Details of Discipleship

Walking with Jesus in a life of discipleship is an all-encompassing journey that affects every area of life.  A commitment to follow Christ is not just a spiritual orientation; a true commitment to pursue Jesus will make a difference in how one lives in the nitty-gritty of life's realities, including in our relationships with other people. 

When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders, he often rebuked them for the way their behavior sought to exclude the sick, the poor, the sinners, and the oppressed.  The legalistic theology of the Pharisees was exclusivist and had no room for outcasts.  Yet, when Jesus spoke to his own disciples, he also reminded them of the danger of becoming Pharisaical because the temptation toward self-centeredness is a daily battle for lovers of Jesus as well.  In Luke 17, Jesus lays out some details of discipleship and reveals to us how the gospel is translated into daily living.  

Here are some of the discipleship details from the mouth of Jesus:

1) Followers of Christ are committed to lead others toward spiritual maturity.

Whereas the Pharisees were working against the proclamation of the gospel and, consequently, people were encountering "spiritual maturity roadblocks" in their teaching, Jesus says, "Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come" (Luke 17:1).  The judgment pronouncement ("woe") of Jesus is directed toward the attitude of the Pharisees.  They were trying to keep people from Jesus and were serving as stumbling blocks to the spiritual growth of others.  Their self-serving religion was so damning that Jesus shockingly states: "It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble." 

One important question for us to consider is: Do our words and behaviors guide others to Christ and facilitate spiritual maturity?  Or, are we steering people away from Jesus and offering stumbling blocks to others?

2) Followers of Christ are committed to reconciliation and forgiveness in relationships.

We have all been deeply hurt by others at some point in our lives.  If these wounds are left unhealed, they will become an underlying infection that will contaminate all our relationships.  When someone wrongs us, we are tempted to demonize or dehumanize the offender in order to feel some type of moral superiority over that person.  In essence, we are tempted to become Pharisees.   

In Luke 17:3, Jesus said, "If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.  Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them."  In the first century, the number seven symbolized fullness or completeness.  In other words, Jesus is saying that if someone sins against you to the greatest extent imaginable, you are still commanded to forgive.  The fact that Jesus attaches an obligatory statement to the topic of forgiveness indicates that there must be a power at work which can make the "impossible" (forgiving those who deeply hurt us) possible.  This leads us to #3....

3) Followers of Christ rely on God's grace to live by faith.     

Immediately following the command to forgive, the disciples cry out to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" (see Luke 17:5)   I believe they recognized the human impossibility to obey Christ's command and they were, in a sense, throwing themselves at the mercy of Jesus.  The response of Jesus is significant because he states, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."  Mulberry trees were known for their extensive root systems so this example is a powerful one that really communicates more about the power of God than the faith of men.  Small faith in a big God can accomplish more than we could ever ask or imagine!  Essentially, this is God's grace proving sufficient for us because His power is perfected in our weakness.  The only way we can truly live out the life of discipleship is through the empowering grace of Christ.  Remember, it's not about how great we are.  It's about how great He is! 

Religion, The Law, & The Gospel

As I interact with others in the community, I encounter a large number of people who have a checklist spirituality.  In other words, they are striving to be better people and exemplify goodness, at least to some degree, but they are seeking to do this through human effort alone.  Often times, Christianity is seen as a list of activities that, if we are honest, are really geared to present a religious image rather than lead to lasting life change.  Form (such as getting to church on Sundays) often takes precedence over substance (desiring to really know Christ and develop a dynamic relationship with him).  

During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke out against an externally based religion that valued works righteousness and self-justification.  In contrast to religion, the life of Jesus penetrates and transforms the heart, renews the mind, and manifests in Spirit-empowered living that results in fruitfulness.  The Pharisees turned God's inside-out transformation process into an outside-in approach that was rendered powerless due to the fact of placing trust in human effort instead of in God's grace.

The Apostle Paul clearly describes the difference between trusting ourselves vs. trusting God for salvation and life change when he wrote these words to Titus:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7)

One of the reasons the Pharisees focused on the externals was because they had forgotten one of the key functions of the law: to point out sin and drive people to the recognition that they cannot fulfill God's perfect standard in their own strength and will.  Once again, the Apostle Paul is helpful on this point:

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3:20)

What shall we say, then?  Is the law sinful?  Certainly not!  Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law...  (Romans 7:7)

Thus, one of the key purposes of the law is to point out our sinfulness and lead us to the cross of Christ where we can find grace, justification, forgiveness, and righteousness--all through the person and work of the Savior.  Instead of seeing the law as a standard to strive for apart from Christ, we are to see Christ as the one who fulfills the law and the prophets (see Matthew 5:17).  

Christ as fulfiller of the law leads us to the message of the gospel (Good News) because, in the words of Paul, "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  The righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (Romans 3:21-22).  The gospel message proclaims that the righteousness of God is given through faith in Christ--not through human effort.  The divine righteousness--and, consequently, fulfillment of God's perfect standard-- comes as a result of being united to Christ the law fulfiller.  This union is the result of faith, not works.  The life of obedience (works) flow from the union with Christ; the works don't come first, faith does.

