Discipleship series Part 1
The theme for much of the teaching this year at Jubilee has been Discipleship. This post gathers together the first part of the teaching with links to the podcasts.
1. What is Discipleship?
Click here for the Podcast
Discipleship is learning to live like Jesus – to grow in our relationship with him, to become like him and to do what he does. Discipleship takes place within three dimensions (3-D):
• The up – to be connected to God
• The in – growing to be like him
• The out – doing what he does
Rob encouraged us to go on an adventure with Jesus and consciously seek to join him in mission. It all starts with making disciples who then begin to make disciples, which is the mission of God for the world. He is already at work wherever we go. Jesus said we have just got to lift up our eyes and see the fields white to harvest.
Do you ever wonder what you were called to do with your life? Here it is. We are all called to make disciples and to grow ourselves so that we all have lives that others around us to imitate.
2. Discipleship starts and ends with friendship
Click here for the Podcast
Discipleship is incredibly relational. It’s about living in the same space. Being in one another’s homes. Eating together. Working together. Building friendship and trust before there is ever any chance of a formal decision to follow Jesus.
Discipleship starts with an openness for friendship and then see where it goes. This can happen in either a secular or non-secular setting. And it can take many years.
Discipleship starts and ends with friendship and these friendships that can happen anywhere.
Friends come in all different shapes and sizes so we need to learn to speak their language and meet them where they are.
3. Discipleship involves Invitation and Challenge
Click here for the Podcast
Invitation
“Come follow me” – is come closer, be with me, be around me. Watch who I am, learn what I do. There are no conditions placed on the invitation. Just come as you are.
This is about being affirmed and included, being made to feel welcome, and valued – not for what you can do but for who you are. Invitation is about knowing and feeling you belong, that others love you and want you there, and ultimately that you are valued and claimed by God as his own.
In all that Jesus did with the disciples he was able to provide an appropriate mix of invitation and challenge.
Challenge
“I will make you fishers of men” – at this point Jesus had no reason to believe that any of these men would be up to the task he had called them to. Jesus sees something in them. He believes in who they are and he calls them into the destiny that he has for them.
Challenge is about confrontation, but not condemnation. Rather it is calling gold out of the dirt. It’s not – you shouldn’t do that but rather you don’t need to do that! It is calling out the true identity of an individual now that they are in Christ.
This is part 1 of a 3 part series on Discipleship.
