From the Pastor |
In the church, we talk a lot about being disciples. Christ calls us to be his disciples, but what does that mean?
A basic definition of a disciple is a student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher; someone who adheres to the teachings of another. So obviously we are called as the church to be students of Jesus. To meet together as we have today… to hear what Christ can teach us as we study God’s word, worship and pray… In doing this we are Disciples of Christ… right? We are Christians… believers that Jesus is the Son of God who gave up his life to save ours. However, there is a difference between a believer and a disciple. A Believer is someone who, well… believes in Jesus. A Disciple is someone who not only believes, but who learns and studies and is fully committed to following the ways of Jesus. A Disciple is what Jesus calls us to become. William Barclay wrote: “It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple; to be a camp follower without being a soldier of the king; to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one’s weight… It is one of the supreme handicaps of the Church that in the Church there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples. (Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes, pp. 162) When Jesus walked this earth – He expected every person that followed Him to take it seriously. He made it clear that his goal was not to attract a big crowd just to fill pews in a church… Jesus said: “...‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” [Matthew 16:24] “‘And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.’” [Luke 14:27] These were not just platitudes or sayings. The Bible has many examples of when Jesus challenged others to make the serious commitment… some did… others did not. Today we are asked to do the same. Many Christians today fail in this. As Barclay indicated… the church has many believers, but few true disciples. Many Christians act more like an audience looking to be entertained, not an active group that functions as the heart of ministry. It’s funny… everyone seems to want a revolution… we all want great changes to be made in our world… in our community… in our churches… but no one wants to do the dishes… to roll up their sleeves and do the hard jobs! In our reading from John, we hear the familiar story of Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter says, “Well, yes. You know I do!” To which Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, and “Feed my sheep.” Over and over Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” He did not ask whether or not Peter believed in him… he did not ask for a great confession of faith or for Peter to recite a “believer’s prayer”. He simply asked Peter, "Do. You. Love. Me?" You see, Jesus does not let Peter off the hook by letting Peter simply say, “Yes, I love you” three times. Instead, Jesus is saying is, “Peter, you’ve made up for the three times you denied me, but we all know words are cheap. I don’t want to hear you say it, I want to see you do it.” “Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep”! Jesus is saying, “Don’t tell me what you believe. Don’t just say you love me…Show me… Show me what care you have given to ‘the least of these’; show me what you have done to take care of those who are marginalized; show me how you have welcomed all who are in need; show me how others have been fed by your actions. THEN, and only then, will I know that you love me.” Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, “Ask the poor. They will tell you who the Christians are.” Jesus is asking you... “Do you love me?” Love for Jesus is central to a Christian life; without it, nothing else matters. If we love Jesus we will follow him... Move on from simply believing to truly following and adhering to Christ’s teachings… living them out in word and deed. This is the authentic mark of his followers: love. Behind all Christ’s teaching are the two great commandments: to love God and to love others. If we love God, we will demonstrate our love by loving others. Jesus is telling us: “If you love me, don’t just say it--live it! Be my Disciple!” Following Jesus is not easy… in fact being his disciple is very hard... demanding… even dangerous. When we look at the Gospels and throughout history, we see that His disciples often left their jobs, families, homes, and security to follow Him. Many, like Peter, suffered and died for him. The name “Christian,” meaning “belonging to Christ,” and biblically speaking, a Christian is a disciple of Christ. A true Christian (not one in name only) is a disciple of Christ. So, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? It means, first of all, that we want to learn from Him, as we study God’s Word, and listen to others teach from it. The Psalmist said, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). But being a disciple also means we need to put God’s Word into action by seeking to live the way Christ has taught us to live… imitating him. Being a disciple isn’t about going to church one day a week. Discipleship “is not about the bulletins, a balanced budget” or building repairs. “We have to… get out of our pews and do what Jesus said” Feed and tend the flock! “We’ve got to roll up our sleeves, go to the people and share the good news” of Jesus Christ through BOTH our words and actions. [Thomas Bickerton, NYAC 2017] We are called… not to be believers, but to be disciples. Jesus calls us to love God with every fiber of our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves; to be witnesses for Christ not as a belief, but as a way of life. As the hymn "The Summons" says: “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known, will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?” Let us all strive to answer: “Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name. Let me turn and follow you and never be the same. In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show. Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.”
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Yeon Shin
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