In 1804 Lewis and Clark with about four dozen men set out from St. Louis for the west coast of the expanding America. Commissioned by President Jefferson they were tasked with the mission to explore and discover an economical means of travel through the recently acquired Louisiana Purchase. Secondary purposes included mapping the territory, extending American influence, and making scientific discoveries.
Accomplishing their mission, the party returned to St Louis in 1806. Along the way they made friends (and enemies), “took pictures”, collected samples, and explored the amazing beauty of deserts, mountains, and rivers. But upon returning the men took up life basically where they had left off….other than having some great memories and a bigger scrapbook, life was the same.
Several decades later another group of men and women also left St. Louis for the west coast. Commonly called pioneers, these people had a different mission. They sold all they had, left the comforts of 1840s modernity, and headed west for a new life. With the transcontinental railroad still a couple of decades away, they had no plans for returning to their old life. It was a one-way ticket through the unknown to realize a dream. A dream created by both fact and fiction motivated people to risk all they had and to invest in this epic adventure. Those that made the arduous journey were never the same.
The Lewis party made a trip (a vacation with excitement). But for those early pioneers, it was more than a trip, it was a quest. The 1678 classic Christian allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan (not related to Paul), tells of another adventure that was a quest rather than a trip. The story follows Christian, the main character, along his journey to the Celestial City. Along the way he encountered various adventures that change him forever and prepared him for his final destination.
The adventure of discipleship is a quest, a journey of no return. Along the way we will face multiple challenges, gaze at amazing vistas, and encounter unexpected opportunities …and we’ll never be the same. We are not coming back to where we started. It is an adventure of unexpected discovery, primarily of the One who placed the vertical heavenly tug on our hearts (Ecc. 3:11).
Authentic discipleship is not a course we take or a scrapbook we make. It is not something we complete and move on to the next challenge. The great Rabbi, Yahshua, has invited us to leave the comforts of the familiar, sell all we have, buy a Conestoga wagon, band together with a group of fellow pioneers, and head west. With our confidence in Christ as our guide, we need never look back. Along the way we will likely realize that we have taken too much luggage. Much that we initially thought essential will be abandoned. Its stuff that no longer fits who we are and where we are going. And we won’t miss it.
The invitation Jesus made to those initial fishermen along the Sea of Galilee still stands. “Follow Me” is an ongoing invitation to every generation to join the quest (Matt. 4:19)
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus….I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12, 14).
Reflection:
- In what other ways does thinking of discipleship as a quest change your mental picture?
- What are the implications of seeing discipleship with a “trip” mentality?
This is the first I knew your new blog was up and running. Great analogy.
Ron,
I think you are right when you say “Authentic discipleship is not a course we take or a scrapbook we make. It is not something we complete and move on to the next challenge.” it is truly a journey from which we never return. We become changed forever, and that changing seems to occur until we die (Phil 1:6).
The depth of this change may be enhanced by good disciplers God brings into our lives a long the way and how teachable we are when our lives begin to change (Rom. 8:28-29)