Digital Disciple
Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. 1 Timothy 4:15-16
There comes a moment where a potential disciple of Jesus makes a decision to engage. They may be just “testing the waters” so to speak. They have decided to immerse themselves. They want more than anything to mature. They long to be taught. They want to experience salvation.
In the digital world, we can see this happen in real time or near real time. Unfortunately for many ministries, this is seen in a linear and transactional way. Please be aware that to your connected disciple, this is not a transaction. This is not about coming to church once a week. In being intentional about our design leads to a journey, we can get ahead of the experience to make sure this first encounter leads to a continued journey.
If the first experience was “Okay”, you may get a second shot. If the second experience is exactly the same as the first, you have lost the battle. This is why it is urgent that the design of the first experience to be stunning and that that experience continues consistently across the many mission opportunities to true discipleship.
It is important to note that your competition is not other ministries. Your competition for time to be a disciple of Jesus may be the blockbuster movie that just came out on Netflix. Your competition for the $50 donation may be the great sushi meal on Friday night or the book from Amazon. How does your digital experience compare to Netflix or Amazon or Foursquare or Facebook? That experience is your competition. It is urgent that we rethink the design (or lack of design) of the experiences our disciples have. Jesus paid attention to this. He intentionally created experiences for His disciples. Adding digital experiences to the mix expands the reach of His good news and the seriousness of the maturity of the disciple.
Now is the time. Today is the day.
Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts 