Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Practitioners podcast where we're applying Jesus style disciple making to everyday life. This episode and all of our episodes are powered by navigators church ministries. For more information or to get connected go to navigatorschurchministries.org. Hello friends.
Today on the podcast part three of the bicycle. If you've been following along the last two episodes have been all about the bicycle and this Justin how would you phrase what the bicycle illustrates? Yeah. So the bicycle illustrates how to make disciples. Right.
What's really important how to do it. And kind of as we started right. We looked at some of those Barna statistics and what Barna discovered what those statistics showed is that people that don't make disciples don't make them because they don't feel like they know how. And so the bicycle illustration itself is my best effort to communicate how. Here's how it happens here.
Here's how you do it. Here's what's important at a principal level not a level of like okay do x and then Y and then z and do that with everybody. It's not like that. It's more at a principle level. How do you do it?
Yeah. And what's interesting about this is that if you've already gone and you've downloaded the PDF from Justin's website the link is in the show notes. If you've already done the work of listening to these podcast episodes then guess what? You are now officially in the category of people that can say that can't say any longer. They don't know how.
We've we've illustrated the how at a very principal level right. We've we've gotten really clear about what it means. And we understand that sometimes you may not still feel very confident like we're not talking about your feelings but what we are talking about is that at a principled level you now know how to do it. If you listen the last two episodes you download the PDF you understand the how. So Justin what happens?
Kind of beyond the illustration. Yeah so beyond the illustration right. If you're listening to this and you're like yeah I started out and I didn't feel equipped didn't feel qualified. And Justin Tony I've listened to these two episodes and I understand it but I still don't feel equipped or qualified that is not surprising. Okay so here's the thing right?
When we say disciple making is just like riding a bike we mean that it actually is. And no one can learn to ride a bike by reading a book or listening to podcasts what you have to do to learn to ride a bike is you have to get on the bike and you have to start. And so that is kind of one of the points of the bicycle illustration. And this piece that I put out into the world is that oftentimes we believe that in order to become a disciple maker I need to read all the books I need to go to all the workshops go to the conferences learn all the things and you can do all that and there's always another book to read about it. But the reality is that is not going to turn you into a disciple maker just like doing all those things around.
Riding a bike is not going to turn you into someone that can ride a bike. And so I have taught all four of my kids how to ride bikes. My oldest 14 right now. My youngest is seven. And here's what I've learned through that is that when I'm about to teach one of them to ride a bike there's something in the way between them knowing how to ride it them getting on and getting to that place where they can do it.
And the thing that's in the way is the same thing that's actually in the way for most people when they think about disciple making. And that thing that's in the way is fear. Now my kids it was hey I don't want I mean a couple of them told me I don't want to learn to ride. I'm not I don't want to do it. And they didn't have a choice right?
Because I felt like it's part of my job as a parent to teach them how to ride a bike. Like that's you got to do it. And so we would go out and I would talk to them hey what are you afraid of? And of course what they were afraid of is they're afraid of falling. But it's not the falling they're afraid of it's the pain that would result from the falling.
And so early on as we had this conversation I would look them in the eye and I say well listen you have a dad guarantee that you will not fall. Now dad guarantees are something that I give out very infrequently but it's never failed in my family. If I guarantee something then they can trust it fully because it's always worked for them. And so I say okay dad guarantee it's never going to fall. And then I hold the back of the seat and I have another hand on the handlebar and I say to them go ahead and try.
Now we're not moving yet. I say try to fall. And so they lean a little bit and then they lean a little further. And of course they can't do it right because I'm hanging on so tightly. I say you don't need to fear falling because I'm not going to let you fall.
It's a dag guarantee. And so then we take off and start going. And they're wobbly of course. And at first they're still a little fearful as we start moving. But once they realize that hey I can try to learn this and I'm not going to fall it gets a lot easier for them to learn it.
Now with disciple making it similar there's this fear of I'm going to fail. And the failing is not so much what's feared what that's going to feel like. And so for a lot of would be disciple makers the fear of failing looks like somebody's going to ask me a question I don't know. Or somebody's going to look into my life and see that I don't have everything together and not want me to be around or not want to learn from me or someone is going to see that or believe rather that hey I think I can help you which means I must be ahead of you and so I'm better than you or something. Now these are all fears that I hear about over and over and over again.
