GOD HAS MORE (DISCIPLESHIP)

The World’s Greatest Collection of Church Jokes 9. Sunday School

LOOK UP

The substitute teacher was struggling to open a lock on the Sunday school supply cabinet. She’d been told the combination but couldn’t quite remember it. Finally she went to the pastor’s study and asked for help.

When the minister began to twist the dial, he paused after the first couple of numbers and stared blankly. Finally he looked heavenward and his lips moved silently, then he looked back at the lock,turned to the final numbers, and clicked open the hasp.

The teacher was amazed. “I’m in awe of your faith, Pastor.”

“It’s really nothing,” he responded. “The numbers are on a piece of tape on the ceiling.”

Looking up for Faith, that would be a good Title for a BOOK. I believe we find ourselves many times in a day, or in a week, looking up for guidance, clarification, answers. All along they could be all around you. See, God equips us, as Believers to be there for each other. He surrounds us with our Church Family. That same family is where we can look for that same guidance, clarification or answers to questions we have. Not that I am saying we can replace God in any way. I am saying we can help our family and also, grow our family.

What do I mean by that? That word Grow. Well, I am talking about creating Disciples. As we can see in our every day interactions whether is be at work, going to the store to pick up groceries, there are many out there that are lacking a relationship with Christ.

Jesus himself gave us the authority and commission to spread the gospel, grow his kingdom and save as many souls as we possibly can. Bring them to his Kingdom. Where did he say that? Lets start in the Gospel of Matthew. A Gospel that show’s how God kept his promise to Isreal through the life, death and Resurrection of of his only Son, Jesus Christ.

Matthew, the first book of the New Testament and one of the Synoptic Gospels contains more teachings from Jesus than any other gospel.

Matthew first highlights that Jesus is the Son of David, which helps validate Jesus as the true Israelite and God’s promised Messiah.

Then Matthew tells us about Jesus trip down to the Jordan River, To facing temptation in the wilderness, Then gathering twelve disciples.

Jesus brings about redemption for his people, a Passover Meal was celebrated at the onset of deliverance.

Jesus gives his life for the sake of all mankind and then He was raised from the dead. Then toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew, upon Jesus Resurrection, Jesus finalizes his teachings to his disciples and sends them forth to create......More Disciples.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We all know of this as the Great Commission. When Jesus appeared to the eleven in Galilee and commissioned them to make disciples of all nations.

First, Jesus through his divine authority is validated when he was resurrected, this is established when he told his disciples that “All authority is given to him in heaven and on earth. Jesus then specifically said Go out and make disciples of all nations, baptize them, until the end of the age. We know that , until the end of age is Jesus second coming.

So, right then and there, through Jesus words we are commissioned to continue HIS discipleship works in modern times. From generation to generation we need to create more disciples until we see our Heavenly Father once again!!

So, WHAT IS DISCIPLESHIP?????

What is Discipleship

According to the Lexham Theological Wordbook, Discipleship is

Discipleship is the process of devoting oneself to a teacher to learn from and become more like them.

For the Christian, this refers to the process of learning the teachings of Jesus and following after his example in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship not only involves the process of becoming a disciple but of making other disciples through teaching and evangelism.

Ultimately we want to devote ourselves to Jesus himself and try to emulate our daily life around Scripture and his teachings. We do this through obedience as the definition says.

A lot of conversations I have outside the walls of this church I have found is that most people believe that being a disciple ended during the Era of Jesus’ walk on this earth and in-fact, many believe that true discipleship belonged to the Apostles themselves and there is no room for any other man or women to proclaim the title Disciple.

Knowing Christ (Remain Teachable)

Like we established before, in this Modern Era most have a tendency to think of Jesus disciples or the 12 Apostles, when it comes to disciples. When in fact the Apostles had disciples themselves and even John the Baptist did as well.

But, first let me tell you about another John. See John had many doubt’s about his Faith. John traveled far and wide to spread the gospel. He traveled in the best form of transportation at the time of his discipleship, Horse. To be more specific, John traveled a total of 250,000 miles by horseback. That would be the equivalent of circling the planet a total of 10 times, just to spread the word of the gospel and evangelize as many people as possible. Over the course of his 60 years of ministry, John was responsible for preaching over 40,000 sermons. That would be the equivalent to a minimum of one Sermon per day during those 60 years.

