Forged in his image

The Forge begins as an all-too-familiar scenario of our culture as it unfolds: an unmotivated 19-year-old named Isaiah, with no direction, no plans, and no relationship with Jesus. He seems perfectly content to follow his buddies in their devotion to video games and pick-up basketball games. For him, the future is too far away to worry about now. But never underestimate the power of a praying mother. As she presents her son with some new house rules, God begins to work, orchestrating details and dilemmas to capture this young man’s attention. Every challenge and opportunity points Isaiah to the God who loves him and the purpose God has for his life.

Taking the Lead Role

Discipleship takes center stage as The Forge follows Isaiah’s journey — from unmotivated cynic to godly young adult, forging his journey to true discipleship. Featuring Cameron Arnett and Aspen Kennedy, along with some friends from the film War Room (Priscilla Shirer, Karen Abercrombie, and others), The Forge will confront believers to assess their own level of discipleship.

Discipleship isn’t simple or effortless. The Bible tells us salvation is a gift: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23); “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift” (Eph. 2:8). But discipleship is costly: “If anyone by Brenda Harris wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In the book, Count Me In (Alex and Stephen Kendrick and Travis Agnew), we’re reminded, “Discipleship is not an addition to your life. … It is stepping up to the life Jesus has designed you to live.”

Becoming a committed disciple is what we all want for our children — for them to be a devoted follower of Christ, studying God’s Word, seeking His guidance, telling others about the Savior, and pursuing Him above all else. That’s the correct “spiritual” response. But is it what we really want for our children? Do we want them to follow Christ and be totally sold out to Him in dedicated devotion, or do we want them to have a stress-free life with no struggles? Often as parents we do whatever we can to protect and shield our children from hard situations; we don’t want them to struggle. But Luke 9:23 clearly states denial is at the very heart of discipleship. It involves a daily surrender. In The Forge, businessman Joshua Moore tells Isaiah that taking up the cross may mean “something has to die.” Perhaps the real questions we must answer are: Is true discipleship what I want for my children? Am I willing to be a disciple and model what that means for my children?

Taking Discipleship to Heart

Jesus gave specific instructions to believers in Matthew 28:19-20a before He left this earth: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” [emphasis added]. It’s not a suggestion; it’s a directive. This straightforward commission isn’t too difficult to understand, but it requires determined obedience. Because we know and rest in the authority of Christ, we make disciples, teaching them God’s Word and how to follow His instructions. In her book, I Surrender All, Priscilla Shirer says, “Discipleship is a divine invitation, an opportunity for us to take this new identity we’ve been given in Christ and start making our attitudes and actions match up with it, so that our daily lives become congruent with it.” Not an easy assignment for you or the ones you love, right? A disciple is a student, a learner, a believer who is growing in Christ. If that sounds like work, it is.