The Heart of the BSM
A disciple of Christ reveals and reflects God by living a word-centered, prayer-centered, spirit-led, transformed, compassionate, missional life in community.UH BSM Definition of a Disciple
Two Ministries of the Disciple
- Revealing Christ– ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:12-21)
- Reflecting Christ- ministry of transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18-4:10)
The idea is that overall we are simply revealing (speaking about Him) and reflecting (glorifying Him) God and the following two groups of elements are things that make these two ministries happen. Ultimately a disciple will always do these two ministries and in this day and age we know these six elements that follow are ways these ministries happen. Using the spiritual disciplines we are doing what is necessary to reflect Him, and then when we start mirroring God’s heart we begin to reveal His heart.
Spiritual Disciplines
- Word-Centered (Psalm 119)
- Prayer-Centered (Matthew 6:6-11)
- Spirit-Led (Galatians 3:3)
The disciplines needed for us to more clearly and accurately hear from the Lord. There are other disciplines, but these must be a part of our life as believers and a lot of the other disciplines fit into these three (i.e. fasting and prayer, meditation and the word). The idea is not simply how-to-do these things, but how to use these tools to more clearly hear from the Lord. In other words, the tools themselves are not the end game but hearing from the Lord toward the next three items being in our life.
Living the Life
- Transformed (Romans 12:2)
- Compassionate (Mark 1:41)
- Missional (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
When we hear from the Lord our hearts begin to mirror the Lord’s heart. We have been invited to His table and now we begin living as the Lord lives. That means our lives are transformed from living to this world to living as part of God’s kingdom. That means it is a life lived missionally and compassionately just like we see recorded of Jesus in the gospels. Of course there are other marks of a disciple of Christ but they can also fit within these three (i.e. spiritual-gifts plays a role in all three, morality within transformation).
One More Thing
- Community (Acts 2:42-50)
All of these things are best incubated and lived within the context of community. We were made to live among people and “do” life with others. The first church immediately began meeting with one another in houses for encouragement, teaching, the disciplines, and disciple living. They needed one another and we do too today. It is not good for man to be alone and not just romantically. When we are operating in community we are able to bounce ideas, have accountability, and a crowd of believers.