Defining A Discipleship-Making Process In A Local Church

Luke 14:26-27  “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Introduction:

In their landmark book: "Simple Church", Eric Geiger and Thom Rainer note the following observation about churches that have defined how they make disciples:

"Churches with a simple process for reaching and maturing people are expanding the kingdom. Church leaders who have designed a simple process to make disciples are effectively advancing the movement of the gospel. Simple churches are making a big impact."

The church where I serve is a remarkable church. God is doing exciting things. One thing I pray for and am compelled to lead God's church where I serve to understand is Christ's designated process for making disciples. Put another way: how can our church become more effective than ever in leading people to pursue a closer relationship with Jesus Christ in their spiritual growth? Now in a moment I will define what I mean by the word "disciple", but first, let's look at what Jesus says on this topic.

The above opening text in Luke 14 is one of two main chapters in Luke (the other being chapter 9) that lay out Jesus' master plan for discipleship. As we look closely at what Jesus taught, we discover that his disciples would take His teachings and expand them into the early church. The church in the Book of Acts grew because it understood its main task: make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

So what is discipleship or a disciple? 

Discipleship is a God-centered lifestyle that pursues learning to live like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, a disciple is a person that pursues such a lifestyle. This act of embracing comes about in the reception of the Gospel by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord and Treasure. As we follow Jesus' core teaching on this subject in Luke 14:26-33, we can note the following three traits of a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ:

1. Dying to self. Luke 14:26-27

2. Counting the cost. Luke 14:28-32

3. Radical follow-thru. Luke 14:33

Daniel Lim has written a wonderful book on church leadership entitled: "No Silver Bullets". In the book he lists out eight defining traits of a disciple that I find particularly helpful:

1. Bible engagement. 
2. Obeying God and denying self
3. Serving God and serving others
4. Sharing Christ
5. Exercising faith
6. Seeking God
7. Building relationships
8. Unashamed (Transparency)

Imagine a church that has this as the centerpiece of all they do. I myself as a Christian desire to develop in my walk with the Lord. I cannot do it without that God-called community of the local church. I thank God for the wonderful church family he has placed us with to serve. All of them together and individually spur me on to want to know Jesus better. 

At the church where I serve, we ought to be about the primary task of helping people grow wider and deeper in this process. Just as a lumber yard has a well-defined process for making boards and just as a pizza-place has a well-defined process for making pizzas - churches in turn must know how to execute Jesus most fundamental command "to make disciples" (Matthew 28:18-20).   

Discipleship making is the engine that must drive the automobile of vision

At our church, we spent a year working on a vision statement. A vision is God's preferred future that motivates His people to get from where they are to where He wants them to be. Every Sunday I recite the following statement as a way to welcome new people and to remind our people why we are together and where we are going: "Our vision at New Hope Baptist Church is living life together to bring new hope in Jesus to all people."

As I think of Jesus' Great Commission to his church "to go make disciples of all nations", the execution of the command must involve a well-defined process.  The engine that must drive this vision is our process to equip people in their journey towards knowing Jesus. This process is called “the discipleship-making process”.

Below are some thoughts that I plan on communicating to the church about our discipleship making process. One of the underlying assumptions is that our church has all it needs to achieve what Christ has called it to do. We have a complete Bible, the Holy Spirit and a godly group of converted persons ready to do God's bidding. The thoughts below are but a sample of how the process for making disciples at our church may unfold. Other churches will envision it slightly differently in the details. The underlying "big-ideas" can be cross-pollinated to other contexts.  

What ought to be the discipleship process at New Hope Baptist Church?

Hunger for God ignited by key gathering times. Lk 14:15-24

Whenever we read this opening parable told by Jesus, we find people making excuses as to why they cannot follow Jesus. Discipleship is a call. 

When I envision this first tenet of "hungering for God", I primarily think about our worship services, Sunday School and small groups as key moments that should motivate people to hunger more for God. When New Hope Baptist Church worships together – the desired outcome is to ignite a hunger for God. Our Sunday morning and Sunday night services represent the main places where this first element of “hunger for God” begins. We could also include Bible studies and prayer gatherings. Some good biblical texts that speak on this first point are Psalm 63:1-3 and Ephesians 1:18-20.

Ongoing Discipleship/Evangelism generated by Sunday School, small groups and mission opportunities. Lk 14:25-33

We've already defined discipleship at the beginning of this post. Discipleship and evangelism go hand-in-hand. Evangelism has been defined as: 

"Communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God."

So whenever we have gathered together as a church body to hear God’s Word and sing God’s praises  – hunger for Him ought to result. But how does one feed that hunger? Sunday school or any small-group is where relationships are developed. This component of the discipleship-making process generate life application in our church and 
community. A good sample of texts that illustrate this thought are: Acts 2:38-42; Hebrews 10:24-25

Prayer/Proclamation reinforced by corporate prayer-times, conferences and resources. Lk 14:34-15:3

In this third aspect of what I would classify as our church's discipleship-making process, we emphasize the need for prayer and the dispersion of God's Word through various methods. As we hunger after God and participate in ongoing discipleship and evangelism, what comes next? Prayer
and proclamation. Are we inviting others and going to others for the Gospel’s sake? Prayer is the greatest tool in the disciple’s arsenal. 

