For everyone who has experienced a legalistic version of “discipleship,” but still believes Jesus is serious when he says “learn from me,” I think this talk may give hope. Dallas Willard shares deep insights about what it means to be a human and a disciple of Christ.
A few quotes: (My emphasises)
The world needs revolution. But what Jesus knew was that the only successful revolution will be through revolutions in the character of human beings.
If you like to go to heaven, go now! Don’t wait! Heaven is where God is.
Now, the option of not doing [spiritual formation] simply isn’t something we can accept.
Spiritual formation is not behavior modification. … Spiritual formation is something that involves where actions come from. The actions will take care of themselves when the sources of the action are right.
If you have spiritual formation of disciples into the lightness of the inner life of Christ, if that is your center, everything else will take care of itself.
Those who strive to be New Testament churches must seek to live its principles and absolutes, not reproduce the details.
Love is the outcome of spiritual formation.
Willpower will get you nowhere, if that’s all you have. The will has to be integrated with learning and training. … Not trying, but training.
The great Omission from the Great Commission is not having a plan to teach disciples in a way that they naturally obey.
If you want to keep the Ten Commandments, don’t try to keep the Ten Commandments. Try to become the kind of person who would keep them.
Why is it that this is not what we do? I think the answer is not intention. People don’t intent to not do this. I think the answer is distraction. We pay too much attention to things that don’t matter.
Everything you can accomplish with anger, you can accomplish much better without it.
You can’t make people do these things. You have to attract them to it. … It is training for people that have seen a vision, and now they really want to be different.
We are not trying to make people righteous. That is dealt with on the cross and resurrection. We are trying to make people whole.
You do want to remember that the most effective form of Outreach has always been transformed people. That has always been true, in every age.
Discipleship is for living out the Kingdom wherever you are in the world. And that is how we make disciples as we go.
