Romans 12 Disciple

In Christ There Is No East Or West

I do not really know of a Romans 12 disciple – never met someone fully surrendered, transformed and passionate about things that are passionate with Jesus. I read this chapter and I see a fully authentic disciple on display having developed a caring concern and having a genuine love for others. They do this simply by modelling Jesus – His attitudes and behaviour. This chapter defines for me what discipleship really looks like. I believe that it is challenging me to get out of the box of traditional thinking and discover new ways to communicate God’s Word and His love to a culture that has become more hostile.

Jesus puts it to me quite simply – follow Me. I read a lot of books where authors are trying to explain discipleship – probably because the Church has never been very good at it.

From the beginning with the twelve until now it would seem there are difficulties in actually following Jesus. I will use the “we” word for this sentence, it sounds better – we do not live like Jesus, we do not love like Jesus and we do not make disciples like Jesus.

I wonder if it has to do with the transformation of our minds.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b] ²Do not be conformed to this world,^[c]but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2 ESV

At least I know there is my part and not only God’s part in all of this. I am responsible to present myself. I am already acceptable because of God’s grace so now all need to do is present myself – and lose control – so that I can worship and honour Him. Presenting includes attitudes, desires, my past and future, and everything I am. God takes me and disconforms me, if you will, from my deadness. Then He transforms me into His likeness. This is the only way I can discover His purpose and will for my life. That is some kind of disciple.

Disciple

Petra — Disciple

There is a Hebrew word – limoud – pronounced lim-wood. It means taught, learned, discipled, instructed, accustomed to (something), experienced.

The idea of this word is in two verses found in Isaiah chapter eight.

Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching[g] among my disciples. – Isaiah 8:16 ESV

As a fun fact, this is the only verse in the Old Testament where the word “disciple” is found.

To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. – Isaiah 8:20 ESV

I am encouraged as I realize that I am not just someone who makes disciples, but I am also someone who holds the truth of what I have been taught in moments when others may not. I am to speak that truth whenever called upon to do so. When I do, it will be like dawn to those who live in darkness.

Big difference

There is a big difference between living as a disciple and just being called a Christian. I should know because I lived the first four years of my life as a Christian before making the decision to become a follower.

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9 ESV

It was an important, eternity changing decision – to turn from my old way of living and welcoming Jesus into every part of my life. There is something powerful in the confessing, believing and proclaiming.

Believing is the first step to growing as a disciple of Jesus. Believing Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. Believing the cross was the instrument used to provide payment for my sin. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus as my living Lord. Belief is trust.

Now, as a disciple, I am filled by the Holy Spirit and am sent for a purpose – to tell this good news.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?^[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:14-17 ESV

This good news was offered to me and now I have the honour of offering it to everyone. Making disciples comes from my own faith. It is about continuing the cycle of redemption – passing on the faith that was passed to me.

How much does love cost?

Greatest Of These — Hillsong UNITED

How much did it cost God or what was the price He paid in order to invite us into fellowship with Him? When Jesus left heaven and came to earth, He disadvantaged Himself – that is love. In Jesus we see God’s love. He disadvantaged Himself so that I could enter into the fellowship of a triune God.

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.By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”. – John 13:34-35 ESV

I ran across a children’s lesson on love, fellowship and how that fits into a disciple’s life. It is simple and straight to the point.

D- Devoted to Christ: A disciple doesn’t walk away from their brothers and sisters. They love no matter what.

I- Involved: A disciple of Christ cares about other disciples. He or she gets involved in the good things that are happening around them.

S-Spirit: The Holy Spirit lives in all disciples. He keeps us full of peace!

C-Christ-centred: No matter what, Jesus is the centre of everything a disciple does.

I-Invites others to meet Jesus. A true disciple of Jesus invites others to meet Jesus.

P-Prays for other disciples. That’s love, through and through!

L-Loves at all times. Even when it is hard to do so, a disciple loves other disciples at all times. Love covers sins!

E-Encourages other disciples. If I follow Jesus, I must be an encourager!

When I take the verse above in context, it would seem that Jesus was telling His disciples something important about His leaving them. For up until that point, everyone knew they were disciples because they were with Jesus, following Him. Since Jesus was leaving there had to be a new identification marker. It came out as a new commandment – love each other.

There is the first and greatest commandment to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Then there is the second commandment to love my neighbour as myself. Why do I need another commandment?

It seems so simple and obvious, why is it so compelling and extraordinarily challenging? I think it is the twist that Jesus added – “just as I have loved you.”

God is love. The Father offered His only Son, a Son He loved beyond words to see Him broken, rejected and killed. Jesus pain would be His pain. Jesus, God in the flesh, is the embodiment of love. The Spirit would be poured out on the earth in mostly silent and invisible ways. He would offer to lead and guide, never exalting Himself, and always pointing to the Son. Mostly, those outpourings would be ignored or denied. He finds Himself quenched and grieved. Yet He willing pays the price so that anyone might enter into their fellowship.

What a price to pay to say to me – I love you!

Supremacy

Jesus has supremacy – so what He says matters.

I have not looked at baptism for a while – baptism is the immersion of a believer to new life by faith.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self^[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free^[b] from sin. – Romans 6:3-7 ESV

This is a passage for those who want to follow Jesus and happens soon after repentance and declaration of faith.

Repentance is simple turning away from sin. A declaration of faith is publicly confessing your decision to follow Jesus. We start separated from God, and we end up loving and being in awe of Him. We start loving the things He loves and moving away from the things that do not glorify Him. So I ask God to forgive me every day and I ask Him to refresh the filling of the Holy Spirit. What has transformed me internally is expressed through baptism – I am, in baptism, buried with Christ and raised to walk in life as a new person.

By virtue of His power and grace, and because He is the Sovereign and my Saviour, I become a disciple of Jesus and I make other disciples because that is what He has asked me to do.

The cross becomes another important passage for me. It keeps me being a disciple of Jesus. The cross is my message that as Christ died for me, I must die to myself.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 ESV

It is a strong message and I am also aware this is not a hard thing because the essential truth of the resurrection comes with the cross. As I die to myself, I am equipped through grace to serve others.