Proclamation takes the discipleship process outside the church walls. To reinforce prayer and  proclamation, we will emphasize prayer, conferences, print, video and audio resources. Colossians 4:2-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Exaltation of Jesus expressed through unity events, music and the Word. Lk 15:4-32

As we round out the discipleship process that I pray will become even clearer at the church I serve, we consider exaltation of Jesus. This last leg of the process brings us full-circle. As we hunger after God and participate in ongoing discipleship and evangelism, as well as prayer and proclamation, where does the process end and begin again? Exaltation of Jesus. This is expressed through unity events. Hearing God’s Word, music, celebrating the Lord’s Table, working together in outreach/evangelistic events or baptizing new converts are examples of unity events. This goal feeds back into our hungering for more of God. I find it interesting that in the three main parables told by Jesus in Luke 15:4ff, all of them contain thoughts of "celebration" and "rejoicing". Whenever God is exalted, the joy of God's people spills over into wanting to hunger more for Him. As this cycle repeats itself over time, the church's influence and spiritual growth can only expect to deepen and broaden. Appropriate scriptures for these thoughts might be: Matthew 22:37-39; 28:18-20; Hebrews 12:1-2

Closing thoughts:

If the reader might take a second look at the above four points, each starting letter of each point spells out the word h.o.p.e, hence: hungering for God, ongoing discipleship and evangelism, prayer and proclamation and exaltation of Jesus. Jesus' most important command in Matthew 28 was to make disciples. Would it be that every church and all its members work together with their respective church leadership to do the bidding of the Master by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What It Means To Hunger For God

Psalm 34:10 "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing."

Introduction:

In today's post we want to look at the oft-used metaphor of "hunger" in the Bible. This word-picture describes what ought to be the spiritual impulse of God's people. When it is said to "hunger for God", what exactly is meant? The opening text of today's post portrays a pride of lions on a hunt. David would had been familiar with such imagery. David was a shepherd before he was King of Israel. Shepherds often kept their flocks in and around the Judean wilderness where predators would stalk their prey. We can picture these young lions coming up empty. Their inexperience and lack of skills may had been the culprit. Whatever the case may be, these lions have growling stomachs that drive them on to pursue their quarry. For the believer in Jesus Christ, nothing less than the presence of God will do. So what can we say about hungering for God?

1. Hungering for God means desperation for God. 

Whenever one is physically hunger - they crave and crave, desiring to fill their bellies with the object of their cravings. In the physical realm, hunger drives a person to accomplish their labor. Proverbs 16:26 states - "A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on." The principle laid out in Proverbs is transferable to the spiritual realm. Christians ought to be a people that are "driven" by an intense desperation for God. David writes in Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple." It is this hunger for God that fuel's genuine worship. David again writes in Psalm 63:1-3 "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.

Author Rhonda Hughey writes in her book: "Desperate For His Presence":

"People who are desperate for God's presence move beyond convenience and comfort. They have gotten hold of something in their spirit, and they cannot let go. For them, Jesus is not a religious concept-He is reality. The very fact that Jesus came to live among us is a clear example of His desire to be with us in a way that we can both understand and pursue."

Such a desperation for God characterizes the beginning of saving faith worked out in the human heart in salvation by the Holy Spirit. Jesus expresses this point in Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." So when we talk of hungering for God, we speak of a desperation for Him. Notice another description of this concept....

2. Hungering for God means desiring the things of God

Have you ever gotten in a conversation where the people are trying to decide where they'd like to eat? Someone might say a burger place, another "pizza" and a third "Chinese food". As the group attempts to zero down their options, some will appeal to whatever items accompany such choices. For example, a particular burger place has amazing sauce that can't be beat. The pizza people will evoke the heavenly crust or fresh toppings. For those craving Chinese food, there may be a desire for the tang of the freshly made "sweet-and-sour" sauce or the tenderness of the chicken-fried-rice. In other words, people will choose a food place by the things that accompany it.

I'm sure you have went to a particular restaurant known for its steak, or seafood or soups. In a seafood place, isn't it odd whenever someone decides to order a hamburger? Though they claim they wanted to go try out the seafood place, the "things" associated with such eateries are of no-interest. 

Whenever God's people gather together in a Sunday morning worship service or do a service project, there are certain "things" that ought to be craved. The so-called "things of God" are described as the objects of the spiritual appetite desiring to satiate spiritual hunger. Let me just mention three "things-of-God" that we ought to crave that demonstrates our genuine hunger for God.

