Discipleship - Part 7

Introduction

Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)
 
We now reach the penultimate post in our series on Christian discipleship. We are using David Watson's book Discipleship as our starting off point and guide for our thoughts on this subject. Today we reach the tenth chapter of Watson's book which deals with the kind of lifestyle a Christian disciple is called to follow. Watson calls this the simple lifestyle.

Simple Lifestyle

Watson begins the chapter by highlighting the shocking inequalities that exist between the rich and the poor in our world. It is difficult for people who live in Western Europe or North America to really grasp how well-off the vast majority of us are. Even the poor in our societies are comparatively rich compared to billions of people who live in truly abject poverty in Africa, Asia and South America. Watson's point is that if Christians and the church appear to line up on the side of the rich, it is difficult for the poor to take us seriously. This leads him to question how we live and encourage us to live much more simply in our lifestyle. Watson wrote this in the early 1980s, just before environmental concerns became a major political and lifestyle issue. But if anything the need to life sustainably and simply has only increased in the 30 years since Watson wrote his book.

It is crucial that we get our relationship with material possessions and money right. So much of the Bible and Jesus' teaching in particular focuses on this that it cannot be ignored by any Christian seeking to be faithful to his or her Lord. While Watson balances what he says by pointing out that neither poverty nor riches are to become idols for us, and that Jesus does not call his followers to a life of poverty as such, he does call us to a life of simple living.

What does a simple lifestyle look like? Well first and foremost, it is a life based on faith in God. It means we trust God to provide for us as we follow and obey his commandments. This is not a "let go and let God" mentality. We cannot abandon earning a living and "trust" that God will provide! No, God usually provides by giving us a job to earn money! (Of course, not everyone can work, and this is a separate discussion.) Second, a simple life is a life of integrity. This means we live honestly, that we are trustworthy in business, transparent in our lifestyle, and so on. Third, we are called to identify with the poor and those in need. We need compassion and dedication to keep an eye on our spending habits and be challenged to help others as much as we can. Fourth, our life will be characterised as one of love, that is agape love that is focused on the well-being of others.

These four elements: faith, integrity, identification with the poor, and love, are like tools that we need to shape and mould our lives into how Christ would want them to be. They are tools to make us more Christlike. The raw materials the tools work on are our time, our talents, our possessions and our money. The result will be a simple life that satisfies us far more than gaining the whole world of material possessions, that is a better witness to others, and a life of obedience that pleases God for it seeks first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Next time, we reach the end of this series by looking at the cost of discipleship and the encouragement we have in Christ to keep going as disciples.