Dead American

Unfortunately, we don’t have a complete picture of what discipleship should look like in our modern age of program oriented Christianity. We have replaced what should be organic and relational with organization and bureacracy.

Discipleship in the Kingdom goes both ways. While one person might be more mature, he learns just as much in the process as the one being taught. It is natural. When we truly give of ourselves so that others can have life, we get more life than we could ever give up. The fathers and mothers in the faith, by necessity, also need to grow up to be what they need to be. It is a growing experience for all.

This is more evident in the 2nd Karate Kid movie, where the conflict is really Miyagi’s and Daniel is the support system for his master. While Miyagi is still the teacher, he needs comfort and support from his student, and must learn to receive it.

I can’t express well enough the need for these kinds of relationships in the Body of Christ. Not more classes or programs, but community and giving and relationship, vulnerability that deals with real issues and changes EVERYONE, not just the young and supposedly immature. When you stop learning, you stop growing, and when you stop growing, you’re .

I owe much of my Christianity to a man who understood these things. Oh, he had his faults, but he taught not just doctrine or theology but life, wisdom, practicality. He made himself vulnerable, asked forgiveness, and proved to be more mature and wise than any other man or woman who had discipled me up to that point, and I had some good ones growing up, too. And when I flew back from Korea to attend his memorial since he passed from this life to the next, few that knew me in Korea had an inkling as to why my “pastor’s” should affect me so deeply.

He was my Miyagi. He was my friend. And he thought I was pretty OK too. I feel his loss still, and probably always will, but I understand even more the blessing he was to me. That is what I wish for others.

Peace.

Miyagi has brought Daniel to the point where he can face his own conflicts with wisdom, pride, and skill. The chosen place for this conflict is the local tournament. Miyagi will not be participating, only an observer. When Daniel asks questions about the tournament, Miyagi shrugs and explains it is his first time, too.

The goal of the mentor is not to raise up a man or woman of God to fight the mentor’s fight. This seems logical and common sense, but much of the modern Christian system is designed to teach people but keep them loyal to a group or a cause or movement. This is not what discipleship is for. A true leader or mentor in the Kingdom raises up leaders to follow God and God alone, wherever that may lead, but equips them to deal with whatever might happen, even if the mentor is ignorant of that next step him or herself.

Just as Daniel must fight his own fight, young men and women of God need to be discipled and left to truly, freely, be the disciples of Christ they were meant to be. But Daniel is not alone. Miyagi is with him, watching, coaching, encouraging the whole time. This is the mentor’s, the father’s, job. Sit on the sidelines and build up, encourage, let the young know you believe in them.

Daniel is rising through the ranks in the tournament. The evil master, John Kreese, tells one of his students to physically injure Daniel. They can’t stop Daniel according to the rules, so they resort to and cheating.

Being symbolic of organized religion, I hope you can see where this is going. Those bound by organization and tradition are severely challenged and threatened by those who have been organically discipled. They see the power, the authority, that doesn’t come from a class or seminary degree, and they lash out, usually verbally. And they teach others, those under their care, to do the same.

It hurts Miyagi to see Daniel injured, but Miyagi’s attention is not in revenge or retaliation. He is concerned with his student and goes back into the locker room with Daniel. Daniel realizes how well he was doing and asks Miyagi to help him. Miyagi does his little trick and partially heals Daniel, giving him a boost that allows him to keep fighting.

Ah, this hits so close to home. When those organically discipled are wounded by those claiming Christ, they need the comfort and true example of fathers in the faith. True fathers in the faith, while compassionate towards those who have been under their care, show the peace and confidence of someone who does not resort to revenge or retaliation, despite how wrong others might be. And more importantly, mentors bandage disciples and send them back out with confidence.

You never want to see anyone you love hurt or wounded, but so often you cannot protect them from what they must face. The best thing to do is to encourage them to keep fighting. If you let them quit in these moments, if you let them rely too much on your protection, then they don’t learn to truly manage their own conflict. They are still a child, not a man. Good fathers, despite the pain of seeing children wounded, send young men back out to fight the good fight.

