Cracking the Discipleship Code

Have you ever heard of the Enigma machine? During World War II the Germans used it to encode secret messages. These codes were nearly impossible to decipher because the machine was capable of producing 150,000,000,000,000,000,000 – that’s 150 quintillion – possible solutions (1). The only way the code was able to be cracked was the creation of the world’s first electromagnetic computers. According to an article at CIA.gov, by the end of the war, the British were still only deciphering about 10 percent of all German Enigma communications. 

Sometimes cracking the discipleship code can feel just as complicated. We may not have 150 quintillion possible solutions, but it can feel just as overwhelming. 

Every church I know considers itself a disciple-making church. After all, the Great Commission is pretty clear: “Go and make disciples.” I’ve never met a pastor who said, “We don’t believe in discipleship around here.” That would just be ridiculous. The challenge for us pastors has been identifying how to do discipleship effectively. We want a process that multiplies disciples, by producing disciples who make disciples who make disciples. But we also want a process that produces mature disciples. We all want to avoid creating a church that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Numbers don’t always tell the whole story. 

The good news is that the answer to our problem is found in THE good news. The gospel lays out the path to effective disciple-making. It is a path that combines multiplication and maturity. 

I call this gospel-based paradigm of disciple-making the FISH Model. You can think of it as FISH and Go FISH. The premise is simple. There are four core foundations of the gospel. These four foundations are events that happen instantly at conversion and then become the foundation for a lifetime of growth and transformation. Each of the four foundations can be linked to baptism. 

1 – Freedom

First, we are buried with Christ in baptism as a sign that we have died with Christ. But why do we need to die with Christ? Why is this necessary? The simple answer is freedom. We die to be set free from what enslaves us. We die to sin (Romans 6:8), so we can live a life free from sin. We die to the Law (Romans 7:4) to be set free from the Law in order to live in the Spirit (7:6). We died to the elementary principles of this world (Colossians 2:20) to be set free from the snares of religious perfectionism. We have died to the flesh (Galatians 5:24) in order to be set free from bondage to the flesh. 

All of these changes happen in an instant. Just as slavery can be ended with a single legal act, so our slavery to what enslaves us happened when we died with Christ. However, as you likely know, freedom may be granted in a moment, but it takes a lifetime to learn how to live it out. We don’t instantly stop sinning. We don’t instantly stop living in the flesh. And we don’t instantly resist the temptation to rebuild the Law in our lives. Teaching people how to live in freedom is the role of discipleship. 

People who experience freedom from the evils that enslave them love to tell people what Christ has done for them. At Deeper Walk, we have seen thousands of people discover healing from traumatic events in their past who immediately become evangelists for how God has changed their lives. They love to tell others how Christ met them in their need and set them free. They want that same freedom for others. We have seen thousands of people released from demonic bondage and rediscover the joy of their salvation. They, too, long to see others experience the same freedom. When people lose the joy of their salvation, it is a safe bet that there is some area of bondage that has them stuck. Thus, a discipleship process that emphasizes helping people experience healing and freedom is essential to the multiplication process. 

2 – Identity 

The second foundation of discipleship linked to baptism is the idea that we are raised with Christ to a new life. The old is gone; the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Again, we have to ask, “Why are we raised with Christ? What is the purpose?” I would suggest there are two related purposes. 

(1) We are raised to eternal life. The old person who was destined for destruction dies, and a new person is raised in whom the Spirit of God lives as a pledge or guarantee of eternal life to come (Ephesians 1:13-14). 

(2) We are raised to a new identity. An integral part of our new identity is that we are sanctified so that we become a temple in which the Spirit of Christ is able to live. There is a lot of theology packed into that sentence, but it is crucial to understand. In the Old Testament, sacred space was defined as a plot of ground that had been set apart as God’s. It was a location where heaven intersected with earth. The temple was the ultimate sacred space and those who entered it had to go through rituals of purification to enter that space. In the New Testament, we become the sacred space in which God lives. We become the temple. 

