#FollowMe Pt. 3: Participation

Have you ever had something not work out the way you thought it would?

Meeting Rebecca story

I think that this happens to us alot as Christians. I think that we struggle, and even fail, at times to grasp what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus.

As Pastor Phil talked about last week and in week one of this series, you can be saved and not really be a disciple.

To be saved eternally for the life to come is one thing, to follow Jesus actively in this life is another.

And the two are connected. And to simply be saved and then spend the rest of your life in spiritual immaturity is disobedience. Nonetheless, we are not called to just be people who get to avoid hell when we die, we are called to be disciples in this life.

There is more to the Christian life than avoiding hell.

And at the same time, the life of a disciple is often not what we think.

Today, we are talking about what it looks like to participate with Christ as His disciple. And I want to suggest to you, that it may not be exactly what some of you, or maybe many of you might think.

Just as there are many misconceptions about what it means to be a Christian, there are many misconceptions among Christians about what it means to be a disciple, and how that should impact the decisions, choices, and paths of your life.

Maybe the main misconception about being a disciple is this:

Discipleship is often confused for being part of our Christian itinerary instead of being part of our Christian identity.

We often think that discipleship is a goal to achieve, a class to attend, a book to read, a notch on our nobility belt, an enhancement to our resume of righteousness, a promotion in our habits of holiness, a raise for our bank accounts of blessing.

As we will read in just a moment, being a disciple is not a spiritual goal or a spiritual gift, it is a part of the spiritual new life that we are given in Christ Jesus. It’s just that too many of His children leave that life on the shelf because we think it’s something we do not something we are.

The more you “do” discipleship, the more you are living out your true identity in Christ.

“Well, that’s not what I thought it was.”

Good.

If you can guess the things that God is going to give then it’s likely those things are not coming from God, because in my experience, what God gives to me is so much more than I could ever imagine.

Philippians 3:7–16 ESV

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Paul starts this passage by finishing his thought from the previous verses concerning how he excelled in his former life. He was the Jew of all Jews. He lived a ferociously self-righteous life.

He built an enviable life for himself.

But he spends the first three verses of this section talking about how all of that is not only loss, as in he gave it up, but it’s rubbish. It’s trash. It’s worthless.

A disciple understands the greater value of gaining Christ than the value of anything that could be or has been gained without Him. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Right off the bat, Paul talks about the value of knowing Jesus, and understanding how valuable that is.

Why? Why is value the first thing Paul talks about in this section?

Because, ultimately, our lives are motivated by what we value the most. So it is critical that, if we are to be disciples of Jesus, that we value Him the most. And more than that, that we value knowing Him the most.

A disciple’s qualification and empowerment comes through faith in Christ. (Philippians 3:9)

This power enables believers to live a new life because they have been raised with Christ.

So, we have our motivation to be a disciple, now we are empowered to be a disciple. And I want to camp out here for just a minute.

The Apostle Paul just said that we, through faith in Christ, have inside us in the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Christ from the dead. And not only that, but the power of the resurrected Christ now operates in the lives of believers!

How come we don’t access that power more in our lives? With our church families? In our communities? In our nation?

There are likely a combination of reasons why, but I would like to supply you with one to help you get started, especially if you feel like this is an area of your life where you are stuck.

It’s what I call the “Grace Gap”

I think attributes of our beliefs and even some attributes of God get a bad rap because of our preconceived notions about them.

Think about it: Faith, Hope, Love/Charity, Grace

We talk about them, we sing about them.

Those are also words we use to name some of our daughters.

They’re all girls’ names.

And I think somehow we get this picture that these attributes lack power somehow.

Maybe we’re all stereotypical jerks.

The Bible says that Jesus came to this earth by Grace.

The Bible talks about how faith is what moves Jesus to action.

The Bible talks about how Hope of Jesus can sustain an oppressed and downtrodden people.

The Bible says that God is Love.

These are not just song lyrics and girl names, these are words that describe the kind of power by which God works, and with which He empowers us.

And when it comes to God’s grace, we often don’t realize that His grace empowers us along our journeys of life.

We think that we are saved by grace through faith, and that we will live in eternity by God’s grace because of our faith in Jesus, but in between we’re on our own.

And that in between time is our life on earth as a Christian.

Which means that too many of us are trying to live as a disciple without the power to do so.

And it’s not because we don’t have access to it, it’s because we are not accessing it.

The Grace Gap

A disciple’s life is marked by sharing in the sufferings of Christ and identifying with Him in His death. (Philippians 3:10)

Wait a minute…what?

I thought this was the good news? That doesn’t sound like good news.

That sounds like being a disciple means that every year is 2020.

Concerning sharing in Christ’s sufferings: Some interpret that to mean Christ’s suffering on the cross.

I don’t because Christ’s suffering on the cross was a specific suffering that paid the price for sin.

Since we cannot and could not pay that price, that is a suffering that we actually don’t share.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon A. The Judaizing Danger (3:1–16)

But each believer, by identifying himself with Christ, incurs a measure of Christ’s afflictions (Col 1:24). These may be of varying kinds and degrees, both inward and external, as believers find themselves in a world that is hostile because of their allegiance to Christ. Paul has already expressed this thought to the Philippians in 1:29, where he regards suffering in some sense as an inevitable consequence of believing in Christ (cf. Matt 16:24).

