“KISS it, Jett!” The call came from my peers as they watched me struggle during a training drill. As a new firefighter, I was pushed hard in drills, especially by the veterans. On this particular day, I was trying to impress them with something I’d seen on YouTube. Problem was, I was fumbling, and the whole thing was backfiring spectacularly.
Finally, one of the seasoned firefighters stepped in and demonstrated the task using a tried-and-true method. He made it look effortless. My attempt to impress had done nothing but overcomplicate things. That’s when the veterans reminded me of an important principle: KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Later in my career, I heard something on a podcast that changed my perspective. The host was interviewing Kevin Shea, a legendary New York firefighter. Many people may not recognize his name, but chances are, they’ve seen the iconic photo of him during a daring rescue. When asked how he became so skilled in rope rescue and knots, his answer was striking: “I mastered the basics until they became advanced.”
That wisdom has stuck with me. We all have a tendency to overcomplicate things. Maybe it’s part of the Fall, this desire to turn simple truths into complex formulas. But in trying to do more or prove ourselves, we often miss the point.
“In trying to do more or prove ourselves, we often miss the point.”
This might be why Jesus loved children. Kids have a knack for keeping things simple, seeing truths clearly, whereas adults often get lost in their own cluttered thinking. Recently, I had this type of moment in regard to disciple making.
As Dean of Discipleship at a local Christian school, I have been seeing God at work in others more than any other time in my life and I was asking myself why. Why is it that some 6th-12th grader wants to be around a 40+-year-old and will listen intently when he’s preaching? There is not much in common between the two of us, but there is something supernatural at work. If you looked at my approach, there is no good reason why there would be the connection. I don’t do the fun, entertaining thing. I call them out when they mess up. I care for them and speak the truth plainly.
I say this because I was starting to question myself. Richard, this is too simple. Surely there is something else you need to be doing or some program to add. Then I went to a Discipleship.org conference and one of their main points was that if you are following Jesus, you will make disciples. It really is that simple.
“If you are following Jesus, you will make disciples.”
Look at Matthew 4:19-20 (ESV):
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
It’s so simple: Follow Him and He will make us disciple makers.
We are called to follow Jesus, seek Him, and focus on Him. When we do that, He makes us disciple makers. The danger of overcomplicating is that we can unintentionally create disciples who look more like us than like Jesus.
I missed it for so many years.
I went to Christian college, bought leadership and church-growth books, and went to the conferences. I came up with the trendy topic studies. I knew the latest strategies and bought into it all. Looking back, I can see I was more focused on trying to gather a crowd than to make disciples, even though if you asked me at the time I would have argued that was not the case. It ended with me burning out.
“The danger of overcomplicating is that we can unintentionally create disciples who look more like us than like Jesus.”
I had to go through years of the wilderness where things I held closer than Jesus got stripped away and all I had was Him and He was all that I needed and desired.
I didn’t go looking for the discipleship role that I am in now. It came to me as it was naturally just happening from the overflow of my time with Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t call us stupid, but He does call us sheep—which aren’t exactly known for their brilliance. So perhaps we need to KISS it: Keep It Simple, Sheep.
Our task is simple: master the basics until they become advanced. What are those basics? They’re the spiritual habits, disciplines, and practices of Jesus:
- Reading and reflecting on Scripture
- Prayer and fasting
- Giving
- Solitude
- Sabbath
- Fellowship
- Service
“Master the basics until they become advanced.”
Why do we do them? Because we desire more than anything to simply be in His presence. Our love for Jesus compels us to want to do these things. By focusing on these, we simplify our faith in the best way possible. It’s not about adding complexity but about going deeper with Jesus. If you struggle in an area or two, if you look you’ll find a veteran to teach you who has learned to master the basics until they become advanced. When it comes to disciple making, keep it simple.
