THE WAY OF DISCIPLESHIP

By William R. Cunningham
Sermon for Sunday September 21, 2003

INTRODUCTION

A former pastor of mine once told us that there are three areas that ministers are attacked and of which some fall. These areas are as follows.

1. Pride of Life
2. Lust of the flesh
3. Lust of riches and power

Though this is quite evident with ministers when we consider the news and how ministers fall to temptation, we should realize that it is not exclusive to ministers. As a matter of face, all humans are susceptible to various forms of the aforementioned temptations. Ministers are somewhat public figures so their sin and fall are much more evident. The truth of the matter is that all people sin and are vulnerable to fall by the pride of life, lust of the flesh, and lust of other things such as riches, power, and wealth. In general, all Disciples of Christ are threatened by the attacks of the enemy and we should all therefore be on guard to his schemes. The Bible says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).

A close examination of Matthew 4:1-11 will show that these were the very areas that Jesus was tempted in. Satan tempted him to satisfy the flesh, throw him down from the pinnacle of the temple, and to worship the devil in exchange for worldly possessions. These types of temptations are manifested to us in many ways. There are temptations that lure us into seeking riches, glory, and power instead of the Lord God. We are tempted to satisfy the flesh through sensual and sexual enticements. We are also lured into seeking power and prestige and to think we have done so much of our own strength. We are always in danger of falling away because of temptation.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should be careful not to fall prey to such devices of the devil. We have to be constantly on guard for those things that would cause us to stumble or sin. It is not always necessary that we actually commit a sin. Sometimes, we are put in a position where it looks like we have sinned or we could have been "setup" by someone wanting to destroy our credibility. In either case, we need to be on guard for such things.

I believe that it is important that we understand some guidelines for discipleship. There is a particular way that disciples should live and conduct themselves. Knowing and understanding these guidelines would help us to live more as Christ would want us to live and to protect us from those things that would cause us to be ineffective as disciples of Jesus Christ. There are certain things that we should be aware of to help us stay on track in our ministry of discipleship. This lesson will examine some of those very things from Luke 9:46-62. We are going to examine the teachings of Jesus Christ pertaining to the conduct of the disciple and how we should conduct ourselves as ministers in the Kingdom of God.

POWER AND PRESTIGE

See Luke 9:46-48

Luke 9:48 (NKJV) and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."

The disciples were arguing among themselves as to who would have the higher status in God's Kingdom. See also Luke 22:24-30, Mark 9:33-37, Matthew 18:1-5. It is evident here that the disciples really did not understand that God's Kingdom is not the same kingdom that they were hoping for. They expected a more political type kingdom where Jesus would lead a revolt against the Romans and deliver the Jews as Moses did from Egypt. Therefore, the disciples were vying for position in this new kingdom. A similar situation occurred with James and John. Consider the following scripture.

Mark 10:35-37 (NKJV) Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."

Again we see here a misconception of God's Kingdom by James and John.

In any case, those who are so called great in God's Kingdom are the greatest servants. One should not seek prestige or status in the Kingdom of God. The important thing is that we are messengers of God and whoever receives us receives the Lord. Therefore, our status is not only a moot point; it is totally irrelevant in regards to true ministry and discipleship.

The idea of status is derived from the world system. Consider that God did not intend for His people operating in His kingdom to have the same structure as the world has. Consider the following scripture.

1 Samuel 8:1-5 (NKJV) Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

Read 1 Samuel 8:1-9

There are a number of things that I believe are important in this scripture.

1. Samuels's sons were not walking with the Lord.
2. The people were frustrated with the unjust and unrighteous rule of Samuel's sons
3. In their frustration, the people requested a king like the neighboring nations
4. According to verse seven, the people rejected God when they rejected Samuel (Samuel was displeased with the people's request).
5. It appears that God wanted to be their king

The point here is that the people desired to be ruled or governed in a way that was consistent with the world instead of seeking God for justice and rule. They rejected God when they turned to their neighbors for the model of government instead of towards God.

Application Today

This very thing applies to the church community today. For example, you might have heard it said that a church should be run like a business. Now I do realize that there is a level of accountability that is necessary when you collect people's money and other resources. I am aware that there is a level of order that is required when people come together. Paul taught the churches much about proper conduct in the worship gatherings. However, apart from this and pertaining to ministry itself, church is to be far from the protocol or methodologies of a business. Businesses are concerned about making money. Businesses are obsessed with position and power. The church should not be concerned about such things. We should be concerned about the effective ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus told his disciples that they should not be concerned with the worldly model of organization and therefore power and prestige. We should be concerned about effectively spreading the truth about the Kingdom of God. We are all servants. Consider the following scripture.

