What's the Big Idea?
In this series, we’ll speak to disciples of Jesus about being disciples of Jesus. We’ll ask the question, “What is a disciple?” More importantly, we will look in the mirror and ask ourselves: “Am I a disciple?” And “If I am a disciple, what does that mean for my life today?”
To answer these questions, we will join the crowds that follow Jesus. We will listen to what He says. We will see what He does. And we will learn from Jesus why we call ourselves disciples and what we are to do as disciples.
Specifically, we want to learn five biblical habits to help us live as disciples of Jesus. Our prayer is that the work of the Word will bear the fruit of those habits in the lives of all who hear so that by being disciples of Jesus we might also make more disciples for Jesus.
Definition: A follower who puts into practice what they’ve learned and teaches others to do the same.
Series Plan
April 24: What is a Disciple?
“What is a disciple? “Am I a disciple?” These are important questions for those who seek to follow Jesus. While the resurrection of Jesus on Easter changes our entire outlook on death and the life to come, we also need to ask ourselves, “What does it change for my life right now if I’m going to call myself a Christian or a disciple of Jesus?”
As we answer this question we’ll see that being a disciple is not and cannot be something that we simply do externally, as if Jesus and his teachings and ways are something we add to our current identity and try to live out. It’s much deeper than that. It is our internal identity. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ means your entire life and identity is based on Him. Only with this foundation can we begin to develop healthy habits of being a disciple. As Jesus wanted one rich young man to learn, it’s only by trusting wholeheartedly in Jesus that anyone can receive God’s free gift of salvation. A disciple of Jesus thus knows that having a childlike trust is worth more than having great riches.
May 1: Eyes Open For Opportunities
Disciples are those who are connected to Jesus Christ by faith even though we could never do anything to deserve this. Yet just like with his first disciples, Jesus sends us out to share this good news with others so that they might become his disciples too. The power to do this is not in ourselves. It is in the promises of God who is at work through us. So where and how are we to do this? It starts with developing the habit of “walking slowly” and having our eyes open for opportunities. Our problem is that, unlike Jesus, we don’t always have our eyes open t these opportunities. Maybe we’re constantly in a hurry, too busy to stop and really see people. Maybe we overlook some people because deep down we think that we are better than they are. Perhaps religious pride or sinful prejudice clouds our vision. Our eyes don’t always the potential harvest all around us of so many souls precious to our Savior.
Lord Jesus, help us learn from you that we might walk slowly through life learning to keep our eyes open to the opportunities all around us to touch people’s lives with the message of your amazing forgiveness, mercy, and grace which we too so desperately need!
May 8: Do Good
Life can be extremely difficult sometimes. That is true even for disciples of Jesus. Yet difficult circumstances in life often provide excellent opportunities to show the love of Christ by doing good to others. Jesus showed love and did good, so we reflect Christ by showing love and doing good even though our best efforts will always be imperfect. Yet even our imperfect efforts, when motivated by the love of Christ, can provide opportunities to tell people why we want to help—because we have a perfect Savior who lived and died for us all!
Where then can we look to find such opportunities to do good? Most often we won’t have to go far. Rather the daily activities of our vocations often provide us with many people to love. Every vocation is “God’s mask” to love other people. When we make doing good to others a habit, we’ll slow down to invest time in talking with a person, seeking to understand what is best for them in a given situation.
May 15: Talk To People
One way we see the love of Jesus is in how he interacted with people from all segments of society. He talked with them. He listened to them. He asked them questions. He taught them. Our human tendency is to be comfortable only with people from our social circles, those we would happily already call our friends. Perhaps this is why “talk to people” is something we need to, well, talk about in church!
Don’t worry though, this isn’t just for those who we might call “extroverts” – people who might have a natural gift for talking to people. We’ll explore how this is for “introverts” too – people who might have a natural gift for listening. So we’ll learn from each other and from our Savior how listening and talking are important skills for every disciple of Jesus.
Why? Because “faith comes from hearing the message” (Romans 10:17). And if our eyes are open to opportunities and we’re showing love to people by doing good, then we should be prepared. To do what? To talk to people! “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
May 22: Pray For One With Others
“Is there something I can pray about for you right now?” This is a powerful question to ask not just because almost everyone has something serious going on in their life. It’s powerful also because God promises to hear our prayers! A healthy spiritual life is kind of like breathing. We breathe in deeply and receive from God the “oxygen of faith” – the Gospel. Then we breathe out and talk to God who has promised to listen to us.
In the Bible, this regular practice or habit is called prayer. We breathe in by hearing from God through his word. Then we breathe out as we speak God’s word back to him. Receiving from God and talking to God. The two go together. It’s no wonder that the Bible describes prayer as such a vital part of a disciple’s life. We learn in fact how vital it is from Jesus’ own example and from the leadership of people like the apostle Paul. As we then live as disciples who also want to make disciples of others, we pray that God will work in them through the Word. By developing the daily habit of prayer, we will also discover the benefits and blessings of praying for and with others. Doing this will often open doors to share the Gospel message. In fact, often the first step in having a spiritual conversation is to ask a person if you can pray for them.
May 29: Listen To Jesus
Out of all the habits we’ve talked about, which is the most important? The truth is that while everything we’ve talked about in this series is important, there is only “one thing that is needed” according to Jesus himself. This is meant to be a great comfort to every disciple, including us. Why? Because the “one thing that is needed” is not our giving. It’s not our doing. It’s simply our receiving from our Savior.
What a comfort to know that “all that is needed” then is not something we must do, but something that is given to us! Jesus speaks to us through his word. The Holy Spirit is like the construction worker who goes to work in our hearts through that word.
From start to finish our discipleship, therefore, is God’s work as we grow in faith and knowledge of his word. This makes “listening to Jesus” the most important daily habit for a disciple to cultivate. It’s how our faith in Jesus will grow and flourish. As we daily rest in God’s grace while listening to his word, so also God will be at work preparing us for those situations in life where he will give us the opportunities to share what we have learned with others about who Jesus is and what he has done for us all.
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