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Discipleship – Do as Jesus Did
Read John 14:12 and your notes from Sunday morning’s sermon.
Intro:
Over the past few weeks, we’ve covered the first two goals of discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus which are to be with Him and become like Him. The final goal is to do as He did. We continue to relate this process to the relationship between an apprentice and a master. Within any skill or trade, the final goal of the apprentice is to carry on the work of his master. That’s the entire reason apprentices become apprentices, right? It’s not just to know a lot about the trade or know a lot about their master. It’s also not just to pass the licensing test. it is to actually become what they set out to be. An electrical apprentice wants to actually become an electrician at the end of their training, in the same way that a medical intern wants to become a doctor, or a culinary student wants to become a chef.
When Jesus told us to go and make disciples, (read also as apprentices,) he was telling us to follow Him in this same way. We must move from belief in Jesus to knowledge of him, then to practicing His ways while being empowered by the spirit just as He was.
This sounds like a tall order but luckily many have studied and gone before us to help us break down what exactly Jesus did so that we can grasp it a little easier. John Mark Comer in his book “Practicing the Way” categorizes Jesus’ ministry into three main rhythms or habits which we will briefly cover:
- Making space for the gospel
This is practicing hospitality in a world where the gospel and Christianity aren’t viewed in the greatest light. Jesus was constantly connecting with people and solving problems over meals – including meals with those who were not his friends. It’s getting to know people who disagree with us and loving them anyway. It’s making the space for people to get to know Jesus as they get to know us.
2. Preaching the gospel
This is simply sharing Jesus with others. There is much more we can unpack here about the best ways to share the gospel with others, and I highly recommend picking up John Mark Comer’s book “Practicing the Way,” to unearth those further, but for now I’ll simply share the definition of the gospel as shared by Dallas Willard in one of his books: “The Gospel is the message that new life in Jesus Christ can take over our lives so that God’s goodness and peace reign over us and illuminates us, increasingly so into eternity.”
3. Demonstrating the gospel
We know that Jesus “walked the walk,” as they say. He didn’t just tell people to do the right thing, he went out and did it. He healed, he loved, he delivered, he prophesied and he made things right. Then before He died he said: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
Questions:
- Jesus told us to go and make disciples (also known as apprentices.) Does that change your view of what He is asking us to do and to become?
- Looking back on the three rhythms of Jesus’ ministry and life, which of them seems like the hardest and why? Are you already living within any of these rhythms?
- In what ways could you easily incorporate some of the rhythms of Jesus into your life now?
Feel free to discuss or ask additional questions as they arise
Spiritual Practice:
This week as you continue to practice solitude, reflect on what we have studied and learned throughout this discipleship series. Take a moment to sit with God and ask Him to help you open yourself up to a way of life that can increasingly look more like the life that Jesus lived.
Closing Verse: John 15:19-20 – “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, 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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”
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