The church is currently grappling with a significant yet often overlooked issue concerning discipleship. Despite our wealth of resources, such as books, teachings, worship services, and even podcasts, we find ourselves surprisingly unformed in discipleship. It's a compelling question that needs to be asked: why, given our extensive knowledge and understanding of what Jesus calls us to be, are we still not fully formed disciples?

Ruth Haley Barton points out a potential answer: approaches to formation that concentrate solely on our stronger areas can serve as a defense mechanism, preventing us from acknowledging the areas that are not yet formed in Christ's image. In other words, our strengths in discipleship, whether it's serving, giving, prayer, or theology, might inadvertently hinder our holistic growth.

Barton makes a profound claim: true discipleship begins where we are most undiscipled. Instead of focusing on how we resemble Jesus, the more pertinent question is, where do we deviate from Him? Our spiritual formation should confront the areas where we fall short of Christ's example. One key to unlocking the kingdom is recognizing this. However, we rarely acknowledge how Jesus confronted people for their lack of faith, commitment, and kingdom vision.

Confrontation, is a vastly underappreciated aspect of our discipleship, yet it is integral to our growth. Part of the reason we may neglect this lies in our strength-obsessed culture. Many of us have participated in strength-finding exercises, spurred on by the understanding that while there are countless documented human weaknesses, recognized strengths are far fewer. These exercises aim to balance this skewed perception, but sometimes the pendulum swings too far. Nowadays, almost anything can be framed as a strength, which might hinder our ability to see our own areas of needed growth.

Yet, the story of Peter offers hope. After His resurrection, the risen Christ approaches Peter. In the midst of Peter's failure, Jesus confronts him with love and restores him. This is the consistent pattern of Jesus in our lives: He lovingly confronts our weaknesses and graciously restores us. The message of Jesus is not about maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses. Rather, it is about recognizing and confronting our weaknesses so that His strength can be made perfect in us.

Peter's story concludes with Jesus asking him three times if he loves Him, effectively negating his prior denials and leading him from guilt to grace. Satan wants us to remember our failures and return to our old ways, but Jesus calls us back to our destiny. The resurrection brings good news: in our failures, God finds us and brings us out through His grace, offering hope and a future. This is the essence of redemption.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about confrontation in your spiritual journey? Do you avoid it, or see it as a necessary step toward growth? Have you ever had to offer or were on the receiving end of loving confrontation?

2. What does it mean to suggest that discipleship begins in the places we are most undiscipled? How can this change our approach to personal growth and transformation?

3. How do you handle the tension between focusing on strengths and acknowledging weaknesses in your personal discipleship?

4. How can we differentiate between the enemy's attempts to condemn us and God's loving confrontation meant for our restoration?

5. What can we learn from Peter's and David's stories about confronting their own failures and the process of their restoration?

6. In what ways can we support each other in our discipleship journeys, especially during times of confrontation and restoration?