Student and Teacher

If you call yourself a Christian - that is a follower of Christ - this one verse gives you a lot to consider and contemplate. Here are a few...

• In your relationship with Christ, are you acting more like the student or the teacher?
• What have you - the student - learned from your teacher recently? 
• Are you - the student - fully honoring and respecting your teacher and His teachings? 
• Are you - the student - living out the teachings of your teacher? 
• Are there points when you feel like you are better - or know better - than your teacher? 
• Are there points when you live as though you are better - or know better - than your teacher?
• Have you been fully trained in the ways of your teacher? 
• If you are not yet fully trained, how are you seeking further training?
• If you are fully trained do you live, love, and serve like your teacher?
• What will you do next? 

To be a follower of Jesus'...

John 13:1-3 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

Understanding what “Jesus knew” is essential to understanding what Jesus did!

Jesus knew:

• The time of His Father had come (vs. 1)
• He would “leave” the world (vs. 1)
• He would return to His Father (vs. 1)
• His Father had put all things under His power (vs. 3)
• He came from God (vs. 3)
• He was returning to God (vs. 3)

John 13:4-5 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus' activity:

• He got up (vs. 4)
• He took off His outer clothes (vs. 4)
• He wrapped a towel around His waist (vs. 4)
• He washed their feet (vs. 5)

As followers of Jesus, we too must:

• Get up
  • Get up from our place of honor
  • Get up from our attitudes of pride
  • Get rid of our illusion that this is in any way about us
• Take off the bib
  • We've had enough to eat
  • We've been fed long enough – most of us
• Put on an apron
  • This is going to be dirty – perhaps humiliating
  • This is going to be time consuming
  • This is going to require something from you
• Wash feet
  • It's time to lend a hand and serve
  • It's time to use the gifts God has given you
  • It's time follow the example set by Jesus
  • It's time to be a true follower – a disciple – of Jesus'

To be a follower of Jesus you must become a servant.

Picture it, Jesus is down on His knees before His disciples;

• Creator of the universe wiping away the mud that He created
• Living Water poured out on the feet of the people
• King of Kings lowered to the floor
• The God of glory serving a sinful people

It is important to note that Jesus even washed the feet of Judas – who He knew would betray Him.

John 13:11 For he knew who was going to betray him

What does this tell us about our call to serve as followers of Jesus'?

To be a follower of Jesus you must become a servant.

Saying YES to Jesus means...

Some thoughts on being a follower of Jesus from Luke 9:25-30;

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:  

Many would consider this as the mark of success in ministry, large crowds - great multitudes - of people traveling with them, hanging on every word that they spoke. Yet Jesus did not consider this success. At the moments that large crowds are traveling with Him, Jesus stops and begins to tell them of the many demands He has of them if they intend to be followers of His. 

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 

The word hate is used figuratively by Jesus to better illustrate the priority of the relationship. As a follower of Jesus, there can be no rival relationships. 

Saying "YES" to Jesus means saying "NO" to other relationships!

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

The Roman cross had one purpose, it was a place to go and to die. As a follower of Jesus, a person must be willing to die to their selfish desires.

Saying "YES" to Jesus means saying "NO to yourself!

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 

Jesus pauses and tells two parables to bring up two distinct points about the same issue, being a follower of His. The first account of the unfinished tower tells the potential follower;

Consider the costs of your commitment to Jesus.

The second account of the king facing a potential war tells the potential follower; 

Consider the costs of opposing Jesus.  

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Being a follower of Jesus comes with great demands - on our time, on our resources, on our finances, on our families, and on us. As a follower of Jesus, a person must be willing to give up anything Jesus demands.

Saying "YES" to Jesus means saying "NO" to everything else!

Being a follower of Jesus requires total commitment.

So, here are a few questions to consider:

What relationships in your life come before Jesus?

What demands are too much for you to carry?

What costs are you not willing to pay?

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ

No one comes before You, Jesus.

Nothing comes before You, Jesus.

I am Your disciple.

You are my Master.