At conversion, our identity changes in an instant. We are pardoned for our sin. We are adopted into God’s family. We become citizens of heaven. We are sanctified as a fit dwelling for God’s Spirit. That all happens once and for all as an act of God’s grace. But growing our capacity to live out our new identity requires discipleship. 

Christians who are unclear on who they are often lack joy. They often feel the pressure to perform in order to be accepted by God. Such Christians may evangelize, but they do it out of duty, shame, and fear. They are performing to avoid criticism and condemnation, and, eventually, performers burn out. On the other hand, Christians who are clear on their identity love to share with others how they too can have a firm foundation for life. 

When I have shared the gospel with people, I have often found that for many the light really comes on when they discover that becoming a Christian isn’t just about admitting they are sinners who are going to try to be good. The light comes on when they understand the completely new identity that will be theirs in Christ. It is a joyful thing to share with people that God wants to give them the highest status in the universe that is available to them. He wants to make them children of God.

3 – Spirit & Scripture

Baptism provides a beautiful picture of our death and resurrection with Christ. It also captures beautifully the idea of being born again. Our death and resurrection in Christ form the foundation of legal changes to our identity. They mark our entry into the New Covenant, which is a legal document that defines our relationship with God in Christ. However, conversion is more than just a legal transaction. We are not simply adopted. We are born again. As many have observed, the Greek word translated “again” in John 3:3 can also be translated “from above.” Thus, to be born again is to be born from above, which is described in John 3 as being born of the Spirit (3:5-6). The indwelling of the Spirit is so foundational to what it means to be a Christian that Paul can write, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9). 

Once again, the experience of being born of the Spirit is something that happens at conversion. But learning to walk in the Spirit requires discipleship. Not surprisingly, people who walk in the Spirit are far more likely to share their faith and live life on mission than those who live in bondage to the flesh. 

Walking in the Spirit combines two important elements: (1) experiencing a relationship with God by keeping in step with the Spirit, and (2) anchoring that relationship in God’s Word. Since the Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of Scripture, the study of God’s Word cannot be separated from the practice of living in the Spirit. In fact, when the Bible is separated from the Spirit, it can actually become a weapon that harms people. Who has not been “beaten up” emotionally by a narcissist justifying himself or herself with the Bible? The experience of suffering spiritual abuse at the hands of a leader in the name of the Bible is so common, the church is known as much for its abuses as for its charity. This sad reality prompted a friend to share his desire to write a book with the title, “Christian Roadkill: The Church’s Other Bus Ministry.” Clearly, the Bible itself is not the problem. It is the misuse of the Bible that creates such problems. This is all the more reason to keep Spirit and Scripture connected. 

4 – Heart-Focused Community 

Most pastors believe in relational discipleship. It is hard to argue with the fact that both Jesus and Paul were extremely focused on building relationships in their work of making disciples. Jesus invested in hundreds of disciples and especially in the twelve and in Peter, James, and John. Paul didn’t just make individual disciples—he started churches and established spiritual families. 

Just as every church I know considers itself a disciple-making church, every church I know believes it is committed to community. Most simply need to point to the number of people in their small groups. However, I think we all know that not all small groups are created equal. Some are highly engaging and transformative. Others are pretty shallow and may even feel like a waste of time. 

The goal of a heart-focused community is to start groups that have freedom, identity, Scripture, and Spirit woven into their DNA. Such groups are not shallow. They are also not boring. People enjoy being together. They work through their issues and navigate conflict. They focus on helping each other be the people God made them to be. 

Calling All Code-Breakers

The church does not need to go back to traditional discipleship with its primary focus on academics, behavior, and church activity. Nor does the church simply need discipleship that focuses on multiplication at the cost of maturity. The good news is that by focusing on growing maturity using the FISH model, you automatically get maturity and multiplication.