A. Personal holiness. 

Jesus mentions how those who are converted in saving faith are blessed as a result of "hungering and thirsting for righteousness" (Matthew 5:16). Those who walk with God develop a hunger for holiness, since they are in fellowship with God who is holy (see Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). Personal holiness is exercised by wanting to obey God and expressed in how much we love others with the love of God. James 1:26-27 reminds us: "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

B. Person of Christ.

Those who claim to hunger for God ought to have a desire to know Jesus as clearly, nearly and dearly as possible. John 6:35 records the following statement by Jesus - "Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

C. Proclamation of the scriptures.

Whenever we hunger for God, one of the things that ought to be included in our cravings are the scriptures. Jeremiah writes for example in Jeremiah 15:16 "Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." Or again, 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Whenever God's people gather together in a worship service or in small group Bible study, what ought to characterize such gatherings is a desire to dig. Going deeper into the scriptures is not so much concerned only with factual knowledge, but faith building. We can only live out our faith by its length in-so-far as we have given ourselves to the scriptures in their depth. 

So we've identified hungering for God has having to do with a desperation for Him and a desire for the things He emphasizes as connected with His character. Let's consider one final point.

3. Hungering for God means depending on God. 

This final thought covers how we cultivate an ongoing status of hungering for God. A simple illustration of this is in driving an automobile. We drive our cars to get from one place to the next. People depend on cars to travel long distances. What happens whenever we are depending more on our vehicles? they get low on gas. Along the way there are gas stations. Although not every car stops in at any particular gas station - yet, at some point, such a stop will have to be made. The car is designed to run on gas. The car's dependence on fuel makes having fuel a matter of necessity for its operation. Our dependence upon a vehicle depending on fuel translates into us needing to go to a gas station. 

Whenever we think of the Christian life, one thing God is trying to cure us of is "self". Self has been identified as "me-in-me". Whenever Christ comes into my life at saving faith, therein begins this battle between the self or flesh or "me-in-me" versus the new found nature of "Christ-in-me". Rather than remaining "independent", I must become "dependent on God". Such a state-of-affairs ensures that I will hunger for God. By depending on God, I discover that I have the drive to want to live for God (see Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 40:31; Philippians 3:12-13). 

Closing thoughts

Today we noted some Biblical texts and other thoughts that lend aid in answering the question: "what does it mean to hunger for God". We discovered three answers. First, being desperate for God. Second, desiring the things of God (God's presence, the person of Christ and the preaching of the word). Thirdly, dependence on God. 

The Path To Christian Spiritual Growth Requires Active Obedience - Matthew 28

Matthew 28:6-8 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you. 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples."

Introduction:

When it comes to the path to Christian spiritual growth, we undoubtedly need to know God's purpose. In our last post we defined God's purpose as: "God's designated destination". Purpose gives the overall direction to which I am to live my life. Jesus Christ, the Captain of my soul, sets the course. A closely related concept, "vision", is defined as God's preferred future that is clear and compelling in moving God's people towards what He wants them to do. 

We also saw in the last post how Jesus had a purpose for His disciples: "get to the mountain in Galilee, where I will meet with you." When God is wanting to work forth His purposes in our lives, He not only considers the destination, but the process. 

The goal is to attain a greater level of illumination of God's character and identity as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ. The disciples needed to interact with the post-resurrection Jesus. They had known Jesus as He had ministered and as they saw him on the cross. However, the manifestation of Christ physically in the flesh as the post-resurrection Jesus had not yet been experienced by them. Once they reached this intended purpose, they could say like Job in Job 42:1-5 

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

2 “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You." 

The path of spiritual growth requires our active obedience

So with God's purpose in view, what else is needed for Christian spiritual growth? Active obedience. We turn again to Matthew 28. Why this text? Matthew 28, particularly verses 18-20, comprise what is known as the "Great Commission". Those verses are Jesus' final instructions to His Apostles and ultimately to His church concerning the overall mission that is to be carried forth until the close of this present age with His second coming. 

In order for the Great Commission to be carried forth, the apostles needed to be present and positioned to receive it. Furthermore, they needed to be in the mode of active obedience if they were to carry out the Great Commission and encourage others to do the same. When we consider the nature of the active obedience found in Matthew 28, we can note the following characteristics and cross references....

1. Active obedience must be quick obedience. 

Notice how quick the women were to obey the angel's instructions in Matthew 28:6-7  "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you. 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples." Or again, Matthew 28:11a "Now while they were on their way....". We have a saying in our home: "slow obedience is no obedience". The active obedience we need for effective Christian growth must be quick. When God called Abraham in Genesis 12 to go to a country that he had never visited, Abraham never hesitated. He left Ur of the Chaldees. Hebrews 11:8 reminds us: "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." 

Think of the godly king Josiah in 2 Kings 23. As soon as he heard the book of God's law read concerning where the nation ought to be spiritually, he wasted no time. Josiah's reforms and revival was the most dramatic move of God in Israel's history during the reigns of the kings. Or how about the Apostle Paul's testimony in Acts 26:19 to King Agrippa of how he followed through after his encounter with the post-resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. His obedience was quick.

But now notice a second trait of active obedience for growing in the path to spiritual growth, namely, consistency.

