“What does a disciple look like?”

The staff spent the beginning of this week together in retreat – which is a funny word for it now that I think about it. I guess we were “retreating” from the office and the work that goes on around there – 90 miles an hour – so that we could talk about how to keep the church moving forward. We have to step away from time to time to see the big picture. It’s just like your spiritual life and why you need to retreat every day away from the world and into the Word. (We have the new TRAIN schedule up by the way – APRIL, 2008 TRAIN)

Anyway, a big part of this retreat for us was to talk about what we are missing – how can we be better. Our purpose as a church is to Reach, Raise, and Release. We are reaching well. We had over 5000 this past weekend for only the second time in a regular service (please try shuttle parking for the next month until we get the new lot in). So we are trying to concentrate on the Raising and the Releasing. Which brought us full circle to the beginning question - “What does a disciple (apprentice) of Jesus look like?”

We spent some time talking about that and a lot of time talking about what a disciple SHOUDLN’T look like. Jesus reserved his sharpest criticism – maybe his only criticism – for those “religious” people who thought they knew what it looked like to be a follower of God. And he called the Pharisees “white washed tombs” - looking good on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones. As we talked, I remembered a passage in Titus that turned out to be more appropriate than I even remembered. Here is the abbreviated passage:

Titus 2
1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live...4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,... so that no one will malign the word of God. 6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good... 9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything... so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

It was the last part that I was thinking about. Everything we do and everything we “raise’ our people to be should be helping them to point other people to an ATTRACTIVE Savior. I’m not saying that Jesus didn’t have some hard messages and that the cross is easy! It will be foolishness to some – Paul tells us that. But look further down the text in the next chapter...

3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. ... 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. 9But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

It seems to me that a disciple is someone who is learning how to live like Jesus, right? Duh! But it’s kindness, self control, being saved by God’s grace. Those are the qualities. AND a disciple is not someone who likes to waste his time on things that are unprofitable and useless – which in this case was actually a matter of religious details that they were trying to figure out.

That’s the interesting part. How much of my time gets sucked up by the unprofitable and useless? How well am I showing people an attractive Savior?

That is a disciple.

Tim

Comments

[Debbie H.]

I love the "train" schedule you put together. Thanks much. After I trim away so that I just have the schedule, it fits just right into my compact Bible that I carry on the train with me.

I try to be a good diciple of Christ, but it's not always easy....

Thanks for leading the way.