Daniel then meets his nemesis, Johnny, at the championship match. Daniel, although wounded, still ends up in the lead. During a break, Kreese tells Johnny to “sweep the leg,” injure Danile further. The look of horror on Johnny’s face is telling: he has lost faith in his teacher, someone who would tell a student to stoop this low.

Evil is exposed for what it is. That is why mentors send men back out to fight the good fight. Those with approved character will shine while those bound will expose their . It is bound to happen in conflict. In reading stories and watching films on war, I have seen something important. Average men and women, generally, do things in war that they would otherwise never do. Some men do things so horrible that it is impossible to imagine one human being doing such a thing to another. Others, however, show capacity of such compassion that we are humbled at the sacrifice and selflessness.

I am not justifying war with these statements, only saying that during conflict, true character is revealed, righteous or wicked, and fathers in the faith realize this and long to see what the test reveals.

Daniel can only stand on one leg but still must face his opponent. His only option is the crane technique, a masterful technique Daniel could only awkwardly do before. But he remembers Miyagi saying, “if done correctly, no can defend.” The battle is engaged, and Daniel wins.

For those organically discipled, masterful techniques are picked up naturally, spontaneously, but we must realize this is necessary. Without that intimate relationship, disciples never pick stuff like that up, never see the possibilities, and are more likely to fail when ultimate crisis comes. But God knows what we will need in the future and uses these spontaneous times to teach, to show, and he brings these things to remembrance later so that we can be victorious.

The whole place goes mad … Daniel has won. He gets the trophy. Miyagi, while not hailed as the hero, looks on proudly. He doesn’t need the accolades. Daniel’s joy and victory satisfies him.

As it should all those who mentor or father in the faith. Another’s success should be enough. That is reward enough.

Peace.

Late one night, Daniel comes over to Miyagi’s house and finds his master drunk and grieving. Daniel learns that night that Miyagi fought in WWII and had a wife who died in childbirth, losing his whole family while away at war. Daniel sees Miyagi’s humanity, his weakness, his vulnerability, and Miyagi allows it. In the end, this brings Daniel into more intimacy with Miyagi, and he actually respects his master more.

One of the problems with mature Christians is that they think that because they still have their own issues, they aren’t supposed to be put in any sort of leadership position. Or perhaps they are in a leadership position, whether by default or by intention, and therefore they seek to put on a facade of perfection and togetherness that is false. The danger of this is that it gives the young in Christ a false perception of what maturity is. Maturity in Christ is not the absence of problems or issues or weakness, but rather the greater wisdom in how to deal with them. This is exactly the wisdom that needs to get passed down, as others see these reactions and truths played out in real life conflicts and situations.

It is difficult to see our fathers as human, but it makes maturity all the more attainable. We have compounded this problem in the Church by placing our leaders in organized, isolated positions that necessitate a pedestal mentality. We need to see them as human. This is of the utmost importance in discipleship.

Those closest to Jesus saw him in his issues. They saw how he handled his nagging mom, his unbelieving brothers, his anger towards the religious, his struggle to give up his own life to the will of the father. They saw him weak in his humanity but victorious in his divinity. When I read Christ struggling to follow the will of his father, I am strangely comforted, because he still obeyed and was considered perfect and righteous. Therefore, I am allowed to be weak, to struggle, to look like less so Christ can be victorious in me through my obedience despite my weakness.

Paul also gloried in his weakness. Why? So that people could see that his ministry was only by the strength of God.

We need vulnerable leaders in the Body of Christ. Otherwise we will perpetuate a cycle of false maturity that does more harm than good.

Next we have Daniel’s birthday. Miyagi gives him two presents. First, he gives Daniel a karate uniform with Miyagi’s family logo on the back. Second, he gives Daniel his choice of classic cars in the yard. Of course Daniel picks the yellow one.