2. Active Obedience must be consistent obedience. 

As one compares the disciple's response of active obedience, we find it being consistent. There is no wavering. God's power and presence (the definition of blessing) attends us when we are consistent in our obedience. Notice what God says of Abraham in Genesis 22:18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Sometimes the best way to see a truth in God's Word is to consider its opposite. In Matthew 28:11-15, we find consistency among the enemies of God's people who were being disobedient to God. They followed their leadership to the letter. They emulated the character of those leading them. Their aim of course was completely different, with a contrasting message and opposing heart. But the trait of consistency ran through the plots of the opposing forces conspiring against the disciples. This trait of consistency ought to characterize the obedience of God's people who look to Jesus as their King. 

3. Active obedience must be complete obedience 

We have seen how active obedience is necessary for proceeding forward on the path to spiritual growth. It needs to be quick and consistent. But notice a third truth: it needs to be complete. When the disciples arrived at the mountain Jesus had designated, they "worshiped Him". The whole point of this exercise was to see their Lord and then to worship Him. True obedience to God is only complete when we are worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth. 

Going through the mechanics of church life and the Christian life may look like obedience, but in reality, its mere outward conformity. Only when we have attained a heart of worship will our obedience be complete. I find it interesting that the text doesn't go into detail as to how long they worshiped, whether they sang to Jesus or remained silent or if anything was said by them. The Greek verb translated "worship" speaks of "bowing down". It is a word that is meant to convey a closeness, a proximity to Christ that is tantamount in terms of tenderness and intensity like when a bride and groom kiss for the first time. 

Closing thoughts:

Just as God saved Israel from Egypt to go into the desert to commune with Him in worship at the mountain, so too did Jesus provide salvation and raise from the dead so that His followers could worship Him at the mountain we see in Matthew 28. Active obedience is so crucial to progressing on the path to Christian spiritual growth. Active obedience must be quick, consistent and completed in worship. 

The Path To Christian Spiritual Growth Requires God's Purpose and Vision

Matthew 28:16-20 "But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Introduction:

The path to spiritual growth includes the important "p" of purpose. God's purpose is defined as God's designated destination. Just as Jesus had the disciples meet Him at the designate mountain in Galilee in Matthew 28, God has a designated destination for every Christ-follower. If the Christian can understand God's purpose for their life as revealed in God's Word - the Bible - the path to spiritual growth will proceed. Today we want to explore further on this important subject by noting the relationship between God's purpose and vision. 

Distinguishing purpose and vision

When it comes to God's purposes in the path to spiritual growth, such purposes will incorporate the ability to discern His vision for my life. A vision is a distinct impression of God's preferred future as gleaned from His word. I read the Bible, meditate on it, pray on it, live it out and discover the overall direction which my life is to take. Vision and purpose are closely related. Vision speaks of the drive, the impulse that is being used of God to pull me in the direction He has laid out for me, while purpose is that designated designation I'm aware of at the present time. 

God's purposes will involve a spiritual battle to keep hold of them

As we pursue the spiritual path of growth in Jesus Christ, we mustn't forget the spiritual battle that ever wages against the Christ-follower. Jesus told His followers in Matthew 28:10 to "not be afraid". Why would Jesus remind them of such things? Because fear, trouble and discouragement will dog us as we strive to grow in our faith. As a matter of fact, while the disciples where on their way to meet up with Jesus to receive greater insights, a parallel plotting against them was underway in Matthew 28:11-15

"Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day."

The news of Jesus' resurrection was no doubt the most important truth delivered in the Bible. There was excitement. Fervor. Zeal. God's purpose for His people was being made manifest in the lives of His people. The path of spiritual growth is rooted in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ (see Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:7-10; Colossians 1:27). But mark this: it is one thing to receive new-found illumination from God, it's quite another matter to walk it out and to retain it. 

So was there any affect on any of Jesus' followers that developed from the spiritual battles? We know that those who gathered at the mountain to behold Jesus were among those 500 witnesses that saw Jesus all at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). But then we read of others in Matthew 28:17 "When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful." The underlined verb in verse 17 refers to "hesitating or wavering". There is only one other place where this verb is found in the entire New Testament, the familiar scene of Peter walking on the water. Notice Matthew 14:31, where Jesus says to Peter: "Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Was the nature of this doubt the type that led to final and decisive unbelief? Not in Peter's case. The presence of overwhelming circumstances challenged what He was seeing. His faith flickered as a flame in the wind, however, the flame was not extinguished. Jesus took hold of Peter, pulled him up and brought him into the boat. 

Whenever we see the witnesses present at Jesus' post-resurrection appearance, what are we to make of those that "doubted"? Did they defect? Did they walk away? I would draw similar conclusions about the people in Matthew 28:17 as with what we just observed about Peter and his flickering faith in Matthew 14. Noted commentator Matthew Henry confirms this conclusion:

"But some doubted, some of those that were then present. Note, Even among those that worship there are some that doubt. The faith of those that are sincere, may yet be very weak and wavering. They doubted, they hung in suspense, as the scales of a balance, when it is hard to say which preponderates. These doubts were afterward removed, and their faith drew up to a full assurance, and it tended much to the honor of Christ, that the disciples doubted before they believed."

Henry then concludes:

"for they first questioned, and proved all things, and then held fast that which was true, and which they found to be so."

