Discipleship (2)
Notes
Transcript
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
As we look more deeply at discipleship, it is important to see how Jesus modeled the discipleship program. In the beginning of His ministry, Jesus chose to disciple others. If we think, He chose twelve.
Who did He choose? Jesus chose men who were already believers. Men who had demonstrated their love of God and understanding of who the Messiah was. Men who had no name recognition, were not movers, shakers, politicians, or influencers. They were common men that were uncommonly transformed in their faith through the discipleship they received while following Christ.
How did He choose them? It was not a popularity contest, it was not a church committee nomination, there wasn’t even an application for admission. Jesus simply requested that each of His disciples follow Him - it was a calling. While we might be asked to go somewhere with one of our family members or friends, we usually have to talk with the spouse, check our schedule, think about if we want to go or not…and then make the decision to do or not do what we were asked - they followed their call. In the case of each disciple, scripture says “immediately” they followed Christ.
Simon Peter and Andrew
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
James and John
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Philip & Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Matthew
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
They immediately responded BY FAITH. Notice Jesus did not force any of them to follow, but they had a desire to follow Him. Peter eludes to this in Luke 18:28 when he tells Jesus “We have left everything we have- home, family, friends, careers - and followed you”.
28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.”
Jesus will not force us to follow Him. He extends the invitation to us, the same way He did to His disciples, follow me. This is where our free will, the ability to decide for ourselves, comes into play. Just as with Adam and Eve, God created them with the ability to choose whether they would follow Him or not. Throughout the Old Testament, God never forced anyone to follow Him. Throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of people exercising free will.
Some, for the will of God, others against the will of God.
Yet He remained faithful to those He called. That same example extends through the New Testament and today.
When Jesus calls, does He not expect an immediate response, by faith, and to follow Him?
33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Free will still comes into play and we are faithful to follow Him or reject Him. the choice is still ours. You see, when we allow “things” to get in the way of our calling from Christ, then we truly cannot be the disciples He desires us to be. We miss out on the calling God has for our lives, and we miss out on one of the most important things - the relationship He desires with each and every one as followers.
Purpose of Discipleship
Purpose of Discipleship
If we truly look at the relationship Jesus had with each of His disciples, it was as close as each disciple wanted it to be - and each received blessings according to their relationship. But in the end, the goal was that each disciple would reproduce disciples. In the Great Commission, Jesus extended that goal to each and every believer.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 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,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Go and make disciples. Is this not the charge to reproduce more disciples? But by the word “MAKE”, it can be interpreted as something that we have to work towards. If we want to make biscuits we have to have the supplies and the ingredients. Bowls, Spoons, Biscuit Cutters, Rolling Pins, Baking Sheets, Oven…Flour, Salt, Baking Soda or Baking Powder, Shortening, and Milk or Buttermilk. Here is the key though, we can have the best supplies and the freshest ingredients, but biscuits will not make themselves. Someone has to take out the supplies, turn the oven on to pre-heat, measure the ingredients, mix them together, cut them out into the shape intended, place them on the pan and bake them for the appropriate time. It’s after we take the effort to deliberately mix the ingredients together using the supplies available to us that we can enjoy a hot, steaming biscuit with a side of butter and jelly.
Think of this application as the same in disciple making. The church provides the supplies - the infrastructure for making disciples - Sunday School, Youth, Children’s Ministry, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening and Wednesday bible study, classrooms, the sanctuary, the Potter’s House, curriculum, fellowship, training…all are available to use for discipleship. The Bible contains all the ingredients needed for discipling - from the new Christian starting their walk to the mature Christian seeking the ingredients to mentor and disciple it’s like Prego spaghetti sauce…it’s in there! But, and this is a HUGE consideration - if the work does not go into the deliberate MAKING of disciples, then we will not be able to enjoy what God has in store for us.
Think of it this way, throughout scripture we see illustrations of reproduction. What is reproduction’s main purpose? Whether it be in plants, in animals, or in humans, what would be the outcome if we did not reproduce? There would be no new animals, no new plants, no new humans, and they would cease to exist! Now, I want us to think about this closely…if CHURCHES do not reproduce, will they not have the same fate? Will our CHURCHES not cease to exist IF we do not put the work into making new disciples?
Expectation of Discipleship
Expectation of Discipleship
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If the branches are attached to the vine, and the vine attached to the root, they receive nutrition to grow, and in turn the leaves capture the ingredients necessary to produce energy and sustain the life of the plant. However, it is expected that fruit will be produced. We should be anticipating a harvest!
Continuing this train of thought, WHAT is fruit’s purpose? It is to REPRODUCE the plant in which it came from. Notice what scripture says, it should bear MUCH fruit! If we tended an apple tree, or a grape vine, or a blackberry cane and only harvested one apple, one grape, or one blackberry would we be satisfied? Would we feel like we are getting what is intended? What the potential for that plant is? Of course not! Then do you think God is satisfied when the church, when we as Christians, do not produce fruit?
You see, I think many Christians are selfish. They want to stay in their studies. They want to be able to worship God the way they want to, when they want to, and wherever they may find themselves. You see, many of us have forgotten about the RELATIONSHIP aspect of discipleship. You see, God still wants a relationship with us, He still chooses us, He still seeks to grow us, and He expects us to produce fruit.
So how do we protect ourselves from becoming the vine that produces little to no fruit? We must remain attached to the branch, to the vine, to the root - our nutrition, our life source. We have to intentionally seek to remain in our relationship with God. I asked this question Wednesday night, and I will ask it again - would you be satisfied in a relationship with someone who does not want to be around you, doesn’t want to do anything with you, and doesn’t every answer any questions? Of course not! We would consider it abandonment! But, how many of us choose to stay away from church on Sunday? How many of us have bibles that still have stiff binding and stay neglected from lack of use? How many of us still refuse to answer the call God has placed in our lives? Are we neglecting the relationship God wants to have with us?
Goal of Discipleship
Goal of Discipleship
The goal of discipleship is to produce new disciples, we know. But how do we disciple? It is a series of activities carried out by mentors - mature disciples and maturing disciples. Imagine this…God puts into place a discipleship plan in scripture!
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Older men, disciple younger men. Older women, disciple younger women. And, do you know how this should take place to be successful? By creating relationships with those in whom you disciple.
First step, though is to find someone to disciple! Men, do you have a younger man you are working with and discipling? Ladies, do you have a younger woman you are working with and discipling? If not, today pray that God would send you someone to disciple so that you too can produce much fruit just like God intends. You see, if we are faithful to be mentored, and then to mentor, then we reproduce! New disciples are made, and new disciples will be created, and the church will continue to thrive!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Today, we have experienced the beginning of discipleship - baptism. Publicly stepping out by faith and telling others you have a desire to follow Jesus. Felicia, you now have a church family - one that is making the commitment to help you grow in your personal relationship and walk with the Lord. Church, I am issuing a charge to come along side Felicia and her family to nurture them, become a mentor to them, and to disciple them as they grow in their relationship with Christ.