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What Does it Mean to be a Disciple? | Our 519 Culture
“Superficiality
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Richard Foster, in his book "Celebration of Discipline," wrote: “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” If superficiality is the curse of our age, then superficial spirituality is the curse of our age in our churches. it's easy to be a part of Jesus and just that, a part of Jesus. not making Jesus Lord. not knowing His Word. not honoring Him with every part of our life. not being led by God's Spirit but, instead, our selfishness. making Jesus just a part of who are and what we do - this is superficial spirituality that is accepted and sometimes, even expected of us, as followers of Christ in our age, today.
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The Call of a Disciple is Different.
they are not in it for the glory, the feelings, the benefits. sure we all start out that way -- we hear the call of Jesus to "come and see" -- and what we see is amazing, beautiful, impossible, attractive. the message is life, grace and hope all rooted in the love of God. we love that God loves us as we are. then that love matures and we have to face the reality that attending is not enough. agreeing is not enough. a part is not enough. and that God loves us as we are but far too much to leave us that way.
darkness must flee. chains must be unshackled. addictions overcome. hearts healed. minds renewed. our darkness must encounter the light and when it does, it will either flee or we will from the light. a disciple is one who walks into the light and love of Jesus in a way that is more than agreeing and admiring it -- being just grateful for it. a disciple abides in Christ. abide means to "act in accordance with" not just nod and follow along. abide means no longer "a part" but consumed, fully grafted in and knowing that to make Jesus a part of your life only is to actually be apart from Him. He is not a plug on a wall you can connect with every time you need power. He is a Vine. We are either branches alive and connected to the vine or we are disconnected from the Vine (this is from John 15).
Our darkness must encounter the light
and when it does, it will either flee
or we will from the light.
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Steven Curtis Chapman in his song, "Show Yourselves to Be" sings,
"Sweet are the branches growing the fruit that comes from the vine But these are just branches blown by the wind holding on to life I want to be like them holding on to the One whose life is mine And I know as I follow Him, His life will surely show in me, "He said you will show yourselves to be the ones who follow Me By the evidence you leave along the way They will know that you are Mine like the branches on the vine If you show yourselves to be following Me, "Faith joins our hearts to Him, it's not a result of anything we do But if we are part of Him, there will be reasons to believe it's true The fruit cannot help but grow if the branch is joined into the tree And love cannot help but show in the one who goes where Jesus leads" |
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A Disciple is a Learner.
"The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does."
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a disciple is a learner --and one who has a Master, a Teacher they are learning from. they are more than part-time students. a disciple is one who follows wherever the Teacher leads and does whatever the Teacher says.
Numa is a church called to be serious disciples -- who live out what Jesus says through His Word and His Spirit's leading. we are students of His words who follow His teachings and leadings with our daily lives and our whole life. we're not here to make Jesus a part of our lives - we recognize that Jesus is the Life and we are invited to be a part of Him, because of love. For us, we are consumed. He is our only Master. He is our only Teacher. We follow no other. |
what does it mean to be a disciple? one who recognizes that our lives, from beginning to end, and our world, from start to eternity, is about Jesus and what we are called to be His a part of Him not apart from Him. we are all so different. some of us are hip. others mis-fit. some are rich. some are poor. we are all unique and, still, share this in coming -- we are called to follow Jesus with our whole lives, as serious disciples. His Spirit's work in us makes us holy. sinners becoming saints. redemption's work at work in our lives, our families, our world.
we call this way of life the 519 culture -- it comes from John 5:19 where Jesus says, "the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." a culture of love that leads to listening and watching for God's Will through His Word and through prayer. living and honoring God with our whole lives.
Jesus said, ""If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23). This is the 519 culture -- to live life in a way that we only do what we see the Father doing -- we abandon it all to follow Jesus as his disciples.
Jesus said, ""If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23). This is the 519 culture -- to live life in a way that we only do what we see the Father doing -- we abandon it all to follow Jesus as his disciples.