loves us enough to discipline us...he loves us enough not to leave us how we are. This is the kind of discipleship that we should be replicating. Enter into the struggle...enter into people's crap...but don't just sit in it with them! Challenge in love. Challenge them to not just see but to walk out the more. We have to be held to higher standards than non-Christ followers...sorry...but thats how this life is...if you don't wanna grow...you don't have to choose this life. haha. We have responsibility...no matter how old we are in our Christ-walk...because we have truth living within us. We have responsibility that non-Christians don't...we can't expect people that don't believe in Truth...in God...to act according to his ways! Where is the logic in that? But we are to be set apart from the world...we are to be the example...let's start taking responsibility for our growth...for applying the Truth that we are equipped with.

Non-believers & discipleship. If this is the dynamic...then the picture is painted a lil bit different for us. yes...you can challenge...yes you can love unconditionally (and should)...but our expectations should look differently than that of someone who claims to believe the Truth. Our standards of conduct and morality cannot be set up as a standard of conduct for non-believers...because their foundation is not based on our faith. You meet them where they're at...then you walk with them where they want to go...challenging and encouraging...but their non-biblical behaviors cannot be disciplined...they have the world as their standard. you see the difference??

Let's stop discipling people as if they do not have a Godly standard. Let's stop "accepting" less than what we were created to be in Christ. Let's start pressing forward...toward the goal...to win the prize which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.