What does it mean to be a disciple?

What does it truly mean to be a disciple?  It has taken me a lot of my spiritual journey to form a proper perspective of this question.  We have been studying the reason to initiate and multiply, pray about discipleship, the cost that comes with being a follower, and why we need to being sent out.  Jesus invited His chosen 12 to walk with Him daily, to see Him pray, evangelize, teach truth, and most of all, to see how to go out and show others how to do it.  I find in my own life it is so easy to just set the cruise control and coast…but we see that we must start taking the truths that have been instilled into us and begin to reproduce and inject it into those around us.  Luke 6:1-9 shows the disciples being “sent” by Christ for the purpose of His ministry.  I am challenged everyday by the truths of the Word to go out and truly be a “SENT” disciple and seek out where I can participate in the work of His Kingdom.  I encourage you to do the same!

Everything Disciple

What does it look like for us to follow Christ, to be His disciples, in the everyday every part of our lives? That's what we have been trying to assess through Luke over this last month and really over the last year as we have pursued teaching our students how to live intentionally with initiative in all seasons and circumstances. Since being here, I have seen my life changed through this vision, which is really just what Scripture teaches us is the Truth. It's been such a dream to watch & grow alongside my team, our leaders and our students throughout this entire year... but really the conclusion that I have come to in all of it: He defines my existence, significance, purpose, ministry, plans and anything else in between.

With no real knowledge or direction of what is next in my life, I have found great courage in the comman of Scripture to be faithful. Making all the plans in the world can be good, and I believe it's biblical, but truly the heart of surrender behind those plans is of the importance to God. Next year is not promised, nor is tomorrow; so we have to be willing as seekers of Christ, those desiring to be conformed to His image, to lay our lives before Him... everything.

Your time, your job, your family, your friend, your next big change, your ministry, the blessings, the hardships, the struggles, NONE of it defines you or holds more importance than Christ Himself. Our work as His followers is to be faithful with that which is set before us, which includes the entire above list, but it is secondary to our love relationship with Jesus Himself. He may come back tomorrow or you may die next week, and with that reality before us, we should take great comfort in His plan and not our own.

May you recognize He is enough; He is everything so that you are able to follow Him in the everyday, every part of your life... cultivating faithfulness as a disciple of Christ.

Trust in the Lord, do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Psalm 37:3.

-ew 

Assessing Discipleship

We have been studying Discipleship in Luke. The question of “what counts as discipleship” has risen. Does it have to be 1 on 1, or can it in a large group? When we have critical questions like this, it’s critical for us to look at Jesus’ strategy of reproducing Himself. We know that Discipleship is the end goal, yet even in his final commissioning we see him encouraging his men to achieve it by “baptizing and teaching” (Matthew 28). Both of these are activities associated within the body of Christ as a part of the Church. They are public affairs rather than private coffee shop dates. That said, it is clear that Jesus’ focus is to get close to a few. While we know that at times he had as many as 500 following him, the intentional investment ministry took place with only a few. Even in his “elite” group of 12, there were 3 that got more specified, set apart time. Our conclusion: Discipleship could easily be associated with our process of spiritual growth (Discipleship). This happens in multiple ways and in multiple facets. We should follow Jesus’ initiative though by getting close to a few, investing them in such a way that as the word says: “the disciple will become like his teacher” (Matthew 10:25).

Amen?

~Deep thoughts by a shallow guy~
mn

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the Earth

Every year, spring break seems to be a mile marker for the year. It also gives a deeper perspective of the great work of our Creator. Sometimes, the NWA lifestyle seems to suck everyone into its world and what we experience of our worship of God seems to be wrapped up into the standard NWA lifestyle. The reason that Spring Break Missions is a key mile marker for myself is because it allows me to leave my everyday life as I know it and see another culture. The God that I love and serve here is also the same God over the hurting urban communities of Memphis, or free-minded people of Portland, and even over the povished people of La Limonada, Guatemala. Acts 1:8 says “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This passage is a great reminder that we are to be a witness…a Christ follower…to our Jerusalem (NWA)…Judea (Memphis)…Samaria (Portland)…and to the ends of the earth (Guatemala). I so many times feel like a short term mission trip is needed to keep me reminded of the work that still needs to be done here in NWA. My question to myself since I have been back is, “Am I looking EVERYDAY at opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people around me?” I wonder how many times throughout the day that I am faced with a person to reach out to, but because of my business, lack of confidence, or just laziness, I choose to pass on by. I am reminded by this passage in Acts that I am commanded to be a committed Christ follower in all ways so that His name would be known. Will you join in this truth?

Saved by His grace,
Jarrett