God's purpose in our path to spiritual growth must be a conviction if we are to make progress

As we close out today's post, God's purpose was defined as being: "God's designated destination". His purpose in the Christian life cannot remain a preference - instead, it must become a conviction. The only way for a preference to become a conviction is when we are faced with the prospect of what we claim we believe as not being true. The disciples were tested. There was already some alternative explanation spun out by the enemies of the Christian faith. Yet, God's people came to that mountain desiring to see their risen Lord and came away with the type of faith that could not be shaken. This purpose set them on a path to spiritual growth that would set the stage for the emergence of the early church. 

Coupled with the power of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts, the early Christians had a God-given purpose to grow spiritually in Christ. Christians today have these same exact conditions and components. Whenever we grab hold of God's purpose in the path of spiritual growth, nothing will be able to stop the forward momentum.

A Character Study On Mary Of Bethany: A Pattern For Following Jesus Christ

John 11:1-4 "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 

Seeing a detail I had never noticed before

Today's post begins with an admission regarding the parenthetical remark made by the Apostle John in John 11:2 - "It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." So what is my admission? I had never noticed this little comment until reading through John 11 this past week. I marvel at how often one can read and re-read a familiar passage of the Biblical text, teach on it or preach on it - and still find something new upon a later time of study. John's comment here is designed to help the reader think back to the specific identity of Mary of Bethany. All exceptional writing ought to help the reader connect with lead characters. The inspired text of scripture accomplishes this better than any other piece of literature. 

Mary's biography of how she was first met by the Lord Jesus Christ frames for the reader why this family was so special to Him. Over a period of time, He got to know not only Mary, but her sister Martha and presumably her brother Lazarus whom he would resuscitate from the dead (that is, bring back to life what was previously dead). Today's post wants to explore who Mary of Bethany was and what lessons we can learn from her story as a follower of Jesus Christ. We can note the following pattern for discipleship in the life of Mary of Bethany...

Mary of Bethany: The One Who Wanted To Pattern Her Life In The Footsteps Of Jesus

Concerning this remark made by John about Mary in John 11:2, the Bible Knowledge Commentary has the following remark:

"Luke added some information on the two sisters Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38–42). This Mary … was the same one who later (see John 12:1–10) poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair. However, John may be assuming that the original readers of his Gospel already had some knowledge of Mary (cf. Mark 14:3–9)."

If we consider the cross references mentioned in the above quotation, we can develop a profile of Mary's journey of devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 10:38-42 records one of the first episodes involving Mary, Martha and Jesus - 

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Mary, we could say, was the disciple that wanted to follow the Lord Jesus in such a way as to be in earshot of his teachings. She literally wanted to follow in the footsteps of her Lord - as seen in her efforts to "sit at His feet", an expression of humility and eagerness to learn. But what else can we learn about Mary and her journey of discipleship with the Lord Jesus...

Mary of Bethany: The Disciple That Was Willing To Pay The Cost Of Following Jesus

We've seen how Mary of Bethany wanted to have her life patterned after the Master. In discipleship, we discover that there not only needs to be a willingness to follow Jesus, but also to die to self and pay the price of whatever it takes to follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). John makes reference to Mary's sacrificial act of pouring oil upon Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair (see John 11:2). In John's Gospel, this act is recorded in John 12:1-8, following Jesus' raising of Lazarus. John 12:3 specifically states - "Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."  John's specific reference to Mary's act is of such significance that he attaches this act as the chief identity marker of Mary. We find this particular act of Mary of Bethany recorded in the other Gospels.

Mark 14:1-8 records the same scene of Mary's devoted act. We pick up the text in Mark 14:3 "While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head." The particular vial which Mary had was made of a costly material called "alabaster", filled with an even costlier perfume from the orient (likely India) called "nard", as pictured what it might had been like below:


To release the precious perfume inside the vial, one would simply "snap" the slender neck of the alabaster vessel and pour out its contents. What Mary did cost the equivalency of a year's wages. She was dramatizing her life's desire to pour out her love, at whatever cost. Extravagant? yes! Costly? definitely! Worth it? only one person was worth such devotion: Jesus.  

Interestingly enough, not only do the Pharisees respond harshly to Jesus, but also the disciples (see Matthew 26:8)! We can tell by the reaction of the people witnessing this act that its cost was steep - too steep for sentiment and convention. Following Jesus will cost everything - if need be: convention, convenience or even one's life. Mary of Bethany wanted to pattern her life in Jesus footsteps and she was willing to pay the price. But what else can we learn about discipleship from Mary of Bethany's devotion to the Lord Jesus?

