Whose responsible for discipleship?

So discipleship.... Who's responsible? Who is accountable? Who needs to make sure discipleship gets done?

After a bit of reading today, one thing was impressed on my mind. Discipleship or the lack of it is a big problem. It seems the moral fabric of society is breaking down and people don't even notice. C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity writes that people know right from wrong. They may argue about it but they know, even when they argue the other direction. Something deep inside informs them that sin is sin, whether they admit to it or not.

Discipleship forms our character into Christ-likeness and would seem to be, by my reading and experience, a mix of God imparting directly, us making an effort to learn and a direct effort to control ourselves, us practicing disciplines to strenthen us in areas where our direct efforts fail, and a healthy dose of the Lord's grace.

In our society, we have tasked the 'corporation' (schools, churches, government, etc) with the task of teaching us and our families. I am not sure why we gave up the power over what our children are taught. In the case of discipleship, we expect the 'church' to provide discipleship and be responsible for growing us in our faith. We, as people, have avoided this responsibility long enough. Discipleship is up to us. Yes, churches can provide the opportunities and arrange places for discipleship to happen. The responsibility to take advantage of the opportunity is our own.

Not only that, but we are personally responsible to disciple others too. We are accountable to God not just to grow ourselves but to grow others. This is not just for the professional full-time minister. We all need to ask ourselves,

1. Are we growing ourselves spiritually?
2. Who else are we growing spiritually?
3. What's the plan for both?

Blessings -

Mark