New Breed Of Hero

A NEW BREED OF HERO

On the afternoon of June 18, a speedboat skimmed across the cold waters of Schroon Lake in upstate New York. Suddenly a wave struck the boat, hurling a man and woman into the water. The man swam over and held the young girl’s head above the water until she was rescued –then he suddenly sank and disappeared. Time magazine told the world about his death in its religion section for July 2, 1956. Under his picture was the caption: “Always Holding Someone Up.” The article began, “So died Dawson Trotman, The Navigator.”

Was Dawson Troutman a hero? I think so. Not because of how he died saving a young girl, but because of how he lived his life. Here’s what two of his friends said about him:

"When Dawson Trotman passed away he probably left a legacy of discipleship on this earth that will never be matched except perhaps in the life of Jesus Christ Himself.” Chuck Swindoll

“Dawson Trotman died a young man, characteristically sacrificing himself for the sake of another. But, in spite of his seemingly untimely death, Dawson’s brief life continues to bear fruit, for he was determined to glorify God. He was greatly used by God to raise up a powerful ministry that has touched the lives of many millions, including my own, and is still touching lives around the world.”

Bill Bright

I. DIFFERENT KINDS OF HEROES

There are different kinds of heroes. There’s comic book heroes like Batman, Spiderman and Superman. Sports heroes like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and new ones like Ben Curtis, who put Kent, OH on the map for positive reasons by winning the British Open. The common solider serving in a hostile country like Afghanistan or Iraq is a hero. 911 reminded us of everyday heroes like EMT workers, policemen and firemen.

As a teenager, my heroes were rock stars… like Pete Townshed, Keith Moon, Roger Daltry, and John Entwhistle of the THE WHO…I used to come home from school and go up in my room and spend hours listening to their songs and imagining what it would be like to be like them. I would collect every magazine article or poster of my rock heroes and be the first to by one of their records.

Unfortunately, these heroes of mine were not the best role models to follow. Keith Moon OD on drugs… In fact, the truth is, they were not really heroes at all. They don’t fit the definition of the word HERO.

Webster defines a Hero as: A person noted for feats of courage. One who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.

A NEW BREED OF HERO: THE DISCIPLE-MAKER

This morning, I want to talk about how you about a new breed of hero –the disciple-maker. The disciple-maker is a hero because the disciple-maker gives his or her life to help others. A disciple-maker is like a spiritual ‘Big Brother’ or spiritual mentor.

Jesus’ final words to his disciples are recorded for us in Matthew 28:18-20.

18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus did not say: “Go and make Christians, or go and build churches. Jesus wanted disciples.

What is a disciple? A disciple is a follower. Jesus hand picked 12 men and invited them to follow Him…to be “with Him” wherever He went. Billy Graham has said: “Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything.” To be disciples of Jesus these 12 men left their jobs, their homes, they gave up everything to follow Jesus.

Jesus last words: “Go and make disciples.” Could be translated, “Go and be disciple-makers.”

I’ll never forget the summer I trusted Christ at a Young Life camp in Colorado. I was 16 year old and that summer, a group of about 10 of us all became Christians and we also became close friends and hung out for the months to follow. One of those guys was Jim Mosteller. Jim lived in the house behind me and he and I used to hang out every day. He would tell me how many chapters of the Bible he read that day and I would admire him but felt spiritually defeated because I struggled to even open my Bible. The sad thing is, only 2 of the 10 are walking with Christ today and Jim is not one of them. Why? As I look back, one reason has to do with individual mentoring and the power of spiritual role models. God put several disciple-makers in my life.

FOUR QUALITIES OF A DISCIPLE-MAKER

I want to share with you four qualities of a disciple-maker from the life of the apostle Paul.