When I was growing up one of my father’s most frequent phrases was, “You want to go with me?” He might have been going to the hardware store, the post office, or to visit the nursing home, but almost anytime he left the house, if I wasn’t already occupied, he asked me, “You want to go with me?” Usually I did.
I loved going anywhere with my dad when I was small. Every trip was an adventure. Dads shop faster than moms and never go to Cloth World. (I could be persuaded that Hell is really just a giant room filled with bolts of cloth and pattern books). When I went somewhere with my dad, I had to trot because he walked so fast. He was always busy, but he wanted me to be with him. As I got older I didn’t always want to go on all those trips. When he would say, “You want to go with me?”’ I would say, “That’s okay.” He’d reply, “Come anyway.” So I did. I spent a lot of time with my father watching him do adult things. I watched him live his life, and we spent much time talking about all sorts of things, things that mattered and things that didn’t. I probably learned more about life and faith in the car on a trip to Poynor’s Home & Auto than anywhere else.
Now, I look back on those times as precious moments. It is no wonder that I became a minister like my father. I am thankful that I got to spend time with both of my parents. Mom was at home for me, and Dad took me with him where he went. I was persuaded to adopt their way of life because I spent time with them and knew them. Their lives, not just their words, shaped me. I observed. I learned. I followed.
We often think that learning is a matter of acquiring
information—even in the church. While this has its place, we often fail to
understand that the best learning comes through informal conversation and
observation—by modeling. The Bible not only needs to be heard, it needs to be
overheard as we hear it speaking in other Christians’ lives. That is why
fellowship is so important to discipleship. Jesus selected twelve disciples
that they might “be with him” (Mark
Discipling requires learning by observation and modeling. We must be with Jesus, not only in the Bible, but also in his living Body, the church. We learn to be like him by modeling ourselves on the Christ-like features we see lived out by others in the church. That is why simple fellowship opportunities like church meals, retreats, or ski trips can be so formative. They give us opportunities to be with each other and with Christ who lives in other Christians.
In the Christian journey, fellowship plays a critical role. We cannot be discipled unless we are together. The church is Jesus’ way of saying to all of us, “You want to go with me?”