Called to Discipleship

Where to from Here?

2008-03-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

We have come to the end of our understudy of Jesus and His disciples. We have looked over Jesus' shoulders and have eavesdropped on His instructions to and training of His diverse group of followers. We have seen His attitudes. We have listened to His words. We have felt the warmth of His personality. We have been touched by the charm of His smile and the radiance of His personality. We have walked the dusty roads of Galilee with Jesus. We have sailed across the lake with Him. We have sat on the mountainside and in homes with Him. We have been with Him in both the temple and synagogues. So what comes next? Where do we go from here?

Essentially, my question concerns our individual discipleship as contemporary followers of the Master. What have we learned during this quarter and what will we do with it? How has this study influenced your life, impacted your personality, and renewed your reaction to the study? Write out what you have learned and the decisions on which you have arrived. Perhaps, it would also be good to record what you plan to accomplish as a modern disciple for the Master, realizing that there is a mission to be fulfilled and His words, "Go ye into all the world..." include you.

Finally, as you await the kingdom, may God bless and prosper your discipleship! Walk good my friend and I will see you in the kingdom! All the very best.

Responsibility and Discipleship

2008-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

During this quarter, we have looked at the issue of discipleship. We have defined it as the act of following Jesus—the Master Teacher. It was our plan to peek over His shoulders and eavesdrop on the training He gave the original disciples to see what we can learn for contemporary disciple-ship. We have seen that discipleship involves following the Master and learning from Him. It is my hope that we have learned that Jesus is not satisfied with discipleship that prides itself in membership and is unconcerned about the assigned tasks of discipleship. Matthew 28 shows that Jesus not only commissioned disciples to be disciples but also to make other disciples. That is the ultimate goal of discipleship.

It is a privilege to be a disciple but God’s call isn't for privilege; with privilege goes responsibility. Every follower of Jesus therefore has the responsibility of making disciples. That is not the task of the pastor or the elders only; it is the responsibility of every member. To the extent, then, that we have been able to move members from pride in membership to love for and practice of discipleship to that extent the lessons have been successful. Where do you stand on this issue, friends? This gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world for the end to come. God has no one else to do it but us—his modern disciples. Will we disappoint Him or will we rise to the occasion and fulfill the mission? The choice is yours, my friend, but as for me, I will be about the mission God has assigned. So help me God!

Straining at the Oars of Life

2008-03-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

The relationship of the original disciples with Jesus was one of ups and downs. Sometimes they were exceptionally brilliant and at other times they were awfully dull. They were slow learners. Jesus at times asked them, "Do you not yet understand?" He even charged them with being hardhearted. Yet, they were not unique in their “on again, off again” relationship with Jesus. That, too, was the experience of Ancient Israel. Sometimes they were on the mountaintop with God and a few days later they were in the depths of the valley; but God was still there for them.

It is thousands of years later in A.D. 2008; yet, things still have not changed. The slaves used to sing a Negro Spiritual saying, “Sometimes I’m up; sometimes, I down; sing glory alleluia.” And despite the many examples we have of the ineffectiveness of this kind of following/discipleship, we still persist in it today. Some of us even take pride in such a relationship taking our cue from what we think was Paul’s relationship as recorded in Romans 7:13-24. Yet, don’t overlook the fact that that kind of relationship ends in wretchedness as Paul shows in v. 24, ”O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?” The torrid relationship of Israel, the disciples, and the person depicted Rom 7:13ff is that of one with self in control—one living a self-directed life—and we must not forget that the essence of sin is self, i.e. living a self-directed life. Don’t overlook what the middle letter in the word sin is "I"—SIN. Real discipleship is the life depicted in Romans 8—the Spirit led life. It is the antidote for the up and down, on again, off agian, relationships Christians have with God.

