Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....April 22, 2019
When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
In 1933 a man named Dawson Trotman founded a worldwide Christian organization called the Navigators. At the heart of Trotman and the ministry he founded was the discipleship of believers—grounding Christians in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, Bible study, and service. Navigators started when Trotman was asked to visit a sailor, Les Spencer, and share God’s Word with him. Soon Spencer was asking for another man to be taught by Trotman but Trotman challenged Spencer, “You teach him.” The discipleship ministry of the Navigators was birthed. The Navigators’ influence has since grown to worldwide proportions with about 4,600 staff representing 69 nationalities working in 103 countries.
What is discipleship and why is the church commanded to do it? What are some of the methods of discipleship that Jesus and Paul used? How can disciples grow in numbers? What are the marks of a mature disciple (i.e. what does a mature disciple look like)?
Definition of a Disciple and the Great Commission
What is a disciple? The basic meaning is that a disciple is a learner. A disciple of Jesus is one who learns and lives from the teachings of Jesus himself and those whom Jesus taught, the apostles. Another good definition from the Navigator is this: “A disciple continues in the Word, loves others, bears fruit, and puts Christ first.”
The primary command in the New Testament to make disciples comes from what is called the Great Commission. Matthew states, “Then Jesus came up and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matt 28:18-20).
In the original Greek language the phrase “make disciples” is the main verb which is the command, as opposed to “go.” Someone once said, “The main thing is to make the main the main thing.” Therefore, to make disciples is the main thing. All nations are to be disciples, and this implies you have to go to them (cf. Acts 1:8). The imperatival mood of the command to make disciples carries over to the word “go.” How does one make disciples? The text indicates that it is by baptizing and by teaching. The baptizing into the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit implies both evangelism and conversion. The teaching is a teaching with a view toward obedience of all that Jesus said. In summary then, making disciples includes both evangelism and instruction in the Christian faith. What has happened to the church’s obedience to the Great Commission?
Sarcastically, due to failures of the church (myself included) it is sometimes referred to as the Great Omission. Billy Hanks Jr. and William Shell write, “Historically it is difficult to discover why the simple plan which worked so effectively in the early church ceased to be used in later generations . . . The challenge of the future is simply to apply the timeless divine strategy of the past. Nothing less than total victory should be expected in world evangelization and church growth.”
Methods of Discipleship from Jesus and Paul
In examining proper methods of discipleship, it would seem wise to look at the discipleship methods that both Jesus and Paul used. The first thing that one could point to is that both Jesus and Paul selected a few good men for the purpose of training. In regard to Jesus, Coleman well states, “men were his method.”5 Luke writes: “Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God. When morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles” (Luke 6:12-16). The fact that Jesus spent all night in prayer showed the importance of what he was doing in selecting the disciples. He only chose 12. Beyond that, he focused on three (Peter, James and John). The whole future of the church would rest in the faithfulness of God working though only a few men.
In regard to Paul, his discipleship method is seen in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And what you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well (2 Tim 2:2). This verse describes the type of people who should be discipled, that is faithful people. Some have described them with the acronym FAT = faithful, available and teachable. There are some very prominent discipleship relationships in the Bible that illustrate its importance. Joshua had Moses; Elisha had Elijah; the Twelve had Jesus; Paul had Barnabus; and Timothy had Paul. Now the questions is, who do we have?
A second aspect of discipleship that is modeled in both Jesus and Paul is that they had a life to life association with their disciples. In regard to Jesus, Mark writes, “He appointed twelve (whom he named apostles), so that they would be with him” (Mark 3:14). The purpose of the selection of the twelve was so that they might be “with Him.” The disciples were with Jesus for over three years, observing, listening, and doing. Paul did the same with his disciples. A good example is when Paul picked up Timothy to go with Paul on his missionary journey. Acts records, “And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra.
And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek,and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him” (Acts 16:1-3). In another place, Paul tells the Corinthian church, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Someone once remarked, “discipleship is more caught than taught.”
A third aspect of discipleship that Jesus and Paul modeled is that they were always trying to transfer the ministry so that others could do it. Jesus preached but he sent the disciples out to preach; Jesus healed but he sent the 12 out to heal (Matt 10). We should always be trying to work ourselves out of a job. In looking at Second Timothy 2:2 again, “And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well” (2 Tim 2:2), one can see four generations of ministry to disciples: First Paul to Timothy, then Timothy to faithful people, then faithful people to “others”. This is the pattern that Paul was looking for. D. L. Moody once stated, “It is better to train ten people than to do the work of ten people. But it is harder.”