This is another important concept in discipleship. Intimacy between the mature and the learner results in a passing on of heritage and legacy. Timothy was forever shaped by the legacy he received from Paul. Paul was forever shaped by the legacy he received from Barnabas, and so on. You are family in a very real way. You have shared intimate things. Because of this spiritual relationship, spiritual legacies are passed on.

This is why discipleship is essential in the Body of Christ. We are not to only pass on knowledge and wisdom, but real spiritual authority and gift to handle that wisdom. That only happens through relationship, not classes or teaching, but through vulnerable individuals willing to humbly love one another.

Daniel is going to participate in a tournament. Miyagi gives him a uniform. Daniel is going on a date with a . Miyagi gives him a car. Miyagi not only endows Daniel with wisdom but real resources to have the balance the master is speaking of.

Spiritual legacies are passed down, giving resources to be the men and women of God he desires us to be. This is the goal of discipleship. This is it. Everything after and leading up to this has been secondary. Through discipleship we are given the wisdom and the resources to be mature. Next will come the test to see if we will use them properly.

Before Daniel goes on his date, he tells Miyagi, sitting in the car just given to him, “You’re the best friend I ever had.”
Miyagi hesitates and says, “You’re pretty okay too.”

You don’t get that in a class.

Peace.

Now that Daniel has learned his place, he’s ready to learn more about karate. His first question is, “When will I learn how to punch?” Miyagi answers him, “When you learn balance.”

The growing Christian, once learning formative things about the journey, is ready to take on the world, at least in his or her own mind. A father in the faith, however, knows that it is not the extreme that will win the day, but balance.

We have to be careful here, because the Asian idea of balance isn’t necessarily Christian. In many ways it is not. But to the degree that a Christian should be taught to put things in his life in the correct perspective, balance is important. Yes, the Kingdom of God is amazing and worth all of our effort … but many times the Kingdom of God is worked out by loving our parents or spouses or children or coworkers. There is a balance here in life that is easily abandoned for the extreme if there is no wisdom to what is done. This balance and perspective will work a little differently for everyone, depending upong certain responsibilities and seasons of our lives.

But before we can go out and attack, we must have everything in our lives in our proper perspective. I’ll give you a military example. Let’s say that you see an enemy on the horizon. You gather your troops and leave your base undefended because you’re so zealous to overwhelm and defeat the enemy. But while you’re gone, a separate force comes from a different direction and takes your base, your camp, your refuge, and you actually lose more than you thought you were fighting for.

How many leaders and ministers, truly undiscipled but seminary trained, are great public speakers but their private lives are in shambles? Too many, which greatly saddens me, because these men and women were meant to be a great encouragement to the Body of Christ but in their zeal overcommitted themselves and forgot that ministry begins at home … for everybody.

Balance.

With this in mind, Miyagi places Daniel into a situation where he must learn how to stay on his feet … he takes Daniel to the ocean and makes him stand up to the waves while Miyagi watches. Again, this is real life stuff that Daniel must learn to handle, but its stuff he’s able to handle, which Miyagi knows and is able to discern.

The point of discipleship, and teaching in general, is to challenge with situations where success is possible. So often young, zealous men of God are thrust into situations that they are not prepared for by those above them. This happens for different reasons. Leadership feels they need someone in that position, they want to capitalize on the energy and zeal of youth, whatever. But in the end, these young people are being set up for failure.

While Daniel is in the waves, Miyagi is practicing a technique on the beach. Daniel asks Miyagi later what the technique was. “Crane technique. Very difficult,” Miyagi says. But Daniel wouldn’t have seen this masterful technique if there hadn’t been relationship, real genuine friendship. Later in the movie, we see Daniel practicing this technique on his own, awkwardly.

This is yet another example of teaching without really teaching. Just being in the presence of fathers in the faith gives hope of greater things to those being discipled! They can see sucessful marriages or families or even ministry and realize that such a thing is attainable. They don’t read about it or see it in a movie. They actually know someone who did that. It gives believers hope and a goal, righteousness to imitate and be victors themselves. They may start at it awkwardly, but they know where their going. They’ve seen it before.