Galatians 2:6 (NKJV) But from those who seemed to be something-whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man-for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.

We all have a task to complete in the body of Christ, the true church of God. We are not to seek position and power. If one would examine the history of the church, one would see an abundance of power struggles. It becomes very evident that the hand of God was at work in the progression of the Christian faith through time because if not, then the Christian faith would have been assimilated by other religions and philosophies or it would have been permeated by other religions.

We are not to seek power and prestige. We are to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are to do all that we can do to fulfill our purpose on this earth. We are to minister the word of God in the way that God has made us to do. We are servants being that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Don't seek to be great!

SECTARIANISM

Luke 9:49-50. See also Mark 9:38-41.

Here the disciples discovered someone that was casting out demons in the name of Jesus but who was not following Jesus with them. That is, this man was not physically following Jesus as the twelve disciples were. It appears that the disciples thought that they had exclusive privileges in regards to doing the work of the ministry. Jesus taught them otherwise. He rebuked them for their sectarianism (confined to the exclusive dogma of a particular sect).

Application Today

Here we can see that no disciple has exclusive privileges to anything pertaining to the Kingdom of God. We should not believe that we have the exclusive ministry in a particular area or a particular locale. We are all members of the Body of Christ and we should simply do what God called us to do.

There are many church organizations that are actually in competition with each other. One church becomes angry with another because of member swapping. One pastor is upset because people leave his or her church to attend someone else's church organization. Of course these same pastors forget that we are still part of the same Body of Christ if indeed all are saved. We should not feel that we own anyone or that our way is the only way and all else are hostile enemies. We should just do what God called us to do.

I remember growing up and realizing how one church ridiculed another because a person wasn't baptized a certain way or certain words weren't said during the ceremony. Church leaders condemn all others who do not follow the program of their particular sect, which we call denominations. The truth of the matter is that none of us have rights to claim anything as our own. The standard for the Christian faith is the Bible and we should all strive to understand it more instead of accusing each other based on our own feeble dogma.

Remember that as a disciple of Christ that your primary responsibility is obedience to God in the ministry that he has given you to operate in. It is not for you to be concerned about exclusive rights to a particular locale or ministry. It is not for you to be concerned about who attends your church and who doesn't. Just do what God called you to do. If you can effect the change of one person's life then you could have affected the course of the world (consider the person that effected change in Billy Graham's life).

RESPONSE TO REJECTION

Luke 9:51-56 records the instance where the Samaritans rejected Jesus because they knew that he was on his way to Jerusalem. It should be pointed out here that in general the Jews hated the Samaritans and vice versa. The Samaritans were Jews that had intermarried with gentiles in that region after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. They eventually developed their own form and place of worship besides that in Jerusalem.

Sometimes pilgrims would go through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem, which sometimes lead to hostile encounters and even violence. In any case, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and seemed to request accommodations while in Samaria. Pious religious leaders (the Pharisees for example) would have been offended at Jesus mingling with the Samaritans. For all practical purposes we can say that the Jews and the Samaritans were enemies to each other.

Now the Samaritans rejected Jesus. James and John became angry with that and asked Jesus if they should command fire to come down out of heaven to destroy them as Elijah did long ago (See 2 Kings 1:9-15). It is rather interesting that the disciples thought that they had that much power. Jesus rebuked them at this point. This train of thought was inconsistent with Jesus' ministry and teachings of love even for one's enemies. Consider Luke 10:5-12 for a similar revelation on ministerial rejection.

The disciples were to operate according to the same spirit of love that Jesus had and demonstrated, even in his teachings. They were not to destroy but to love. Sure they rejected Jesus but that was no reason to destroy them. The disciples indeed had a lot to learn about the spirit that the ministry was operating under. They were not operating under a world system where you retaliate for such things. They were operating under a system where you love those who accept or reject you.

Application for us Today

There will be times when you are certain that you are doing the will of God and the right thing. However, even in those times you will find that people will reject you for whatever reason. You might even get rejected by those closest to you, even in your own church. People will falsely accuse you of things and they will simply reject what you have to say in order to cling to what they have already accepted and hold dear. Those are not times when you should seek retribution. You are still a disciple of Christ and therefore must live the same spirit of discipleship that Jesus taught us to live by.