John was also a strong advocate of the gospel healing individuals physically. To the point that he personally started several health clinics for the Poor while writing a medical book called, Primitive Physick: Or, An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases.

John was also known to be a very good organizer to the point that prior to his death, a Bible Study Group he started previously in a small room at his University grew to over 72, 000 people in the UK and 60,000 in the US.

The John I am speaking of is, John Wesley himself. The Founder of Methodist Movement.

Now I am not saying you need to go out, get a horse and ride 250,00 miles or write 40,000 sermons. I am just saying you to can evangelize those who do not know Jesus Christ. One conversation at a time. One phone call, text message, email. I say if we have technology, why not use it to our advantage.

Another Disciple I want to discuss is actually a disciple of John the Baptist, in the Early New Testament Era.

Acts 19:1 ESV

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

In Acts Chapter 19 it talk’s about the story of Apollos and other disciples that Paul came across in his travels.

Paul had traveled through the inland country and came upon the town of Ephesus.

Ephesus was known as the most important city during the New Testament times within the Western Asian Minor Territory, it is what we know as modern day Turkey. When arriving in Ephesus, Paul came across some disciples, but one disciple caught Paul's and his disciples attention. A man known as Apollos.

Apollos and these disciples were disciples of John the Baptist. Apollos was not a follower of Jesus and it was said that he wasn’t even a Christian. He only knew about the coming of the messiah through the teachings of John.

Acts 18:24–25 ESV

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Once again, John taught of the Messiah coming . That’s all Apollos knew and had his faith in the coming of the Christ.

This is where I want to make the point of:

Knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus. You may come to church, you may have attended church since a child but if you have never put your faith in Jesus to save you, you don’t know Jesus.

Until you open your heart to Jesus and ask him to save you and forgive you for your sin. You will not know him. You will not die and go to be with him in Heaven.

Acts 18:26 ESV

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Acts 18:26 makes a very good point I want to make about being a disciple while creating disciples. That is to be teachable. There is always something to learn in our walk with the Lord and we HAVE to be TEACHABLE.

In this verse it talks about how Priscilla and Aquila, leather workers and disciples of Paul heard Apollos speaking and preaching in the synagogue.

The two leather workers come to him and said, hey brother you don’t know what you need to know about Jesus.

He could have be rude at the moment due to him being a very intelligent and schooled person, but he didn’t. He listened and learned more. More about Christ and his faith grew stronger.

Due to his teachable nature, his ministry and sermons became even more powerful.

Apollos in the end was considered to be one of the greatest preachers of that time. He was so effective in his teaching and preaching, he was ranked among top Apostles like Peter and Paul.

So Apollos showed that through all of this, it is always important in our journey with the Lord, to be Teachable.

So in the end on the upside of your walk or on the downside of your walk, don’t be afraid to be “Teachable.”

I Don’t know about you But I want to be around people who move in the power of God.

If you are not teachable, you may be closing doors that God wants to open for you. Your gift, your purpose could be right there, but you let it slip away, due to your disobedience as a student and were not teachable.

- Remain Teachable

Remain in His Presence (Bold Faith)

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We must believe that God exists, how do we do that. FAITH!!! Every day we wake up and our faith takes over and we recognize there is The one and only God.

How did we gain that faith that we so easily fall back on AND hold tight to us?

The scripture says that faith is gained through God revealing himself through his son, Jesus Christ.

We also know this as we are once again Teachable..........and we are Obedient to God’s word.

So how do you remain teachable and remain obedient, we continue to accept Christ in our heart’s.

WE REMAIN IN HIS PRESENCE!!!

In order for us to remain in his presence and serve his purpose for us, we must have faith in him and in his existence in our daily lives.

Let me tell a story of true Faith.

For many generations the Cherokee Indian Tribe had a ritual or right of passage that made boys into men. The boy would have to go into the forest and sit on a stump from sunset to sunrise, blindfolded. After this long sit, the boy would then be deemed a man. As the sunlight disappeared and the darkness set in, the forest would come alive. The forest of the Cherokee Indians were filled with bears, mountain lions and other tribes trying to find a quick scalp. Every noise the boy would here would make his heart race with fear. It was not a friendly place for a boy to be. It was a terrifying place for him to sit all night.

