students of jesus

Jesus is full of surprises: How can the ruler of the world become an example of obedience? How can the object of worship himself become an example of how to worship with heart, soul, mind and strength? How can the perfect Son of God call others to follow him, and then demonstrate the way to follow? It’s part of his genius, his glory, his nature. What’s more, he not only showed us how it’s done, he empowered us to do the same. Real discipling is about making a way for others to approach the Father. If we’re only talking about Jesus, most of us are comfortable with this paradox, but most amazingly--he calls us to do the same.

The gospel record demonstrates Jesus lived a life of obedience to the Father and called us into the same obedience. But Jesus did not leave us to struggle with obedience alone. Jesus, the Master Teacher, was also the Master Equipper:

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” (John 16: 12 - 15)

As his followers, we are called to make disciples as well, teaching others to obey everything he commanded. There are two great problems as we attempt to live up to this commission today: First, many of us see discipleship only in terms of following Jesus, and almost never in terms of leading others. Second, if we try to lead others, we run the risk of demanding of other people obedience to Jesus without actually equipping them to obey him. Both these challenges are critical to our personal development as students of Jesus. Our personal spiritual growth depends on coming to terms with these challenges, and the destiny of others depends on our response as well.

Leading others: How many of us receive the call to discipleship as a personal call from God to become a leader? We may come to him because we need a Savior, but if we choose to become a follower of Jesus we must also realize we are also choosing the responsibility to lead others. This is what it means to follow him: we act on his behalf in the lives of others. It’s more than “sharing our faith.” It’s taking responsibility for other people’s lives until they are mature followers of Jesus. He showed us--in very practical ways--exactly how it works.

Equipping others: Jesus gave his disciples the tools necessary to live a healthy life with God. He did more than demand; he did more than point the way; he empowered his followers. He pointed to issues of the heart (as in Matthew 5); he included his students as partners in ministry, giving them hands-on experience (as in Matthew 10); and, as the passage from John 16 indicates, he introduced them to the Holy Spirit, effectively opening the resources of heaven to each of his disciples. What about us? As disciple makers, do we interact with those God has given us in the same way? Do we teach about heart-matters? Do we release our students into ministry? Do we introduce them to the Holy Spirit?

First things first: we cannot equip others until we believe we are called to lead others. It will not do to claim, “I have no one to lead.” Jesus is our model: he came in obedience to the Father and simultaneously became a leader of others. We must do the same, and God has provided venues for our leadership: in our homes, among our friends, at work or school, or in our community. We were called to change the world by allowing God to change us and by becoming God’s agents of change where he leads us.

Who knew discipleship would require everything we have? I suspect the Master did.

I know, “Deep Church” makes you think of fishing off a charter boat in the Caribbean, but the Deep Church Blogsite, originating in the U.K., is a wonderful place to join the discussion concerning the church in the 21st century.  The good folks at Deep Church invited me to share my opinions--always dangerous!--so you’re invited to read my views on equipping people to do the work of the ministry. While you’re there why not check out some other articles?

I’ve been intrigued lately with those things that impressed Jesus. Some things captured his attention. I’m not smart enough to present a systematic theology of God’s heart, but I know that he has one. I’ve seen it in the scripture, and I've seen in in my life. Have you? He stops the course of time and history and bends low to the affairs of men.

This Monday let me present my simple list of what catches God’s attention. If you meditate on these few suggestions, I’ll bet you could add a few more:

• The Father loves humility. It turns his head. But I’m quoting myself. You can read my view of a humble heart in last week’s post.
• Jesus was impressed by faith. When he encountered genuine trust, he never failed to point out how rare it can be. He usually discovered faith in the socially unacceptable places of his day, like women and foreigners (Matthew 8:10 and 15: 28 are two examples).
• Jesus stopped for the bold: A blind man screaming on the sidelines evoked this question from the Lord, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18: 35 - 43) Can you imagine Jesus interrupting his schedule to ask you--personally--”What do you want me to do for you?”
• Jesus defended outrageous acts of worship: When Mary crashed a party to lavish attention on Jesus other people criticized her impropriety. But Jesus said “Leave her alone.” (John 12:7) Do I pour out my passion in a way that would bring Jesus to my defense?

Jesus loved these traits. He rewarded them. But there is one human trait that never seemed to impress the Lord: our intelligence. True, I want every part of my being to serve the King, but one thing is sure: God is never impressed by anyone’s intellect, but he is frequently impressed with people’s hearts.

 

Roger Michell’s 2002 movie, Changing Lanes, is about what it takes to change your life. Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is a young lawyer eager to make his mark while working for his fiance’s father. Doyle Gipson (Samuel Jackson) is an divorced alcoholic father desperate to retain visiting rights with his children. Both men need to change, neither of them realize the depth of their need until they share a small automobile accident on the F.D.R. in New York City.

John Eldredge once observed that Hollywood dreams the dreams but the world still needs people like Joseph and Daniel to interpret the meanings. This film is filled with spiritual meanings. The characters have no use for each other, but God has a destiny in mind for each of them, and for them both together. The movie is set in the world of litigation and disagreement, and each man demonizes the other largely because of selfishness and lack of love for their neighbor.

No one would characterize Changing Lanes as a religious film: it does not preach: it portrays. The characters curse and rail against what they consider injustice and bad luck, but in their distress God is offering them repentance and new life--will they take it? In my opinion you should watch the film to find out.

I’m wondering today if I became a dramatically better writer overnight. With last Thursday's post, When Famous Christians are Gay, traffic to Students of Jesus increased ten-fold, and comments tripled their usual rate.

Why did so many more people visit this particular blog post and recommend it to others? To be sure, there were some unusual elements: I’ve never written specifically about sexuality before; I’ve never focused on a celebrity before; and never addressed the politically charged topic of homosexuality before. These three elements combined to generate increased buzz and discussion--but why?

Sexuality: Does our sexual activity fall under the Lordship of Jesus? Is there a connection between sexuality and spirituality? In the 16-month life of this blog I’ve never written specifically about sex and the life of a disciple. My bad--it’s a significant part of how we express our devotion to Jesus: gay, straight, single, married, widowed, divorced. My failure to address the sexual part of our being effectively pushes sex into the closet, as if spiritual people do not concern themselves with sex. Big mistake. I’m determined to address this area soon.

Celebrity: Say what you want, Jennifer Knapp still knows how to promote an album. The twin interviews with Christianity Today and The Advocate certainly put her back into the public eye after a seven-year absence. And readers apparently care. What is it about celebrity that draws our attention? As followers of Jesus, why would we respond more strongly to her story than someone unknown? True, her celebrity stems from recording “sacred” music targeted at a Christian market, but what does this reveal about our values as consumers of Christian culture?

Discipleship: Jesus invites everyone: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28) He loves us just the way we are--but does he let us remain just the way we are? What activities are compatible with becoming a follower of Jesus? When--and how--does he change us? Do we want him to change us, or is Christianity simply another lifestyle choice we add as an accessory to our lives? His anger burned against religious hypocrisy. He called self-righteous people “snakes” and “blind guides.” Clearly, he urged them to repent. Yet when Jesus befriended tax collectors and prostitutes did he endorse their lifestyle? Although we have no record of it, can we imagine that the woman at the well in John 4 remained in her living arrangements? Is a life-long embrace of sin compatible with the life of a disciple? The yoke Jesus offers produces peace and rest--but it is still a yoke.

These three topics have saturated my thoughts in the last four days. I invite you to think them through and dialogue with me in the days to come.