Come and See pt. 1

Come and See

38 "When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 "“Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.” ()

“I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with Christ, for though that can never be the basis of my peace—mark that—yet it will be the channel of it.”

Final Thought…

Consider the people who will work hard at learning to play an instrument, knowing that it takes years to acquire the skills, who will practice hard to lower their golf score or to improve their sports performance, knowing it takes years to become proficient, who will discipline themselves throughout their career because they know it takes sacrifice to succeed. These same people will give up quickly when they find the Spiritual Disciplines don’t come easily, as though becoming like Jesus was not supposed to take much effort.

The gold of Godliness isn’t found on the surface of Christianity. It has to be dug from the depths with the tools of the Disciplines. But for those who persevere, the treasures are more than worth the troubles.

Welcome to the gathering of the

First Baptist Church of

Roselawn

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Relationship with God. Relationships with Relationships with

other Christians. the world.

By God’s Grace & For God’s Glory!!!

Spiritual Disciplines: Introduction...

What are we going to be like?

Let’s look up the following verses and discover what we are going to be?

:29_____________________________________________________

:2______________________________________________________

We are not merely to wait for holiness, we are we to do? :14____________________________________________________

So how can we pursue Christ-likeness? How do we pursue holiness?

What phrase do we find in ? _________________________________________________________

So we are going to look at some practices that God’s (ancient) people have always practiced called spiritual disciplines. These are the means, the path way that takes us from where we are in our godliness to greater and greater Christ-likeness.

These disciplines are both personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times.

Some of the things we’ll talk about together over the next few months are:

The Hunger of the Heart

• Bible intake

• prayer

• worship

• evangelism

• service

• stewardship

• fasting

• silence and solitude

• journaling

• and learning

Whatever discipline we are talking about, the most important feature is its PURPOSE. Just as there is little value in practicing the scales on a guitar or piano apart from the purpose of playing music, there is little value in practicing spiritual disciplines apart from the single purpose that unites them.

Look up the following (negative and positive) and write down how each verse or passage relates to your PURPOSE in the Christian walk...

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The purpose is godliness. So we are told in to train (discipline) ourselves “for the purpose of godliness” The Spiritual Disciplines are the God-given means we are to use in the Spirit-filled pursuit of Godliness. Godly people are disciplined people.

What means does God use to change us?

1. Read . God uses this to sharpen us to Christ-like living. _______________

2. Read . What does God work together for good? _________________.

Then God uses the spiritual disciplines, which God works from the inside out. The God uses people and circumstances the process works from the outside in. God has given us the Spiritual Disciplines as a means of receiving His grace and growing in Godliness. By them we place ourselves before God for Him to work in us.

Let me illustrate this as we think through the role of the spiritual disciplines. Let’s read & .

Think of the Spiritual Disciplines as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seek Him much as Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus placed themselves in Jesus’ path and sought Him. As with these two seekers, we will find Him willing to have mercy on us and to have communion with us. And in the course of time we will be transformed by Him from one level of Christlikeness to another.

“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” ()

The Spiritual Disciplines then are also like channels of God’s transforming grace.

Let’s think for a moment how hard it is to begin some things.

Books. For me it’s hard to begin a book but once I do, I have a hard time setting it down.

Especially if it’s a theological book.

Job. It’s tough to begin a new job.

There’s a fair bit of anxiety that goes on in making the effort of that initial plunge.

When Jesus of Nazareth embarked on his ministry in the spring of A.D. 27, He faced an awesome, complex challenge.

Where and how does one begin the work of saving the world from total destruction,

rescuing a humanity that, for the most part,

does not believe it needs help?

The Messiah-to-be made his first major move in an unlikely place,

a dusty desert, and

in an unlikely manner, submitting himself to baptism by an disciplined, self-denying prophet named John.

And yet the decision to go to John there in the desert was perfectly logical and appropriate,

for John was the wilderness herald for the coming Deliverer—the Christ.