As the first rays of sunshine hit the boys blindfold, he would remove it to find the secret, that sitting beside him, at any moment ready to protect him, was his Father. His Father sat there all night silent with him, not saying a word, his actions speaking for him.

This story makes me think of that moment I gave my Life to Christ and quite honestly ever day since. I was an unsure man, aware of the dangers of the forest, sitting on that stump, blindfolded, solely relying on my Faith to get me through the many trials that I was about to endure, yet not knowing how I would endure them....only to remove my blindfold and find my Heavenly Father sitting there, right beside me, ready to protect me at a moments notice.

Faith, that is all we have and all we need when it comes to getting through the daily trials we may endure. It is also all we need to share our story and plant that seed of conviction in another.

Planting the Seed

How does a seed grow. The seeds shell needs to break. Once broken, the seed spouts roots that then grow and multiple. This is no different than how Jesus body broke on the cross.

Jesus body was a seed and when it was broke open on that cross, the roots of the Holy Spirit re-entered this earth. Washing away our sin. Giving mankind, dominion back on this earth.

Jesus was the Seed that WE needed. We are now just the many branches that share his LIFE, his DEATH and his Resurrection.

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

In John 15:5, we see that Jesus refers to his disciples as “The Branches.” They are dependent on the true vine, that true vine being Jesus himself and for all things to include Life itself. We to are dependent on Jesus our Lord and Savior, the one who gave his own life for all of our righteousness.

Jesus then said we are not able to do anything without him. This includes access to God and therefore we cannot bear any fruit. Remember we all require access to the source of life....Jesus.

John 15:8 ESV

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Here we see Jesus telling his disciples that he wants more for them. He wants them to make the Glory of God known to everyone.

That is where you go out and spread the gospel of Christ and evangelize like no other. This church is rooted on saving soles. We all have the call to do so. Jesus did not die on that cross for us to sit on our hands and do nothing in return.

We need to have faith that Jesus wants more for us.

We have the ability as Disciples of Jesus to prove our faith for him by loving others as Jesus loves them and proclaiming the gifts given to us from God of eternal life, eternal life that was given to us through Jesus’ Crucifixion and his Resurrection.

That ability to be Obedient and Discipline does come at a cost...... Let me explain. God will make you feel uncomfortable. It will ask things of you, don’t look at it as him testing you, you asked him for his Glory to shine on you.....Now be ready to receive His glory and become Uncomfortable.

- mark 11:21

Be Uncomfortable

Let me start off by telling you a story of being uncomfortable, while walking in the presence of the Lord.

Since I started this walk to become a Pastor, I told the Lord, use me as a Tool, however you need and I will not question you. Well not shortly after, maybe a couple days, I had an opportunity when the Lord came to me as I was pumping gas down here at the Casey’s and a women, with a beautiful head wrap, you could tell she was either going through Cancer treatment or something to that effect, well she was pumping gas right next to me and something came over to me to go pray with this lady. Completely overwhelmed, afraid, UNCOMFORTABLE and many other things, I did not end up going over to her to ask to pray with her. I got into the truck with a stunned face and my wife asked me whats wrong. Well I had a strong feeling come over me to go pray with that lady. She told me that I should. Now to add to this story, Megan and I know that if we have the presence of the Lord come over us, whatever it may be, we made a commitment to listen and/or support each other whatever it may be. Well back to praying with the lady pumping gas, I chickened out. Plain and simple. The guilt that came over me as I drove away and for days later was unbearable. I felt like I let down the Lord. That week I came in to have a mentoring session with Shannon and told him the entire story. His advise was the best I could possibly get at that moment. He told me,”Just because you didn’t pray at the moment, does not mean you cant pray for her after or whenever you feel comfortable. And don’t worry about what you are going to say, the Lord will guide you in the moment.” I took that advise to heart and that night while lying in bed, I usually go through my final prayers for the day, I decided to pray specifically for that lady with the beautiful head wrap. At that moment I tell you I felt the presence come over me like I was in that moment again. The weight came off my shoulders and I could feel the Lord letting me know, its OK....ROOKIE!!

