Transformation And Multiplication Series

April 09, 2022

A disciple is more than one who acquires information from someone who is smarter or more knowledgeable than they. There is the idea of relationship/community/intimacy. A disciple “adheres to” - holds fast to, clings to, bonds to, is attached to, is faithful to - the teacher.

By the time of Jesus’ birth, the concept of discipleship was well and truly established:

• John the Baptist had disciples who gave up the comforts of civilization in order to follow him in the wilderness.

• The Essenes had disciples even though the entrance requirements were extensive and demanding.

• The Zealots had disciples.

• The Pharisees sponsored a formal rabbinical school and the great teacher Gamaliel reportedly had a thousand disciples who spent their time mastering Torah.

A young man who had reached a certain level of academic or social standing could join any number of rabbinical schools all led by a teacher {Rabbi} thus becoming a disciple of that teacher:

• Memorizing the teacher’s words for the express purpose of passing the information to another.

• Learning how the teacher observed the law and traditions as well as how he taught others to do as he did.

• After learning all that he could, it was expected that the disciple would go out and establish a school making disciples of his own.

A disciples greatest calling and highest honor was to imitate his teacher and it is this level of commitment that lies at the heart of - is the ultimate goal of - the transformational and multiplicational {it’s a word now} process of Jesus driven discipleship:

• Jesus chose raw recruits who had not been taught in the rabbinical schools.

o Matthew 4:18-22 - And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him. 21 And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 And they immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

• They learned from Him: His character - His words - His ministry style - and they were transformed.

o Matthew 5:1-2 - And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And opening His mouth He began to teach them….

o Matthew 9:10 - And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

o Matthew 9:35-38 - And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 36 And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

o Matthew 15:32 - And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not wish to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

o Matthew 23:13-39 - But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

o Acts 4:13 - Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

• They were attached to Him.

o Matthew 19:27 - Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You….

o John 6:67-69 - Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 "And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

o John 15:4-5 - Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.