Walking back from the beach, Daniel learns more about where Miyagi learned his karate. “From father,” Miyagi says.
“I thought he was a fisherman.”
“Yes,” Miyagi answers.
“You must have had some father,” Daniel says.
“Yes,” Miyagi answers.

Miyagi wasn’t created in a vacuum, either. His father taught him, passed down this knowledge, and Miyagi is doing the same.

In an ideal world, we could all trace who discipled us back to the original source, Christ Himself. Because of the hardness of hearts and fruitless traditions of men, God’s grace has had to fill in some gaps here and there. But God’s heart is clear. Pass on not just what you know but who you are, and the next generation should do the same. Fathers in the faith weren’t created in a vacuum. They were molded and shaped.

The other situation Miyagi places Daniel into is at the front of a boat, straddling the sides, practicing blocks while the boat rocks. Miyagi is fishing. Daniel here questions his training further, and Miyagi challenges him.
“Is that what you think, that karate is for fighting?”
Daniel pauses. “No. We learn karate so we won’t have to fight.”
“Ah, Daniel-san, Miyagi have hope for you.”
Then he dumps Daniel into the water.

In the midst of challenge and growth there is encouragement and play. Friendship develops. These two men are doing more than participating in the passing on of karate. Character is being developed, intimacy is reached between these two men.

And as we will see in the next week, that is when the best discipleship happens.

Peace.

The first night that Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate, he gives Daniel the first lesson: Karate is not in hands or hips, it is in your heart.

The first lesson in Christian discipleship is that the focus is not on what you do, but who you are. Doing what is right easily flows out of being the right kind of person. While we speak so much about grace and life, and say it’s not about works, we then act as if it is exactly about works, mostly in traditions not even found in the scripture. The main goal of Christianity is to change the heart of the person so that the actions will change, as well. If there is no change of heart, actions can look similar but have no spirituality to them whatsoever.

Miyagi takes Daniel the next day out to the Cobra Kai dojo to confront the teacher and students at the school. Miyagi makes a deal with the school that they cannot fight with Daniel until the tournament, which Cobra Kai always wins. Essentially, Miyagi doesn’t fight Daniel’s battle for him, only postpones it until Daniel is properly trained.

This is another important step in true discipleship. So often young, zealous individuals are thrown to the wolves without an inch of discipleship. God desires a safe place where the young in Christ can be discipled, challenged. The conflict will be there later. First we need some training in what it means to be a Christian. Then we can be loosed on the world, so to speak.

Next we see that Daniel is brought to Miyagi’s house. Miyagi has this whole other world that Daniel was totally ignorant of. He has a yard full of old classic cars. He has a Japanese style house. His back yard is an immaculate garden. Daniel sees that this man has character, individuality, has built things that took time, intention, endurance.

Fathers in the faith need these testimonies, too. They’ve lived lives of integrity and intention. They’ve built things, done things, that took time and commitment. They’ve been faithful with things. This is what it means to be a man of God, and the young need to see this in true fathers in the faith.

And here is where the training starts. Right after the “squished-grape” speech that I dealt with in the last installment, Miyagi gives Daniel a bucket and sponge and tells him to wash all the cars. Daniel washes all the cars.

Next, Miyagi tells Daniel to wax all the cars, one hand wax on in a circle, other hand wax off in a circle. Daniel waxes the cars.

Daniel spends the next week or so following Miyagi’s direction (he committed to doing whatever Miyagi said). After waxing the cars he paints the fence, paints the house, then sands the wooden floor of the garden in the back yard, each time with specific instructions on method and form and an occasional “good job” by Miyagi.

This is one of the most famous parts of the movie. Miyagi comes home one night and Daniel is upset. He feels neglected, used. He isn’t learning karate, he’s working on all of Miyagi’s stuff!

