Experiential Discipleship as we Encounter God in the City

Many times we equate discipleship and spiritual growth with the study of books and being involved in deep thought over abstract concepts. But in many ways, growing closer to Christ involves just living our lives and being open interpreting the different things that occur in everyday life. Wherever we are, we are constantly being molded and changed as we experience different things. However, when we commit ourselves to go to places that are in desperate need of the hope of Christ, not only are others changed, we are changed as well.

This is one of the prominent themes of the book I just finished, Encounter God in the City by Randy White. White is a prominent staff member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, as well as a committed community activist in Fresno, California. After intentionally living in and visting needy commuinties all over the world, White has gained a deep and clear vision of God's love and passion for the people of urban areas. As White retells his many experiences of living in urban communities, he demonstates the how God has broken, molded, and shaped his view of those living in the city. As a result, he was not changed in respect to discipleship, but was also able to be used as an instrument of God's grace.

Throughout the book White talks about the idea of experiential discipleship. In other words, the idea that God changes and conforms us into the image of Christ not only through study of scripture, but also through our everyday experiences. By living in places outside our comfort zones and in places that challenge the way we think and the way we experience "normal" life to be, that is when God truly begins to change us. It is when we go to places with no shred of hope when we see the hope of Christ begin to emerge. It is when we got uncertain places when we realize that the Gospel is the only thing we can be certain of.

This really made me think about my own life and what that means for me as I approach graduation and the thought of moving into a very dark and uncertain part of my life. Do I want to settle, go to a place that is comfortable, and live in security, or live a life that is hard and uncertain, in a place frought with hardship and pain, a place where God is already working and where He needs workers to go. I truly believe that if I am willing to respond to God's guidance and go to places of darkness, I will not only be able to be an instrument of God, but that I will be shaped and formed like I never thought I could be.