Mary of Bethany: Powerful testimony to other people

When it comes to following Jesus Christ, discipleship is not just about "me and Jesus". Whenever anyone counts the cost and by faith follows the Lord Jesus Christ, their life ought to be such that others will be influenced to do the same. In Matthew 26:1-13 we see this same turn of events. In both Mark's versions and Matthew's, we see Jesus make reference to Mary's act being included in the proclamation of the Gospel for ages to come. We read in Matthew 26:13 "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” 

Whenever we read Jesus' statement concerning Mary, how do we know that what He said came true? The fact that we read of her act in three of the four Gospel accounts (Matthew 26:1-13; Mark 14:1-8; John 12:1-8) tells us that this act was meant to be read, preached about and embedded in the memories of God's people. The Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, edited by Walter Elwell, notes the following:

"Jesus’ word of commendation that her act will be remembered “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world” (v. 9) evidences his consciousness of an interval of evangelization between his death and return at the end of the age."

Closing thoughts:

Today's post was about a character study on the life of Mary of Bethany. We began by considering a remark made by the Apostle John in John 11:2 concerning her anointing of Jesus. We then explored the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John to discover lessons for discipleship and how Mary grew in her her devotion to Jesus. We discovered the following life lessons to apply to the following of Jesus Christ today:

1. Pattern one's life in the footsteps of Jesus.

2. Pay whatever price necessary to follow Jesus.

3. Present a testimony that will encourage others to follow Jesus.

New Hope in Jesus Christ - Proclamation of the Word

Ephesians 4:11-13 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:

Christian leader Joseph Stowell made the following observation about the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo in his devotional book: "Day by Day with Jesus - Strength for the Journey": "Michelangelo is said to have often painted with a brush in one hand and a shielded candle in another to prevent his shadow from covering the masterpiece he was creating. As God works through us to craft His glory and gain, we must be careful that our shadows are not cast across the canvas of His work."

Why is proclamation of God's Word so vital for living out the hope we have in Jesus Christ? Yesterday we had considered the importance of discipleship and evangelism. The clearest definition we find for "discipleship" is where Jesus expresses in Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." 

To be a disciple means to follow Jesus in attitude, in mind and in heart for the goal of becoming like Him. As a pastor, I am convinced that the hindrances to our Christian growth stems from us doing what Michelangelo in the quote above tried to avoid: namely casting our own shadows on God's continuing work of making us more and more like Jesus. 

We often will cite Ephesians 2:8-9 as one of the clearest Biblical definitions of salvation - and rightly so. In that text we see defined salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. However very few people go onto Ephesians 2:10, which deals with why the Lord calls and saves sinners: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." 

Healthy Christian growth is not optional for the Christian

Oddly enough, many Christians today seem satisfied with little or no progress in their Christian walk. God chose, called and convicted sinners by His Spirit to believe on Christ apart from good works for the purpose of growing up in a salvation that is to abound in good works. The overall pattern and design of the Christian life is to grow onward and upward in the Lord. Such growth may experience seasonal declines, however the vast majority of the Christian life ought to witness advances and an overall pattern of change. 

Passages such as 2 Peter 3:18 explicitly command us to grow up in our walk with Christ: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Peter also writes in 1 Peter 2:2 "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul also explains the need of healthy Christian growth. Romans 12:2 is but one example - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." All of these passages urges Christians to pursue healthy Christian discipleship.

The urgency for healthy Christian growth is not up for debate in the scriptures. The question is: what and how do Christians grow in their Christian lives?  God has prescribed three main ministries in the local church to ensure the spiritual healthy of Christians. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12  "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." We will be exploring two chapters (Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4) to discover what I am calling "the 3-braided rope" of healthy Christian growth in Christians and the church, which includes the following:

1. Pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 4; Ephesians 4:11-12)

2. Church-body life (Ephesians 4:13-24)

3. Small-groups (Ephesians 4:25-29)

So let us look first of all at how God has prescribed pastoral ministry for the healthy Christian growth of the Christian and the local church.

God has ordained pastoral ministry to be one of the three resources for healthy Christian growth

It is appropriate to be drawing these posts from Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 4, since both letters were written to the same church. Paul's letter to the Ephesian church was written in 60 A.D to the Ephesian congregation, urging them to be enriched in every spiritual blessing in Christ. Paul's letter to Timothy was composed 2 years later, urging him as a pastor to grow spiritually (1 Timothy 4:16) and to lead the Ephesians in ongoing spiritual growth and conduct (1 Timothy 3:15). 

When we come first of all to 1 Timothy 4, we see in general outline form the importance of pastoral ministry in the life of the Christian and the local church. Paul's point of the importance of pastoral ministry in 1 Timothy 4 can be summarized under four headings that spell out why Christians and churches need pastoral ministry for their Christian growth. We will consider these in alphabetical form:

1. Anchoring of people in God's truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-6

Christians and churches need men who will courageously and compassionately preach the truth in love. Moreover, pastors need to love their people by being present and interactive in their lives. A good pastor can provide an anchoring point for a church or a Christian who is experiencing seismic shifts. The pastor's ability to do so stems not from himself, but rather Christ working in and through him (see Colossians 1:27). 