There may be opportunities for you to get even with someone that wronged you or offended you. There might be an opportunity to make your point to those that rejected you. However, we are not to seek to do harm to them or hope that harm comes their way. We are to love them and do good to them. Remember that God will take care of us, which means that we don't have to seek justice or retaliation for when we are rejected or the like. We are to walk according to the Spirit of God. Imagine if God were to seek retribution every time we sinned against him. There would be no one left on earth!

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

Luke 9:57-58 records the incidence where a person requested to follow Jesus (See also Matthew 8:18-22). Perhaps this person knew of Jesus' exploits and was excited about following Him or being with him. He told Jesus that he would follow him wherever he goes. Jesus told the man that He didn't even have the comforts of a place to call home. Even animals have a place they could call home. Here discipleship was not dependent on comfort. However, we should realize that this doesn't mean that Jesus sat outside like a beggar. There were many that would care for him while he traveled to and fro. The point was that Jesus' job was a tedious one and we need to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ (a minister in the Kingdom of God). Have you considered what implementing a particular ministry in your life would mean to you? Would you have to give something up?

See also Luke 14:25-33 in regards to the cost of discipleship.

Luke 9:59-60 reveals the priority that we should give to serving God. What God commands should take precedence over all else. Our ministry (those things particular to God's command) should take precedence over everything including family. This doesn't mean that we neglect our family since God gave commandments where we should honor our mother and father. However, we should not allow our dedication to family supersede our commitment to God in ministry.

Now we should take note here of a couple of things regarding the would-be disciple's request to bury his father.

1. There is no indication that the father was already dead
2. There was a specific ritual performed by the oldest son when the father died.

We need to be aware of something here else we get the wrong impression of what Jesus was saying. The Jews buried their dead shortly after the person died. Usually a person was buried in an existing cave or sepulchre. Another method was to lay stretcher that the dead person was carried in on the ground and surrounding it with boulders about eighteen inches in diameter. The body was then covered with earth as the boulders formed a boundary for the grave. This particular type of burial was not common because the ground in this area of the world was very hard.

The bodies were placed in an area called a niche until it decomposed. After the body had decomposed in a cave or sepulchre (about a year later), the bones were removed and placed in jars called ossuaries. These jars were then stored in a corner, which made room for another body in the niches.

Therefore, if this man's father was dead already then he would have already been buried. However, a year after the father's death, the son would go and rebury the bones in a box in a slot in the tomb wall. Therefore, this man could have been asking Jesus for up to a year delay before becoming his disciple. He could just as well have been asking Jesus to allow him to follow him after his father died since there is no definite indication that the father was already dead. In any case, the man was not requesting to go and merely attend a funeral for his father. In such a situation, he probably would have already been going to the funeral.

Also note that Jesus told this man to go and preach the Gospel. Perhaps he wanted the man to preach the Gospel even to those who Jesus called dead. In any case, we can safely say that the priority of this man was to be ministry first.

Luke 9:61-62

Here a man requested to follow Jesus but asked if he could go and bid farewell to those at his house. It is not certain that Jesus was rebuking this person or not. However, it is most likely that he at the very least was admonishing him. Recall how some of the original twelve responded to Jesus' call to discipleship. Consider the following scripture.

Matthew 4:21-22 (NKJV) Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Notice how James and John just got up and left their father to follow Jesus. It is quite evident that they must have known who Jesus was else why would they have followed him in the first place. In any case, they considered discipleship so important that they left their fishing activities (business) to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. However, this doesn't mean that going to say final farewells to his family was a bad thing. Consider 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elisha had gone back to his family to say his final farewell and then he went and followed Elijah.

Another possible way of looking at Jesus' statements to this last would-be disciple is that of instruction or perhaps warning. Jesus could have been telling this man that he would have to sever his ties with his past in order to follow him.

LESSONS LEARNED

We have learned some valuable lessons about discipleship in this study. The following is a summary of what was presented in this lesson.

1. Disciples of Jesus Christ are not to seek prestige, position, or power. We are to be servants as God would use us
2. Disciples of Jesus Christ are not to be sectarian in ministry
3. The disciple of Jesus Christ should realize that we would be rejected from time to time. We should not become angry and desire retribution in such instances. Instead we should continue to perpetuate the love of Christ and pray that those who reject us would one day come to Christ indeed.
4. There is a cost to discipleship.
1. A very high priority in the disciples life is ministry
2. Certain luxuries, comforts, or current lifestyle may have to be forfeited in order to do what God has called you to do in your ministry of discipleship.
3. A disciple has to leave the old things behind in order to move forward in ministry.