Discipleship

I’m teaching a seven (or quite possibly eight) week study on The Path to Discipleship, based on our Methodist tradition. Over the next few posts I’ll be sharing different thoughts from it.

Discipleship is about learning to walk with Christ. We stumble. We fall like toddlers learning to walk. But we pick ourselves up and go on. Like parents and grandparents surrounding the children who are quick to pick them up, we are surrounded by a church family who picks us up, holds our hands and keeps walking with us. We keep growing. We keep moving into a more God centered life. We keep becoming more like Jesus.

What is a disciple’s path?

Luke 10:25-28 ²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Discipleship begins with love! Love of God and love of each other. We will act on this love. And it will transform us into an image of Christ. When we are followers it’s not just head belief, we have to do something. Act out our love for God and for others. And it’s growing, we don’t stay the same.

The discipleship pathway is the way we grow as followers of Christ. Christ is not just subscribing to and claiming a set of beliefs, rituals or spiritual discipline. It is a way of life.

The grace of God loves us enough to meet us where we are, but loves us too much to leave us there.

Using Scripture to be Obedient

In the last post we said we have to know God's commands well enough so that they are the dominant influence in our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions:

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Memorize scripture and then apply those verses. For example when tempted to lie, remember Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
When tempted to steal – Ephesians 4:28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

There are hundreds of verses that speak to very specific sins or decisions.

For the unspecific decisions we have to make, he suggests asking 4 questions based on 3 verses in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Ask: Is it helpful; physically, spiritually and mentally? For example you can apply this to TV programs you watch. (We have the right to watch anything, but is it beneficial?)

Again from 1 Corinthians 6:12 – Does it bring me under its power. You can apply this to drinking, smoking, drugs, too much shopping (!) Sometimes it’s not the activity itself, but that we make it all important – our idol.

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Ask, does it hurt others?

1 Corinthians 10:31 ask, does it glorify God?

And if all of that is hard to remember, just ask, “What would Jesus do?”