Why Discipleship?

Why Discipleship? from Calvary Christian Fellowship on Vimeo.

 
 

At Calvary Christian Fellowship, discipleship is not just “a” purpose of the local body,

it is “the” purpose of the local body.

Mat 28:18-20  18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

According to George Barna, the following are critical trends of religious life in America.

• Americans have generally positive feelings about religion and the Judeo-Christian faith. Most adults consider themselves to be spiritual people and say that religion and faith play an important role in their life. More than four out of five adults say they are Christians; only one out of ten adults say they have no religious faith or consider themselves to be atheist/agnostic.
• While most Americans have consciously adopted a body of religious beliefs and practices, they are becoming less likely to engage in corporate religious activity and are becoming less interested in attaining theological and doctrinal education.
• As religion has become an object of increased public debate and decreased public consensus, Christian adults have become less certain about the content and the accuracy of their own beliefs and less willing to defend their beliefs in public. At the same time, belief in absolute moral and spiritual truths has plummeted while acceptance of the existence of multiple deities and of multiple paths to eternal salvation has escalated.
• Americans love a good deal; the idea promoted by thousands of Christian churches and parachurch ministries that they can receive the “free gift of salvation” has appealed to tens of millions of Americans over the past three decades. The outcome, as reported through our surveys, has been a larger proportion of adults who have accepted that free gift, but without much understanding of the nature, implications and responsibilities associated with that gift.

(“Experiencing God’s Best through His Transformation Process: Will You Seek to Experience Maximum Faith in Your Life – or Settle for Comfortable Mediocrity?” George Barna. 2011. Downloaded from: http://www.maximumfaith.com/downloads/articles/TheRoadMapForTransformation.pdf)

1.  What is a disciple?

-A disciple is a committed student-follower who takes on the yoke of imitation of his/her master.

(Ancient concept – The writer of Hebrews reminds us of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham.)

Luk 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Mat 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

2Th 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,

Mat 11:28-30  28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

-A disciple radically clings to his/her teacher. (Ancient examples – Moses/Joshua – Elijah/Elisha)

Deu 10:20 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

Exo 33:11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

-A disciple bears much fruit.

Joh 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

-A disciple loves the LORD God first and above all and loves his/her neighbor.

Mar 12:29-31  29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Focusing on Jesus’s exhortation that His followers must love both God and people with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength, Barna noted that transformed individuals are those who have aligned their intellect, emotions, behavior, and spirit with the call and ways of God. In other words, genuine, Christ-driven transformation is four-dimensional. Noting that most adults interact with the world primarily through one of those four dimensions, the reluctance or failure to allow God to master them in the other three dimensions often retards faster development and greater spiritual depth.

(“Research on How God Transforms Lives Reveals a 10-Stop Journey,” 17 March 2011, Barna Group, 2011. http://www.barna.org/transformation-articles/480-research-on-how-god-transforms-lives-reveals-a-10-stop-journey)

Joh 13:34-5  34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Joh 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

1Jn 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

-A disciple keeps the commandments.

Mat 28:19-20  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Joh 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Joh 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

-A disciple makes more disciples.

Mat 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

Quote:

In a nutshell, we might define it as the process that enables us to gradually die to sin, self,and society in order to fully and profoundly love God and people.

(“Experiencing God’s Best through His Transformation Process: Will You Seek to Experience Maximum Faith in Your Life – or Settle for Comfortable Mediocrity?” George Barna. 2011. Downloaded from: http://www.maximumfaith.com/downloads/articles/TheRoadMapForTransformation.pdf

2. Why is it important?

George Barna in his book, Growing True Disciples, states:

• “Almost every church in our country has some type of discipleship program or set of activities. Stunningly few churches have a church of disciples” (21).

(Note: discussion w/ other pastor about disciple program)

• “In a comprehensive study we conducted in 1997, we compared the beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors of believers and non-believers…. We concluded that it is difficult for non-Christians to understand Christianity since few born again individuals model a biblical faith. (63).
• “The Church in America is failing to live up to its promise; we’re not even coming close to fulfilling it…. Believers are largely indistinguishable from non-believers in how they think and live.” (13-14)

(“The Training Network for Disciplemaking Churches: An In-Depth Look at the Great Commission,” Instructor’s Version, Module 1, by Bob Gilliam, Gen. Ed. Dr. Kevin Boll, Gilliam:1996, 20 Nov. 2007 ed., page 1.4)

-It is important because it leads to the question, if we are not engaged in discipleship, being a committed student-follower of the Master, are we a believer at all?

Mat 10:38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Luk 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Mat 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Mat 7:21-23  21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

3. Is it possible in our day and age?

-Do not despise humble beginnings. (Note: A ship cannot be steered that is not moving.)

Zec 4:10 (NLT) Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin,

-Do not lose heart.

Gal 6:7-9  7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

-Follow the path.

Heb 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

“An individual cannot transform himself, nor can a church transform a person. That work can only be done by God, through the empowerment and direction of the Holy Spirit. But God is eager to partner with those who will cooperate with Him. Understanding what God seeks to do in our lives is a critical step toward not becoming seduced and sidetracked by mere religious activity. The richness of the journey is found in the experience of progressing through the challenges of the process in the company of God.”

(“Research on How God Transforms Lives Reveals a 10-Stop Journey,” 17 March 2011, Barna Group, 2011. http://www.barna.org/transformation-articles/480-research-on-how-god-transforms-lives-reveals-a-10-stop-journey)

Conclusion (Compare these quotes.)

“We are not so much Christ followers as we are Christ admirers who happily listen to amazing stories about His life and His teachings, then go about our business without the principles imparted making an impact on who we are.” (“Experiencing God’s Best…”)

So What Is Transformation?…In a nutshell, we might define it as the process that enables us to gradually die to sin, self, and society in order to fully and profoundly love God and people…. Paul, one of the classic examples of a transformed person, underscored the necessity of this quest when he said that the only thing that matters is being transformed by God into a new creation (Galatians 6:15).

Another way of describing the concept is that transformation means we are driven to become holy by submitting to God and consistently pursuing His will, being set apart by the blood of Christ to experience a unique freedom and a new identity through that blood and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. (“Experiencing God’s Best…”)

Three Responses:

1. I want to be a disciple, a committed student-follower of the Master.

2.  I want to learn to disciple others, a committed student-follower of the Master who helps others do the same.

3.  I am willing to pray and reach out to find one other who will want to be a committed student-follower of the Master.