I was on the phone with my eldest son yesterday, and we were talking about a passion of his—frisbee golf. I called him to invite him to come to Black Mountain, North Carolina, where I will be at a Church Planting Conference. One of the things I do when I go to this conference is cook and set a lavish table in the evenings, an immersive experience in hospitality and a place for church planters to just be. 

I used frisbee golf to sweeten the deal, as many of these church planters are devotees of the game. His comment was what interested me, as I had just put the wraps on a sermon on discipleship. He said, “Yeah, I need to play with some guys better than me. I am sort of plateaued. YouTube videos are just not the same. I need to actually see someone do it right and who can point out what I am doing wrong." I said, “Yeah, you just described my sermon on discipleship.”

Abide. That is what Jesus said to his disciples. The word is rich in meaning and captures the heart of discipleship. To abide is much more than getting a little more knowledge, whether in a classroom or on a screen. To abide is much richer; it suggests dwelling with, being with, making yourself at home. It means a disciple spends time with, and is deeply attached in a loving relationship with both God and his people. It is a necessary corrective to the rationalism that endlessly chases more Bible information yet neglects the more difficult task of abiding. Interested? We will talk about it on Sunday.