And some of them I used to have myself. But we have to face the fear of whatever it is in front of us. In this case it's the fear of disciple making failure in order to become a disciple maker. But here's the thing and Tony you've heard me talk about this before is that it's not just one sided fear. It's what I call two face fear.
And in bike riding the two faced fear is not just a fear of failing it's a fear of succeeding. And really what we should say it's a fear of partial success. And the fear of partial success with riding a bike is okay I'm going to be able to not fall from wobbling from one side to another. But then I have another problem. And the other problem is I don't know how to stop this thing.
And if I don't know how to stop this thing then guess what? I'm going to be in the same place. I'm going to end up falling and hurting myself as I hit the ground because I don't know how to stop. And in disciple making there's also another fear that's a fear of partial success which is okay maybe it won't be as bad as I think at first but if this goes well then people are going to see more and more of me and the possibility of them rejecting me or seeing that I'm not as much like Jesus as I should be gets higher. And the other fear is the more time I have with someone the more they're going to see I really don't know what I'm doing in this thing.
And then I'm going to show up or they're going to show up and we're just not going to go anywhere and it's going to be really awkward and weird. Now back to the dad guarantee. So there's two phases of that with my kids and riding a bike. The first phase is what I just told you. The second phase is once they realize and once they get enough balance that I can begin to let go of the seat and let go of the handlebar.
Before I do that we stop and I have a conversation and I say hey you're doing so good so good right now. But here's the thing. Now you're ready for me to let go. And so I cannot guarantee you that you won't fall anymore. You might fall.
Now. At this point when I'm doing this with my kids this is a really scary time because they realize that potential is there now but that I have confidence that they can do it. But then I say to them but you have a new guarantee now. And the new guarantee is that if you fall I will be right there. As soon as you fall I'll be right there to pick you up and to help you.
And so they go and they need that courage to face that second side the second face of the fear of hey I can do this. And if it goes wrong my dad is right there to help me. Now in disciple making we have similar fears. And the thing that I realized upon reflecting on this is that I think God gives us similar dad guarantee. If you look at the great commission the great commission of course.
Matthew 20 818 20. And it begins with Jesus saying all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples. And we can take that in a couple ways right? We can take it as hey Jesus is saying hey I'm the boss and you better do what I say or else because all that authority is right here.
But I don't I don't think that's the heart that Jesus says that with. I think the heart that he says it with is hey all authority has been given to me. Therefore go. Right go. You can do this.
If anyone can get in your way I will remove that obstacle from you. There is nothing that's more powerful than what I'm asking you to do right now. And you have all that authority with you as you go to do this. But then if you move towards the end of the verse the very last phrase Jesus says and I will be with you always to the very end of the age. And so that's that second part right if things go bad because I can't guarantee Tony can't guarantee that it's going to be just as you picture it you know the ideal disciple making relationship it might not be but Jesus promises that he'll be with you through it.
And so I think we have the same dad guarantee for disciple making and we have to be willing to get on the bike if we're going to become disciple makers. Because all that stuff we've told you in the last two episodes is helpful but none of it is helpful or meaningful for anything if you never decide to get into a disciple making relationship. And to start I'll never forget the first time that I read the bicycle illustration. And one of the things that really struck me was this idea about the dad guarantee. And partially because I'm a dad right?
So like I resonate with that at a deeply personal level and my desire to help my kids be protected and feel safe and also the knowledge that that's not always going to be the case that there are going to be moments that I can't keep them safe. And so I love that parallel as it pertains to disciple making. And I think it's so important to know that there are some times and I think we see this in Jesus's ministry there are sometimes where Jesus keeps them close and there are other times where Jesus sends them out. You know and I was just reading from Luke today where Jesus sends out the 72 and that's like that moment of like hey I can't protect you while you're out there but when you hurt yourself or when someone tries to hurt you shake the dust off your feet and move on to the next town. So I love the way that you kind of interwove that with the idea of beyond the how that this is the what this is the doing it part of it and it becomes so real.
Yeah yeah. And here's why this is so important right? Because the reality is if you've never made a disciple if you've never discipled anyone in an intentional relational way. Chances are you're not going to feel ready. Chances are you're not going to feel equipped.
