By Liana Flanagan
Generations in Disciplemaking – Discipling with a Vision
We planted a lemon tree in our back garden. Lemon trees are commonplace in New Zealand, but in Vancouver, a lemon tree is a rarity, and lemons themselves only ever come from our neighbours south of the border.
Despite similar temperatures between Vancouver and the South Island, Canadians seem unaware that they can grow lemons in their own gardens. We didn’t plant our lemon tree for decoration. After all the effort it has taken to plant, feed, and water the tree, we hope that it will one day produce fruit.
I’ve been thinking lately about how Jesus’ vision for spiritual generations was embedded in his invitation to follow him. “Come, follow me… and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). He was clear and upfront about what he was inviting his disciples into, and he invested the most in the people who would be able to take his message to others.
How often in our disciplemaking do we grow a fruit tree without expecting fruit—simply because we lack the vision and faith to see it become reality? We’re like people who have lemon trees but no real expectation of lemons.
Do we tend fruit trees envisioning the fruit they’ll bear—fruit that reveals what kind of food we give them and how we care for and prune them? And just like a lemon tree producing lemons, does our vision for generational disciplemaking guide us as we walk alongside and invest in people? If we don’t have a sustaining vision for new generations, our disciplemaking won’t result in multiplying disciples.
As I look back on my journey of discipling people, I was often satisfied with just having some people interested in being discipled. And I allowed my vision to be diminished to growing disciples (the trees) rather than focusing on helping a few catch a vision for how God could use them to produce spiritual generations (the fruit). A compelling vision not only helps us make spiritual generations by informing how we invest, but it also provides the basis for inviting others to make disciples. I couldn’t pass on a vision that I didn’t possess myself.
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). As we invest in people, let’s ask and trust God to give us the vision and faith to grow not just trees, but trees that bear fruit.