One

 

One Church, One Faith

 

There is only one church that belongs to Jesus.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:1-6  ESV

I cannot get past how many times the word “one” is used in these verses. It is a reminder to me of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit, the Son, Jesus and the Father – three and yet one.

There are fond memories of times where I had the opportunity to introduce the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Sunday School formats and my favorite part was the Deity of Jesus and how best to describe the Holy Spirit. Yet, there was a point in the study where we needed to look at the significance of the Trinity and what was life like within the Trinity. Most importantly, there was the reminder that these three are all persons and the Trinity is a personhood.

All who have decided to follow Jesus are the called of God. Our calling is our responsibility to respond to what we have become in Christ and to serve in the body of Christ. These verses move us from the call to unity to one’s calling in ministry. Jesus has given many gifts of grace which come together in one common goal of maturity in Him.

 For example – one baptism. Baptism is the entry point to one’s walk with Jesus. It puts all new believers into the body of Christ to join with all the other believers.

 So then, when I am asked to walk in a manner worthy of my calling, it means that as a disciple, a part of the body of Christ, a part of the Church, it is a high calling. It is a walk not found in sin, but rather as a child of God. I am not my own, but bought with a price. My life is found in Christ and I live my life through Him. My life has been rescued by Jesus and His calling to follow Him changes the direction of every decision I make.

 

 

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Willing to repent and believe that it is safe

 

If we have been taught that there is safety in repentance then we can break through the dynamics that put issues ahead of our desire to seek the kingdom of God. One of those I mentioned earlier was how people think of me. If I do this, I will come to the point where I will not worry on how people think of me.

Now, I could do this or I could do what St. Benedict did when he was trying to erase the temptation of a woman. St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547 CE),  according to legend, cast himself into a thorn bush while naked.

I struggle staying away from the things that take me away from the kingdom of God but I also struggle to do the things that one would do if they were walking in the kingdom of God. Romans 8 I mentioned in an earlier post is the antidote for Romans 7. These truths help me follow Jesus in this area of struggle. Especially looking at my struggle to share the gospel, or an area in my inner life where I hope God does not want to deal with. Then I ask myself what I think it would look like for me to “go deeper” in my discipleship.

This was the promise from Jesus who walked a hidden life with God. He overcame sin and was able to fulfill the incredible plan of salvation for mankind.

 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:3-4  ESV

I conclude then that Jesus; taking upon Himself human nature, condemned the sin in human beings, so that I, His disciple, who has the same nature, can now follow Him in this way, regardless of my background, personality, or where I live.

Here are some other lessons I have learned from Romans 8.

  • There is a house analogy describing the Spirit living in us just as a person would dwell or reside in a home.

    • You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:9-11  ESV

  • In the same verse above there is the Holy Spirit described as the key identifier, the essential possession of a disciple of Jesus.
  • There is an adoption metaphor where the Holy Spirit has put together a connection between us and God so that we are truly His adopted children, and thereby, heirs of all that is His.

    • For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.. – Romans 8:15-17  ESV

  • The verses above also reveal the Holy Spirit providing the inner testimony or the prompting that calls out to God in an intimate way – “Abba! Father!” and provides the assurance that we are His children.
  • The Holy Spirit makes alive our spiritually-dead spirits and connects us to God.
  • The Holy Spirit is the same as Christ’s Spirit and God’s Spirit. They are one and the same.

 

 

 

 

 

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To know

 

Jesus Culture – I Want To Know You

 

“To know” means more about experiential knowledge, not just cognitive knowledge. It is all about the intellectual assimilation and practical use of what is acquired.

To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight. – Proverbs 1:2  ESV

“To know” includes mental awareness of who God is and the consequential submission to His lordship. To know Him is to obey Him. I am being called to a life of trust and obedience in which every disciple of Jesus see Him in every event and rely on Him. When I acknowledge (know) the Lord in every event means I will trust and obey Him for guidance in right conduct.

When it comes to “instruction” I have seen different translations use “correction” and “discipline.” Being wise requires a discipleship type relationship that involves someone warning, rebuking and telling me when to turn around. I have not met anyone who does not like the idea of being wise, but it would seem the path to that also includes rebuke and I have seen many not able to handle that well – including me. If I am going to be wise, I must humbly recognize that I am not always there and need to submit to wise counsel. Ultimately, I must submit to the Lord Himself if I want to be wise.

I like Proverbs style of delivery. With commands, whether positive admonitions or negative prohibitions, they are supported with reasons. Reasons move the teacher away from the stance of an authoritative expert to that to a persuader. Sometimes it is as simple as challenging the learner to think through the issue but at the end to be ready to face the realisation that there is a need to obey the command because it is a wise thing to do. So the teacher becomes more of the spiritual director and their role becomes one of countering the natural aimlessness of the learner.

“Left to themselves, beginners flounder from one extreme to the other. The experienced sage can establish lines by which the disciple can develop the self-control necessary for the good ends in view.” – J. Eaton

With all of this, it is safe to assume that a wise person has never really attained, but in fact understands they have “not attained” and are in fact pressing on.  I suppose I grow the most by hearing.  Hearing establishing a personal relationship with the speaker but also provides the example of how I should teach, for I believe all hearers become teachers. If I teach before I hear, I will soon be bankrupt. The longer I learn, the more I feel like a learner and the more ready I am to hear and thereby know more.

 

 

 

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Follow me

 

Casting Crowns – Follow Me

 

The words “Follow Me…” is what discipleship is all about.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19  ESV

If we were to put a job description together so that a potential disciple or disciple-maker could see what they signed up for, I think these words would describe best what a committed relationship with Jesus looks like. Simply put, I am a person who has made a decision to follow Jesus with my head, am open to being changed by Jesus in my heart and am serving Jesus in mission with my hands.

“We point our people to the definition of a disciple found in the familiar passage
of Matthew 4:19. In this verse, Jesus gives an invitation to His future disciples, who are fishing at the time … we believe that this invitation describes the definition of a disciple and that to follow Jesus will mean a life change at the head, heart, and hands level of our beings.” – Jim Putman

I wrote about this as a guest writer in Sixty-six Books in a Year as a key building block in the life of a disciple and a disciple-maker.

David Platt goes further. He states we actually cannot be a person of such a mission unless we understand our identity as a disciple of Jesus. He believes there are six primary marks from this passage of scripture that identify a disciple – a transformed heart, a transformed mind, transformed affections, a transformed will, transformed relationships and a transformed purpose. Implication – every disciple should be aware of, depend on, and seek to grow in God’s transforming work of making us more like Christ.

When I really come to terms with this, I know it will change and continue to change my life completely. Becoming a disciple of Jesus, and I know it sounds so simple, is obeying His call to follow.

I think it is fair to say that it might be impossible to be a disciple of someone and not end up like that person.

 

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