It was no mistake that John ministered in the wilderness, for the wilderness historically represented the barrenness of Israel’s spiritual life.

The people of Israel had not heard from God in four hundred years.

Thus they were progressively eager to have their messianic expectations met throughout this period of severe silence.

The spiritual heart of Israel was parched, dry, and empty, much like the desolation of the wilderness.

Thus when the Jewish people heard of this rugged young prophet trumpeting forth the words of the revered Isaiah,

they trudged thirty miles out into the barren countryside to know more of his message.

John was the pioneer who preceded the Messiah, calling out to Israel, “Repent! Be prepared to encounter God!”

Indeed, as Jesus walked toward him there in the wilderness and what does John point out? (1:29,36) ______________________________________________

At this statement, two of John’s disciples were immediately compelled to follow Jesus,

without much thought for who or what they were leaving behind.

Why did these men follow Jesus?

Well, why indeed did you decide to follow Jesus? Hunger.

Certainly curiosity is part of the motivation, but the hunger of the heart is the compelling force.

This kind of hunger had been quickened in these men through the ministry of John.

He had created in them a hunger for the Messiah—what he was and what he offered to Israel.

As a result, these two men were drawn to the person of Jesus just as hungry animals are attracted to a source of food.

Throughout the past two millennia, many people have taken the same action as these two disciples of John, following Jesus to see who he is.

Some of them were willing to follow all the way; others were not willing to pay the price.

What is the price of discipleship to Jesus Christ?

We will be following step-by-step along with these two men and the other ten to learn the answer to this question.

The fundamentals of discipleship can best be grasped at the feet of the Master himself.

A Introduction to Commitment

The magnificent obsession of the Jew was to experience the Messiah, to witness the ushering in of the kingdom of God with all its promised benefits.

John the Baptist spoke of the importance of preparing one’s heart for the arrival of the promised Deliverer.

"...A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!” ()

The people came to him to be baptized as a sign of dedication as they waited for the coming King.

An air of expectancy pervaded the land.

Thus when John announced that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, John’s disciples knew precisely what he meant.

Their hearts were clean, curious, and cultivated by the Spirit of God.

John was serving in a ministry of preparation, provoking an interest in the Messiah to come.

When Jesus, the true Messiah, arrived on the scene, John’s season of preparation was over.

He had successfully set the stage for the great event of salvation, but it was time for him to gracefully step aside.

POINT: Part of the discipling process is this phase of preparation, sustaining the believers while the seeds of commitment are germinating.

We need to recognize the value of the work accomplished by someone like John the Baptist.

He was an advance man, a forerunner who prepared the way.

Such a ministry is a natural prelude to commitment.

What might be some ministries in the local church by which we can monitor and nurture spiritual beginners?

In our churches today, we need to monitor and nurture the spiritual beginners, as John did so well.

Typical ministries of preparation such as Bible Studies, music ministry, and fellowship groups (Care Groups)

provide a forum in which the observant builder of disciples can watch and wait until a person is ripe and ready.

These “holding tank” ministries are vital to successful discipling, for without them we would not have a primary opportunity to gather in those who are not presently prepared for more serious involvement. We must be patient—waiting and watching for the proper moment—for the Spirit of God prepares the hearts of disciples for a certain moment when they stand up and say, “Here I am, Lord, reporting for duty.” This was the case when the two men left John at the appointed moment to follow the Messiah.

These “holding tank” ministries are vital to successful discipling, for without them we would not have a

primary opportunity to gather in those who are not presently prepared for more serious involvement.

We must be patient—waiting and watching for the proper moment—for the Spirit of God

prepares the hearts of disciples for

a certain moment when they stand up and say, “Here I am, Lord, reporting for duty.”

This was the case when the two men left John at the appointed moment to follow the Messiah.

Hull, B. (2004). Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker (20th Anniversary Edition, pp. 31–32). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

An Invitation to Behold the Master

Jesus responded to these two men directly and somewhat abruptly (v38).

