(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better — and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
How, exactly, does discipleship express itself?
Intro:
The word disciple comes from a root word meaning “learn,” the same root word from which we get the word “discern.” So being a disciple is a learner. So when Jesus says to go, baptize, and disciple, he’s assuming (commanding, really) you to do what has hopefully been part of your journey, to help others be learners the way you have learned. That said, how exactly does discipleship express itself?
Hey Hopeful, welcome to another chance to sit together at Jesus feet and listen — sometimes to the stuff that makes immediate sense and sometimes to the stuff that, uh, doesn’t.
NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
In our NT segment we’re in this stretch of Jesus teaching things that relate to how one enters the Kingdom of God and our identity therein. And beginning today and for the next couple days we hear stories that relate to growth in following Jesus, what it means for Him to be our rabbi, our teacher.
Passage: Luke 16
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 31
Words: ~663
<audio only>
ORIGINAL TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
<audio only — and be sure to catch the in-between commentary>
Passage: 1 Chronicles 23-24
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 63
Words: ~1239
Wisdom SEGMENT:
Passage: Proverbs 12:23-28
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 6
Words: ~95
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I don’t remember who Reggie McNeal is, but I’ll give him credit for this thought:
We as a church don’t have a mission. The mission has a Church. ~Reggie McNeal
And this has a lot to do with today’s focus question, “How does discipleship express itself?
The church — and that’s you and me, has a mission because Jesus had a mission and Jesus has us. But beyond the mission, or the objective of the mission, is discipleship which is, in part, expressed in service to others. Our generosity. Our attention to the those like Lazarus who don’t have anything to give us in return.
This, of course, has a lot to do with our identity. I like the way Max Lucado once put it:
You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be. ~ Max Lucado.
And if today you needed to hear that you are enough, well, maybe the answer is yes…if you’re asking the question, “How does discipleship, being a Jesus follower, a learner, express itself?” In Jesus’ upside-down kingdom, it’s in serving.
And you know what’s both a little crazy and totally sad? We often think of service to others in terms of those qualities we heard about today — being good stewards, being generous with what we’ve been given, being attentive to those who don’t have what we have. But have you ever stopped to think that the majority of time we spend time in the office? We spend a lot more time in the marketplace that the churchplace. So your opportunity to be a disciple is right in front of you in a way you don’t always hear about from the pulpit.
Well, today you have.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 273.