Yesterday we looked at a simple but important concept: growth over time. Growth takes time, but growth does occur over time. We need not stay at the same level of development forever. This blog is a follow-up: growth where? General growth or specific growth? Group growth or individual growth?

My friend Ray Bandi reminded me of this provocative paragraph from Ron Bennett’s Intentional Disciplemaking: Cultivating Spiritual Maturity in the Local Church (strongly recommend!):

There are many areas in the family of God that allow for blending and being interdependent, but discipleship is not one of them. We can learn in groups, we can serve in teams, we can worship as a family, but we can only be disciples individually. A ministry that seeks to make disciples must support the personal responsibility and accountability required in developing individual discipleship. It can use a variety of methods, but it must always bring discipleship to the personal level of each individual. – Ron Bennett, Intentional Disciplemaking, emphasis mine

“We can only be disciples individually.” An orchestra might make beautiful music together but only if each member masters his or her instrument. The Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship as a team, but each member had to train individually. No one can go to the weight room for you. Nikola Jokic came to this country in 2015 overweight and undisciplined. A 2021 article in the Denver Post describes Jokic’s relationship with the Nuggets’ head strength-and-conditioning coach and includes this paragraph:

Jokic’s unbending discipline has fueled his rise, from late second-round pick to three-time All-Star and, this season, to MVP candidate. It took years of dedication in the weight room, commitment to recovery and adherence to a strict diet to get to this point.

We circle back to 1 Corinthians:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (1 Corinthians 9.25, NIV, emphasis mine)

Train yourself for godliness (1 Timothy 4.7, ESV)