Devotion.al

Tag: disciple

  • Thankfulness as Discipleship

    Thankfulness as Discipleship

    2 Timothy 1:1–9

    is often for that which benefits us. We are thankful for homes, jobs, food, family, . is thankful for Timothy.

    Paul’s simple gratefulness for Timothy’s enduring faith is plain to see. Paul does view Timothy as a , but not as the biological son of a , but more of the ultimate disciple. Timothy, it seems, represents the ultimate expression and thus inheritor of Paul and Paul’s .

    In modern terms, we might use the term mentor or coach. Except on rare occasions, however, neither mentor nor coach adequately explains Paul’s feelings for Timothy.

    It is unusual for us to be thankful for those like Timothy in our lives. Some teachers are truly grateful for a few of their students (often outweighed by the others). By and large, though, people who “bring up” others are often only grateful or thankful if those who were “brought up” bring them credit, , or glory.

    However, often what we don’t realize is how much we learn about ourselves and our knowledge when we “bring up” others. For many years, apprenticeship was the way a person learned. The “master” would be challenged by the apprentice as the apprentice would seek to exceed the master.

    In a , the “elder” will often learn as much as the “young”. If the “elder” is not learning and changing, too, then discipleship has become a system and not the Way of Life. This is how one becomes grateful for those “bought up”, for one learns that with them, one would not have grown as well.

    ※Reflection※

    Do you have a person that “walked” alongside you as an “elder”? Do you have someone you are walking alongside?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us be grateful for those you have brought to us, and make us mindful of the you have for us. Amen.

  • See and Be Seen

    See and Be Seen

    Genesis 16:7–14; John 1:47–51

    Have you ever been to a big event? Maybe a concert? Maybe a sports game? And then you spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours with thousands of your closest friends.

    Most of those people really aren’t your friends. Unless you are ticket holder buddies, you are unlikely to see them again.

    The reality is that a church service, even when small, can often feel the same way. You gather with other like-minded (at least somewhat religiously) individuals. You , stand, sing, pray, sit, listen, leave.

    You may not feel that way. You may feel like your church is your . If so, that’s great! It is also as it should be.

    However, there are those that don’t feel that way. They can feel separated, ignored, unknown. They can feel unseen.

    Hagar was cast out. She and her son were no longer welcome in the place she called home. She and Ishmael were now in -threatening danger. In that day and , being alone in the wilderness does not bode well for a woman and a boy.

    There are a lot of people inside and out of the “the body of Christ” that are in a place of being alone. Human survival is far more than food, shelter, and clothing. We need to be known. We need to be seen. We need to be heard.

    Hagar’s story is stronger than the simple story of Nathanael. Yet, Nathanael’s heart was open to Jesus because Jesus saw him. Yes, Jesus saw him from far away. Jesus, though, identified Nathanael’s , as well. There is more than just sight. There is knowledge of the person.

    Developing those relations is important for human thriving. It is also important for the spiritual growth of the individual and the body of Christ.

    We all have spiritual growth of some sort. However, what sort matters greatly. If your growth is alone, then you can be sharp, but you can also be blunt. Without to stand beside you, and sometimes in front of you, your growth may be that of a monster not of a believer.

    Only in fellowship are we kept on the narrow path. Only in faithful fellowship can we really be seen by others. Only in faithful fellowship can do more than just survive.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who are you actively walking with to disciple and be discipled by? If no one, who could you see being discipling partners with?

    2) Why do you think so many people do not have healthy discipling ?

    3) What will you do to champion healthy discipling in your church?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for your example of walking for years with people as broken as me. Help me see that I still need just like others. Help me be your to others and help me accept your light from others. Amen.

  • Cross Section

    Cross Section

    Psalm 78; Zechariah 8:1–6; Acts 2:14–21

    Ever had an itch. One of those itches you just can quite reach. Maybe you’ve used a pen (or pencil). Maybe you’ve used one of those bamboo scratchers shaped like a hand. Or perhaps you’ve used a wall corner. Or, if push comes to shove, you for help.

    In many respects, (or the church service) has been a back-scratcher for years. There have been shifts over the years as how the service is done (from “liturgical” to “modern”, for example) to the musical instruments (no instruments, to organs, to brass and wind, to piano, to guitars, to electric guitars, to full ) to the style of music (chant, hymns, country, contemporary, hip-hop, rap).

    Music is one of the biggest backscratchers, as people will determine which church they will attend depending on the music genre (and then the instrumentation, too). Preaching styles, too, also affect church attendance (3-point sermons, topical, expository).

