Life of a disciple – being discipled, making disciples

Mike Breen – How To Be A Disciple That Makes Disciples

Numbers chapter 11 reminds me how hard the life of a disciple really can be. Even when we fall into temptation to complain, God can take it personally if the complaining is directed to Him. Remember the people were complaining about how hard life was and they were so discouraged. Little did they know that God was listening and He sent fire to consume parts of their community. Very shortly thereafter they started complaining about the lack of meat. It was not just a complaint of something they wanted, it was the rejection of the manna that God had provided. So God gave them the desire of their heart and while the meat was still between their teeth God struck them with a plague. They buried many that day that complained.

If I am going to grow as a disciple and get past the basic grumbling of life and live above the natural and move in the spiritual I am going to have to be discipled. Many of you already are here and so you will need to be doing the discipling. Then there are others, who are called to make disciples and need to be invited to use their gifts to walk alongside others to bring them into a deeper walk with Jesus.

I believe Paul discipled Timothy for quite a few years – possibly 18 years. I love it when God calls me to take the love language of time and give it away to disciple others. I have done that more with individuals than groups, but I like groups too.

I love stories like that of Lydia, in Acts chapter 16, who became involved differently by using her resources and gift of hospitality to provide a base for Paul to make disciples at the place of prayer. Reminds me to keep in prayer how God would want to use my gifts when it comes to making disciples.

It would seem that Paul’s strategy for sharing the gospel was to go to places where others would be at a higher level of readiness to hear it. I do not believe I have such a place but I do know that I can create such a place.

So instead of complaining about life, I can take a lesson from Timothy. His name literally means “honouring God” or “precious to God.” Two great takeaways to what kind of attitude a disciple should have in their life. Then I can go and share and disciple others to look like Jesus.

Interesting look at what a discipling life looks like. A life-style of a disciple may seem static or even implying that there is a lack of freedom. It may imply that others are determining or appreciating ‘our style.’ At least it can be seen as passive, simply responding to life that is not in our control. Even when individuals talk about my ‘vocation’ can imply that my task is driven from outside of myself and that I have to accept it as something I have to do or even has been imposed on me. Here is a more positive view and it is how I look at being a disciple – it is the image of walking along a ‘road’ and it implies we are moving, forward-looking, and can choose where our foot falls next.

She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” – Acts 16:17

A kingdom

Starfield – The Kingdom

Dallas Willard would say that a kingdom is the range of my effective will – my kingdom is my little world where things happen just because I want them to happen. This just might be the core of what it means to be made in the image of God.

Then God said, “Let us make man^[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” – Genesis 1:26 ESV

Dominion would be a kingdom word. To exercise dominion means I understand that my will is effective, I can actually make things happen.

Psalm 8 could be a reflection of Genesis.

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[b] and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet – Psalm 8:4-6 ESV

Jesus Himself states that He has all authority in the Great Commission. In that position, He tells me to disciple the nations.

Discipleship is therefore transformative. We do not just teach, we obey. If I bring Genesis back into the picture, we are to be a perfect reality as we were before the fall. The aim of knowing Jesus is becoming like Him. This is a little different from what I hear in the easy-believism of our church today.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession” – Bonhoeffer

To be a disciple of Jesus I am subduing rebellion, and creating a new humanity that have made a decision to live under God’s word so that I/we can reflect His glorious image throughout creation.

Visible

Remember the Nazirite vow from some of our Old Testament heroes?

All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. – Numbers 6:5

The abstinence of trimming of the hair made the commitment of this vow visible to all. It was a public expression in some ways maybe even providing a form of accountability. A significance to me today as it reminds me that my life, as a follower of Jesus, cannot be successfully lived in secrecy. If I am a light, I need to be a light to the world, not for my sake, but to glorify God.

Acts 15 describes three different presentations about what a follower of Jesus should look like. Peter describes that change coming from purified hearts through faith. Paul and Barnabas also described the importance of putting away the law because it was replaced by pure gospel. James concludes the conversation that a follower of Jesus should abstain from meat offered to idols so that visibly they can show their hatred of idolatry. We should also not participate in sexual relations before we enter into a covenant of marriage and we do not participate in sexual relations outside that covenant. Lastly we are to abstain from eating anything that had been strangled and from eating blood. That definitely was a culturally move as sacrifices were still being performed in the temple.

Visibility also means that others will make a judgement call as to whether they like me or not. Psalm 22 has many references to Jesus but this one strikes me today.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people. – Psalm 22:6 ESV

Jesus carried not only the scorn of the people when He hung on the cross, a visible scene if there ever was one, but He also carried the loneliness that comes from having God do the same as the sin of the world was placed on Him. Can you imagine His heart being broken by that and by the many who thought He was the Messiah, yet would not confess it, because they loved the praise of people mor than the praise of God.

What does my walk with Jesus look like to others? A question I will have to ask myself every morning and then review every evening.

The price

Remembrance – Hillsong Worship

Being tracked down to be persecuted is a whole new perspective on counting the cost of following Jesus.

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. – Acts 14:19 ESV

It is a testimony that matters to me because I have decided to follow Jesus. It is about laying it all on the line in order to make a difference in the lives of others. It is about the willingness to suffer and face abuse from those who reject God. There is a price to pay for me.

There is a difference in the pain of life, life happens to all of us. There is another kind of pain that comes from being, if I may say, stupid. The pain that comes from reaching others for Jesus – is that worth it? Even as I am writing this post my perspective on this is a little bit weird because life is pretty good right now. Not sure I can even count the cost properly.

Regardless, I believe the life of an effective disciple maker has courage.

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ²But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.^[a] ³So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. – Acts 14:1-3 ESV

It is knowing that some will receive Jesus and others will reject Him and get mad at me. The pattern keeps happening over and over again all through the book of Acts. They knew that people would get mad and yet they still had the courage to tell them about Jesus. The thing about persecution is that it makes Christ the issue – as it grows so do the opportunities of talking about Jesus. I am learning that it isn’t the idea of not telling people about Jesus, it is the idea that if they do not want Him, go to another person who does. I believe that I have developed the courage I have because I have spent time with God and with people of courage. I also believe that my courage comes from my obedience. As I make disciples, I know deep in my heart, that God will grant me His marvelous grace and courage – it is a price to consider.

Read and Heed

seventh angel – heed the warning

Leviticus chapter 26 is one of those chapters that get my attention. Although the curses for not reading and heeding God’s word outweigh, at least in the number of words used, the blessings, I love the blessings because I intend to read and heed them.

“Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God.” – A.W. Tozer

As a follower of Jesus, I must be enabled by the Holy Spirit. It is the long game for sure for the only outcome for the short game of passing pleasures is a painful experience.

When I read the final chapter of Leviticus, this is the vow I believe we can make, should we choose to read and heed. I will show gratitude to God and worship and serve Him. I will depend on Him to enable me to be a follower of Jesus. By God’s grace, I will always follow Him. I have made a decision, a commitment to trust Jesus for my salvation, my Lord and my Treasure and have decided to become His disciple. May God touch my heart so that I keep this vow, to His glory and for my good.

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. – Acts 13:52 ESV

When I look at Acts to see what this might look like in the life of the apostles and disciples, I read the verse above as the last verse in chapter 13 of the Book of Acts. Paul and Barnabas were expelled from the city, but the disciples there were not. When I read the beginning of chapter 14, I know that they had to endure sufferings for the sake of the Gospel. Even so, look at what God did. He raised them above the shame and fear, filled them with joy, and filled them with the Holy Spirit to enable them to be what He called them to be – disciples of Jesus.