Moving on with God- the next step in: discipleship
WBC 6 July 2003 pm
LK 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26
LK 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Are you a Christian?
My dream. At conference. Bomb threat. The hosting church were real raving charismatics. I sat outside to check no one was entering to plant a bomb. 2 workmen turn up in a van. I stop them and ask "who are you going to see?". "Gillian" they answer. They get stroppy for being stopped, because they’re Christians. "well, I’m sorry, there has been a bomb threat, so I’m sure you’ll excuse me for checking you are who you say you are- Christians going to see Gillian" "can you quote Jn3:16 to me?" "oh, it’s something like ... the Father loves Jesus ..." both spout different jumbled stuff and then say ’it’s a long time since we became Christians.... & you just know what you know in HERE (pointing to heart). I said "I’ll have to escort you to see Gillian, and she’ll have to verify who you are.... I’m sorry, but most NON-Christians would know this passage... and you don’t" I then added to the dream, in my dream mind "If you were tried for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Maybe asking people if they are Christians or not is too easy
- over 65% of our country classify themselves as ‘Christian’ when asked
o because the term has become part of our culture, terminology
“= someone born in the UK” (you say)
• and you’d be right!
o But has also, wrongly, become part of our church terminology
You’re a Christian if you ‘nod your head’, ‘get baptised’, ‘go to church regularly’, ‘believe in Jesus’
And, of course some of this is true
- but we misunderstand the term, and in doing so
o cripple ourselves. Short change our master and starve our souls
o let ourselves off far to easily
Because the term ‘Christian’ is seldom used in the Bible
- and where it’s used is used to describe the ‘final product’
AC 11:25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
- and it’s used by OTHERS to describe Christians- they don’t use it of themselves (as they know they’re not finished, yet!)
- In ’Living faith’ Jimmy Carter writes: A group of Christian laymen involved in missionary work approached a small village near an Amish settlement. Seeking a possible convert, they confronted an Amish farmer and asked him, ’Brother, are you a Christian?’ The Farmer thought for a moment and then said " Wait just a few minutes." He wrote down a list of names on a tablet and handed it to the lay evangelist. "Here is a list of people who know me best. Please ask them if I am a Christian."
o Prior to this called ‘followers of the way, Jesus, members of the Nazarene sect… outcasts!....
Or something else, primarily: DISCIPLES:
Are you a disciple?
This is a much better term!
- I find it far more challenging? “Am I a disciple?!”
- “oh, gosh, I’m getting there… trying to be”
But, friends- here is the root of the issue. This is very serious. We must ask ourselves- “am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?”
- because the honest answer will save our souls from dying
- 2CO 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
I am so concerned for the wellbeing of many of you. For your souls. Let me illustrate it this way:
Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original "race" run to save lives. Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signalling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum. But it wasn’t long before Dr. Welch’s supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska--1000 miles of frozen wilderness away. Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams! Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana. Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome. As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic.
Many of us have
- heard of the serum, know that folks… WE will die without it…. Have signed up for one of the relay teams
o but are not running. We’re just limping along.
o In fact- we’ve grown so chilled- we don’t even notice it!
I KNOW this stuff isn’t easy… has a cost… is downright boring at times
- but you’re either in this for GOD… GOLD…
- or you might as well not bother!
There’s NO point in limping along. Gaining the world. But your soul dying.
So- here’s the question: “are you a disciple?”
- like me= “no… but I want to be. I want to want to be. I’m in it for gold, God”
o “and I want to take the NEXT STEP in discipleship”
o (“I’m not going to be described by others as a ‘complete Christian’ for some time… it’ll be ‘hypocrite’ for a while, yet!)
don’t be put off by the hugeness of the task- let God show you the NEXT STEP!
What is a ‘disciple’? What do they do? What ‘are’ they?
1) They are a disciple of Jesus
Discipleship = well established in Jesus’ day
- Paul = disciple of Gamaliel
But interestingly the apostles/disciples don’t make their OWN disciples]
- they make disciples of JESUS!