    For the last few decades, though, the bigger one may well be programs, especially programs for youth and children. This isn’t a bad thing, to be clear. It does, however, have some problems. They are the same problems as service styles, music styles, instrumentation, preaching…they scratch an itch.

    It was much easier when there was only one style. Then there would be only one . There is also the reality that the lack or presence of any of the above (and this is not an exhaustive list) may be a “barrier” for a new person (whether unbeliever, new believer, or seasoned believer).

    It is the whys of it all that matter. There was a quip (a stereotype that is sadly mostly true in the US) that the hour of church on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week. The context of this quip is . However, it applies to so much more.

    In many churches, maybe even yours, you can look around during the church service and see the segregation of age. Sometimes the children leave at the beginning or in the middle if they’re there at all. Sometimes the youth leave. Sometimes they all . Each church can do it completely differently.

    The result, however, is contrary to what the New Testament seems to display…unified across age and people groups.

    Some are beginning to question if we have lost our biggest opportunity to one another by separating to scratch our itch.

    This is not an attack on the way your church “does” church, though it might seem to be. The question we need to be asking ourselves is…how does [youth group, music choice, etc.] affect successful ? How does it inhibit discipleship? How do we scratch our itches and still maintain our fidelity to “telling the next generation” the “great things that God has done”?

  • Discipl…

    Discipl…

    Psalm 94; Proverbs 13:18; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 13:1–4

    Discipleship is a buzzword these days. In circles, digital and physical, there are regular (and worthwhile) conversations about discipleship. There are fancy names such as “discipleship pathway” or “growth tracks” or any number of others. All of them are one of many ways to think about and to the daily work of becoming more like Jesus.

    Sunday School was quite the thing at many points in church history. John Wesley, the “grandfather” of the Church of the Nazarene denomination, was a great proponent of it. Some would claim that John Wesley’s desire to and educate the poor led to the opportunity (with failures and success) of public schools to educate all the children, not just the rich and powerful ones.

    As the cultural seasons have changed, however, the weakness of the knowledge imparted has become apparent. In following the Enlightenment’s path, knowledge of facts began to override relationship with Jesus. This led to intellectual assent of the Savior with hearts that were cold.

    The Holiness tradition has long held that the true path of the Christian life is to become more like Christ. Yes, that is a high standard. One doesn’t do much if one aims low. The focus on discipleship would seem to fix the missing pieces. Except…

    comes from the same root as disciple. This is not coincidental. To be a disciple requires discipline. We often think Jesus’ 12 Disciples weren’t that disciplined (impetuous Peter and corrupt Judas Iscariot often come to mind). They walk with Jesus for as long as 3 years. That simple is one of discipline.

    Often, we “soften” discipline by saying “spiritual disciplines”, being prayer, reading scripture, , fasting, fellowship, giving, and other depending on whose list you read. The spiritual disciplines are good and helpful to build up your Christian walk. They should not be ignored or dismissed. However, there is one aspect of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ that we, especially we individualistic Americans, don’t like…the other discipline.

    This is a hard topic in many churches. Pastors don’t really want to talk about it. Most people don’t want to hear about it. Individualistic tendencies have created a monster that the people of the church will have to fight. Of course, they/we are the monster we have to fight.

    Church discipline, that of correcting a member, is not something ever done lightly or without love and discernment. We have all heard horror stories of church discipline gone wrong, emotionally harming and spiritually devastating people. None of us want that.

    The true depth of discipline is among fellow believers who hold one another accountable, not to shame or them, but to be the tools by which a person is transformed into the likeness of Christ.

    ※Questions※

    1) What disciplines are you following to become more like Jesus?

    2) Who is involved in your sharpening and discipline? Whose walk are you involved in to sharpen and be a tool of discipline?

    3) Why do you think discipline and disciplines (i.e., “spiritual”) have been separated from being a disciple?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, let your guide us and to be followers and do-ers of your will. Amen.

  • Disciple, Baptize, Teach

    Disciple, Baptize, Teach

    Matthew 28:16–20; 1 Corinthians 1:14–25

    One of the measurements of a ‘s growth is the annual number of baptisms. If we were to review the church’s (and, by this, generally all American churches), the percentage is not particularly great. It certainly does not meet the so-called New Testament numbers.

    A lot has changed over the years. In certain traditions, infants are brought to be baptized into the life of the church. While the Church of the Nazarene generally dedicates infants, functionally it often ends up being the same.

    Is a good measurement? Yes…and no. Baptism does not a make. It would be nice if it were that easy.

    There is probably a reason why the order is disciple, baptize, teach. The two primary modern pathways are baptize/teach and teach/baptize. seems to not be part of the primary paths.

