Bonhoeffer...

I don't know how or why, but somehow I made it through 37 years of life and 18 years in ministry before learning anything about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. My ignorance about this man was finally corrected by a good friend this summer when he gave me biography entitled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. What an amazing story and life!

Without giving a review or summary of the book itself, I just simply want to reflect upon how the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has inspired me to try and become a faithful and true disciple of Jesus.

It is interesting to me that so many people think of themselves as disciples of Jesus. To be a true disciple, one must commit his or her life to following in the footsteps of the teacher. It requires intense discipline, complete commitment, and a passionate desire to become as much like the teacher as possible. To be like the teacher, one must spend every minute possible with the teacher. To be a disciple of the teacher, one must fully submit themselves to being obedient to the teacher's commands.

This description of a disciple leads me to a big question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" (Sorry, but I had to ask it)

From what I can tell from history and the biography on Bonhoeffer, it looks like this guy was the real deal. His commitment to scripture and to being a disciple of Jesus is humbling and amazing. In the face of intense persecution, Dietrich Bonhoeffer not only passed the test - he proved that a true disciple of Jesus can have an amazing impact on the world.

It is easy to get the idea that there are two types of Christians in the world:
- The first type is the normal, everyday people who believe and follow the plan. They are moral, they go to church, they give, they read their Bibles and pray, and Christianity is a significant part of who they are.
- The second type is that rare individual who we might think of as a SuperChristian. They basically fit the definition of a true disciple I described earlier.

However, I'm starting to realize that there is only one type of Christian - a disciple of Jesus. The difference is in how far down the road each of us are in our personal relationship with Him.

Sadly, many people never get deep enough into God's Word to see what Jesus really meant when He said, "Come, follow me". Jesus didn't mean, "follow me to church" or "follow me to a good and moral life". Jesus was calling people to become true disciples and to follow Him with complete submission to Him, abandoning their own way of life.

Don't misunderstand my words here. I am NOT saying that you have to be the "SuperChristian" to be saved. We cannot save ourselves through our commitment to God and our goodness - otherwise we would not have even needed a Savior. What I AM saying is that a person who decides to follow Christ and accept His salvation will come to understand that there is nothing else in life more important than being a true disciple of Jesus.

I look at the life of a man like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and I realize that he was a true disciple of Christ. I am way short of Bonhoeffer's standard in my own life, but his example makes me want to become the disciple Jesus has called me to be.

In my opinion, the answer to the earlier question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" is a resounding NO! Either I want to follow Him, or I want to keep doing life on my own terms. I can't have it both ways. Thank you, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for displaying this in your life. Now, I have some following to do!!!