Chances are there's going to be fear that you have to face down and move through with Jesus by your side into this calling of making disciples. It wasn't long ago that I was in a room of 150 people and we were at tables of ten roundtables of ten. And one of the assignments was that we would go around and share about our first disciple making experience. And all of us were experienced disciple makers in the room. And as our table shared one of the things that we noticed after everybody had gone is that the first time we discipled anyone all of us were really afraid.
None of us felt like we were ready. And yet there was some circstances or just an inner sense that God is calling me to do this and if I'm going to be obedient to him then I have to do it. And we were willing to step into that. And that's why I think this tool this resource these episodes that we're doing around the bicycle is so important because this whole podcast is about trying to help you get to a place where you see the calling that God has placed on your life to be a disciple and to make disciple makers and you're willing to continue to take those next steps to become a disciple maker. And in our culture we're so distracted sometimes by learning and by all the resources and content and education that's out there that we'd never stop and think well am I ready now?
And the answer that's almost always going to be no if we're looking at our feelings that are impacted by our fear. And so one of my favorite verses and it's one of the verses that I end the book with is two Peter one three. And it says his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who calls us by his own glory and goodness. And so that verse tells us that God has given us everything we need to follow him. And so when that fear starts to get in into our mind and bring up thoughts well you're not ready you can't you don't have what you need.
Yet that verse has been so helpful in my life and in others lives to counteract that and say well that's just not true. God says that I have everything I need. And so at some point I have to believe that and begin to step out in faith and get on the bike and just try and the reality is that for those of you listening some of you will get on the bike and just try and you'll never fall to a place where it hurts. You might fall like with my kids someone would fall. They fall in the grass.
It's unsettling but they're not hurt by it. Others unfortunately did fall on the concrete and got scraped up. And some of you might experience that but God is with you. And every person every child of mine that learned to ride a bike is so thankful that they learned it and they would not go back. And every disciple that I've helped become a disciple maker the same thing is true.
They would not go back because there's so much that we can grow and benefit from and experience being at the center of God's plan for us and being used in the kingdom through disciple making. And so my hope and prayer is that you guys will be willing to take that next step into disciple making so that you can become a disciple maker. Yeah. One of the fascinating parts about this is that when you get the freedom that comes with riding a bike when you get the experience the fullness that comes with that process of being out there and knowing how it all works and what it all looks like you don't ever want to go back to being trapped. And I actually think that it parallels so beautifully what we feel and experience when we're making disciples when we see that life transformation.
People always ask me like Tony why are you so into disciple making? And the answer is is really a part of my core value is that I want to see lives changed and people be moved closer to Jesus like transformation emotionally physically spiritually. You know all of that goes with disciple making. Everything changes when we get into those intentional relationships. If you you never get the freedom of riding the bike unless you're willing to actually ride the bike.
And that exact same transformation only happens when we step out boldly and make disciples who can make disciples the way that Jesus did. Yeah amen to that. And as we do that you know it it's so real because we're in those relationships right? And if we're willing to be real with those people that we're discipling if we're willing to share with them hey this is my first time. I need you to help me.
I need you to just know that I'm learning as I go here too that sometime down the road when you look at them and ask them to start making disciples they're going to remember that and that's going to help them with the fear that they're facing and they're going to think well yeah I guess that person they had to start somewhere too. And they started with me. And so I can start with somebody even with these feelings of unsettledness these feelings of fear these feelings of not being ready. And so again our hope is that this will be of some help to you where you are. And our takeaway for our episode today is this is that you have what you need to make disciples right now.
You have what you need to make disciples right now. And I think we've done an episode in the past I don't remember which one on and I'll try to put in the show notes after. But on how do you know if you're ready to make a disciple right? If you're already following Jesus and walking with him then you have enough to start. You have enough to start.
Tony how about our action step? The action step is that it's time to face the fear get on the disciple making bike and become a disciple maker. I absolutely love it. And I love you. I love your willingness to lean into this and have this conversation with us.
You know Justin and I believe in this. It's changed our lives. We've seen it change churches and we know it can change you too. So don't wait. Don't make another excuse.
Text somebody today and invite them out to coffee. Get started. Talk to your pastor. Tell him or her that you're ready to start making disciples. Now is the time.
You know what you need to know. Go be bold in the faith. As always friends we're so thankful for you for the opportunity to connect. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and download the PDF. The links in the show notes.
We're super thankful for you and we look forward to connecting real soon.