You are my Savior.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Questions from Jesus

A couple weeks ago we were in the middle of our sermon series "Evangelism Jesus' Way" with the focus on questions that Jesus asked in His evangelism efforts. what we found was that there were three questions posed by Jesus that really strike the heart, and these three simple questions sum up all His evangelism efforts.

Not only are these questions beneficial to us as we strive to fulfill the calling that Jesus left us with, that is to make disciples in His name, these questions must be asked to keep each of us on the straight path to becoming Christ's disciples.

For the first question we look to John chapter 1:

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

What do you want?

Jesus asks us, first and foremost; “What do you want?”

When we approach Him, He asks;

What are are your goals?

What are your aspirations?

What are your desires?

And if we respond that we desire Him, Jesus says “come, and you will see”.

Then, after we have seen, after we have witnessed His power and His glory,

He strikes us with another question.  

And for this question we look to Matthew chapter 22:

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Christ?

What do you think?

After we have seen Jesus,

after we have encountered His Spirit,

after we have experienced His love, peace, and joy,

Jesus asks; “What do you think?”

What do you think about Christ?

What do you think about Christ’s Truth?

What do you think about Christ’s will and my ways?

And, if you answer in the same way that Simon Peter did in Matthew 16,
“you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”,

Jesus will follow up in the same way He followed up with Peter, with a question.

For this final question we look to John chapter 21:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” "Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Do you love me?

This is the heart of Jesus’ questions,

this is the goal of His evangelism efforts;

a deep love for Him.

So, Jesus asks us, “do you love me?”

Do you love me more than these?

Do you love Jesus more than your family?

Do you love Jesus more than your hobbies?

Do you love Jesus more than your addictions?

Does your love for Jesus exceed everything else?

Jesus’ evangelism came down to three simple questions:

What do you want?
What do you think?
Do you love me?

And for us, it comes down to three simple questions:

Do you desire Jesus?

Do you believe Jesus?

Do you love Jesus?

Ask yourself, and others, these questions today!

Report on Growth Groups

In an effort to promote more options for Christian education and/or discipleship within our church, we introduced Growth Groups this past spring.

As this was a new idea within our church, we were aware that it would begin slow and that it would be a process of introducing people to the idea and to promoting with various individuals. Likewise, we wanted to fit the ultra-demanding schedules of our church family, and of their friends and families. It was for these reasons that we began with only three Growth Groups on three different nights of the week.

All three of these groups began with different leadership personalities as the facilitators, at different locations in and around our community and they all three began with the same discussion questions and discussion format. After only a few weeks it was apparent that the format needed to change and that several of the more mature individuals desired more of a Bible study format rather than a discussion. Likewise, it was apparent that many of the questions and discussion topics were unnecessary and that a beneficial discussion could blossom from four simple questions. These questions are an adaption of the four questions that John Wesley used to use when he first began his small groups prior to the Methodist movement. Likewise, these questions align with our church's ministry process.

1. How is your connection with Jesus this week?
2. What are you doing to foster your own spiritual growth?
3. What opportunities have you had to serve and witness this week and how did you act upon them?
4. What temptations have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Several weeks ago I was becoming a bit discouraged when the participation in the Growth Groups in our church of over 100 had stalled at 18. Of course, I tried not to take it personally but it was, all the same, discouraging. Then, in the midst of these feelings, we hosted our weekly group at our home and it was then that God revealed to me, exactly what we were accomplishing.

We only made it to one of the questions that evening but we had wonderful fellowship, excellent discussions, and several prayers together. My eyes were opened to see that it was not about the number of people that were participating every week, those things are minute and will turn around. No, rather, it was about the accountability, it was about the support, it was about the friendships, it was about living our lives, as Christians, together. You may struggle while I am soaring, I may struggle just as you are achieving a new level of spiritual high. And that is what it is about.

As I wrote about the conclusion of our spring Growth Groups in our church newsletter this month; "we met together to simply live life together. We grew in relationships as we met casually and we grew in our walk with Jesus as we talked about struggles, concerns, and joys. What a great Spring!"

We will be kicking off Growth Groups again this fall, if you are in the area, I invite you to join in.