LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Fluency as a Discipline
Submitted to Dr. Benjamin Forrest
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 520
Spiritual Formation
by
1
Summary
Throughout his book, Vanderstelt makes his reader aware sharing Christ is not a
compartmentalized component. His intended audience seems to be the believer if not those with
a call for ministry. The comparison Vanderstelt uses is learning another language. To be fluent in
language one must more than be able to read and comprehend the words spoken, but to think in
terms of the language.1 It is the same with fluency in terms of the gospel, one must think in all
situations in terms of the gospel.
There are several key practical elements Vanderstelt offers to mastering the discipline of
fluence. In conversations, people talk about things they not only know but what they have a
passion for.2 Yet Jesus is not always one of those things people speak of. Gospel fluency then
requires we know Jesus better and love Jesus for the work He has done for us. This process of
continually pursuing greater understanding helps all to understand where the process of
discerning one’s claim in belief against the actions, feelings, or thoughts.3
Being fluent in the gospel puts Jesus at the heart of each person’s story.4 Jesus provided
the model of community, and in community we are to share Jesus. Putting Jesus at the heart of
our story and helping others understand Jesus is the hero of their own story as well leads to
greater spiritual maturity with Christ. More than sharing with believers, gospel fluency leads to
sharing Jesus with all people in all circumstances.
Applied Review
1 Jeff Vanderstelt, Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus Into the Everyday Stuff of Life (Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2017), 133
2 Ibid., 96
3 Ibid., 121
4 Ibid., 150
2
This book Gospel Fluency triggered thoughts and reactions within my own life. Chapter
seven deals with the notion we all engage in discussions on which we have a passion for. This is
true in me. As a coach, I have been a firm believer of the drive-catch method in O-Line play. I
will go hours on that method with anyone willing to listen, yet with the same people I may not
always demonstrate the same passion for Christ.
In more recent years, and certainly even more so in beginning this journey, has seen a
greater focus on knowing Christ and drawing closer to Christ through the power of the Spirit.
However, I must be like Paul in Romans 1:16 and not be ashamed of the gospel. That is a
powerful word or thought one feels shame because of the gospel but this is essentially what all
are who do not make Jesus known as well as I made known the drive-catch method. This means
making Jesus the story of the ability to play before getting to the drive-catch, in that example.
We are getting near to the Christmas season and when I go on my daily walks around the
neighborhood, I see a sign “Jesus is the reason for the season.” While this is true, Jesus is the
reason for everything. The manner which Vanderstelt describes tracing the fruit back to its root
with his wife serves as a template for how to engage in all discussions with others, particularly
those feeling low, as his wife was in his example. I would not classify our current situation as a
dream scenario. There are times my own wife comes home feeling discouraged. She has talked
about how she does not care for her job as she thought she would when we moved, feeling
responsible for making us move for no good reason. My response was to initiate a family Bible
study, as I felt my own words were not helping. I should be able to utilize the example which
Vanderstelt laid out for my family, for anyone else, and for myself.
In truth, the covid stuff is what is really been the more disheartening element in our
home. The world is suffering from this. I felt the optimism of having the opportunity of time to
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grow in relationship with more people through Zoom and personal growth. The excuse “I’m
busy” we all have used has been removed and doors have been opened. However, at some point
we all changed a little. However, God never has. Being truly fluent in the gospel means when we
feel low in this situation or when others voice their concerns, I must share the gospel.
Dinner time in our home has been changed with some occasions not seeing everyone
present. However, we still have an opportunity most of the time. The themes of Vanderstelt in
chapter ten remind me of the themes of the day the head coach of his beloved Seahawks uses. Pat
Reul was a longtime O-line coach on Pete Carroll’s staffs at different stops until his retirement
about a year or two ago. A few years back, Reul explained what their staff does with themes for
how to approach each day’s development with the athletes “Tell the truth Mondays”, “recovery
Tuesday” and so on. Just as Vanderstelt also uses his identified themes to mature his family. I
feel rather ridiculous to not having been able to make a correlation like this prior to reading the
book, but we are now working on implementing something along those lines. We cannot do it
identically as Vanderstelt does, but we can make sure the overall purpose is growing together
through opportunities to thank God for all he has provided us in the form of meals.
Being engaged in gospel fluency as a discipline requires a desire to listen. So often
people engage in conversations to speak, and again to speak of what they have a passion for as
Vanderstelt laid out. While I have improved, I am still certainly guilty of this too. I must engage
as the quotation from Francis Shafer suggests, spending most of the time listening to people then
the last little time in sharing Jesus. As relationships are built other discussions will commence,
but each of these initial conversations will work in such a manner.
The final key takeaway for improvement in gospel fluency is to love people more.
Vanderstelt shared the story of the young man preaching without a thought of love. I can see
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myself here slightly. The last time I shared the gospel with someone was not out of love, was not
out of knowing them only knowing the need she needed Jesus. While my reason may not have
been so I could not be held accountable for her actions, there was still the lack of love. Jesus did
not come as a preacher only speaking the gospel. He was the incarnational gospel who met
people where they were and shared there. I will engage with all those I meet, especially if anyone
comments on FCA clothing, where I have failed to continue to conversation and build the bridge
to relationship recently.
Fluency as Discipline
Gospel fluency is about being fully immersed in the gospel. This means more than
reading the scripture, though that is a part. This means more than prayer, though that is a part of
it. The atonement system of the Old Testament was not adequate. God know this all along, it was
perhaps more so, as Paul suggest in Romans 7:7 to demonstrate to each of us how we all are
sinners, and all fall short. Jesus was the answer. A new system where a perfect lamb would take
the sins of all those placing them upon Him and die for our sins. This was only possible for two
reasons. First that Jesus came to live among us as a man. He experienced out human condition
with us, which includes death. Secondly, by living a sinless life. His sacrifice could only work if
He was taking our sins to the grave not His own. So, He offers us salvation and calls for us to
make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). However, he also calls for us to pick up our own cross
and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). We are to join Him on His journey not just to bless our agenda.
Disciples are not created from sharing the gospel message alone. While it is only through
the work of Spirit to draw someone to God, what helps is the life we live and the constant
attention we give back to Christ. For me this being more active among my new neighbors to
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serve and demonstrate Christ’s love. Whether asked or not, in this time I tell them about Christ,
something along the lines of “Christ has done so much for me I wanted to do just a little for
you.” This also means Bible studies and things of that nature, but there must be a focus on how
and for whom I live.