38 "When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”” ()

Jesus asks these two men to spell out what is on their minds.

But God intends for us to reflect on a deeper question:

the Logos-Messiah confronts those who make any show of beginning to follow Him and demands that they articulate what they really want in life.

Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?”.

Was what they were seeking the removal of sin by this Lamb of God?

Was it, accordingly, salvation full and free, entrance into the kingdom? Whatever it was, he was (and is) able to supply.

Certainly he was aware of their desires and expectations. They were filled with questions, and they needed answers.

Do we realize that Jesus is going to take cold, dead, religious and nonreligious hearts and make them whole with God.

Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 1, p. 102). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

This is the end goal of discipleship! To fill their hearts with love and zeal so as to set up His Kingdom here on earth!

The end goal of our discipleship isn’t to get others serving in the kitchen ministries!

The end goal of discipleship is for those we’re discipling to know, love, and serve “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent!”

Certainly He was aware of their desires and expectations. They were filled with questions, and they needed answers.

They possessed no plan; they simply stood before him on the threshold of hope.

Standing there staring at each other, they asked in bewildered unison, “Where are you staying?”

In their awkward way, they were asking if they could tag along with him.

Jesus answered with a simple invitation: “Come and see.”

In effect he was saying, “Come with me, and you can see how I live.”

This invitation doesn’t initially seem very significant, but with these words Jesus launched the first phase of His ministry.

indicates that they stayed the remainder of the day with Jesus.

We can only guess the content of their discussions, but we can observe that, as on many other occasions, they came away with their hearts aflame.

Now, after meeting Jesus one time and after not even having Way of the Master Evangelism training look at what happens...

What did Andrew do (v41-42)?

What did Jesus do the next day (v43)?

What did Philip do (v45)?

Look at that neat play on words: “What are you looking (“seek”) for?” v38 Corresponds to the words “found” 41,43,45.

Indeed, at the outset, Jesus himself launched his plan to rescue planet Earth with the simple invitation to come and see.

When people look and the find their fears are reduced.

When questions are answered then they are ready to make a more committed move.

The shy and retiring disciple Andrew, who is always referred to as “Simon Peter’s brother,” illustrates this principle.

Poor Andrew, always being overshadowed by his big brother.

When asked which musical instrument is most difficult to play, Leonard Bernstein answered, “Second fiddle.”

Folks, we are all going to play second fiddle to Jesus!

It is indeed a tough instrument to play, but one that is music to God’s ears when it is played with dedication and humility.

Because Andrew was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah,

he was willing to risk approaching his hardheaded brother about his discovery. Peter agreed to go with Andrew.

As Peter stood there before Christ for the very first time, the Master demonstrated another key principle of discipleship.

He said to the uncultivated fisherman, “You will be called Cephas,” which means “rock” ().

When Jesus looked into the eyes of Peter, he saw more than meets the mere human eye.

He knew that this was an impulsive, presumptuous, take-charge type, who would promise the moon and try anything at least once.

Yet Jesus also saw a strong heart and a rare brand of courage.

A man such as Peter, when filled with God’s Spirit, becomes a rock of stability.

Jesus saw a man who would stand strong several years later on the day of Pentecost, preaching the word boldly.

Jesus saw in Peter what he sees in each of us—nothing that a miracle cannot cure.

Jesus sees his followers for what they will be, not for what they are in “the spiritual raw.”

Everyone is a candidate for something, and there are no exceptions.

Regardless of what we might see in a person, pro or con, there is much more than meets the eye, things that only God understands.

Here is a primary lesson for those seeking to recruit and develop disciples:

Do not depend on your own conventional wisdom.

Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit for spiritual understanding.

With his heart aflame and his head filled with a motivating message, Andrew sought out Peter, and a chain reaction began.

The next day Jesus found Philip, and then Philip found Nathanael.

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”” ()

Nathanael was somewhat skeptical, yet he agreed to at least take a look.