I tell you this story to let you know that it is OK to be uncomfortable. It is OK to be scared. The Lord will guide you in the moment.

Another quick story of being Uncomfortable that I told at Men’s Breakfast.

That day I had to go into the office for my Secular job, it was a couple months after the first story I just told you about. Well that day after months of not going to the Gym on Fort Leavenworth, I usually just run there and work out in our home gym. Well that day I went. Got a good workout in and when done I went to the locker room to get showered and changed. One the way, it came over me to head to the Sauna. So I head in there, do the usual sit there in 140 degree heat with my shirt off. I see in the corner, another guy doing the same thing in his own little world. Trying to get through the sauna session. Well, the Lord spoke to me and told me I need to confront him and let him know that The Lord knows him. Well, talk about Uncomfortable, two dudes in a Sauna, shirts off, sweating all over themselves and I have to give him a word from God. I am sitting there thinking to myself, God I know I said I would listen before and I didn’t exactly do that to the fullest, but man, shirtless and sweaty in a Sauna this time!! I got over my nerves and said,”I said I would listen at all cost.” So I got my stuff an on the way out I stopped and told the guy” I know you don't know me and I don't know you, but God gave me a word to give to you. I don't know if you know him but he knows you and wants to have a relationship with you. I hope that helps you in some way today or this week.” Now, relieved I did it and got that Uncomfortable shirtless monkey off my back, I looked at him once more as I was walking out and he had tears in his eyes and with shock just said,” Thank you I really needed that right now.”

The reason why I wanted to tell both stories is to confirm that even though I did not listen fully and show the discipline and obedience that was required of me, my path of righteousness was restored by GOD. He knew I still had a purpose when I doubted myself and that doubt was holding me back from a bigger purpose, God’s purpose in that moment.

Psalm 23:3 ESV

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

My path was restored. and as it says,”For His Name Sake.” I restored Jesus name and his trust in me. I was faithful and obedient in my task and gave a potential non-believer God’s word. All because I went into the uncomfortable, even though I had no idea what to say. In that moment we need to remember that WE are not the ones speaking. We need to understand that in the moment God will work through us, God will speak through us what is suppose to be said, and what will be said. We just need to listen and trust and have faith like that young boy on the log with the blindfold.

Proverbs 1:5 ESV

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

The Hebrew word for guidance or direction is tachbuloth.

The Hebrew word used here is, tachbuloth, which interprets to navigating life through different strategies. These strategies can be used for good or for evil. The Book of Proverbs promises that intelligent individuals are able to learn these strategies to be used for Good.

So, I am still having a really hard time figuring out the Good piece. If they had a Proverbs for Dummies, I would buy it immediately.

Some other scripture talking about God’s guidance.

Psalm 119:105 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Proverbs 11:14 ESV

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Be that abundance of counsel for a friend, relative, loved one in need of guidance. Step into the Unknown, The Uncomfortable. God will be right beside you on the Stump, protecting you, working through you, Letting you know, its going to be OK!

I am going to leave you with a quote. I have been reading a book recently by Sean McGever, a ministry leader and professor from Grand Junction University in Phoenix, AZ. The book is called “The Good News of our Limits.” In Sean’s book he discusses how we as Followers can embrace the imbalance and limitations we harness in the daily grind we all go through to create a better balance in life. He teaches you all of this with biblical and practical points throughout the book. One thing he said in his book that stuck with me as I think of how do we as God’s children, share our good news, our faith, our story and how God has changed our life for the better.

God is asking you to do only what you can with whatever he has given you. And rather than wasting time trying to do things he has not asked or empowered you to do, try spending more time and energy focused on the gifts and abilities he HAS given you.

God has given us many different gifts, but we all have the gift of connection. Every day we go out into the world and connect with so many people around us. First thing in the morning at the gym. It could at the coffeehouse, grabbing that much needed cup of coffee to kick start the day. Going into work and have all the normal daily conversations you have. I say, take the time to be Uncomfortable and share your faith, you may be surprised what happens. You may be surprised that through the Uncomfortable, there is a gift God wants to share.

God has More for all of us!

Let’s Stand to our Feet and Pray.