In a brilliant scene, it all comes together. First Miyagi has to heal Daniel because Daniel is too sore to move his arm. Now he can move his arm. Miyagi says, “Show me wax the car.” Daniel begins to go through the motions and Miyagi firmly says, “Show me wax the car!” Each activity was designed to show Daniel an important method of defense and blocking the attack of the enemy, different punches and kicks. Daniel is amazed as it all comes together. He’s been learning things he didn’t know he was learning.

Do you see what Miyagi did to him? He made Daniel a servant first. He put Daniel in a position of servitude to teach him through seemingly meaningless tasks. But those seemingly meaningless tasks actually taught him how to defend against any attack.

This is huge. The first thing a disciple needs to learn how to do, after the commitment, is to serve. If someone in the Body is not willing to humble himself and serve, he is not ready to become like Christ.

Think about it. Jesus came from the right hand of God, was born in a cave with animals, was obedient to his parents, and suffered at the hands of evil men, all the while serving many who would end up calling for his crucifixion. This is humility and service. What did Jesus do before his to teach the twelve about leadership? He took on the place of a slave and washed their feet. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.

And the first seven that were called forward for leadership during a crisis in the Church in Acts, what did they do, filled with the Holy Spirit? Served bread to widows.

The first step in spiritual maturity is not seminary-type education but learning how to be humble and serve. If you’re not willing to serve, we don’t need to disciple you.

Of course this gets frustrating. It seems useless, worthless, meaningless. But look what it teaches! This humility and this heart of a servant teaches us how to defend against any attack of the enemy. Most of the armor of God Paul describes is purely defensive.

Humility and service change who we are. Miyagi was changing Daniel’s heart with mindless work so that Daniel would learn karate from the right perspective. The Christian must learn service and humility, a true changed heart, the absence of selfish pride and the flesh that wants its own desires met at a whim, so that we can learn to actually follow the God we say we believe in, because that’s who he is.

So if you’re in a seemingly meaningless season in your life, you’re not alone. God is teaching you important things through the midst of it. Just ask Joseph in prison or Moses tending sheep for forty years. God teaches in the midst of the mundane. Fathers in the faith should teach Christians that the most useful skill in the Kingdom is not to read the latest book by the latest guru but to hear the voice of God in the midst of the mundane, to have faith that God is doing a good work despite the meaninglessness of it.

Because then the training can continue. More basics need to be learned.

Peace.

Sorry I kinda took a week off last week from this …

Daniel goes to a dance to see the he’s been pursuing, and somewhat failing. Daniel is encouraged to go from Mr. Miyagi, whom he has become friends with. He decides during this dance to take advantage of a situation where Johnny, his nemesis, is rolling a doobie in the bathroom. In a typical 80’s type morality play, Daniel is the instrument of saying no to by spraying Johnny with water. (In a nice piece of writing, Daniel’s costume is a shower)

Of course, this is the wrong place and time to take revenge, not to mention that revenge is the last thing that should be on his mind. Daniel thinks he’s responsible for making sure Johnny gets what’s coming to him. The response is predictable. Johnny and his Cobra Kai cohorts run Daniel down just as he reaches the apartment complex. They begin to beat him up … again. They are even close to him, relying on their teacher’s “no mercy” attitude, but Mr. Miyagi saves the day, intervening at a pivotal moment and using his karate skills to beat off the young bullies.

Daniel finds himself attended to by Miyagi. Of course the subject comes up … you know Karate? Why didn’t you tell me?
You never asked.
Will you teach me?

Miyagi attempts to discourage Daniel, but he ultimately agrees to teach him karate.

While it may not need to be this dramatic, seekers need to see some sort of testimony that shows them the power and authority in the life of a man of God. Jesus performed miracles that attested to his authority. Paul counts signs and wonders as things that commonly accompany apostles, not to mention his insistence at working for his own support as evidence of his “fatherhood” in the faith.

And the hesitancy by men of God to disciple others can be good or bad. On the one hand, the flesh knows that this is a big task and feels inadequate. The enemy manipulates this feeling of inadequacy to isolate and paralyze men of God. This would be the bad.

