The Great Ommission by Dallas Willard

Reading the Great Ommission by Dallas Willard

Our job description as Christians:

Discipleship is essentially the process of being transformed into Christ-likeness by a sustained effort of discipline through the empowerment of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

We have lost the meaning of the word discipleship in the Western church.

To be a disciple is to be a follower or learner. Discipleship is key because it is central to the job description for every Christian found in Matthew 28:19-20 and is exemplified throughout the life of Jesus. In the Great Commission, we find that we are called to make disciples of Jesus, followers, and to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded. Obeying Jesus is really what "relationship with Jesus" and "trusting Him with our life" actually mean.

These are not primarily intellectual or belief positions.

But how can we actually do everything that Jesus commanded? That seems impossible. Certainly not by trying harder. Instead, we must be trained. This training is called discipleship and happens through disciplines.

A discipline is any activity which helps us accomplish something that we cannot yet accomplish by direct effort. Jesus lived a life of spiritual disciplines that allowed him to do the will of the Father perfectly. Generations of Christians have utilized these disciplines in order to be more like Jesus.

A word of caution: though the command is to do everything Jesus commanded, the spiritual disciplines are not focused on outward behavior but rather inward spiritual formation. Focusing on the outward behavior only (trying harder) will only make us all into Pharisees and end up in legalism. Rather, we must allow our soul to be (re)formed into the character of Christ. Out of this inward change will flow outward actions consistent with His character. When we have entered into these disciplines, we will have "made the tree good" and the result will be good fruit, without focusing on the outward behavior.

Spiritual formation is not an optional part of life. All of us have our spirits (often referred to as our soul- our mind, will, and emotions) formed throughout our life, either consciously or unconsciously, by our actions, our environment, and the information we take in. We are unceasing spiritual beings, whether we like it or not, and our spirits will go through formation, whether we believe in it or not. The spiritual disciplines are a way of intentionally forming our inward character, working with the Holy Spirit in our walk with Christ.

The spiritual disciplines involve primarily silence, solitude, fasting, as well as many other time-tested disciplines that we engage in to bring our focus back to Jesus (Heb. 12:2), often by taking us out of our environment or by voluntary abstention from certain things.

Remember, these disciplines do not earn us favor with God, but rather they are a form of worship, of trusting in Him by purposefully ceasing our striving (Hebrews 4:11, Psalm 46:10). Though character is formed primarily through our efforts working with the efforts of God, this does not stand opposed to grace. Grace is opposed to earning, not effort. We will need every ounce of grace that God can give in order to enter the disciplines ourselves.

It is only through understanding Christ as Teacher, welcoming Him to be our chief discipler, and the help of the Holy Spirit, that we can live the overcoming life and possess the peace that surpasses understanding. And as we possess that abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10), we can then seek to disciple others and say to them "follow me, as I follow Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).

"Life in Christ has to do with obedience to Jesus." pg. 45

"Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sin alone. Many people don't know this, and that is one result of the cutting down of the gospel to a theory of justification, which has happened in our time." pg. 61

"In contrast, I make bold to say, the gospel of the entire New Testament is that you can have new life now in the Kingdom of God (kingdom now!) if you will trust in Jesus Christ. Not just in something he did, or something he said, but trust the whole person of Christ in everything he touches--which is everything." pg. 62

"Spiritual formation is a process that involves the transformation of the whole person, and that the whole person must be active with Christ in the work of spiritual formation. Spiritual transformation will not happen to us unless we act." pg. 57

"Are we seriously and realistically about the business of Christian spiritual formation (discipleship) as measured by unqualified love of Jesus Christ, and as specified by our "job description" in the Great Commission? How does our work, what we really do, actually relate to the charge he has left us? ... Suppose we were to engage in ground-zero planning, planning which, armed with the best theological and psychological understanding, considers only the aim without attempting to salvage or justify what is already in place through previous efforts. How much of what we do would be omitted? And how much of what we now omit would be done, if all we were trying to do was to bring ourselves and others "to do all things whatsoever I have commanded you?" pg. 79

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