Colossians 1:24 ESV

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

Philippians 1:29 ESV

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

John 15:18 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

My college class.

If I did not value my relationship with Christ, knowing Christ, more than a grade, I would have sold Jesus out so i could keep my good standing with people who don’t even care if I live or die, for a job I don’t even have yet, in a world that wants nothing to do with Jesus or His people. And they certainly don’t want to hear about Him.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon A. The Judaizing Danger (3:1–16)

“Becoming like him in his death” further elaborates the previous phrase. For a believer to share Christ’s sufferings involves such a complete identification with him that it can only be explained as a death to the former life (cf. Rom 6:4–11). The theological import of union with Christ must be experientially demonstrated. This is the process of sanctification and is intended to bring the believer’s present state into ever-increasing conformity to Christ

The phrase “take up your cross” = Identify with Christ in His sufferings and death.

So, a disciple values God above everything and everyone.

A disciple is empowered by God.

A disciple identifies with Christ’s suffering and death in order to bring forth their new life and identity in Christ as His child and disciple.

A disciple understands that being a disciple will take a lifetime.

In other words, because being a disciple is a part of our identity and not our itinerary, being a disciple demands our whole life. And not only that, but, in this life, we will never arrive at the final level of discipleship. We will always be maturing as disciples.

Philippians 3:12–16 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

A disciple follows Christ in spite of present resistance. (Philippians 3:13)

Now, Paul identifies a specific kind of resistance that we will face as disciples.

You would think that the sufferings and death identification would be resistance enough, but Paul does not talk about those things in the context of resistance.

In verses 12-14, Paul repeatedly talks about pressing on and straining forward.

If there were not any resistance, pressing on and straining to move forward wouldn’t be necessary.

And Paul identifies the resistance as the things that lie behind in verse 13.

Remember, this whole section of Scripture comes after another section where Paul talks about how great he used to be.

And here, Paul refers to his former ways as what can hold him back if he doesn’t resist the temptation to fall back onto his former life of living under his own power, seeking his own righteousness.

There’s at least one more thing we can learn about participating with God as His disciple from this passage:

Spiritual maturity comes through being a faithful disciple. (Philippians 3:15)

To grow in Christ, we need to walk with Christ. We need to follow Him.

Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason that you lack spiritual maturity in one way or another is because you are waiting for God to promote you to the rank of disciple instead living as someone who is a disciple?

Quick summary

Mythbusting Discipleship

Our big buts and the Bible’s big buts...

We say, “But we can’t” the Bible says “But He can”

“But we’ll never get there” “But I already gave it to you”

“But we won’t” “But He will”

“But how can we” “But He already did”

Because I know that every time we hear messages like this, we want to apply the truths in our lives, if not for our big buts.

So, you may remember a month or so ago Pastor Phil talked about a spiritual heart transplant.

Today, to help us apply what we’ve learned, we’re going to attempt the first ever spiritual but transplant.

Discipleship Mythbusting

Myth #1

II Can’t Be a Disciple Until I Know Enough Bible Stuff

Let me put it to you this way: Jesus didn’t recruit the first disciples from Bible school, He recruited them from fishing boats.

Disciples don’t start out ready, they become ready as they start out.

The world doesn’t need more people working in full-time ministry, the world needs more Christians living out lifetime ministry. Which is what participating in discipleship really means.

Myth #2

Discipleship Will Take Too Much of My Time

We just talked about how discipleship will take a lifetime, meaning that discipleship doesn’t just last for the rest of your life, but it requires all of your life.

If being a disciple of Jesus is who you are, not what you do, then it’s not a matter of time management, it’s a matter of following Jesus faithfully as He leads you to be a disciple, and to make other disciples. #FollowMe, right?

Myth #3

Discipleship Isn’t My Gifting

To this, I say, “El Toro poo poo”

Nonsense. This is just plain nonsense.

You know what’s not my gifting? Getting up before noon, but here I am.

Discipleship is not a spiritual gift, it’s not a talent, and it’s not just a good idea, it is a command from Jesus to all believers.

Let me break it down like this:

Matthew 4:19 ESV

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

A Disciple Is:

One who is following Jesus (Follow Me)

One who is being changed by Jesus (and I will make you)

One who is on mission with Jesus (fishers of men)

Myth #4

Discipleship Just Happens

As if it just falls out of the sky right in front of you.

This is not to say that God won’t bring people across your path, or you across their path.

But it is to say that discipleship is intentional.

No one is a disciple by accident.

Discipleship happens through intentional obedience on the part of the discipler, and the one who is being discipled.

Bonus Point:

Discipleship is a Together Thing

That means that discipleship is not meant to be done alone

This busts the myth that being a Christian while avoiding connecting regularly with your church family, i.e., other Christians is a good thing.

If nothing else, has not 2020 taught us that we were not meant to be alone?

Genesis 2, anyone?

Even with these masks. Its amazing how much of our created humanity is hidden away behind these masks.

Resting Angry Face

Jesus on the cross - John and two women - two thieves

Jesus wanted to be with you even as He died

The question is this: Do you want to be with Him as you live?

#FollowMe

Pray