    Yes, the disciple is used a lot. The actually as a disciple seems to be lacking. But, you say, we have a discipleship class or book or…really, something that teaches.

    The evidence of a lack of discipleship is all around us. Look at our culture. Look at our news. Look at our sports.

    ‘s words somewhat feed into that. He states that he was not sent to baptize, but to preach. Now we often immediately equate preach to teach (not just because it rhymes). Paul seems to that.

    Especially in the apologetic intellectual Christianity of today, preaching is often used as teaching. Paul calls his preaching foolishness. Paul’s foolishness wouldn’t seem to be the same as today’s preaching.

    It might even mean that the wise, the teacher of the law, the debater of the might very well be the church and its practices. This is not to tear down the church, but to examine it. This is meant to examine us.

    , you commanded your disciples to make disciples. Help us to do our part. Amen.

    1) What is discipleship? What does a disciple look like?

    2) What is the difference between being a disciple and being taught?

    3) Do you think Jesus meant the three (disciple, baptize, teach) in a particular order or to actually separate them? Or do you think Jesus had something else in mind? If so, what?

  • I Hate You

    I Hate You

    Luke 14:25–35; 1 John 3:14–18

    So, who do YOU hate? Your mom, dad, husband, wife, significant other, , daughter, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle…Really, who do you hate?

    Trump, Clinton, Bin Laden, and many have been (or are) hated. It could be because of politics. It could be because they murdered people. It might be something that you think they may have done.

    This passage in Luke is a hard passage for many. Except in cases of abuse or other mistreatment, hating one’s family is out of the question. A that has long considered itself (especially in the West) a “family-centered” religion will struggle that which it says it is based upon. “Family values”, a decades-old purportedly Christian value, are questionable if we are to hate our family.

    Then John, a disciple of writes that we are to love our brothers and sisters, and that anyone who hates their brother or system is a murderer (even if said brother or sister still lives), and because of that they don’t have . Confused, yet?

    So, how does this work, exactly? Well, we’re back to the age-old problem of English versus Greek. Just like there are more words for love in Greek than in English, there’s the same problem with hate. Hate isn’t quite hate, sort of.

    When talks about hate, it refers more to loyalty that like, dislike, love, or hate. Jesus sought to shock people into an understanding that they may have to choose where their loyalty lay. Was their loyalty with family, or was their loyalty with Jesus?

    Hate may seem overly dramatic, however, in the cultural context, hate was the understanding. Only a hateful child, parent, spouse, and so forth would choose Jesus over family. In that time, the time shortly thereafter, and it appears now, family loyalty is against Jesus.

    Which brings us to John’s words. His hate is more along the lines of what we think of when we hear the word hate. The kind of hate that blindly rages and cares more about hurting another than blessing the . This is the context of John’s hate.

    We are called to pray for the blessings of our adversaries. Even more so are we to seek the benefit of our brothers and sisters in Christ. John’s primary concern is not the family ties of blood and culture that Jesus brought to light. John’s concern was what we at Generations call framily (friends who are like family).

    This framily is found within the body of Christ. Because of its place within the body of Christ, it should not have divided loyalties. Of course, when it comes to human frailty, we all know that isn’t the case.

    As we work through our hopes and fears of COVID and elections, we will often be tempted to hate our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must strive against that, for a house divided against itself will not stand, and then what would we say to Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, you prayed to the Father that we would be one. Help us to be in you, while we yet still remain individuals with different thoughts and experiences. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Is there someone in the body of Christ with whom you are angry? Pray for them. Ask for the of the Spirit to fall upon and fill both them and you.

    2) How can you work to be one with your brothers and sisters in Christ while you have differing opinions?

    3) How does the concept of Jesus before family still cause you and others trials?

  • Self of Nothing

    Self of Nothing

    Judges 4:1–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–22; Psalm 18:20–29

    Many have often condemned Barak as a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt (so to speak). What if there is something else at play?

    If you read the Book of Joshua and 1 & 2 Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was part of the army’s formation. It went out into battle with the people. It was a symbol for the people of Israel that God was with them.

    However, in the time of the Book of Judges, a lot was lost (and so very quickly, too). Perhaps, as a matter of morale and tactics, Barak wanted Deborah there as the symbol. Barak could have been doubtful of his military success, so wanted backup (God).

    Regardless, it is Barak’s lack of a to Deborah’s “penalty” that is our focus. Basically, Deborah told Barak that he would not get the of dealing with Sisera (the enemy ) and that it would be given to a woman (a dig in a patriarchal society).

    Whether it was acceptance or tolerance, Barak’s lack of response shows a greater concern for the success of the battle, rather than the resulting glory. Some it cowardice. Some call it degrading. Some call it humility.