2. Building godliness into people's lives. 1 Timothy 4:7-8

Jesus desires not only a loving church, but a loving church that loves His holiness and expresses holy love. As we saw a couple of days of ago, expressing the newness of hope in Jesus includes aiming to lovingly know God and other people. Pastors need to regularly urge their congregations onto holy lives that bear witness of God's love and transforming power (1 Peter 2:9-12; Hebrews 3:12-13; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5)

3. Communicating the Gospel. 1 Timothy 4:9-10

Five times in Paul's pastoral letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus) we find reference to these "statements worthy of all acceptance". In 1 Timothy 4:9-10 we find one of the clearest statements summarizing the Person and work of Jesus Christ as communicated in the Gospel. A pastor not only needs to feed His flock but also evangelize sinners both inside and outside the church. His purpose is undoubtedly to equip the saints to be witnesses of Christ wherever they live and work. Yet too, the pastor himself ought to be about looking for opportunities to share Jesus in personal daily interactions with people. Such practices enable the pastor to urge his people to communicate the Gospel.

So thus far we have seen how God uses pastoral ministry to encourage healthy Christian growth: anchoring people in the truth, building godliness into people's lives and communicating the Gospel. Now lets consider one final element as to why pastoral ministry is necessary for healthy Christian growth, namely....

4. Demonstrating healthy Christianity. 1 Timothy 4:11-16

If a pastor is to be effective in urging his congregation to healthy Christian growth in discipleship, he himself must live it! Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:15-16 "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."

As we think about proclaiming God's Word, the pulpit is what we typically think about - and rightly so. However, other ways of proclaiming God's Word and practicing some of the above principles can include conferences, encouraging and training more people to teach in Sunday School, small-groups and church events. 

As we are living in a 21st century world, other secondary means can be used to facilitate proclamation of the Word, namely: podcasts, You Tube, i-Tunes, Facebook and other venues.

Linking arms with other churches to increase efforts for proclaiming the Word can generate even more volumes of newness of hope across the Christian community. Such efforts could result in such things as community prayer times/revivals to reaching the secular and unchurched community.

Closing thoughts

As we have seen today, pastoral ministry and proclamation of the Word are necessary for Christian growth in discipleship. Pastors have been called by God to anchor people in His truth (1 Timothy 4:1-6); build godliness into people's lives (1 Timothy 4:7-8); communicate the gospel (1 Timothy 4:9-10) and demonstrate healthy Christianity (1 Timothy 4:11-16). Every member of the congregation to one degree or another has a share in this vital ministry of getting the Word out to people. Though this post did focus mainly on preaching, we musn't exclude proclamation to the preaching task. God has gifted many people in His church to creatively communicate His truth in various ways and venues to supplement the primary work He does through the preaching of God's Word. In turning quickly to Ephesians 4:11-12, we find an inspired summary of why pastor ministry is among the three God-ordained methods for healthy Christian growth in Christians and the local church: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

New Hope in Jesus Christ - Ongoing Discipleship / Evangelism

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Luke 5:27-28 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. ²⁸ And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

Introduction:
The above picture takes me back to my Bible College days when we learned about the Christian life. The professor was with the Navigators - a discipleship ministry that stressed Bible verse memorization, spiritual disciplines and evangelism. Such instruction was life- changing. We considered yesterday what is entailed in our new found hope in Jesus Christ. We considered ramifications of this "new hope" as revealed in Romans 5:1-5. We explored how hungering to love God and people is essential to growing in this hope. Loving God includes and assumes knowing God. 

We could say that loving God means lovingly knowing God. As we lovingly know God, we will in turn want to lovingly know other people. We finally proposed a glimpse of what hungering for God looked like in the individual Christian life and the corporate church life. 

Today's post once again considers this theme of new hope in Jesus Christ. By considering this word "hope" as an acrostic for exploring this theme, we saw already the need to hunger to love God and people. Today we want to see the importance of ongoing discipleship and evangelism as the means for reinforcing our hope.

What is discipleship?
What is a suggested definition of discipleship? Discipleship, by definition, refers to the process by which a person by grace through faith believes on Christ as Savior and Lord while forsaking himself to become like the Master.  Such a process begins as a point of entry at conversion or the New Birth and continues on as a process in the post-conversion Christian life or what is also called sanctification. Jesus brings forth the nuts and bolts of what it means to be a disciple throughout the Gospel accounts.  

Discipleship begins with the Call of Christ
Luke records the conversion of one of the twelve original disciples - Levi (or more commonly known as Matthew).  Matthew (Levi) would 30 years after this event write the first Gospel in our New Testament - the Gospel of Matthew.  But before Matthew became "Saint Matthew", he was sinner Matthew.  He took advantage, extorted and did whatever it took to make that next dollar.  As a tax-collector for Rome, he not only made it his business to get the necessary taxes from his fellow Jews, he also charged "hidden" fees over and above the tax to line his own pockets.  Jews hated tax-collectors - and tax collectors loved money.  The last thing that Matthew was thinking of doing was turning His entire life over to Christ to follow Him. 

The Call of Discipleship identifies the claim of Christ on your life
Matthew was into his career, his life.  He was making money.  Then came that voice - that voice which cut through the air and into his heart.  Suddenly the clinking of coinage and the rustling of bills were over-powered by the voice of the One who was now laying claim on Matthew.  