But the good is important, too. Discipleship requires much from the disciple as well as the teacher. And the teacher generally has more idea of what it will cost than the student. The teacher got there once. The student has no clue in many instances.

Even Jesus made it difficult to follow Him, whether by word, deed, or standard. He wasn’t being mean. This was love. Are you willing to give up your old life to have the new? Count the cost.

Miyagi explains this the next morning when they get started. Miyagi explains that karate is involved in all of life. “Karate do yes or karate do no. Karate do maybe? Squish like grape. You understand?” Then they make a covenant, a pact. Miyagi is teacher. Daniel is student. Whatever Miyagi says, Daniel will do. Daniel realizes this is important and serious. Probably not to the degree of reality, but it’s a start.

This is so huge, that I will explain and end today here.

So much of our American or Western culture assumes a lack of commitment. We “try stuff out” and then see how it goes. This is inherent in our attitude about dating, schools, jobs, careers, even marriages and family. We might speak some level of commitment, but the actual commitment is glaringly absent.

We do this with fellowships and even Christianity itself! We try to get people to “try” our fellowship or a meeting or a community. No pressure. Just “try” it. See if you like it. We do it with the relationship with God. “Taste and see that He is good.” This leads to the newest traditions of gross entertainment and activity in order to attract people to some level of commitment.

When are we going to grow up enough and become fathers enough in the faith that we treat salvation and fellowship seriously? You’re either in or out. This has to do with your WHOLE life. If you play around with this thing, you will be destroyed. This is the attitude of God, the attitude of the New Testament, but we have perverted it to cater to our own laziness and lack of maturity. We call our lack of commitment to either Christ or His people as “freedom.” This greatly disappoints God, who asks for our all and nothing less.

Jesus clearly demanded that all be given. Putting your hand to the plow and looking back disqualifies you. An unwillingness to give all you have to those in need disqualifies you. In Revelation, we have the Miyagi-esque statement, “I wish you were either cold or hot. I will spit lukewarm out of my mouth.”

Either we believe these things or the scripture is wrong. Let me be clear. Discipleship is not something that will happen once we sit back and see if we like it. We must be committed to it, be willing to rearrange our whole lives around a disciplined relationship with fathers in the faith. Anything less is dangerous, according to the Bible. And the danger is clearly rejection by Christ Himself, however that challenges your theology or doctrine, it is what is said.

Daniel is made to have this type of commitment. It will change his whole life, rearrange his whole existence. He nods his head in zeal and partial understanding. His ignorance is about to be tested.

Peace.

As the story begins, Daniel Larusso and his mother travel across the country from New Jersey to California. Daniel is fatherless due to his father’s . Daniel took some karate in New Jersey.

At one point, as they are moving into their new apartment building, Daniel has his hands full and needs to open the wooden gate. He kicks the gate and injures an bystander who quickly forgives and even invites Daniel to a party. This scene establishes two things: Daniel’s inadequacy and his need for a father/teacher. His hands are full and lashes out from his ignorance.

People who are seeking truth alone, or even undisciplined Christians, often do more harm than good, injuring others from their ignorance of the power of truth. They are misguided, and therefore the world can be more kind than undisciplined Christians.

Daniel not only has a new home, but he has a new school. He goes to the party on the beach to try to fit in, but he quickly comes into conflict with bigger, stronger kids. He tries to fight them and loses … badly. He is unable to properly defend himself or deal with conflict at all. This causes more anger and frustration in his fatherless existence.

Seekers find themselves at similar crossroads. They are angry, frustrated, and they often don’t know why. They try to assert their own independence, but their lives are filled instead with conflict and confusion.

Daniel goes to see the janitor of the apartment building to fix the sink in his apartment. Mr. Miyagi is the janitor, but he is busy with another task. Miyagi states that he will get it done. Daniel asks, “When?”
Miyagi says, “After.”
Daniel says, “After what?”
Miyagi impatiently asserts, “After after.”

In other words, Miyagi will not be moved from his task or make needless commitment. He is a man of his word. It will get done.

