Tag: Discipleship

What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 5

July 17, 2022 (updated February 7, 2023) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens, I will be with you!”

Baptism

Have you ever publicly declared anything about yourself? Maybe in an ice breaker game for some group. The game was “Tell us the most interesting fact about yourself.” It goes around the room, and people say the most exciting thing about me is “blank.” By revealing this fact, did it change the definition of who you are to the group? Did you start feeling more self-conscious about your actions after revealing this fact and the need to fulfill your life with this new definition? And if it weren’t for the truth being told, you wouldn’t change anything in your life?

How are you living out your faith? Does anyone know that you are a Christ-follower? Do your convictions align with the words that come out of your mouth? Are you conscious about your actions, and are they on a path that is becoming Christ-like? Do you have people in your life that know you and can point out shortcomings in your daily walk of faith? We are our worst false prophets, and living a life of secrecy prevents us from having accountability. Accountability begins with publicly declaring we are Christ-followers.

What examples!

I think of the demonstrations of baptism in the bible and wonder what life was like in that period for those that chose to follow Christ.  Most examples I can think of were people becoming a believer and immediately going to a body of water to declare their confession of faith—the bible talks of thousands coming to faith and being baptized. There was no hiding what you had done. The word was out that you believed and followed Christ!

I am not saying that we hide our faith today or that thousands don’t know of our faith. But how are people seeing what you believe? The command is to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them. We must live out our identity in Christ, including our baptism. Our profession is we are buried with Christ. A profession that we died to worldly things. We declare that we take up our cross daily and do the will of the Father. We give up our pride, lust, and control to crucify it daily so that we are raised with Him. A new creation!

Put on the new!

Our baptism signifies that our old self has died, and we a new in Christ. Why would we keep living a life where we say we are new, and yet it seems that our life professes nothing is new. We can’t seem to get away from our addictions. Our thoughts race and focus on the immediate pain relief sin offers and never really get to the point of trusting God with our pain. Again, not saying we are perfect people. But are you becoming? Are you trying to know God amid your pain and trusting that He is good? Or are you reading scriptures daily, which is good, but why? Are you reading to solve your problems? Are you begging God for something to be different in your life, a problem to be solved? Would you rather have a handyman in your life, or would you rather know God and have a relationship with Jesus?

Is that what we need? A solutions expert in alleviating all the pain points. I know God is completely capable of solving all the problems. But if he solves all my problems, does that make Him good and just? For me to get what I want? No, we must believe and demonstrate our faith that even though life seems out of control, God wants what is best for His children. And through the chaos, He is a good Father, and I can trust Him.

Prayer

Father, help us live out our professions of faith. Guide us in being a light for this dark world. To know You and reflect Jesus to those searching, those who need hope and encouragement. Let us press on to the prize of Christ Jesus toward the ultimate goal of knowing God. Then live it out by obeying His commandments and teaching them to others. Amen

What does it mean to be discipled?
What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 8

August 7, 2022 (updated December 17, 2022) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens; I will be with you!”

Greek

When I am studying a passage of scripture, and I want to understand what it means, I take the passage and refer to it in its original language. Here this passage was written in Greek. So, Matthew 28:20 is

διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.

And a direct translation from Greek of this passage reads, “And behold, I with you am all the days, until the completion of the age.” Next, I look at the meaning of keywords in Greek.

Behold – to see, perceive, attend to, experience, discern

I – the first-person pronoun (Jesus was speaking)

With – among, in company with

All – every, the whole, every kind of

Until – as far as up to

Completion – a joint payment, consummation, end

Age – a cycle of time, one of a series of ages stretching to infinity

So, in straining to understand this passage, I reword the selection using the definitions provided. I could say I am to perceive that Jesus is with me in total every day until this series in time passes to the next series in time in the grand scheme that stretches to infinity.

What do I see

What does this mean for you and me? Do I perceive that Jesus is totally and completely with me daily in my relationship with Christ? The definition of perceiving is to become aware of something directly through your senses, primarily through sight and hearing. Do I see or hear Christ every day in my life? I want to go with a churchy answer and say, “of course I do!” But to be honest my everyday life, I would say I struggle with seeing tangible evidence of Jesus being with me. What evidence do I even look for?

