Preparation for Discipleship . . . OR . . . Learning by Seeing and Doing

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery
February 16, 2008
Larry R Evans
Quiz for Reflection

1. Jesus called both disciples and apostles to carry out His mission. [Mk 3:13,14] True or False?

2. For salt to do its work it must be able to be distinguished from the food to which it is added. [Mt 5:13] True or False?

3. Leaders of disciples must lead by showing and not just by telling. [Lk 4:19; See EGW in Acts of the Apostles, pp 32, 45; Eph. 4:7-13] True or False?

4. According to Christ’s instruction to His disciples regarding the wise and foolish builders, all future disciples should take classes in weather forecasting. [Mt 7:24-27] True or False?

5. It is possible for the blessings that come with service to obscure the needs of the ones serving. [Lk 10:20] True or False?

Introductory Reflection

The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 begins this way: Matt 5:1-2

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, (NIV)

When a Jewish rabbi “sat down” to speak it was an indication he was about to teach and so is the case with Jesus as He shared the principles of discipleship. Looking at the vast crowd following Him with their many spiritual needs, Jesus sought to prepare His disciples to meet the mission which lay ahead.

Israel of old wanted to be blessed of God but now this small group of disciples was called “blessed.” The disciples are called “blessed” because they obeyed the invitation to follow Jesus. The ensuing qualities trailing this obedient response are outlined in the presence of the pressing crowd. The selected disciples are proxies of all who would follow Him and it was important for the crowd to hear mission challenge being presented to the disciples. The preparation of these disciples is crucial for the mission ahead. Each beatitude would progressively lead away from the cultural priorities of their time . . . and ours. Paradoxically, the beatitudes while drawing them away from the ties of this world, created a bond with those still entrapped in the prevailing world view. It was not enough for Jesus to tell His disciples what to do and what to say. He sought to demonstrate what an incarnational ministry looked and felt like – even to the point of absolute surrender for those for whom He came to save. Such preparation is the subject of our study for today.

Reflective Review of Today’s Study

1. Jesus called both disciples and apostles to carry out His mission. [Mk 3:13,14] False

Mark 3:13-16
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve-designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. (NIV)

Disciples are called and apostles are sent. In both cases the initiative is Christ’s. The preparation for being sent is called discipleship. Whether disciple or apostle, the necessary strength is supplied by Him.

2. For salt to do its work it must be able to be distinguished from the food to which it is added. [Mt 5:13] False

Matt 5:13
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. (NIV)

The work of salt is not to draw attention to itself but to the food. Its purpose is to penetrate the food in such a way as to bring out the flavor When it loses its ability to bring the best out of the food it has lost its purpose. Note the following:

“Humanity, united to the divine nature, must touch humanity. The church of Christ, every individual disciple of the Master, is heaven's appointed channel for the revelation of God to men. Angels of glory wait to communicate through you heaven's light and power to souls that are ready to perish. Shall the human agent fail of accomplishing his appointed work? Oh, then to that degree is the world robbed of the promised influence of the Holy Spirit.” (EGW in Thoughts from the Mount of the Mount of Blessing, p. 40)

“By their good works, Christ's followers are to bring glory, not to themselves, but to Him through whose grace and power they have wrought. It is through the Holy Spirit that every good work is accomplished, and the Spirit is given to glorify, not the receiver, but the Giver. When the light of Christ is shining in the soul, the lips will be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. Your prayers, your performance of duty, your benevolence, your self-denial, will not be the theme of your thought or conversation. Jesus will be magnified, self will be hidden, and Christ will appear as all in all.” {Ibid 80-81}

3. Leaders of disciples must lead by showing and not just by telling. [Lk 4:19; See EGW in Acts of the Apostles, pp 32, 45; Eph. 4:7-13] True

Matt 6:5-7
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (NIV)

Luke 11:1-2
11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: (NIV)

For three years the disciples were “interns” with the master of all teachers. They lived with him, traveled with him. They saw the praise that came from the healed and the rejection from those whose self-centeredness was exposed. They heard Jesus pray and were so impressed that they asked to be taught how to pray. Jesus motivated by example and His example helped them endure rejection, imprisonment and execution. Jesus taught principles and then showed how His world view interacted with the reality of this world to bring about change. Jesus modeled discipleship by exposing His own with His Father. The tears of compassion for the sinner were not held back but neither was His frustration with the hypocrisy of professed spiritual leaders. Jesus taught that it was important to mingle with others with a heart filled with sympathy and compassion. He showed how confidence can be gained by ministering first to one’s needs and then inviting them to follow Him. Note the following description and in doing so remember that He did so in the presence of those whom he was discipling:

“Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, "Follow Me."--Ministry of Healing, p. 143.

“Under the training of Christ the disciples had been led to feel their need of the Spirit. Under the Spirit's teaching they received the final qualification, and went forth to their lifework. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were they a collection of independent units or discordant, conflicting elements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of "one accord," "of one heart and of one soul." Acts 2:46; 4:32. Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of His kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their Master, and men "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13. {AA 45.2}

Motivational speeches by today’s leaders cannot replace the need of their disciples to spend time with them. It is as much catching the vision as being taught the vision. The example of Jesus proved the effectiveness of such an approach.

4. According to Christ’s instruction to His disciples regarding the wise and foolish builders, all future disciples should take classes in weather forecasting. [Mt 7:24-27] False

Matt 7:24-27
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (NIV)

Discipleship carries with it responsibility and accountability. A discipleship that does not put into practice what it learns along life’s way will eventually fail. It will not be able to weather the storms that will certainly come. The words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer are helpful:

“Between the disciples and the better righteousness demanded of them stands the Person of Christ, who came to fulfill the law of the old covenant. This is the fundamental presupposition of the whole Sermon on the Mount. Jesus manifests his perfect union with the will of God as revealed in the Old Testament law and prophets. He has in fact nothing to add to the commandments of God except this, that he keeps them. . . . It was the error of Israel to put the law in God’s place, to make the law their God and their God a law. The disciples were confronted with the opposite danger of denying the law its divinity altogether and divorcing God from his law. Both errors lead to the same result. . . . In both cases, the gift was confounded with the Giver: God was denied equally, whether it was with the help of the law, or with the promise of salvation. . . . There is no fulfillment of the law apart from communion with God, and no communion with God apart from fulfillment of the law. To forget the first condition was the mistake of the Jews, and to forget the second the temptation of the disciples.” (Bonehoffer, The Cost of Discipleship, pp. 137, 138—Revised Edition, 1974)

5. It is possible for the blessings that come with service to obscure the needs of the ones serving. [Lk 10:20] True

Luke 10:18-20
19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (NIV)

There is an inherent danger with service. Servants can forget they are servants when their efforts bring forth success. They can view themselves or allow others to view them as the source of wisdom and goodness. Preparation during the discipleship reinforces the true Source of effectiveness and assures continued guidance and wisdom during apostleship.

Reflective Review in Summary

Jesus is the master teacher. He sees the strengths and weaknesses in each would-be disciple. The discipleship period is never-ending and overlaps with that of apostleship in which lessons learned become lessons shared. Jesus taught as a mentor meaning that He shared His life as well as His knowledge and He did so by tailoring His approach to meet the needs of each disciple. When His disciples said that with Christ all things are possible they knew firsthand what that meant. They sensed the miracle behind their own calling and, therefore, never doubted the miracles made possible by the Spirit of God to change lives. They were more than agents of change. When the disciples became apostles they became ambassadors of hope because of the continuation of the gifts from Christ. Such is the purpose of our own discipleship. Such is the impetus behind us being “sent.”