We Are Disciples

Jan 8-14, 2023

Sarah Henry & "Joey" Alan Le, Ph.D.

Introduction

Scripture Reading

Christian Discipleship

A State of Being

Being Aware and Attentive

Being with Jesus

Works Cited

We Are Disciples - 20230105.pdf

Introduction

ICEBREAKER: 1) What personalities or show hosts do you follow on TV or social media? 2) Name some of the most influential people in your life.

At the simplest level, a disciple is someone who follows another person or another way of life and who submits to the discipline or teaching of that leader or way (Helm 629).

Christian discipleship is not so much a matter of following abstract moral principles or gaining God’s favor through obedience. Instead, it is about one’s loving service based on gratitude for Christ’s salvation (Helm 630).

Scripture Reading

Pick a Scripture passage below and explore the meaning of being Jesus’ disciple.

Matthew 28:18-20

28:18 ALL AUTHORITY…HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME. Since there is no greater power than Christ, his disciples must not give their absolute allegiance to any other power (Coleman 1592).

28:19 GO THEREFORE. The sense of this phrase is less about a disciple leaving for another country to be a missionary. Instead, it conveys: “having gone/as you go, make disciples.” Wherever you are, whatever you are doing…make more disciples. As you follow Jesus in your everyday walk, bring more companions. Part of being Jesus’ disciple is to reproduce more disciples. Where do you see the greatest potential for disciple-making in your context? Where is it hardest to reproduce more disciples?

28:19 MAKE DISCIPLES. Jesus could only teach his disciples little by little. He needed to remove their misconceptions, and they could not fully appreciate what he said and did until after his death and resurrection (Helm 629). How easy or hard was it for you to be at the place where you are with Christ?

28:20 OBSERVE EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED. Can you sum up what Jesus commanded?

Luke 14:33

14:26 HATE. Have your relationships with others hindered your dedication to the Kingdom of God?

14:33 GIVE UP EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. What have you given up for Jesus? How costly has it been?

Luke 9:23

9:23 DENY THEMSELVES. Self-denial is commonly confused with “the denial of things to the self.” In fact, it means the denial of the self itself. It means renouncing the self that resists or rebels against God (see Eph 4:22-24) (Peace 406). It is to refuse to be guided by one’s own interests and to surrender control of one’s own destiny (France 340). In which ways are you still holding on to your own interests? What is most scary about surrendering your future to God?

9:23 TAKE UP HIS CROSS. The burden in this world is different for each person, so each disciple bears certain struggles on the road to the Cross. What has been your particular burden in following Christ?

9:23 DAILY. Committing to following Christ is a daily, continual practice of faith and obedience, not just a one-time event. When was the last time your discipleship with Christ influenced your decision-making? How did following Christ influence that choice?

John 13:34-35

13:34 AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Many religions and philosophies teach people to love one another. What makes this commandment NEW is the measure required of our love: we must love as Christ has loved us, laying down his life not only for his friends, but even for his enemies (Sparks 1453). Can you give some examples of when the Twelve saw Jesus love his enemies? Identify some people you find hard to love. What acts can you do to demonstrate your love and God’s love to them?

Christian Discipleship

A State of Being

Jn 1:37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and see.”
They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.

Discipleship is a state of being. It is not just about the decisions we make or the things we believe, but about how we live. Discipleship has to do with this staying with Jesus (Williams 1).

The disciples of an ancient Jewish rabbi or a Greek philosopher would hang on to their teacher’s every word, follow in his steps, sleep outside their door to not miss any pearls of wisdom, and watch how they conduct themselves at the table and on the street (Williams 2). How does that sound to you?

Being Aware and Attentive

Christian disciples grow in an awareness of God’s presence. They expect God to show up. The Master is about to reveal something hidden (Williams 4). How aware and attentive are you of God’s presence?

Being with Jesus

Discipleship assumes that we are willing to travel to where the Master is, to follow where the Master goes. As a matter of fact, where the Master goes is frequently not where we would have thought of going, or would have wanted to go (Williams 9). Your relationship with Jesus will determine where you go, whom you encounter, and what you do (Williams 10).

Being where Jesus is means being in the company of the people whose company Jesus seeks and keeps. Jesus chooses the company of the excluded, the disreputable, the wretched, the self-hating, the poor, the diseased; so that is where you are going to find yourself (Williams 11). Which person or group of people do you feel Jesus wants you to befriend?

Works Cited

Coleman, Lyman. Life Connections Study Bible. Holman Bibles, 2019.

France, Richard T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. William B. Eerdmans, 2009. The New International Greek Testament Commentary.

Helm, Paul. "Disciple." Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, edited by Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Book House, 1988.

Peace, Richard V. "Discipleship." Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, edited by Glen G. Scorgie et al., Zondervan, 2011.

Sparks, Jack Norman. The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s World. edited by St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, Thomas Nelson, 2008.

Williams, Rowan. Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life. SPCK, 2016.

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