What is Discipleship? Devotional 09/20/23

Announcements:

Doors unlock at 10:10AM on Sundays (pot coffee) and 6:25PM on Wednesdays (Keurigs) for fellowship and coffee

Updates:

Ben’s job (Cussing)

Challenge from Sunday: praying for one person who you don’t get along with/enemy

Introduction:

Introduction to discipleship this evening. Why? because this is foundational in the life of every believer and the church!

We can’t make disciples if we aren’t disciples! You reproduce who you are.

What do you think of when you hear the word: “disciple”?

The Greek word for “disciple” means a student or learner. But it went far beyond that. Not only was the disciple hoping to learn what the teacher knew but he would live with him and imitate how the teacher lived. He walked where the teacher walked, talked as the teacher talked, etc.

We could define disciple as a person who follows Jesus: to know Jesus and His teaching; to grow more like jesus; and to go for Jesus, serving others and making new disciples.

According to Jesus, discipleship alters every area of our life: our beliefs (knowing), our essential nature (growing) and our actions (going).

Mark 1:17 NASB95

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

“Follow me” “I will make you become” “Fishers of men”

to know Jesus and His teaching to grow more like Jesus to go for Jesus by serving others and making disciples

Knowing Growing Going

New truth New character New mission

Information Transformation Multiplication

Head Heart Hands

Jesus modeled for the disciples (and us) how to love:

John 13:34 NASB95

34“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

And right before returning to heaven (after his death and resurrection), Jesus told His disciples (commissioned) to help others learn to follow Him:

Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Body:

A disciple’s life is to be marked by five traits:

Trust/faith in the Gospel and following Jesus Christ

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Faith is not a noun (something we have) but a verb (something we do/exercise)

It is living right according to what God has said in His Word; not what culture says.

2. Love: living in a healthy community with the people of God

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God wholeheartedly and love others sacrificially:

Mark 12:28–34 NASB95

28One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31“The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

Love shows the world we are followers of Christ:

John 13:34–35 NASB95

34“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Without love we are as worthless as a clanging symbol:

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NASB95

1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

3. Learning: being shaped and guided by the Word of God

Disciples of Jesus study and embrace the teachings of Jesus not only to learn for knowledge but also to experience life change.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Romans 12:1–2 NASB95

1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Timothy 2:15 NASB95

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

4. Life Change: disciples are yielded and transformed by the Spirit of God

Mark 1:17 NASB95

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

“Make you become” happens as we get God’s Word in our heart, submit to the Holy Spirit, encounter trials, live in messy authentic community and practice what the Lord tells us to live. Only then can Christ’s character be formed in us.

This is a process to be lived out one day at a time and together.

5. Service: disciples are devoted to and engaged in the mission of God

Mark 10:45 NASB95

45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The early church/disciples give their lives away:

Acts 20:24 NASB95

24“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

It’s not about us but the mission/commission we have been given by Christ!

We are going to be focused on going on a discipleship journey on Wednesday evenings. We will be asking ourselves questions, digging into the Bible, learning how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and there will be some homework to take with you as well because being a disciple is a 24/7 lifestyle; not only on Sundays and Wednesdays!

Discipleship Is Discipleship Is Not

The essential mission of Jesus Christ An optional program of the church

A lifelong process A short-term project

Fundamentally transformational Primarily informational

Something we do with others Something we do by ourselves

For every believer in Christ For a few special “super saints”

Hand out assessment paper and ask how long they would like to do the discipleship study as it can go for 30 weeks.

So, starting next Wednesday, we will be starting a purposeful discipleship journey which will include the following and more:

Know: Disciples learn. They get a handle on certain basic truths. (The Basics)

The Gospel

relationship with God

Being a new creation

Following Jesus

Common questions about the Bible

Grow: Disciples change. They gradually become like Jesus.

dealing with the struggle to love others

how to experience peace and joy in life

strengthening relationships with others

battling temptation

Truth about forgiveness

Go: Disciples act. They engage in practice that can change the world.

what is worship

studying the bible for yourself

how to pray

what is fasting

what is giving

making a global difference

Conclusion:

We will have handouts each week to work through and take home application to what we talk about as well each week.

Please invite your neighbors, friends, enemies, etc. as this is a journey for everyone who is searching and trying to figure what living for God is all about and what it looks like!