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Conversion without discipleship
(A 'chief danger' of the 21st
century)
This is gigantic.
We’re meant to make disciples, ideally multiplying
disciples. The
multiplication mandate (2 Timothy 2:2) depicts three
generations of discipleship in one verse (Paul discipling
Timothy is one ‘generation’; Timothy discipling reliable
people is a second; and reliable people discipling others is
the third)! It is
the means of winning the world for Jesus.
Converts who don’t get discipled cannot generate more
disciples efficiently.
The multiplication maxim – Salvos aim
at multiplying multiplying disciples multiplying multiplying
bases – should be our compass.
And that is implied in 2 Timothy 2:2 as Paul focusses
on one person – Timothy.
And then Timothy doesn’t just grow in his love and
knowledge and experience of God.
Timothy disciples reliable people.
Not just one person but maybe a handful.
He’s fruitful.
He multiplies.
Similarly (and not surprisingly, since Timothy is
replicating himself in them so they end up being like him in
many ways), the reliable people don’t just grow in their love
and knowledge and experience of God.
They disciple others.
And we can reasonably guess that the others carry on
the process as they aim at multiplying multiplying disciples…
And the second part of the
multiplication maxim is ‘multiplying multiplying bases’.
This doesn’t make any sense at initial reading, except
to note that these aren’t any disciples but are engaged in
significant activity.
And what’s this significant activity, multiplying
multiplying bases?
Here’s a simple formula: base = cells +
hubs.
You are likely familiar with all kinds
of cell groups, things like small group, life group, home
group, house church, pocket church, micro church, and more.
What they share in common, for our purposes, is this:
all cell groups are OPEN groups.
That is, we want more and more people to come to them
each week to encounter Jesus, the Kingdom, Christian
community, and so much more.
Infinitum hubs are, in contrast, CLOSED
groups (in that they consist of a set group membership,
typically of a couple or a few people) that provide the
context for discipleship, accountability, and spiritual
guidance (Infinitum is a rule of life focused on one vision –
Follow Jesus; two virtues – Loving God and Loving Others; and
three vows – Surrender, Generosity, and Mission[1]).
So, not only are our disciples
multiplying bases – these cell groups that are underpinned by
hubs – but they are multiplying, multiplying bases (bases that
don’t settle with blessing the handful of people participating
in them but aiming to replicate themselves again and again).
Salvo Perspective:
There are three types of spiritual units in The
Salvation Army: corps, outposts, and societies.
But outside of the Indian subcontinent and parts of
Africa, you’d be hard pressed to actually find a society
outside of the Year Book.
By definition, a society is a company of soldiers
working together in a neighbourhood without an officer.
Now, because the term ‘society’ has different
connotations in the western world than this, we’ve rebranded
societies as bases.
Did you catch that?
Now, ‘bases’, as official SA units, have these
advantages, among others:
·
they
streamline salvationism.
That is, everything that composes SA DNA can exist in a
base.
·
they
bypass bureaucracy.
According to the 1943 Orders and Regulations for
Divisional Commanders, societies / bases do not require
headquarters approval.
Why is that?
It’s mostly because bases don’t require vocational
Christian leadership, dedicated facilities, or operating
budgets.
·
they
replicate rapidly.
The conventional model for starting a new corps is quite an
exercise. It
normally involves deploying of vocational Christian leaders,
securing buildings (main hall and quarters and maybe a thrift
store), designating significant financial resources for many
years, and more.
But to start a base really only requires the cell group to hit
the maximum size in the model being used in a consistent way
and having another leader ready to go.
·
they
revitalize the revolution.
They feature the mobilization of the people – apostles,
prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers (shepherds
and teachers = disciplers!) – in real-life salvation
war-fighting.
So, let’s aim at multiplying
multiplying disciples multiplying multiplying bases.
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[1]
Infinitum is a Latin word that can be translated ‘boundless’.
For more information, visit infinitumlife.com and/or
download the Infinitum app.
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