Hull, B. (2004). Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker (20th Anniversary Edition, pp. 33–34). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

It is interesting that Philip gave the same invitation used by Jesus himself, telling Nathanael, “Come and see” ().

In just a small, embryonic way, this indicates the importance of modeling. He’s modeling what Jesus said. “Come and See”.

Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker A Basket, Not a Trap

A Basket, Not a Trap

Jesus had an ability to see into people’s basic personality patterns.

A Basket, Not a Trap

Jesus had an ability to see into people’s basic personality patterns. To Peter, who wore an overbearing strongman facade (as evidenced in many impulsive attempts to impress the Master), he gave a boost in confidence.For the skeptical Nathanael, Jesus demonstrated convincing proof of his extraordinary nature. Through his power of omniscience, he told Nathanael something that only one with supernatural gifts could know. His method was so effective that Nathanael soon became convinced of Christ’s deity.

To Peter, who wore an overbearing strongman facade (as evidenced in many impulsive attempts to impress the Master), he gave a boost in confidence.

For the skeptical Nathanael, Jesus demonstrated convincing proof of his extraordinary nature. Through his power of omniscience, he told Nathanael something that only one with supernatural gifts could know. His method was so effective that Nathanael soon became convinced of Christ’s deity.

Jesus is adaptable. He speaks to people wherever they are and seems to understand, through sensitivity and divine insight, how to communicate with them.

Look at Jesus’ one final point before departing for Cana (read v50-51).Jesus truly baffled them with this statement. Surely the disciples were not able to fully understand what kind of supernatural phenomena were to follow.

Jesus determined that the strategy necessary to rescue this planet from the clutches of the enemy involves people. This fact might seem so obvious that it need not be mentioned but many American Christians don’t want to take the risk or the time to invest in the lives of people, even though this was THE fundamental part of Jesus’ ministry.

Every Christian needs to take time to select a few people and to determine to spend time teaching them the basic fundamentals, such as Bible study, prayer, outreach, and various ministry skills. But we must be careful not only to teach the content but also to model these truths in our lives. The example in outreach is vital; it serves as a catalyst. Each of us should covenant together with one, two, or three others to engage in weekly sessions for a fixed period of time.

But as we seek to reach others, we must keep in mind that Jesus did not use manipulation or intimidation as a recruiting method. He allowed God’s Spirit to prepare the heart. Indeed, the Spirit utilized John’s ministry to prepare certain men for the Messiah. Jesus himself never used high-pressure or arm-twisting techniques. He truly made it easy for people to say no.

Hull, B. (2004). Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker (20th Anniversary Edition, p. 35). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

A major problem of some Christian leaders today is the “Let’s whip them into a frenzy” syndrome. I use the word syndrome by design, for when this style of motivation is employed, it has to be used over and over again. It is tempting in a church to utilize a motivational message, along with effective music, followed by an emotional appeal for total commitment. Yet when the music stops and the lights are turned back up, the cold sweat of reality sets in. Such a contrived, theatrical syndrome breeds superficial decisions and demands increasingly stronger tugs on the heartstrings.

I recently heard a missionary state that it is becoming more and more difficult to persuade the Christians of Western civilization to employ their Western wealth to assist the needy Third World. He went on to say that unless his video presentation of starving children has a few more oozing sores or swollen stomachs than the last film, the people in our churches do not respond.

Part of the problem is that we have manipulated and touched people only on the emotional level, thus limiting the long-term commitments needed to effectively change minds. If only we would take a simple lesson from Jesus—we might not gather such impressive statistics, but in the long run we would garner more solid choices by people moved by the Spirit.

Jesus launched his ministry with a simple invitation: “Come and see.” During this inaugural four-month period, he allowed people to observe who he was and to learn what he planned to do. He answered their questions at length.

Hull, B. (2004). Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker (20th Anniversary Edition, pp. 36–37). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Hull, B. (2004). Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker (20th Anniversary Edition, p. 29). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

38 "When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 "“Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.” ()