The whole concept of disicpleship has been a growing interest and theme for me the past year. I’m beginning to think that discipleship is really where it’s at when it comes to the Christian life. Here are a few thoughts:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of man.” I’ve always seen this as the seminal verse regarding man’s relationship to God. We are created beings (rather than eternal), created for God’s purposes. When it comes down to it, everything we do is intended to be for the glory and benefit of God alone. We benefit from our relationship with God, but to be consistent with Scripture, our top priority is obedience to the Creator. Even Psalm 1 talks about this when it says “Happy is the man/person … who delights in the Law of the LORD and meditates upon it day and night” (Ps 1:1-2). ”Happy” is a legitimate translation of the Hebrew and does a better job emphasizing the wisdom nature of the Psalms. In the Hebrew mind, the Psalms are intended to a guide that instructs God’s people how to get the most out of and enjoy to the fullest extent life, including our relationship with God. Therefore, we were created in order obey God’s commands, thereby enjoying the closest/best relationship with God we possibly can.
Relationships require mutual respect and submission. In 1 Peter, husbands and wives are commanded to mutually submit to one another. Taken literally, mutual submission is absent; but taken within its historical and cultural context, mutual submission comes out loud and clear. According to the Bible, the only way a marriage can be fully enjoyed by both spouses is if they each submit to one another. In Ephesians 5, Paul equates the marriage relationship to the relationship between the church and believers to Jesus. This also emphasizes a posture of submission to God.
At it’s most elementary level, a disciple is a student. But not just any student; a disciple is someone who strives to mimmic every aspect of their teacher’s life. The goal of a disciple is to – in many ways – take on the very appearance of their teacher. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commissions his disciples to make other disciples. When we look at the entire picture of what the Christian life is supposed to “look” like, we have very little choice but to conclude that God wants his people to become disciples – students, embodiments – of his son, Jesus. As disciples, we publicly declare Jesus’ lordship over our lives since everything we do is a direct result of the faith we profess. We are submitting to God’s will and Law. And by nature, the concept of disciple assumes a personal relationship with the teacher – in this case Jesus.
The book of Matthew has a well-embedded discipleship theme. It also has the feel of being rather Jewish in its structure and story-telling. Throughout this gospel are numerous OT references and several calls to “follow him.” It relies heavily on knowledge of Jewish traditions and culture. Coincidentally, the Biblical concept of discipleship originates in the OT, with Elijah and Elisha acting as the OT epitomes of what it means to be a disciple.
There are a few things I want to define this new church plant that I’ll be working to establish:
- I want people to learn the Bible. Not in the legalistic sense of “Read the Bible or else” kind of way. But when people come to our Bible studies or future gatherings, I want them to walk out with a deeper fascination and respect for the richness of what is contained within Scripture. They may not believe what written in it, but they’ll recognize that there is something different about this book, something that makes it more than just a collection of ancient near eastern fairy tales.
- I want people to grow as disciples. I want the members of our group to realize that being a Christian is more than just something you think or believe, it’s an entire lifestyle. That’s why I prefer to talk about myself as a “Follower of Jesus” rather than a Christian. This isn’t just the “true religion,” it’s the best way to live; and the way we live is always rooted in our worldview/philosophy/spirituality.
Filed under: Bible Study, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Church Planting, Discipleship, Faith, Ministry, Philosophy
Gord and I have been talking about this quite a bit lately. Jason, I believe that being a disciple is more than a commitment. It’s a passion. That’s my prayer for our church. Passion for Jesus. Passion for his Word. Passion for his Church. Passion our neighbors. Passion for the world that needs God’s love. I pray that God’s Spirit makes us passionate disciples. It might be easy to say we are committed to be disciples but passionate?
That’s a great observation! Discipleship does require passion, just as you said. I was thinking about something along the lines of picking up our cross and the commitment it takes to do that. But passion is just as important for carrying out that mission as is commitment. Some people respond better to commitment, others to passion. But in many ways they’re getting at the same things. Thanks, Skip!
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