The Anatomy Of A Disciple

John the Baptist wore “clothes made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4). He did not own the latest Temple apparel. He didn’t even preach at the Temple. He stood in the middle of a river and called the religious people names. He definitely was not thought of as normal.

When sharing Christ with a leader named Festus, Paul was actually accused of being insane:

“Paul, you’re crazy!” You’ve read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space. Get a grip on your self, get back in the real world.” (Acts 26:24, The Message).

Paul told the believers at Corinth:

“If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” (2 Corinthians 5:13, NIV).

[Bones is out of his mind and loves it!]

And our ultimate example, Jesus Christ, was thought mad by his own family.

“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." (Mark 3:21, NIV)

Leonard Sweet in his latest book, “Jesus Drives Me Crazy” , says that we should not be surprised when the world thinks we are a little off-center.

“Disciples of Jesus are deviations from the norm. They mess up the world as it is, drawing outside the lines, thinking outside the box…Christians simple can not “do normal.” The number one problem in the church today is it’s numbing normality. (p. 16).

Les Nesman, a great character on the 1980’s sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”, used to ask the question, “Funny peculiar or funny Ha Ha?” Christians are definitely “funny peculiar!”

• When we turn the other cheek, the world says we are crazy!

• When we serve expecting nothing in return, the world says we are mad!

• When we write our tithe check before our mortgage check, the world says “get the net!”

• When a teenager gives up her summer to serve the poor and hopeless, their peers say they “what a waste of time.”

• When an adult gives up their Sunday nights or Wednesday nights, to minister to junior high and high school students, the world starts preparing the padded room.

Mark Kleiman profoundly stated: “Those who dance appear insane to those who can not hear the music.”

In a Jerry Springer world, Christians are thought to be NUTS. Leonard Sweet says that NUTS stands for “Never Underestimate the Spirit.”

Aristides, a non-Christian, defended the Christians before Emperor Hadrian by saying: “They love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly…and verily, this is a new people, and there is something divine in the midst of them.”

Let that be said of Pontiac Bible Church! Let’s make a pact together, if anyone is going to call us weird, abnormal, strange, mad, crazy, or NUTS, let’s make sure it is because we are living our outlandish faith in Jesus Christ out loud for the world to take notice!

Conclusion

Let’s close with two action steps.

(1) Seek to “be” a disciple of Christ. Many people get confused about what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus. Being a disciple of Jesus primarily is about growing into the character and likeness of Jesus Christ. We are human beings, not human doings. All of our service and sacrifice flows out of our love and communion with Jesus. As He shapes our character, he will provide for our service. Often times I tell students who are worried they are not “doing” enough for God to slow down and just spend time falling in love with Jesus. That’s not a bad action step for us adults either, is it?