Worship call 0668

Worship Call 0668

Friday June 10, 2022

Discipleship

Matthew 9:9 (NASB95) — 9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

1. To follow to a destination

2. Orientation to authority

3. Discipleship

4. The cost of following

Today we look at the following of Jesus in Discipleship.

Jesus is calling out his Disciples. By ones and twos as in Peter and Andrew and James and John even Philip and Nathaniel.

But here it was that Matthew is alone. A lone sinner before God, with no one but himself to stand with, to follow with. Maybe some of the others were the same way though, but he had no one to bring with him at moment. What will be noteworthy is that Matthew is the first among the disciples to begin evangelism, that is introducing other sinners to Jesus in number.

Akoulouthei moi is to follow out from where one is to another place, to follow is to leave behind old self and ways and to follow a new self and ways by the renewing of one’s mind.

Jesus was calling the first disciples. And what is a Disciple?

36.38 μαθητήςa, οῦ m: (derivative of μαθητεύωa ‘to follow, to be a disciple of,’ 36.31) a person who is a disciple or follower of someone—‘disciple, follower.’ [1]

The Dictionary of biblical languages notes

3412 μαθητής (mathētēs), οῦ (ou), ὁ (ho): n.masc.; ≡ Str 3101; TDNT 4.415—

1. LN 36.38 follower, often a disciple who is a believer and close follower, though other less committed relationships are indicated (Mt 8:21; 10:1; 12:49; Lk 14:27; Ac 6:1);

2. LN 27.16 pupil, student, one tutored, implying a closer relationship than mere information (Mt 10:24, 25)[2]

Matthew 10:24–25 (NASB95) — 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

A disciple is a follower in a subordinate/leader relationship, and he is a disciple as a student teacher/relationship. In the teacher/ student relationship, the classroom was always open. As a disciple of Jesus there was something to learn in every place. Sometimes sitting down and listening, such as the sermon on the mount or in a crisis situation as in the storm on the sea on the Galilee. There were times when the teaching took place as the teacher spoke and the disciples listened, and there were times when the teacher presented his lesson in action and in deed as the disciples watched and learned.

Point of Application

1. when one is walking with the Lord the Classroom is always open,

2. When walking with the Lord, there are no dismissal bells.

Yes, it is apparent that one can be a part time student, though some would argue. Some like many of us will stop in and see what the teacher is talking about and carry on our way as were the many apart from his inner circle. Those part time students were still called students. While they were in the classroom they were being taught.

As a part of application, and logically speaking, who do you think learns more, grows faster, and develops more rapidly?

Asked another way.

Who grows faster in one’s spiritual life?

The once or twice a week student who gets in less than an hour or two of bible study

Or

the regular attendee who opens the bible daily and remains in the classroom of our trainer and teacher the Holy Spirit?

How could unlearned fishermen turn the world upside down?

Because they were faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus.

The call to discipleship is a call to follow in the teaching. Jesus is the Logos, the word. The word is not taught by intuitive knowledge, or a heartfelt leading. It is taught from the teacher going into the eye and ear gate and brought into the heart which circulates knowledge.

A disciple is not only one who follows the teaching in the act of hearing but one who practices the word in application and in taking the word into ones heart in that the word becomes the fabric of the believer.

Romans 12:1–2 (NASB95) — 1 Therefore 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. 2 And 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.

Proverbs tells us

Proverbs 23:7 (NASB95) — 7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

And what is about the heart that you want to follow when the God himself says,

Genesis 8:21 (NASB95) — 21, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NASB95) — 9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Where there is no learning the believer is left in his own vile heart.

It is discipleship that brings the believer out from the garbage dump, renewing the mind

When we called into the Christian life, when you and I were called out of this world and into the family of God, like the first who were called to be His inner circle we were not called into good works though we were created for good works, we were not called to go out and evangelize the world which is what we do, we were first called to be disciples.

To follow the Lord by the renewing of our minds

Matthew 28:16–20 (NASB95) — 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Today’s events and the current culture has taught us a very dreadful lesson.

When there is no longer discipleship, when the word of God is no longer being taught then the following of the Lord ceases and persons on an individual and collective bases sink back into the old ways of the heart.

While the Churches stopped making disciple and moving expository teaching to the back burner while emphasizing entertainment music and programs the world is busy creating its own disciples.

Schools from kindergarten to university have been at work for many years now making their own disciples. And where there is not God’s word not being no longer taught in our homes and churches our youth have grown to be the disciples of Marx and Lenin in the ways of socialism.

The fall of this nation just as it has been with other nations in the past is not because of politics but because of the brand of discipleship that the culture decides to follow.

How many people do you know that have a heart for God’s word? How many can you sit down with and discuss the bible in a rational intellectual way and carry on the conversation.

Let that be an indication of what is happening in our churches. Forget what we think might be going on in churches, the one thing is not is making of disciples. And where there is discipleship there is no following the Lord, a once Godly people and nation returns to its vomit.

When the Lord says to Matthew and the others and to you and I, it is to leave the old way of thinking and adopt the mind of Christ, renewing out minds to think God’s thoughts after him.

Without following Jesus in his teachings, after the lord had left the disciples would have sunk back into who they always were.

If there is no discipleship of new believers, they will remain the same ole wretches that they have always been except for the fact that they are saved wretches and all too soon there will not even evangelism in the nation.

It is following the Lord in his teaching that makes all the difference. First for the individual and then the marriage and the family and the church and then the nation.

Lord willing and spirit guiding we will cover the cost of discipleship on Monday Morning.

[1]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 470). United Bible Societies. [2]Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.