“DNA OF DISCIPLESHIP”
Date: April 13, 2007
Main idea: Biblical discipleship means believing in Christ, belonging to His church, and becoming more like Him every day.
“Making disciples: how are we doing in America?”
•Percent of churches growing: 15%
• Percent growing by conversion: 2.2%
• U.S. population who attend church regularly: 45%
• Americans who don’t attend church: DOUBLED in the past 15 years.
• Of the 100 million unchurched Americans, 11-20% claim to be born again.
• Percentage of churchgoers who attend some kind of Christian training: 20%
• Evangelicals who donate to their church? 85%
• Percentage of evangelicals who “tithe”: 9%
• Only 20-25% read their Bible consistently, 59% attend church weekly, 16% listen to Christian radio, 7% watch Christian TV, and 11% are held accountable to someone.
• Those who say the Bible is totally accurate: Less than 50%
Main point? The current trend in America is ‘powerless Christianity’ – makes no real difference in our lives.
ILLUS: Dennis Kinlaw grew up in the south of the United States. His family lived on a farm, and it was part of Dennis's task when the pigs were slaughtered to be involved in the curing of ham. He took course grain salt, and after the pig was slaughtered had to rub it in to the ham. It was an arduous task, and he didn't like it, and sometimes he felt as though it was his hand that was being cured rather than the ham. One particular day he went with his mother out into the barn. They had special guests, and they were taking the largest ham from the high rafters where they used to hang down. His mother had a knife and she cut through the sacking, and as she did so, Dennis didn't need to look down to know that something was desperately wrong. Because the stink of rotting meat came up and hit him in the face. As Dennis looked down and saw the meat, teeming with crawling maggots, his mother made but one comment to young Dennis. "Not enough salt, Dennis, not enough salt." I wonder if that’s not the problem with our church today – not enough salt. Not enough preservative. Not enough discipleship.
TRANS: Can Lakewood be different? Can our families be different? Can I be different? Yes! If we commit ourselves to scriptural discipleship.
Discipleship – a working definition:
• “Discipleship is the process of becoming more like Christ in character and behavior as we live out our faith in community.”
•A list of characteristics: Matthew 5, Galatians 5, Wesleys’s Character of a Methodist -
What’s the key to making this a reality in our church? No simply formula…no one program or strategy….but definite principles and models found in Scripture.
One of the best models is Paul himself – Paul the Disciple
“Be imitators of me, just as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:11)
Three ‘building blocks’ from the life of Paul –
1. Discipleship means BELIEVING.
Paul’s beginning? Acts 9:3-6 (NKJV) As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Two questions: who is Christ? What does He want from me? BELIEF is the correct response to both of these questions…..a cognitive and a relational dimension.
• Not just mental/intellectual assent….but a conviction leading to action
• Not just aware of theological truths, but experiencing Truth himself.
Anytime we see the word ‘believe’ in the Bible…..it’s this kind of belief. John 3:16, Christ calls us to a deeper belief that says, “I’ll believe…and I’ll follow.”
ILLUSTRATION?
2. Discipleship means BELONGING
For Paul? The next logical step after this paradigm shift was to surround himself with like-minded people.
Associate/joined with - “kollosthai” – akin to marital union
Main idea? It isn’t enough simply to encounter God, to assert belief, to make a profession of faith….God has wired you to be in relationship with other people.
Proximity vs. relationship – can be ‘with’ others, and still not be in relationship
ILLUS: Meg and I riding horses last week….tendency of the horses to ‘stick together’
ILLUS: Horse whisper Monty Roberts - During a 60 Minutes episode, Monty Roberts taught the world the secret of his horse whispering. It involves his getting into the corral with the untamed mustangs and staying as far away from the animal as possible, without leaving the enclosure. He also refuses to allow any eye contact between him and the horse. By moving slowly, but surely, away from the horse, and by keeping his eyes averted from the animal’s gaze, Monty slowly draws the horse to himself. Even though the beast is pounding the earth with his foot, and snorting and circling with great speed, Monty keeps steadily moving away from the horse. He won’t look at it. He won’t approach it. As astounding as it sounds, Monty can have a wild mustang saddled and carrying a rider quite happily. When asked his secret, he says, “The animals need to be with others so much, they would rather befriend the enemy than be left alone.”
ILLUS: D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen when the idea of church membership and involvement came up. "I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it," the man said. Moody said nothing. Instead, he moved to the fireplace, blazing against the winter outside, removed one burning coal, and placed it on the hearth. The two men sat together and watched the ember die out. "I see," the other man said.
The Bible says that we are made to be together. ‘sun-‘ words – the vocabulary of the NT Greek has a whole collection of words beginning with ‘sun-‘ - a prefix meaning ‘together with’. These words are unique to the NT – not found anywhere else in classical Greek – almost as if Paul makes up his own words to hammer in the point of community and accountability
- sun-aichMALotos – “prisoners with me” (Rom 16:7)
- sun-antiLAMBanai – “bearing with”
- sun-armoLOGeo – “fit together”
- sun-basiLEio – “reigning together”
- sun-EKdemos – “fellow traveler”
- sun-ekLEKtos” – “chosen together with”
- sug-kakoPATHeo – “bear evil treatment along with”
- sugkler-ONomos - “co-inheritor/fellow heirs with”
- sump-SUchos – “be of one mind with”
The idea is whatever we do, we’re doing it together!
Why the necessity for community? Because you were made by God to be in close relationship with others; because someone else has something you’re lacking, and vice versa; because we tend to stick to our commitments more if someone is holding us accountable.
3. Discipleship means BECOMING
A life of rejection, frustration, persecution…..house arrest….facing execution! How can he end his life this way? Because the way of discipleship is transformation – a heart changed - life changed – becoming someone you could never become on your own.
ILLUS: Hawthorne’s “Great Stone Face”
In a pleasant, sunny valley surrounded by lofty mountains, lived a boy name Ernest. On the side of one of the mountains, in bold relief, nature had carved the features of a gigantic face.
From the steps of his cottage, the boy used to gaze intently upon the stone face, for his mother had told him that some day a man would come to the valley who would look just like the Great Stone Face. His coming would bring joy and happiness to the entire community.
"Mother," said the boy, "I wish that it could speak, for it looks so kind that its voice must be pleasant. If were to see a man with such a face, I should love him dearly." So, Ernest continued to gaze at the Great Stone Face for hours at a time.
Several times the rumor spread that the long-looked-for benefactor was coming, but each time when the man arrived, the rumor proved to be false. In the meantime, Ernest had grown into manhood, doing good wherever he could. The people in the village loved him. Everyone was his friend. And as he became an old man, Ernest was still looking for the arrival of the long-expected one.
One day a poet came into the valley. He had heard the prophecy about the Great Stone Face, and at evening, when the sun was setting, he saw Ernest talking to some people. As the last rays of light flooded the massive outlines on the distant mountainside, they fell on Ernest's face. The poet cried aloud, "Behold! Behold! Ernest himself is the likeness of the Great Stone Face."
Then all the people looked, and sure enough, they saw that what the poet said was true. By looking daily at the Great Stone Face, Ernest had become like it.
You become what you worship. You become what you’re aiming at. The mark of true discipleship is Christlikeness. That’s what life in the Spirit can bring:
ILLUS: Gardening … I expect there to be fruit/harvest.
CLOSING: The DNA / heart of discipleship? These 3 working in harmony – not one to the exclusion of the others! All three are crucial.