The Principle of Multiplication
Consider how small of the group of early disciples were with Jesus and the command to reach all the nations with the gospel. How could this possibly be expected and carried out. It took Jesus over three years to train only 12 people with millions of people in the world at that time. How could the whole world possibly be reached taking only a few at a time? Figuratively speaking, how can a very small mustard seed result in a very large tree as Jesus indicated how the kingdom of God would grow (Matt 13:31-32)? The answer to this dilemma can be found in the principle of multiplication. Let’s look at an illustration of the power of multiplication. What would you rather have someone do:
1) give you one million dollars every week for a year or 2) one penny for the first week then doubling it every week for a year (1 cent, two cents, 4 , 8 cents, etc)? At the end of the year option one would yield you 52 million dollars, which is a pretty nice sum, but option two would yield you over 40 trillion dollars. This is about 750,000 times more money. What would be better in the long run over 30 years 1) discipling 10 people a year or 2) one person every two years but that person in turn would be able to and actually disciple someone else? Option one would yield 300 disciples over a lifetime but option two would yield over 32,000 disciples, more than one hundred times the amount of option one. The point of the principle of multiplication is for one to take enough time to make reproducing disciples.
Seven Marks of a Disciple
Let’s look at the question of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. What does a disciple of Jesus look like? What are the characteristics of a disciple? What are the marks of a disciple? If we do not know what we are shooting for, it will be hard to hit it. In Matthew 10 Jesus sends out the twelve disciples for their first attempt at ministry without Jesus. From this passage, at least seven characteristics or marks of a disciple can be seen.
Mark 1: The first mark is that a disciple must share the message of the kingdom/gospel with others. In Matthew 3 Jesus had preached a message of repentance because the kingdom of heaven was near. In Matthew 10 he asked his disciples to do the same where he states, “Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’” (Matt 10:6-7). The focus is getting the good news out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Sharing the good news focuses on the needs of others. Years ago, the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and their founder, General William Booth, could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them. It was one word: “Others.” When we get our focus off of ourselves and put it on others, we are in the right mindset of a disciple Mark 2:
The second mark is that a disciple must learn to trust God for his or her needs and circumstances. As Jesus was sending his disciples out he told them, “Freely you received, freely give. Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions” (Matt 10:9-10). Jesus gave the disciples a hard task to accept. Even if they had some extra to take for their own needs, they were to trust God to supply for the work of the ministry. C.H. Spurgeon, sometimes referred to as the prince of preachers, once commented on the importance of trusting in God’s sovereignty. He stated, “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne. . . for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.”
Mark 3: The third mark is that a disciple must be prepared to be rejected. Jesus stated, “And you will be hated by everyone because of my name” (Matt 10:22). Sharing an invitation to believe the gospel or even just naming the name of Jesus may produce a hostile result. In other words, if the message of the gospel is rejected the messenger of the gospel may be rejected as well. The disciple must learn not to take personal offense at a rejection but rather see that is in fact God himself and his gospel message that is rejected.
Mark 4: The fourth mark is that a disciple must place Christ above family relationships if need be. Jesus told them, “Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death. . . . Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:21, 34-37). Here Jesus points out that our commitment to him must exceed all, even that of our family. Christians who have come out of Muslim or Hindu backgrounds are often painfully aware of this truth.
Mark 5: The fifth mark is that a disciple must fear God more than men. Jesus taught, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Even all the hairs on your head are numbered. So do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matt 10:28-31). But why not be afraid of people who might harm you? There are at least two reasons. First, God is the ultimate judge; he will judge everyone and everything; man’s judgment is temporal but God’s judgment is eternal. We have to stop and ask the question of what God thinks. Second, God cares for you. He sees; he knows and he cares and we are worth a lot to God. If even a bird falls and it’s in God’s plan, how much more must it be with us. People matter to God; we matter to God; I matter to God; you matter to God.
Mark 6: A sixth mark is that a disciple must lose his old life and find his new life in Jesus. He instructed the disciples, “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it” (Matt 10:38-39). To take up the cross is to take up an instrument of death. In other words, a disciple must be willing to die to the old life and live a new life that God has for him. Martin Luther once explained, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”
Mark 7: Lastly, a seventh mark is that a disciple must look to the future reward reserved in heaven. The disciples were given this promise before going out with God’s message into difficult situation, “Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward” (Matt 10:41-42). In essence God’s gives us the promise that being a disciple will be worth it in the end.
Final Thoughts on Discipleship
God’ plan is to reach the world with the gospel. He commanded the church to do this by making disciples. Men training men and women training women is his method. The encouragement of this lesson is to train reproducing disciples even though it takes longer and is harder. Martin Luther stated that our future life needs to affect the present. “If we consider the greatness and the glory of the life we shall have when we have risen from the dead, it would not be difficult at all for us to bear the concerns of this world. If I believe the Word, I shall on the Last Day, after the sentence has been pronounced, gladly have suffered ordinary temptations, insults, and imprisonment.” Finally, a word of exhortation from Dawson Trotman: “God works through men. I see nowhere in the Word where God picks an organization . . . . Do what others cannot and will not do.”7
A Final Message...
Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. ― Church Father, Augustine
Faith in the one true God and his Son Jesus Christ is a precious possession. It is the core of Christian life and well-being. It is more valuable than any amount of riches in this world. These lessons have been designed to establish and build up the core teachings and practices of the Christian faith.
The Christian life well lived out will be blessed and receive God’s reward. Paul gives the following analogy: “For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1Cor 3:11-15). In this passage, Paul compares two different types of works that the Christian have in his or her life. One set of works is described as gold, silver, and precious stones. These good works will be tested by fire, approved by God and receive a reward. The other set of works are described as wood, hay and stubble.
These uncommendable works will not survive the test of fire and will be burned up. What Paul in essence is saying is that whatever a Christian does in this life will be placed in one of two piles. One pile of works will be rewarded and the other pile will be burned up and the Christian will suffer a loss. In view of this coming accountability, what pile of works will we build on? Will what we do have eternal value or only temporary pleasure? May God give us the grace to fulfill his plan of good works he has prepared for us (Eph 2:10).
I pray in some small way these past several weeks have taught you, or reminded you, that Christ is our Life and our Salvation. We must not forget that His Gospel is our roadmap for living an eternal life in Heaven. Anything less will not get us there. I love you all:)
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
A Story To Live By
by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing-I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.
And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
This week, as we continue our journey through Gods Word, we look at the Gospel of John.
Who wrote the book?
Not surprisingly, the gospel of John never provides the name of its author. Such identifications were not made in any of the other three biblical gospels either. However, two significant factors point to the identification of John as the author. First, the book itself identifies the author as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This description likely pointed to John for three reasons: the author had to be one of the twelve disciples because he was an eyewitness to the events in the gospel (John 21:24); he was probably one of the inner circle of three disciples (James, John, and Peter) because he was among the first Mary told of the resurrection (20:1–10); and this disciple is distinguished from Peter in the book, while James died too soon after the resurrection to be the author.
The second significant evidence for John’s authorship is the unanimous testimony of early Christians, among them the second-century Christian Irenaeus, who declared that John was the disciple who laid his head on Jesus—the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (13:23)—and the author of the gospel.
Where are we?
In Christian tradition, John’s gospel has always been referred to as the fourth gospel, meaning it was composed after the other three. Polycarp, a second-century Christian martyr who knew John personally, told Irenaeus that John had written the book during the apostle’s time serving the church in Ephesus. These factors suggest that John wrote the book between AD 85 and AD 95.
Why is John so important?
John did not include the nativity story in his gospel; instead, he introduced his book by going back even further into history. Invoking the “in the beginning” language of Genesis 1:1, John made a direct link between the nature of God and the nature of the Word, Jesus Christ. The emphasis on the deity of Christ is a striking quality of John’s gospel. It also comes through clearly elsewhere in the book, particularly in John 8:58 when Jesus claimed the divine name—“I am”—for Himself, which led an angry mob of Jews to try and kill Him for blasphemy.
What's the big idea?
While the other three gospels portray Jesus as the King, the Servant, and the Son of Man, John portrays Jesus as the Son of God. John stated his theme more clearly than any of the other gospel writers. He wrote so that his readers might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” so that they may have life in His name (John 20:31). To accomplish that goal, John presented a riveting and distinctive picture of Jesus Christ, one in complete unity with the portraits in the other three gospels, but one that also adds significantly to the Bible’s revelation of Jesus Christ, the God-man.
John used a variety of techniques to communicate to his readers the nature of Jesus. These include his citation of Jesus’s seven “I am” statements, in which Jesus spoke of Himself in terms such as “the Light of the world” (8:12), “the resurrection and the life” (11:25), and “the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). Much of John’s gospel (chapters 2–12) might be called the Book of Signs, as it recounts Jesus’s performing of seven different miracles—such as the turning water to wine at Cana and raising Lazarus from the dead at Bethany. These miracles illustrate His identity as the Son of God.
How do I apply this?
Jesus’s identity as the divine Son of God sets Him apart from any other man who ever lived. He carries with Him the transcendence that comes only with God Himself. Therefore, His work on our behalf makes our salvation sure. Because He is God, His sacrifice on the cross has eternal implications, unlike the limited effect of the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. Jesus, the God-man, has atoned for our sins. We can place our confidence in Him because of His divine nature.
For readers of John’s gospel, the question is a simple, though significant, one: Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? If you believe, you will receive eternal life, claiming the truth that you will one day live in the presence of God in a place with no more pain, no more tears, and no more death.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou