We “make” disciples when the “disciple” somehow – though relationship – other awakens to the shalomic love of the Divine, seeking away the Way of Jesus the Christ.
What the “disciple” encounters is more than just you or me, and more than “just” God. They see the you/God relationship. To live that relationship openly, authentically and honestly appears to be how disciples are made.
Somewhat related . . . my reimagination for conversion seems to be growing and evolving. See what you think.
I am sense an invitation a more vital connection between conversion and sanctification. Not only for the individual but for the Christ-community. The community is in the process of being made holy – I think, I hope 🙂
This process of sanctification is the very essence of relationship. The more deeply I relate with my life partner the more my desires and hopes unite with hers… becoming ours. The spirit of Dwight deceases and a new trinitarian spirit is born (the spirit of Dwight and Lynette). We perichoretically relate, in an interpenetrating way.
OK, so here’s my current “conversion” thoughts, it seems in practice we have often emphasized either a conversion to a creed or to endorsed practices. The modern evangelical notion of conversion as a process has some merit, but I feel like the church in the pomo world needs fresh language to describe it. I am working on a notion of “Story crucifixion.” Looking at:
- My Story.
- Our Story.
- God’s Story.
In our western individualized context life has become all about My Story – self-actualization, etc. Even Christians borough from the Our Story and God Story only as much as it serves the self.
All three are vital to human experience. Ideally, My Story is found complete in Our story and our story is found complete in God’s story.
As I say, in describing conversion as the crucifixion of My and Our story. And the process of sanctification begins as a Venn diagram the overlap of those stories is our growth in relationship, aka holiness.
The reason I go after story is because the pomo context rejects the possibility of a God story (meta-narrative), where myth making is more important than the myth itself. The Christ narrative invites the death of my self-made myth while wooing me to wholeness and meaning only in relationship with the God-story. The Christ narrative invites the death of Our communal-made story and dares the Christ-community to wholeness and meaning only in relationship with the God-Story.
Does that make any sense? Clearly its in process.
Peace, dwight