Yet there is something else that is comforting in this week’s study. The disciples were out on the storm tossed lake. They were straining at the oars because the winds were contrary. Mark says Jesus saw them in this activity. This is what is comforting to me and can be helpful to you, too. Though physically absent from them, Jesus was aware of their circumstance. This means that when we strain at the oars of life with its difficulties; when we think we are alone and that no one cares, Jesus, though physically absent, does see and does care. And, just as he did for those disciples, he will come to us at the hour of our greatest need, as I point out in my book, Called to Discipleship, p. 103. Discipleship has ups and downs and the keys to success are persistence, perseverance, faith, and trust in the watchful care and concern of a loving, beneficent God. And, never forget that your discipleship attitude determines your discipleship altitude.

Can your discipleship withstand pressure?

2008-03-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

All of us receive the call to discipleship but not all of us have answered the call or have gone on to embrace and practice it. Yet, all of us would claim that we are indeed disciples. The real challenge comes, however, when we face the pressures of discipleship.

This week we have looked at how some of the first disciples responded under pressure. The greed, power, and flight models are most interesting. Some disciples still run from the pressures and/or from the Master. Some rob the treasury and are selfish and still others call down fire to consume those who disagree with them. Are these the best ways to respond to those who disagree with us? Yet, before you blame them, how do you yourself respond as a disciple when someone cuts you off on the highway? What happens when you are on the bus or train and hear the name and/or cause of God being maligned? Do you speak up or do you remain silent? Do you defend it or do you walk away?

One of the greatest challenges to discipleship may come in terms of a thorn in the flesh. The apostle Paul had to live with his thorn which some believe had to do with his sight. The famous composer Ludwig Beethoven had some difficulty living with his thorn in the flesh which was deafness. David Hume says Beethoven wrote a sad will in which he admitted that at times he felt like taking his life. How will you respond to your thorn in the flesh and how will it affect your discipleship? Discipleship is a brilliant concept and a great practice but it is not easily lived. It requires commitment, faith, boldness, understanding, resilience, and guts. People learn more from what they see than from what they hear. What will they see when your discipleship comes under fire?Can your discipleship withstand pressure?

The Command to Hate Relatives

2008-02-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Christianity has been viewed as a religion of peace, the crusades notwithstanding. Its founder was named the Prince of Peace and angels announced His birth as a peace bringing event. How, then, can we reconcile the fact that Matthew 10:34-37 and Luke 12:49-53 not only say Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword, but also that Christians must hate their close relatives to be His disciples? He even says there that He would set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother. How must we understand such statements?

Commenting on Matthew 10:34-37 William Barclay says, “Nowhere is the sheer honesty of Jesus more vividly displayed than it is [displayed] here. Here he sets the Christian demand at its most demanding and at its most uncompromising [level].” Here Jesus tells disciples exactly what demands of discipleship are, if they accept His call to follow. He prepares them for a wide variety of responses to the gospel, and their espousal of it, from family members and friends. Family members would turn against each other. Was Jesus speaking the truth? Haven’t we seen that kind of reaction? Thus, contemporary disciples must also be alert to ensure their priorities are straight. This will doubtlessly involve a reevaluation of friendships and family relationships.

In Luke 14:26, Jesus intensifies the dilemma saying, “If anyone comes to me and hate not father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” “Hate” is a very strong word. What did Jesus mean? Must we literally hate family members and friends who believe differently from us to fulfill our discipleship mission? To hate means to love less. Jesus here invites disciples to love human relationships less than they love Him. As the “pearl of great price,” all relationships and possessions pale in value when compared to Him. Consequently, disciples are to ensure that nothing interferes with or transcends their relationship with Christ. The veracity of this notion is confirmed by the very words of Christ Himself. In Matthew 10:37 He says those who love father or mother, son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me. The point is that we must love these relation-ships less and Jesus more. Nothing must stand between us and the Savior.

What is your position, my friend? Can you make that kind of commitment? Is there anything in this world that is more valuable to you than the One who sacrificed Himself on a tree for your salvation and so ensure that you might have everlasting life? Think on these things!