Should I notice that a parking space opened up when I pleaded with God not to walk a mile into the store? Is that evidence of Jesus in my daily life? That seems like a Santa Clauseish view of God and Jesus. Does he care for me? Absolutely! Does getting a closer parking space advance the kingdom of God and give me evidence of Jesus for the day? I offer pause on answering yes. On the flip side, does a terminally ill child not being healed through prayer prove the absence of God or Jesus in everyday life? I’m not sure that it does.

Perception

Maybe perceiving Jesus daily takes more than what is happening around me. Could it be that I can still have peace and joy in good or bad circumstances? Should I still notice the happening and embrace the blessing or trial? And in the happening, have the knowledge Jesus is with me and use the experience to help someone else? My perception should be based on my ability to know God and how he works in others. To see a need in someone else and to fulfill that need spiritually, emotionally, or physically.

I guess I am trying to say that if we are the actual church body, then we should be representing Jesus. Our daily pursuit of Christ should be the thing that everyone sees, and that would be enough for everyone to say, “Oh, there go those Christian people. They just overflow with love for everyone.” But I’m afraid we have fallen far into selfishness from secular culture. We live in denial of our pain and the pain of those around us. Our self-medication in every indulgence to numb our emotional hurts and become highly ineffective in our ministry. We can’t see or display Jesus because we can’t get past ourselves.

Clarity

Some of us desperately need an “Aha!” moment. A moment of clarity with Christ changes their trajectory from one of self-medication to one of others’ motivation. What if the only perception of Jesus for others was you? Yes, the heavens declare Your glory, but we should be in the world and not of it. Would others see any glimpse of who Jesus is in your life? Could they see an eternity future from what you display? Is that eternity with Christ? What keeps you from being a whole-hearted committed Christ-follower who picks up their cross daily? What are you going to do about it?

Prayer

Father, we are desperate people in need of You. I pray that Your church will turn and focus on You. That we would wholeheartedly pursue what it means to be Christ-like. That we would lay down anything that separates us from You. And in doing so, we are effective in the Kingdom of God. Nothing of our strength or even victories by human standards. But to be who you called to be. How could the community I live in be different, from the city to parish, to state, and the country? If we would surrender to You? Move among your people and teach us what it means to be a light in a dark place. Amen.

What does it mean to be discipled?
What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 4 

July 10, 2022 (updated February 7, 2023) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens, I will be with you!”  

Nationality 

We live in a world that is full of diversity and segregation. Not just of nationality, skin, or economic level. We live in a broken world that has a distinction between believer and no-believer. Yet it seems the world is more concerned about where you fit in politically, environmentally, or sexually. When this life is said and done, the real personal question for all of us is, “Who do you say Jesus is?” Are you a believer that Jesus is the Messiah who stepped out of eternity into a womb, was born, lived, died, and rose again? We can work out the details of theology later but without this central core belief, what else is there to worry about? 

Why, as the church, would we get stuck arguing about what political leader is leading a nation? Do we believe the bible when it says, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Romans 13:1. Because if we do, then at the very least, God allows leaders in our lives with values that don’t align with ours. I am not saying that we, as God’s people, should never speak of these things but focus on the larger story. I think we are meant to keep our focus on God while living in these times. God knew you would be living in this exact time in history, so what will you do while you’re here? 

Which nation? 

In 1 Peter 2:9-11, we are called a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light. We are strangers and aliens in a foreign land; we are to abstain from the lusts that wage war on our souls. Which nationality are you claiming? Are you being in the world and not of it? Again, we are not perfect beings, but we are becoming something. Where is our focus placed? Are we becoming more and more like the world and aligning our thinking with culture? Falling into traps of having to believe their way or you’re considered worthless. Or are we aligning with God?  

Are you slow to speak and quick to listen? Do you show grace and mercy to those who would call you an enemy? God called us enemies when we were against Him, yet He still sacrificed perfection for the hope of imperfection, drawing us close to Him again. We are to be a particular people. Not being different just to be different, but our lives should stand out from the crowd. In John 15:18, Jesus said if the world hates you, know that it hated me first. So if I truly follow Christ’s example, I will be hated by the world. I struggle with this. I am working through the need to require human affirmation. The need to want to perform and do well to feel accepted and loved by others.  