The reason the gospel is good news is because Christ is righteous and he clothes us in his righteousness, a truth that is strikingly painted by Jesus when he describes a loving father clothing his prodigal son in the best robe anyone could find (see Luke 16:22).  This picture reminds me of an older song by Wes King called The Robe.  Here are the lyrics:

Anyone whose heart is cold and lonely 
Anyone who can't believe 
Anyone whose hands are worn and empty 
Come as you are 

Anyone whose feet are tired of walking 
And even lost their will to run 
There is a place of rest for your aching soul 
Come as you are 

Chorus: 

For the robe is of God 
That will clothe your nakedness 
And the robe is His grace 
It's all you need 
Come as you are 

Anyone who feels that they're unworthy 
Anyone whose just afraid 
Come sinner, come and receive His mercy 
Come as you are 


Will you let Christ clothe you in his grace and righteousness?






  

Stewardship

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, famously stated, "Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."  In other words, "Work hard, be a disciplined steward of God's resources, and live with extravagant generosity."  During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke often about money and wealth, presumably because so much of our time can be easily consumed with thinking about bills to be paid, jobs to be completed, debts to be paid off, and investments to be made.  Followers of Christ are called to be faithful stewards or managers of God's resources.

In developing a biblical theology of stewardship, we should strive for balance.  Proverbs 30:7-9 says:

Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die.  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

The wisdom of this proverb leads us to a place of contentment whereby we simply ask God to provide for the specific needs of the day.  Worries over future days has no place in the life of a disciple.  The proverb warns of the danger of extremes, either in the direction of wealth or poverty.  Those who have much are often tempted to place their trust in possessions rather than in the God who rightly owns all those material things.  Conversely, the poor are also in danger of coveting what the wealthy have and then stealing things, wrongly thinking that material objects will somehow bring lasting joy.  There is wisdom in balance.

However, to go a step further, there are those who think that poverty directly equates to a deeper level of spiritual maturity and to have few possessions means an increased level of God's favor.  On the other end of the spectrum is the prosperity gospel, a false gospel that connects God's favor and blessing with wealth.  Since we as humans usually gravitate toward extremes, what is a balanced view of stewardship?  

1) Biblical stewardship is intentional.  

Without an intentional plan, we will fail to be faithful as God's managers.  This is where strategic budgeting comes into play.  Those who don't know where their money is going from day to day, week to week, month to month, will most likely find themselves perpetually frustrated about their personal financial situation and, more often than not, discover that they are woefully in the bondage of debt.  The Bible teaches that we will be asked to give an account of the talents and treasures that have been entrusted to us and the rewards given to us will be dependent on how we have stewarded God's resources.  Good, wise stewards know how to intentionally budget and plan so they can gain, save, and give all they can.

2) Biblical stewardship requires a future orientation.

A worldly perspective on wealth focuses on the moment and encourages impulse purchases.  A biblical focus teaches stewardship with an eternal perspective.  Instead of continuously pouring money into items that will not withstand the test of time, Christ followers are called to store up treasures in heaven.  

In Luke 16, Jesus tells an interesting parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired for the mismanagement of his rich boss' estate.  In his last hours on the job, the manager has an idea that will give him some security in the future since he has burned the bridge with his boss and will not be able to use him as a reference in securing future employment.  First century Jewish culture contained a "reciprocation factor" in interpersonal relationships and people relied heavily on having favors returned.  The shrewd manager's idea was to lower the debt amounts on the rich man's debtors so that when he was thrown out on the street the debtors would return the favor by providing him a place to stay and make sure his needs were covered.  In response to this dishonest, crafty action, Jesus makes the following startling statement: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly." (Lk. 16:8)

The "shrewdness factor" was the forward-thinking aspect of the manager's plan.  He was wanting to maximize future rewards.  Jesus, in his use of this illustration, is not commending dishonesty or shadiness in the realm of business practice.  Rather, he is using the manager to illustrate the importance of investing primarily in the eternal future, not the temporal present.

3) Faithful stewards are wise in using God's resources to develop relationships and bless others.

Jesus, in the same parable of the shrewd manager, says, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" (Lk. 16:9).  When we spend money on the development of Christ-honoring, evangelistic relationships, we have the hope of someday seeing the eternal dividends on those investments.  Jesus says faithful stewards can look forward to the day when they will be welcomed into their eternal, heavenly dwellings by individuals who have been transformed by the gospel message--a message that went forth powerfully due to the faithful giving of wise stewards.  It is amazing to think about people we don't even know welcoming us into our eternal home because of money that was sent overseas to a missionary in another country.  When we invest in relationships and choose to bless others, God will take those gifts and multiply them beyond our wildest dreams.  Eternity will tell the full story!

4) Faithful stewards understand the temporary nature of wealth.

Regarding wealth, Jesus says, "...when it is gone..." (Lk. 16:9)  It's not a matter of if our possessions will fade away, it's a matter of when.  Do we live our daily lives with the temporary nature of material possessions at the forefront of our minds?  Do we make our financial decisions based on the truth that what we are about to purchase will not last forever?  

5) A faithful steward is blessed with an increasing level of responsibility. 

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy  with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?  

(Luke 16:10-12)