Dynamic Disciples Series

Dynamic Disciples of Jesus: Hebrews10:19-25

It’s interesting when we look at the early days of Jesus ministry, he obviously had a plan and he set himself some goals. He decided that he needed some people to carry on his teaching, and his ministry; he knew that what he wanted to achieve was a job for a team. And the team he recruited was full of brilliant priests, academics and politicians, the superstars from the local theatre were recruited as well.

No they weren’t he recruited average kind of people, people with cracked hands from pulling in the nets, people with issues with money, people with fragile egos and tempers but they were people who learnt that this Jesus was worthy of following and his message worthy of taking to the ends of the earth.

From what Jesus did we can see that goal setting is a good thing, without a plan or a map it’s hard to explore unknown places. As a territory of The Salvation Army we have four goals which we will be talking about over the next four weeks, these are what is called the Territorial Strategic Mission Plan, which to many may sound about as exciting as eating a cardboard sandwich and following it down with a glass of lukewarm milk.

Prepare to be surprised this is exciting stuff; this is Kingdom building, God honouring and edifying, it has been planned and formulated to enhance The Mission of The Salvation Army, to ensure we are as vibrant and as efficient as we can be, doing our bit, as God brings more people into a relationship with Him through his son Jesus.

Now the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote some words that we have used as the reference verses for our Ministry Pillar here at the Sydenham Corps. As the scripture for today I’ve used these verses plus I’ve expanded on them by including the verses before and after them to discuss discipleship.

Let’s listen as ET reads Hebrews 10:19-25.

You will see that this passage includes three action points. Listen for those points they all start with Let us (pp lettuce) not that type of let us. (pp)

(Dynamic explained) Within these verses are the reasons for our being (a) Dynamic Disciples of Jesus, (b) the reason for us to hold onto the hope we profess, and the reason (c) for commitment to one another and to this body of believers; these things are all encompassed in the first goal of The Salvation Army Territorial Strategic Mission Plan; which is to make Dynamic Disciples of Jesus.

Let’s have a little look at what that word dynamic means: the word dynamic can be three things; it can be a physical thing that relates to how efficient something is. Looking back at a mechanics class, I took way back when. A dynamic machine is one that is over 50% efficient, and for a machine to be over 50% efficient it has to be self starting (on a slope with the brakes off, it will move by it self, forward moving and producing continuous change.)

Another meaning of dynamic is about the way two living things might relate to one another; if I was to say this “My wife and I have a certain dynamic, and I have a different dynamic with either of my sons”, it goes a little way to say that there is a difference in those relationships. Dynamic when related to a person of the Christian persuasion can be seen as countercultural and lifestyle altering.

So a Dynamic Disciple of Jesus is one who is a self starter, a change agent, who has a two way relationship with Jesus…

How can this be?

1) In the first century the writer of Hebrews had something to say to the Dynamic Disciples of Jesus. These disciples were doing something; they were entering into God’s very presence. This is what he said.

“We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.”

Now as we have discussed previously, the priests in the temple were not able to do this a curtain was in the way (pp), only the High Priest, once a year, could enter into the Holy of Holies. Jesus by way of his death allowed us to enter. Remember how the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom at the time of Jesus death. This was like a huge ‘Access Granted’ sign, like Jesus was saying by my sacrifice you can now go in.

This is no ho-hum thing; this is awesome, it was beyond the understanding of the Jews of the time, to enter into the Holy of Holies was forbidden and here it was open now, for all to enter. Jesus had made a way.

So what does that mean for us?