Now I am not looking for a fight, but how many people “in the world” hate me. I’m sure there are a lot. How many do I know? Very few. Does that mean I’m not living up to my full potential as a Christ-follower, or I don’t even know the “or”? 

Chosen 

I am becoming confident in who I am as a Christ-follower. There will be days of opposition that will be stronger than others. I know I must stand firm in my faith and be a part of this holy nation, for I was called out of the darkness. And in my calling, I have to see who people are becoming, and my purpose is to encourage them to be Christ-like. Either they come out of the darkness or draw even closer to the light. We are never stationary in this life. We are either moving toward or away from something. I hope I am walking with you toward Christ, making a disciple along the way. 

Prayer 

Father, thank you for Your Son, Jesus. He came, died, and rose again so I could have a purpose while on this rock. Thank you for placing me at this point in history, so I can encourage others to follow you. Open our eyes to the world as you see it. Please give us the desire to be strangers and aliens in this land. To know our home is actually with you. Encourage us to encourage others to long for that moment of coming home. Amen. 

What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 3

July 3, 2022 (updated February 7, 2023) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens; I will be with you!”

Make

The creator of heaven and earth has given us the ability to be creative—to make something out of the resources given to us. As humans, we can take the things of this earth, twist them, contort them, and stretch them into amazing things. For example, musical instruments can play sweet lullabies to put our children to sleep and play orchestral masterpieces that can exhilarate some of us. Some can take oils and pigment and smear them on a stretched canvas; somehow, it becomes the most beautiful works of art you have ever seen. Others can take leather wrapped around a core, hit it with a wooden stick, and drive it out of a baseball field.

Then some believe they cannot create anything. They do not even try because they are convinced, they cannot be creative. I do not think that is true. If the creator of the universe created Adam in His image, then would not it make sense that as a human race, we too would have the markings of creativity given by a Father. I believe the enemy does not want you to be creative because it is an expression of God in us. We give God honor and glory through our creativity; Satan hates it.

And Make

If you begin to understand that you can be creative, then you may be creative enough to make something that resembles you. And if you resemble Jesus, then you make a disciple. Another human to follow Jesus. Now the counter to that is when we twist and contort creation to bend to our prideful ambitions. The problem is we are still making disciples, but disciples of what? We are charging and arming people to be anti-Christ. Anti-Bible. To be self-sufficient humanists working under our own power and trying to fill a God-sized hole within us that will never be satisfied. We may be unintentional about it, but how is an unintentional Christ-follower any different than an intention lost person?

I am struggling with this question. How many “Christ-followers” are in “The Church” and are completely ineffective? I was there not that long ago. I did my best. I lead groups. I strived to be significant in the kingdom of God, all the while spinning my wheels because I had secrets. I had areas of my life that others did not know about. And one person challenging me to share my story and expose my secrets caused me to evaluate my leadership as a father, stepfather, and disciple-maker. I had to speak and talk about something I was barely doing in my life. That catapulted me into digging into what it meant to lead others. From that moment on, I have been becoming a disciple-maker and will continue to become a disciple-maker until the day I stand before Jesus and long to hear “Well done!”

And Make More

What is getting in your way as an intentional disciple-maker in the Kingdom of God? Do you have secrets that are keeping you bound and ineffective? God has given us the ability and resources to be creative. Find ways to walk alongside other people and guide them into a relationship with Christ. And then for them to grow and flourish in their walk of faith. Finally, once we have walked together and a disciple launches, do it all over again. Find the next one, and then the next one. If we are to be conformed to the image of Christ and encourage the person next to us to conform as well, are we ever really done being a disciple or making disciples of Jesus?

Prayer

Father, help us be conformed to the image of Christ! Lead us to those who can disciple us and bring those who need discipling to us. Expose the things in our lives that stunt our creativity. Bring to light the secrets that separate us from Your presence. Give us the courage to walk away from those things and take up the banner of Hope. To be of the kingdom of God, not just in it! Amen

What does it mean to be discipled?
What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 2

June 26, 2022 (updated February 7, 2023) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens; I will be with you!”