This was a voice that was unlike any voice he had ever heard.  Two words: "Follow Me".  What follows is as shocking as it is unexpected.  Matthew, the man of means, the man of money, was touched by Divine Grace.  The same voice which created all life and through whom came the entire universe was now through human vocal cords penetrating the dark heart of Matthew.  

The Call of Discipleship makes following Christ a foregone conclusion 

Grace made following Jesus a foregone conclusion.  He left all, rose up and followed Him. This is how life with Jesus Christ begins: with a call issued forth from Him, through His word, into your heart.  To be a disciple means to forsake all that you used to define yourself in favor of following the One who is unlike yourself.  By faith, as you follow the One calling your name, you will grow in your desire to be so much like Him that you too we see that what Matthew did was the only thing that makes sense - Go and Follow the Master. 

Discipleship leads to multiplication
In the Great Commission passage of Matthew 28:18-20, we find the disciples being commanded to go into all the world and make other disciples. It has always puzzled me why churches separate discipleship and evangelism. The two are two sides of the same coin. One cannot complete the discipleship process without multiplying themselves, and yet whenever we consider that less than 10% of local church membership actively shares the Gospel may indicate lack of understanding about discipleship. 

Whenever churches desire to get their members involved in missions and evangelism, they will coerce, bring in a revivalist or tell them to simply do it. Undoubtedly, such measures are good, but no adequate. I truly wonder what would happen if local churches had a well-defined method of discipleship making? Books such as "The Simple Church" and "The Gospel According to Jesus" have emphasized how much we need to re-connect evangelism to discipleship and thus to the mission of the local church. In a recent book by Rice Broocks entitled: "Man, Myth, Messiah", Brooks closes out his apologetic book with two chapters devoted to tying together evangelism, apologetics and discipleship.  

It would seem that whenever Christians are actively involved in an ongoing process of discipleship/evangelism, new hope is rekindled in Jesus Christ. Certainly we could expand further on these thoughts. But for now, we will let these ideas simmer in our hearts, pray and then ask God to prompt us to action. May we kindle the flame of new hope in Jesus Christ by way of ongoing discipleship that leads to evangelism.

How silence before God is so refreshing

Isaiah 40:31 - 41:1 "Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. 41:1 Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment."

Introduction:

Silence. Stillness. The language of awe oftentimes entails no words, nor sound - only wonder. The world in which we live is too often noisy. When was the last time you pulled over to the side of the road on the way home from work to admire the sun sinking into the horizon? thanking the Sovereign God that regulates our course around it? The experience of watching snow fall and listening to each flake hit the ground in silence enhances enjoyment and appreciation of the snow. When we conjoin the experience of the snow with reflection upon God's Providential guidance of each flake, we come to appreciate God in a much deeper way.

This morning I did something for the first time in a long time - I sat silent before the Lord. I don't know about you, but I oftentimes fail to practice this simple discipline. Frequently I find myself and our Christian world too addicted to noise. In those moments of the Christian walk when we are unable to articulate how we feel, or when we don't know how we ought to pray - silence is far better than giving up. Whenever you read Isaiah 40 and 41, God's affirmations of "fear not" and "be strong" are best received in a mode of silence and surrender. 

Author Richard Foster quotes from an older writer - simply known as "Brother Lawrence" - concerning the place of silence in the Christian life:

"I do nothing else but abide in His Holy presence, and I do this by simple attentiveness and an habitual, loving turning of my eyes upon Him. This I should call....a wordless and secret conversation between the soul and God which no longer ends."

Think of silence before God as a form of fasting. When one fasts, they are quieting the soul. Physical appetites and the whine of the flesh are denied for the purpose of hearing the Holy Spirit speak to us through scripture and in our human spirit. In our prayer lives, talking to God with punctuated 1-2 minute intervals of silence positions us to wait upon His promptings. I don't know about you, but I find myself too hasty in bringing my requests before God to the detriment of silence. Silence prepares the heart to take a moment to be still and appreciate God. 

The cross and Jesus' accomplishments were interwoven with this thread of silence. We read in Acts 8:32 of a Deacon by the name of Phillip expounding upon Isaiah 53:7-8 wherein the prophecy is given of the Messiah being as a "a lamb that is silent before its shearer". When Jesus was brought before the Jewish officials in his pre-crucifixion trials - He remained silent (Matthew 26:63). As Jesus' closest followers stood before the cross - we see no words escaping their lips. Jesus Himself utters seven words from the cross - while His followers remain silent. The cross and all its victorious agony had deeply penetrated to the deepest core.  

The question before us as disciples of Jesus is how willing are we to take the time to be silent before our Lord? When we come before the Lord and contemplate the barren cross of the God-man, do we aim to enjoy our God? As Christ now sits upon His throne as our prophet, priest and King - we must ask anew: "Do I take the time to be silent and to recognize His Lordship and sway over my life?" As a final practical point - I would urge the reader to read through Isaiah 40-41 and mark down the verse that speak of silence before God. Then, take 1 minute or more to just sit and think upon what you read and say nothing. At first it may seem difficult to do - yet like enjoying a sunset or falling snow - God's tangible presence will be felt.