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For Disciples: Introducing The Navigators' Wheel

For over 80 years, the Wheel Illustration from the Navigators has been one of the single greatest resources to help Christian disciples visualize what it means to follow Jesus Christ in practical ways. At the young age of 22, Navigator founder Dawson Trotman developed the Wheel Illustration to portray how the Christian should think of Himself in relation to His Lord Jesus, and the various relational dimensions of the disciple to fellow believers and unbelievers.

In a simple yet powerful way, the illustration helps Christians think of what they need to do, and why they need to do those things as expressions of their discipleship. The wheel is divided into three dimensions: (1) the Volitional Dimension which shows you see yourself, what the disciple thinks of himself/herself (2) The Vertical Dimension which depicts how we relate to God and respond to Him and the (3) Horizontal Dimension which shows us how we ought to think of our relationships to others. 

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The following is extracted from the Navigators website:

1. The Volitional Dimension:
 How You Relate to Yourself

a. The Hub: Christ the Center

Total surrender to Christ's authority and lordship is not always a decision made right at conversion, but is a necessary act of will. For the believer, the “old life” has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17), and Christ dwells through us instead (Galatians 2:20). God creates within us the desire to do what He wants us to do in order to express His lordship in our lives.


b. The Rim: Obedience to Christ

Some acts of obedience to God are internal, such as attitudes, habits, motives, values and day-to-day thoughts. But even these eventually surface outwardly in our relationships with other people. Keeping His commandments in obedience is our outward indication of inward health and love for Christ—our worship (John 14:21, Romans 12:1).

 

2. The Vertical Dimension:
 How You Relate to God

a. The Word Spoke

The Word of God is His direct voice showing us not only who He is, but how to live and interact with everyone around us (2 Timothy 3:16). This means an earnest personal intake of God's Word is essential for health and growth (Joshua 1:8). As God speaks to us through the Scriptures, we can see His principles for life and ministry, learn how to obey Him and become acquainted with the Christ who is worthy of our steadfast allegiance.

b. The Prayer Spoke

Prayer is the natural response to God as we hear Him speak through His Word. It is sharing our heart with the One who longs for our companionship and who cares about our concerns. Prayer not only trains our hearts and minds to know the power and glory of God, but also turns His ear towards action in our lives and of those who we pray for (John 15:7, Philippians 4:6-7).

3. The Horizontal Dimension:
How You Relate to Others

a. The Fellowship Spoke

God has directed Christians to build each other up through inter-dependence and loving relationships with each other (Hebrews 10:24-25). Gathering together as the Body of Christ draws God close around us as we praise Him and encourage one another (Matthew 18:20).

b. The Witnessing Spoke

God has given believers the joy and responsibility of telling the world about the Good News of Christ’s work on earth (Matthew 4:19). In fact, sharing this spectacular news with others should be the natural overflow of a rich, vibrant life in Christ (Romans 1:16).