parable_shell

Temple:
Pretty.
(Clean, Sterile, Nice)

Discipleship system:
Not pretty.
(Messy, Bloody, Human, Alive)

Pretty. Not as pretty.

Mat 16:24 Then Jesus told
his disciples, "If any man would
come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross
and follow me. 25 For whoever
would save his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for
my sake will find it. 26 For what
will it profit a man, if he gains the
whole world and forfeits his life?
Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

Mat 10:24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a
servant above his master; 25 it is enough
for the disciple to be like his teacher,
and the servant like his master.

1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and
individually members of it.

Mark 13:1 And as he came out of
the temple, one of his disciples said
to him, "Look, Teacher, what
wonderful stones and what wonderful
buildings!" 2 And Jesus said to him,
"Do you see these great buildings?
There will not be left here one stone
upon another, that will not be thrown
down."

John 2:19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said,
"It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will
you raise it up in three days?"
21 But he spoke of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he had said this; and they
believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had
spoken.

The church with an institutional worldview fails to
thrive because it is more focused on rebuilding the
temple, an unchanging institution, than on providing
the spiritual nurture necessary to make disciples who
make disciples who make disciples.

This nurture requires personal sacrifice. The
transition to spiritual nurturing involves moving from
an exciting but shallow ministry with many people to
calm, deeply nurturing relationships with just a few
people who have names.

These people who have names are called disciples.

Jesus indicated in John 2:19-22 his intention to
replace the temple, an institution, with the body of
Christ, a relational disciple-making network.
The potential threat to the institutional temple is the
motivation for his execution.

--- Seminar One, www.disciplewalk.com/resources

Places to go ... things to do!