The Meaning Of Discipleship

Be encouraged; but let’s be clear-headed and wake up to the urgency of the situation we are in. “If we are willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.”

As a Church we struggled financially last year and I don’t yet know what our year-end figures look like.

The roof of the building is leaking, our monthly income is less than our monthly expenditure and we recently said goodbye to several old friends. Sunday attendances were relatively low during the autumn and we know that nationally over the next ten years about half of our paid Vicars will retire leading to a significant shortage of clergy. My job description has to change and it already has; but as Archbishop Justin Welby said recently, “We may not be optimistic but we are hopeful”; and I remain as hopeful now as I’ve ever been because the Lord is in our midst. The Lord is here! We’re facing challenges and we need to wake up to what the Lord wants to do through each one of us to build his church, to grow as disciples and to make new disciples.

Jesus started with 12. Many enquired and loved his miracles but many lost interest and turned away when his teaching became too challenging and too hard to practice (e.g. John 6:60-66). That happens today.

Our Bible reading was the so-called Great Commission. After his death and glorious resurrection Jesus gave instructions that his disciples should go to Galilee, north of Jerusalem, because he would meet them there (28: 7, 10 and 16); and he did; and verse 17 must surely encourage us when we get downcast or doubt that God is really at work. Maybe Christmas went badly, maybe illness or redundancy strikes and faith wavers. Maybe people let us down and we blame God or maybe we just get tired and weary. If so, Jesus wants to come to you today to restore your hope, passion and purpose, to commission you or re-commission you for the life of discipleship.

Verse 17: ‘When they saw [Jesus], they worshipped him; but some doubted.’ Yes, some of them doubted, even though they were witnessing first-hand the resurrected Jesus; so don’t be too hard on yourself when you doubt; but hear and receive the commission of God upon your life.

Jesus said to those first disciples, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:18-20).

What is Jesus saying? He has all authority (28:18). We might look around at society, worry about family values and wonder about who is in charge but here’s the answer. It’s not the Prime Minister, it’s not your boss at work and it’s not me thank God. It’s Jesus. He has all authority. He is in control even when we can’t see it. He has a plan even when he’s being crucified and when it looks as though all is lost. Jesus has all authority. When things look bleak financially, numerically, or spiritually, we fix our eyes upon Jesus once again. Resolve to be or become genuine disciples, following, learning from, and imitating him.