Discipleship series Part 2
The theme for much of the teaching this year at Jubilee has been Discipleship. This post gathers together the second part of the teaching with links to the podcasts. Find the first roundup here.
1. Discipleship: The Person of Peace
Andrew tells his story about his journey to freedom. Click here for the Podcast.
Discipleship: The Person of Peace: Teaching
How to recognise a person of peace. Click here for the Podcast
According to Jesus there are three ways that we can recognise them:
1. They welcome you
A person of peace will literally open their hearts, arms and homes to you and invite you in otherwise if they don’t then move on from them – ‘shake the dust off your feet’ (Matt 10:14),
So – don’t irritate them with your presence, don’t Bible bash them and cause them to react, don’t harden them further to the gospel. Let them go because it’s not their time or it is not your time.
We need to learn to see what the Father is doing and then act. Sometimes we just need to move on and leave them in God’s hands – but there is no harm in reminding the Father regularly about a particular person that we care about!
2. They listen to you
A person of peace will listen to what you say because as Jesus says in Luke 10:16 He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me.
It is hard not to take it personally when we are rejected – especially if it is someone who is close to us but Jesus is very clear; when it comes to the gospel their rejection is not of you but of him. He feels it. It is his responsibility.
But when someone does start to listen to you, to follow your advice, or take some positive steps in the right direction then this is a strong indicator that they are not only a person of peace but that they are also a step closer to making a decision for Jesus.
3. They serve or support you
Jesus says as you go take nothing with you no bag, no extra clothes, no money, go empty handed and look out for those who want to help and serve you and you will find a person of peace.
We think it’s our job to serve them – surely Christians are the ones who are to do good works? But no, an unbeliever will sometimes look for ways to support or help you perhaps unconsciously as a way of spending more time with you or because they see something in you they want to honour.
2. Discipleship: What next?
Becky talked to us about the practical issues of identifying the person of peace and developing our relationship with them. Click here for the podcast.
As disciples we are to live a lifestyle of mission. And this is what we model to others. Jesus never described His mission plan as occasional outreach projects or evangelism programmes.
As our people of peace become disciples of Jesus, they will have had the journey of connecting, chatting and invitation modelled to them. That’s what we can pray is replicated and multiplied in their lives too, as they take up the baton of making disciples who make disciples.
3. Sharing the story
Paul Norris shared part of his story when teaching on Victory in Defeat
Kevin & Margaret bravely told their story
4. The Cost of Discipleship
Rob brought this part of the series to a close with this teaching. Click here for the podcast.
The call to discipleship is not cheap – there is a cost to following Jesus that we cannot ignore. The stories from Paul and from Kevin and Margaret are hard stories, brave stories. Stories of tears and confusion; courage and determination to continue following Jesus whatever the cost. It’s not easy. Not easy to hear or talk about. The unanswered questions that are involved in this subject make us uncomfortable. Pain and suffering does especially when bad things happen to good people.
We need to deal with any sense of entitlement. We need to deal with disappointment. All true disciples will face such things – Jesus guarantees it!
So we need to give thanks to God for the good that we do have and lay aside our sense of entitlement. Contrary to what we may feel putting this aside will lead to our freedom.
This seems like a good place to stop for now. There’s much to take in from the series to date. Coming up in the next discipleship post: learning lifestyle, obedience and fruitfulness.