- 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
So- it’s Jesus we follow. Nobody else.
So- a) make sure you please Him
"It is increasingly difficult to get Christians to meetings where God is the chief attraction" AW Tozer
- b) it’s not as simple as ‘doing the right externals’
o might please me- but it’s your HEART Jesus is concerned about
2) They make disciples
As mentioned- disciples make disciples. So:
- they are in relationship with others!
o "The Christian life is not just a matter of believing; it includes belonging" Rick Warren in ’The Purpose Driven Church"
o this is not HEAVY. Most of it is friendship
- they are not ‘hanging around until they are perfect’ to do it
o that’s an excuse!
Illustr: Alpha: make them helpers, immediately
• Me: discipling Mark Alslet immediately
o (didn’t know what I was doing! But I soon found out!)
3) They imitate Jesus
The key of discipleship was to imitate the master. Look like Him.
- in everything! (even toilet habits ‘tis a matter of Torah!’)
- "To follow Jesus to the point of reflecting Him." A Hindu’s assessment of Christianity
What did Jesus do? (think about it for a moment, in silence!)
-> imitate it. Him. !!!
- (man, that’s pretty challenging! But that’s the package: compassion, care, bringing truth to others, getting heated over injustice, healing the sick etc.
- so, don’t tell me ‘I’m bored, there’s nothing more to learn’!’
4) They follow Jesus
Actually- this is a terrific summary of discipleship! It conveys
- following… journeying, moving on, imitating. Everything.
- "Jesus did not say ’discuss me’, He said ’follow me’ "
Are you following Him- or do you just do what YOU want… come when you want… obey when you want.
- friends- you’re missing it. The point. You may not make it!
Out of World War II comes the story of a platoon of American soldiers stranded on one side of a mine field they had to cross. The commander came up with a plan: one man would walk across the mine field, leaving clear footprints for others to follow. If this first man hit a mine, then another man would walk across the field in his footsteps, until finally someone had cleared a path for all the other soldiers. With their hearts in their throats, the young soldiers agreed to the plan. Which one would be chosen to walk the field first? To their surprise, the commander began walking across the field. As their leader, he insisted on risking his life for the sake of his men. The commander crossed the field safely. Following closely in his footsteps, all the soldiers made it across the field. -- William Beausay II. The Leadership Genius of Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), 16-17.
5) They are disciplined!
A - yes, they are disciplined by God!
HEB 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
They see hardship, and ‘stones’ not as stones to stumble over but as stones to step up on…. Get closer to God
- they believe God is active in ALL of their life- and so nothing is wasted/chance
o it’s about ATTITUDE
B- But also- they practice certain disciplines
You couldn’t be a disciple without DOING certain things.
Disciples:
- Study (at the feet. Whenever Jesus sits down- He does so to teach)
Scripture Union survey of regular churchgoer’s attitudes to the Bible, 1999:
"66% of regular churchgoers don’t read the Bible from one week to the next". Only a quarter of these have read the entire Bible at any time in their lives.
- Illustr: “faith comes by hearing”. I’ll by it for you if you can’t afford it! (but I suspect that means you won’t use it at all as priority is elsewhere)
- Pray (‘Lord, teach us how to pray (like JTBs disciples)’ = part of ‘discipleship’.
o ’Seven days without prayer make one weak’ Anon
- Worship: note they sang songs, together (last supper etc)… joined together as a GROUP….but MORE- Jesus taught them to live LIVES of worship
o In spirit and truth
o Your whole lives handed over: works, sleep, play- everything ‘open to’ and ‘dedicated to’ JESUS
- Fast
Friends- you must be FULL! And I don’t want to ‘preach’ any more
- as it’s not about INFORMATION but TRANSFORMATION
o moving on. The next step
What is your next step?
-come and tell us, now
Songs:
I will worship
When I survey (o the wondrous cross)
All my hope on God is founded