    Humility does not just take one form. Whether you believe the Barak was weak, scared, or lacking , how many people hide those exact things behind a façade of bravado? Not hiding it, is often a of humility.

    Sometimes humility is what you are willing to do and be in public. David’s dancing in public to display in front of the people must have been something to watch. Was it because of how he was dressed? Was it because he didn’t act refined?

    His goal wasn’t the eyes of humanity, it was the eyes and of God. Yet, his first wife either tried to shame him or was ashamed of him.

    David would not accept that. He understood that whatever her issues were, they were nothing in comparison to bringing glory to God.

    It is interesting to realize that David didn’t say, “that wasn’t embarrassing!” He said that his personal honor and pride are not important when compared to the glory of God.

    Two different men, with two different forms of humility. These are not the only forms of humility. It can play out in many ways in our lives. One person’s humility may seem like nothing to another. This is why true humility is between a person and God.

    Humility is something we should all seek. As the person we call Lord and Savior was humble enough to touch the outcast, broken, dirty, and then die for all, humility is a characteristic of a disciple of Jesus.

    ※Prayer※

    Holy , guide our hearts and souls to greater depths of humility, even while knowing that the humility of Jesus is deeper still. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who is the humblest person you know? What makes them humble?

    2) the ways Barak and David were humble. What are other means of humility?

    3) Why is humility so important to growing the Kingdom of God?

  • For and/or In and/or Of

    For and/or In and/or Of

    Matthew 13:44–52

    Translating the Scriptures is hard work. Whether it be the 1611 King James Bible, The Amplified, the New International Version, the Standard Bible, the nuances of multiple languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) along with cultural overlays, makes it incredibly difficult.

    Then you have the literal translations, the “thought” translations, the “concept” translations, and some that try do it all. What the intent is (i.e., transparent, understandable, etc.) also deeply affects the translation. On top of that, there is the motivation behind the translation that also gets into it.

    It’s not that anyone is being disingenuous or deceptive, or even that the translation is necessarily false. Often times translations are similar to the 4 Gospels. 4 different writers with similarities, and also differences. Translations often work the same way.

    This seems to be a long introduction, but, as you will see, it can make a difference.

    In the NRSV, Matthew 13:52 reads, “And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’”

    In the CEB, Matthew 13:52 reads, “Then he said to them, ‘Therefore, every legal expert who has been trained as a for the is like the head of a household who brings old and new things out of their treasure chest.’”

    In the NIV, Matthew 13:52 reads, “He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’”

    At first glance, and even second, or third, these sound pretty similar. There is a key phrase that needs some focus, for it is different in each translation, and may result in completely different understandings.

    “…every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven…” (NRSV)

    “…every legal expert who has been trained as a disciple for the kingdom of heaven…” (CEB)

    “…every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven…” (NIV)

    Can you see the difference? While it is a nuance, however, it seems to cover the history of the in the 20th and the 21st Centuries (so far). The translations above are not in chronological order, for the record.

    [NRSV] For generations, people were trained for the Kingdom. They had lots of . Sunday School really developed into in-depth readings of the Bible (this is a good thing). Lots of head knowledge is great. What is done with it, or not done with it, is something else entirely.

    [CEB] The church, as a whole, did begin to realize something was wrong, for we had lost the concept of discipleship. The church began to recover the concept of discipleship but had not quite let loose the reins of knowledge.

    [NIV] Especially in these times of COVID, there are many conversations of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, without the boundaries (some say limitations) of the building that was so central to church . The concept of only pouring knowledge into people doesn’t work. They need to be on the for the Kingdom. They need to be disciples.

    Lastly, the Amplified Bible combines all 3 of the thoughts above into 1 massive verse, “He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher and interpreter of the Sacred Writings who has been instructed about and trained for the kingdom of heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and [treasure that is] old [the fresh as well as the familiar].’”

    Before anyone thinks that these are all in conflict, that really isn’t the case. The nuances of Greek are deep. It is definitely an understanding of what the Greek means. This verse, like many, are open to multiple equally valid interpretations. Besides, we have plenty of our own translation issues even when it comes to English-to-English.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, your 12 disciples asked you to teach them to prayer. We ask that you teach us to be your disciples. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What is your preferred translation? Why?

    2) In what ways do you see the differences above as concerning or interesting?

    3) How does having different voices (translations) helps us to understand God better?

    For an overview, here is the Church of the Nazarene’s stance on the Scriptures:

    We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our , so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.

    Despite the in-joke of the NIV being the Nazarene Institutionalized Version, the denomination does not hold a particular translation as a standard. Being an international denomination, doing so would diminish our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not use an English translation.