Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!”
The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” (Acts 16:25-31)
Gospel Discipleship has been released.
How do I know? I know because a friend of mine sent me a picture of it with the Amazon packaging behind it. She placed an advance order, and it arrived today. March 27, 2020.
I don’t have a copy yet.
This is a most unusual book release. Normally in a book release, the publishing house gets some advance copies. Some of those copies go to the author, and some go to people selected to read the books and create some buzz about it. Or at least how it usually works with my publisher, Abingdon. Those copies have in fact been shipped to Abingdon. In Nashville. Which is in lockdown. No one except essential personnel are allowed to leave their houses. Apparently, book publishers are not considered essential personnel. Go figure.
A most unusual book release.
But then, this has been a most unusual book. It got its start in extraordinary ways. As I was studying the last words Jesus speaks in the Gospels, figuring those last words would tell us something important about discipleship, the Holy Spirit revealed to me, in the course of a one hour commute to work, this understanding – that each of the 4 Gospels had 4 distinct paths of discipleship that could be revealed through some key questions. I was shaking by the time I got to work, realizing that this revelation could be transformative for individuals and churches both. I felt it in my bones.
That revelation came on February 20, 2019. Two days before the called General Conference of the United Methodist Church.
I remember thinking, really praying, as I had that revelation, “God, this is really terrible timing.” But shortly after having that thought, I changed my mind. It was perfect timing. Exactly when things seem like they are coming apart, that is the time to redouble commitment and focus in on our discipleship. What then followed was an incredibly intense year of deep research and testing that took place right alongside the writing of the book. Oh, and I did have a regular full time job in there as well. And the revelations kept coming. More was learned every day. And while much of the leadership of my denomination was deep in the weeds of political maneuvering, I spent a year with churches watching them grasp discipleship in ways they never had. The energy for the work of following Jesus Christ was palpable, and profoundly centering. What a gift to these individuals and churches while chaos threatened all around us. The chaos could not grab hold as long as we stayed focused on the work of Christ.
So today, I was tempted again to pray, “God, this is really terrible timing.” Who releases a book in the midst of a quarantine? Me, apparently. But even as I had that thought, I changed my mind. This is perfect timing. We are in an age when we do not have to go to the store to get a book. In fact, those of us who are old enough can remember that Amazon started out as a bookseller, and expanded to other stuff later. Except for the books that are trapped in Nashville, people can get books. You can download one on your Kindle right now.
And now is another time when we all need to focus in on our discipleship. This is the perfect time to reflect on who we are as disciples, and to make a plan for how we respond as disciples, which is exactly what these books are meant to do. We know, even when we are released from quarantine, that there are months, maybe years of recovery work to do. There will be people who are out of work and hungry. There will be people who have lost loved ones and are in grief. There will be people who need to find meaning in the aftermath of so much disruption. Jesus is calling us into those places. Jesus needs us clear about our discipleship so that we can respond in the way he needs us, so that love and transformation and resurrection break out in the world.
Disciples of Jesus do not see situations like this quarantine as ones of hopelessness. Just as Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison and stayed put after an earthquake, we take these situations that look like captivity and find freedom in them. And then when we have freedom, we do not rush away from the places of need, but stay put and make sure to witness to God’s love in the rubble. We also recognize that times like this can be times of preparation, times that allow us to plan for the days ahead. We have been given just such an opportunity in this moment. If Gospel Discipleship can aid in that preparation, I am humbled to have been part of it.
I am grateful that God shows me hope in this most unusual of book releases. It is a release when so much is held captive. What a strange and beautiful sign of hope and freedom that comes from following Jesus Christ.
We can’t have a face-to-face launch party, so we are going to have a month long virtual one. Join us in the Gospel Discipleship Virtual Release Party group by clicking here!
Note: You can purchase Gospel Discipleship through most major booksellers, including Cokesbury.com, which also has the 6 videos for group study. There is a Participant Guide, which explains the 4 types, and a Congregation Guide, which helps us understand how the types all work together. You can also take the Gospel Discipleship assessment to learn your type at www.ministrymatters.com/gospeldiscipleship.