Therefore

I have been told when you are reading scripture, and you come across a “therefore,” you ask what is it there for? In this passage of Matthew 28:19, we could rephrase the verse by taking some of the wording from last week and applying it here. So we could say; Because you are a follower of Jesus and as you go through life, live out your faith daily and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

By reading it this way, a few things come to mind. First, are you a believer? Do you believe Jesus came, died, and rose again for you? Second, what does your daily Christ-following look like? How do you approach life? Do you only guard your mouth on Sundays or every day of the week? Does your social media expose you as someone desperately seeking the will of God, or does it blend in with our culture? Third, are you concerned with more than yourself? Are you blinded by your sin, addictions, and self-serving that you don’t see how you are leading your family into the same patterns?

Only by His power

We all have something to do with our faith. Not that works save us, but what use is faith without works, according to James 2:14. So how are you working out your salvation? How are you leading others? Whether you are a well-seasoned Christ-follower, a brand-new believer, or somewhere in between. You need to be a group of two to three people digging in scriptures and working out what it means to live as Christ lived.

I was saved as a senior in high school, and I missed out on someone discipling me. It wasn’t until twenty-plus years later that I experienced what it meant to sit under this kind of leadership. Don’t miss out. You lead if you can’t find someone to sit and learn under. There are all kinds of resources out there. If you can find them, email me I will send you resources.

You’re probably thinking, “I can’t lead a group. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Faith is moving. Faith is action. The fruit will come, grace will be found, and Jesus will be you always.

Prayer

Father, stir Your church to be in a unified community heading toward Your Son Jesus. Teach us what it means to be discipled and how to disciple others. Draw us in closer to You, and let us encourage others along the way. Amen.

What does it mean to be discipled?
What does it mean to be discipled?

What does it mean to be Discipled? – Part 1

June 19, 2022 (updated February 7, 2023) Published by

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

These are the last two verses of the gospel according to Matthew. These are the final instructions that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven. It is better known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus has wrapped up His earthly teaching to His disciples with one last command. Go and make disciples. Take all your life experiences and everything I have taught you in the past three years. Please bring it to other people in your life. Follow my example and find those to follow Me through your example. And Jesus’ last statement is, “no matter what happens; I will be with you!”

Disciples Go

Poreuomai is the Greek translation for go. Strong’s Concordance poreuomai is “I travel, journey, go, die.” In the NASB, poreuomai is translated to some of the following: am on my way, following, go, go on their way, goes, going, indulge, pursued a course, sets, started, walking, and way. I have heard sermons where “go” means as you are going through life, you are to make disciples. Which I believe is true, but my question is, what kind of disciples are we making? Do we have a set course in mind? Which way are we walking? Are we indulging in the things of Christ, or are we indulging in the things of the world? I firmly believe that we shape those around us no matter what actions we take. We influence the lives of those around us.

Have you ever just been living in a manner that pleases God, and someone kind of close to you starts asking about your faith? They see something different about you and try to understand what it is. Are you a peculiar person? Does your faith even stand out?

What church do you go to?

At points in my life, I can say that my faith would shine better than others. And not even because I got older. I had a job several years ago where I worked under a guy who was rather crass, loud, and very lost. He asked me about a week or two into being on his crew. We were doing something on a construction site; it was hot. The team was getting at each other; tension was in the air. And out of the blue, he looks at me, “What church do you go to?”

Going on my way, I did enough things counter to the culture that a lost man could see that I didn’t fit in with the crowd. How are you going about life? Are you influencing those in your sphere to ignore the bible and God because you verbally claim to be a Christ-follower, but your actions don’t line up? What you do matters! You are being discipled. What are you being conformed to in your discipleship? You are discipling. What are you teaching others to be like?

Going doesn’t require being in another country, state, city, or town. It doesn’t even mean you have to leave your house. Do you have kids? What are you teaching them about faith? They will gain their knowledge of who God is through you. What are you teaching them?

Prayer

Father, remind us that others are observing everything we do. Help us follow you, and stay a peculiar person. Let our lives reflect Jesus and bring you honor and praise. Amen

Go therefore and make disciples!