This frustrates the impatience of the young. But it is a thing they desperately need to learn. Too often the impatience of the young is sated to settle them down or keep them happy. Instead of being taught patience, we condescend to their weakness. Miyagi will not do this.

Daniel seeks out karate classes in town and discovers his nemesis and friends are big shots there at the dojo. This discourages Daniel, and he asserts that he will seek his teaching elsewhere.

Being disciplined in a wrong manner is just as abusive as not being disciplined at all, perhaps more. Often, those seeking out the Kingdom of God are disappointed to find that Christians are the mean kids with power and lord it over others. These young men were taught to be this way by the system and the doctrine of the teacher. His motto is, “no mercy, mercy is for the weak.”

But Daniel is not so enlightened that he sees through this, either. He also sees karate as a way to win a fight or find social power. While Daniel is disappointed and discouraged from being taught karate, this doesn’t assume his ideas are basically good. Seekers also have this problem. While they may be wounded by the Christians they come into contact with, their own ideas of spirituality are just as invalid, but they use misguided Christians as fodder for their own wrong positions or principles.

A quick note on the American belt system within martial arts. Original martial arts did not have a belt system. Their method was simple: you’re either a master or student, depending on relationship. But to sell martial arts to Americans, they came up with something to achieve, different color belts.

We often look at our spirituality the same way. Unfortunately, spiritual maturity isn’t something that you can measure so directly by passing tests and getting a medal or some other signal of your advancement. All that does within Christianity is cause people to compare each other and create some sort of hierchy that is natural in an organization but not an organism.

Daniel gets beaten up again, pushed down a hill while on his bike. He yells at his mother when she confronts him about what is going on. His inability to properly deal with conflict has led to a desire to just give up, continuing on the same theme of frustration, anger, bitterness, now even aimed at his own mother. Miyagi is close by, listening.

Miyagi comes to visit Daniel’s apartment to fix the sink. Daniel is methodically kicking, learning karate according to a book. Miyagi is interested, “Learn karate from book?” His implication is clear. The idea of learning something like karate by book is unnatural to Miyagi.

You cannot be discipled by a book. You may learn information, but books do not produce character. Y oucannot come to spiritual maturity through intellectual learning. It takes a Christian to show you what being a Christian means.

Daniel finds other children lording what they learn in classes over others. Daniel’s own self-reliance by reading a book isn’t helping him at all. It just keeps getting worse. Sunday school classes and books are not discipleship. They do not produce mature Christians. Even studying the Bible alone cannot do this.

Before someone stones me, let’s explore what the Bible actually shows us.

We’ll start with Christ. When He called His disciples, it was simple. Follow me. He didn’t give them books to read. Sure, he taught them, but it was always in context of who He was and what He was doing. They spent every waking moment with Him, watching Him, annoying Him, probing Him with questions.

This is what the twelve learned, and this is what they showed the thousands that believed in those first few weeks. They all lived close together, sharing everything, watching each other live. Yes, the twelve taught, but it was followed by healings or other examples of what following the Spirit of God should look like.

Paul tells the Church at one point, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.”

We read books, we hear sermons, we sing songs together, and all of these things have their place, but they are fruitless without an example of what it really looks like. Most Christians don’t have enough relationship with other Christians, even less a healthy relationship, to see what a good husband, wife, father, mother, daughter, son, sibling or coworker even looks like. The result is we can sing a great praise song but se don’t know how to discipline our kids or serve in our marriages. Our solution to this is to tell everyone our lives are private so we can hide our immaturity, and possibly sin, either that or we counsel people to keep listening to more sermons, reading more books, and singing more worship songs; how you can see why we have a Church that collectively acts like its still in the terrible 2’s.

But this is the only way Daniel knows to learn, by book or by structured class. It takes Miyagi to teach him a different way.

One of my weaknesses continues to be my love of movies. As a result, God is merciful to me and shows me things while I watch. Sometimes it’s only a scene or a line that will hit me; every now and then a whole movie will strike me (pun intended?) as symbolic.