Prayer and Fasting

2008-02-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

In some of our churches today, not much is heard about the Biblical injunction and the Christian discipline of Prayer and Fasting. Yet, it was a source of spiritual strength to others earlier. From Jesus’ own example and the disciple’s experience we see the power of prayer. Jesus spent whole nights in prayer prior to major events. The disciples emulated Him and spent much time in prayer and soul searching prior to Pentecost—the Early Rain. Shouldn’t we be following them as we prepare for the Latter Rain? Let’s not forget, either, what Jesus said at the foot of the mount that day—some problems can only be solved through prayer and fasting.

Perhaps, this is an inconvenient exercise in our modern sophisticated, fast paced, space age generation but could this also be included in our denying ourselves to follow? The last days are approaching and only those who are fit will survive. This is an integral part of discipleship. Are revival and reformation needed?

Disciples and Apostles

2008-02-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

It is surprising how widespread is the belief that Jesus had only twelve disciples. Yet from scripture we hear not only of twelve disciples but 70, 72, 120 and even 500. Perhaps, the problem has to do with the fact that while the ancients did not seem to have placed much emphasis on such numbers, the Gospels sometimes referred to those around Jesus as the twelve disciples. Careful examination reveals, however, that the Gospel writers did not expect us to limit the disciples to twelve.

Mark 3:13ff implies that much. It says that one day Jesus called to Him those whom He would. It is evident that they must have been called from a larger group. From the group He called, He chose twelve. this therefore reveals to us at least three groups of disciples. What is of essence here, however, is what He did with the twelve. He ordained them to be apostles. What is the difference between the two groups?

Apostles were first disciples before they were appointed and ordained as apostles. While disciples are followers of Jesus, apostles are this and more. The Greek word implies that they were ones who were sent out or away from the Master to be His ambassadors, messengers or representatives to proclaim or share His message. This means that while all of us are disciples, only some are appointed as apostles. Both groups were called and received training but apostles received more specialized training. The important thing, however, is to accept our assigned task by the Master and to fulfill our duties and/or obligations to the very best of our abilities. Will you? By God's grace I will!

Diversity and Discipleship

2008-02-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

Many of us have not given much thought to the diversity that was reflected in the ministry of Jesus. In addition to the ethnic diversity that we have seen in this week's lesson, one can also view the fact that Simon of Cyrene, who helped Jesus carry the cross, was from North Africa and is considered to be black. Moreover, diversity is reflected in the fact that he had females among his disciples. Also, there were people from diverse professions among the twelve--Peter, James and John were fishermen; Matthew was a tax collector; and Judas knew something about accounting and/or business since he was the treasurer of the Jesus circle. Diversity was also reflected from another perspective. The second Simon is given a designation to differentiate him from Simon Peter. This Simon is said to be a Caananite which means that he was a Zealot.

All this tells me that Jesus was very inclusive. Are we as inclusive in our outlook and practice in this the 21st century? Are there groups and/or peoples that we are excluding from our circles? If so are we true disciples and fit citizens of the kingdom? Let' truly follow in His steps, my friends!

Female Disciples?

2008-01-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Female disciples of Jesus? Did Jesus have female disciples? Well, this week's lesson explores this idea. The first item of note and interest, in this regards, is the statement in Luke 8:1-3 that says women accompanied Jesus on his missionary tour. It even names them. Yet, Luke is not alone in this admission. Both Matthew and Mark do the same thing, though they tuck theirs away in the events that transpired while Jesus was on the way to the cross, giving it only a passing reference. See Matthew 27:55-56 and Mark 15:40-41. One must remember that following implies discipleship.

Second, contemporary disciples can learn much from Mary, the mother of Jesus. As a matter of fact, she can be a model for contemporary discipleship. Her Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55, makes powerful statements about social justice and identifies at least three revolutions--moral, social, and economic--that God's actions will bring about. Her words are instructive for discipleship. I would encourage us to study them and learn from them. She seemed to have understood some things that some of us still have not yet learned 2000 years later.

