The Power of Discipleship
Prayer
My Story
When I was in college I wouldn't be caught dead sitting in the seats of a Christian Group like this!
I was drinking, smoking up, and hooking up with girls and foolishly spending money I didn't have.
I looked just like a typical UAlbany student!
The terrible thing about all that stuff is that it's fun
For a little while anyway.
After a while though sin has a sneaky way of catching up with you
Eventually the destructive nature of it does kill us in so many ways.
I was also turning into an Alcoholic, a drug addict, in terrible financial debt and ultimately felt terribly alone and depressed!
I actually attempted suicide at one point.
But if you asked me if I was a Christian, I would have said, “yes.”
Was I?
No.
I don't think so.
See, I prayed to ask Christ into my heart in High School at a great retreat weekend
BUT when I got home from that weekend, I didn't have anyone around me to really teach me what it meant to follow Christ and know His ways
I didn't have a mentor to guide and teach me and unfortunately I was too lazy and selfish to look into the matter for myself in Bible.
Being mentored/discipled is so important.
It builds the Church
It builds the Kingdom of God
Economists know what Christ knew...
For instance,
If you were given a choice to receive one million dollars in one month or a penny doubled every day for 30 days, which one would you choose?
Think about that for a moment.
NEXT SLIDE
Turn to Luke 5
Jesus has a plan that is different than many people's first instincts
He lays out that plan for us in the Gospels for how He says we should build the Kingdom of God
His plan is evident in what He says
It's also found in what He did
remember: what Jesus did is just as important as what He said!
He had integrity that we will never truly know.
Luke 5:1-11
we have to explain what it really meant to be a disciple
the Goal was to study under a Rabbi to be just like that Rabbi
this is deeper than just studying His ways and knowing them
You as a disciple would believe you could do and be what your Rabbi did and was!
The idea is that you would replace Him and carry on His yoke/Way of living and understanding the Scriptures
Especially vs 10 - JC calls one and then three to be his disciples
First one was Simon Peter
second and third were his partners James and John [Zebedee brothers – obviously they were Hockey players due to their name :) ]
Luke 6:12-16
Spends the night in prayer
choses 12 after much consideration
Checks in with the Father
“Dad, are you sure about Judas?” :)
Luke 9:1-6 sends them out
He gives them some experience
experience really is one of the best teaching tools and the greatest teachers understand that!
Then after some time away they return to Him and report what they've done
In the rest of Luke 9 Jesus continues to teach them
They witness Him perform miracles
and he instructs them with some of the harshest words any of us will ever hear
vs 23-26
In other words, following Jesus is going to rock your world!
- it's beautiful, but the hardest thing you will ever do!
Then in Luke 10:1, 3-12
sends out the 72!
-very specific instructions!
"2x2" they are NOT to go alone!!!
whole point is they need each other = community
The real interesting question here is, “Where did the 72 come from?”
What is 72 a multiple of? [answer 12 X 6 =72]
Maybe it's possible that each of the 12 was spreading the word and drawing 6 more people to Jesus!
They spend More time with Jesus...
talking with Him
Asking Him questions
learning from Him
watching Him
witnessing how He carried Himself and what He did
- how He interacted with people
Witnessed the power and nature of His miracles
Until finally in the ultimate act of Love and self-sacrifice for them [and all of us]
He took the place we rightfully deserved on the cross and died to take away the sin of the world
and He rose again defeating death, sin and satan
and the story goes on to tell us...
In Acts 1:15 Group of believers numbered about 120
[12 X 10 = 120]
Then in Acts 2 the believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit
Peter gives a beautiful and strong speech
at the end of that - about 3000 added that day to the believers
NEXT SLIDE
JC starts off with 1
then 3
then 12
then 72
then 120
then 3000
End of acts – spreads throughout asia minor all the way to Rome
People in the 100's of thousands!
Rhetorical: Can making disciples change the world?
Let's go back to our example of a penny doubled every day...
How much better would it be to have a penny doubled every day for 30 days?
Looks something like this:
NEXT SLIDE
The point here is this:
the Kingdom of God is not built overnight in one giant payoff [million dollars] which gets spent quickly and stops
It is something that begins slowly and small but slowly grows until it is exponential.
As Christ followers, We are to double ourselves!
But why?
NEXT SLIDE
Group Question: “Why do you think it is important to be a disciple?”
Point: this is where growth in a person truly happens.
Beautiful part is it happens for both the person growing and the person helping them grow!
everybody grows!
I can speak from personal experience!
Several years after college I came to my senses.
One of my friends from that original retreat weekend in HS invited me to his wedding
listened to me
showed me I could have Christ back in my life once again
I asked Christ to forgive me
this time I was discipled
Jon called me up every week and read the Bible with me
prayed with me
helped me to understand what it meant to follow after the master!
Eventually Jon was in my wedding!
I am still discipled today!
I meet regularly one-on-one with my pastor
Kim and I also have a couple that mentors us in our marriage!
This is a life long process.
It doesn't end.
And now I mentor people the way I was mentored!
Now I'm not just talking about growing in sheer numbers of people here!
I'm talking about truly doubling ourselves
Walking closely with Christ and
helping others to walk closely with Him too
this doesn't happen through holding events!
it isn't just listening to sermons
There is nothing wrong with that and those things serve a purpose, but
this is something that happens by walking alongside the master
sitting and learning
listening and doing what He says
doing what He did
Following the path He put us on!
It is a constant process through immersion out of one way of living, into another.
We as followers of Christ are to lead in such a way that the gospel will go forth,
visible righteousness be established,
the love of God made evident,
and the lordship of Christ proclaimed
Discipleship is the very foundation of the Church and any group within it!
This is where depth happens
Some groups are an inch deep in their following and a mile wide
Others are an inch wide but a mile deep
Neither one is entirely healthy...
We strive to be a mile deep and a mile wide
We want everyone to join the Kingdom
We want everyone to have an deep intimate connection and relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit!
That is what Christ laid out for us in the Great Commission
Matt 28:19
Campus Ambassadors is committed to train students to be leaders in all arenas of life.
Our campus desperately needs women and men who will influence others with the truth and relevance of Christ and the Bible.
The individuals we touch will in turn touch multitudes more as they graduate and settle into various communities.
I'd like to invite one of your fellow classmates up here to share with you her experience being mentored and the impact it can have.
Francesca...
Announce:
If you are interested in knowing more about this and growing in your relationship with Christ.
If you are interested in being mentored, please see Lisa and give her your info, and we can start [or continue] this journey together.