Luke 10:38-42 presents two more female disciples--Mary and Martha. Here we will only look at the former. She is said to have sat at the feet of Jesus. This is not an insignificant statement and must be understood against the background that in those days learners/disciples sat at the feet of their masters, either on the floor or on lower stools than his. When the text says Mary sat at Jesus' feet, it is inviting us to understand that she was a learner/disciple of Jesus. This notion is further reinforced by the fact that the text says she was listening to His words. Yet, the most powerful statement regarding the meaning of this text is found in Acts 22:3 where Paul says he sat at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem. I am sure none of us have a problem accepting that he was a student/disciple of Gamaliel. Should we then doubt the discipleship of Mary?

One final note is helpful. The first proclaimer of the resurrection and therefore of the Gospel was a woman--Mary Magdalene. She discovered the empty tomb while the men were in hiding for fear of the Jews. She proclaimed it to the men who went to verify the information. Yet, the point is that the first Christian proclaimer of the gospel was a woman. Will we follow her in proclaiming the good news to those around us? God is depending on us. Walk good my friend!

Would Be disciples

2008-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Would be disciples are not disciples so why bother with then and what can they teach about discipleship? Well, it is true that they are not disciples but it is not true that we cannot learn anything from them. In fact, we can learn a lot. At the very least, we can see the obstacles that they had to their discipleship and avoid their mistakes. Also, we can see what it is that the Lord required of them and how that became obstacles to derail their discipleship journey.

One interesting thing about these stories is that they cause us to think. Some of us have felt that Jesus was very hard on some of these would be disciples, especially the unnamed one who wanted to first bury his father before committing to discipleship. Yet, we must not forget that these individuals volunteered. Why would they have done so if they were not willing to commit to discipleship? When we get to the root of the matter, it appears that these individuals had a problem that has become a bit issue in our age. They wanted to belong, but they did not want to commit. Lack of commitment is a curse of our age. Some young men want to say, "This is my girl, but they are not willing to make the commitment that would make that a reality. Even so, would be disciples wanted to belong to Jesus but were unwilling to make the commitment of belonging. What we must learn here is that there can be no discipleship without commitment to belong to Jesus and to follow His bidding.

Another interesting point is that when we look carefully at the cases involved, we see that there were no legitimate reasons why these individuals could not commit. They made excuses not in some cases were not even valid. Jesus read through them and saw their motives. This tells me that if we do not want to do something, we should be honest and upfront about it and not settle for excuses. Others can read through our excuses and God sees and knows everything. Do you agree? My final call here is for us to commit to Jesus all the way to become exceptional disciples for his cause who are also committed to making disciples.

Requirements for Discipleship

2008-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Some have felt that they cannot enter discipleship since they cannot preach, give Bible studies or do some great feat for the Master. This is not so. Any one who is willing and who answers the call can do discipleship. Jesus references giving just a cup of cold water in His name or visiting the sick or those in prison. Your discipleship might involve living a consistent life that makes an impression on someone for Jesus. Don't forget that all Jael had was a nail that she used for the Master. Samson had the jawbone of an ass; Dorcas had a needle; Moses had a rod; David had a sling and some stones; the widow had a mite. What do you have? It is not the big things that matter most. It is your willingness to be used by the Master in whatever way He chooses to do whatever He wants. We should also not forget God's biddings are enabling. When God calls, God equips. So willing surrender to be used by God and you are on your way of discipleship.

Was Judas Called

2008-01-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days, I have received a number of questions regarding whether or not Jesus actually called Judas. According to Mark 3:13-19, he was in fact called. He was in the group Jesus called out of a larger group from which he appointed the twelve. He is also listed as one of those Jesus called to be one of the twelve. For a contrary view, see Desire of Ages 293-294. I cannot find any scriptural basis for this latter position or for linking him with the young lawyer.

2008-01-01T09:50:00.001-08:00

Though discipleship has been a topic of interest to Christians for centuries, for the first followers of Jesus discipleship was so much more than just that. For them, discipleship was the experience of following the Lord Jesus. At its core, discipleship was a relationship; one that was transforming, liberating, and empowering. And, as it was for them, so must it be for us.