Section #7

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?

Therefore, go and
make disciples of
all the nations...
~ Matthew 28:19

This class is about "spiritual formation." In Section #3 I defined "spiritual" is the deepest dimension of life and "formation" as the process by which something is formed or developed. When we talk about spiritual formation we are talking about the process by which we are changed into the people that God wants us to be.

I should tell you, though, that not everyone uses the term "spiritual formation" in the same way. Some writers use this term to talk about a kind of spiritual self discovery that looks like Paganism(1) or Animism(2). Still others use the term spiritual formation in a way which encourages people to adopt Eastern religions(3). There are writers who seem to think of spiritual formation as a Gnostic experience.(4) Sometimes spiritual formation teachers will attempt to fuse all of these perspectives together.

However, when we talk about spiritual formation we are talking about a process which is specifically Christian. Perhaps we should say that this class is about "Christian spiritual formation." We believe that because God revealed himself and his salvation through his son Jesus, we need to focus on allowing Jesus to form us spiritually. Specifically, we believe that we can only become spiritually formed if we are followers of Jesus and are actually following him.

The word in the New Testament for "follower" is "disciple." A disciple is someone who is in training to become like his or her master or teacher. That is why they follow the teacher around so they can learn from him and become like him.

In the gospels Jesus calls people to come "follow him" and often talks about what it means to follow him.

For example:

• As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.
  
  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. ~ Matthew 4:18-22 (TNIV)
  

• As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. ~ Matthew 9:9 (NLT)
  

• Then Jesus said to his disciples,“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ~ Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
  

• Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” ~ John 8:12 (NLT)
  

• Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. ~ John 12:26 (NLT)
  

• Jesus said this to point out how Peter would die. His death would bring glory to God. Then Jesus said to him, "Follow me!" ~ John 21:19 (NIRV)

Jesus calls people to become his disciples. In doing so he is calling them to change the direction of their lives. He is not just interested in saving people from sin; he is wanting to give people a whole new purpose and a whole new way of living.

If we are going to be spiritually formed people we have to become Jesus' disciples. We have to enter into the process of discipleship.

Some of you have perhaps been a part of a "discipleship program." You have read a book and filled some blank lines with words that you have learned from the Bible. You have memorized some Bible verses and learned some Christian principles. I have been in many programs and courses over the years. Some were really helpful and some were really boring!

A well-designed discipleship programs can be useful but we need to be clear that these programs, no matter how good they are, only touch on what it means to be a disciple. Discipleship is really more about learning by doing than it is about discussing gospel principles or filling in a workbook. We become disciples as we obey Jesus. We are transformed as we actually follow Jesus.

Many of my students love to fish -- particularly the guys. Any chance they get they are out in the water. They become depressed if they go too long without fishing.

If I were to ask them when they became fishermen they wouldn't really know how to answer that question. They did not enroll in a fishing school when they became a certain age. They did not learn to fish by reading a book about fishing. They did not join a weekly fishing support group. They did not even learn to fish by eating fish. No, they learned to fish by fishing. At some point a father or uncle demonstrated how to thrust a spear or throw a net. They helped the younger person learn to see the fish. But instruction usually happened when they were out fishing.

The fact is that you become a fisherman by fishing. You follow the fish in the lagoon, get into the water, throw out the talaya net, make lots of mistakes, and keep at it. Eventually over time and with lots of patience you are transformed into a fisherman. It becomes a part of who you are.

In a sense following Jesus is a lot like fishing. We are changed as we follow him and do what he asks us to do. With lots of patience his ways eventually becomes a part of who we are.

At the end of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is about ready to return to his Father in heaven. He is giving his first disciples some final instructions about their mission and he says,

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ~ Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

Bill Hull, in his book The Complete Book of Discipleship, is thinking about how we have not been very good at following the discipleship instructions given in Matthew 28.

Believing in Jesus has no meaning if we don't follow him in discipleship. Believing without discipleship isn't believing, it's agreeing to a set of facts about a religious figure.

The problem we face is that we have created and taught a faith that doesn't transform people. Survey the members of your church. Ask if they think discipleship is optional for believers. I bet they'll say yes. However, in scripture, that kind of Christianity doesn't exist.

Both Jesus and Paul taught that following Jesus is proof of being a Christian. The gospel of the kingdom of Jesus delivered in the Sermon on the Mount is the same gospel preached in Acts and the same gospel Paul presented in Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. When Jesus commanded, "Make disciples," he wasn't simply referring to converts. He wants followers who follow -- people who submit to his teachings and his ways.

But because we've preached a different gospel, a vast throng of people think they are Christian/saved/born again when they really aren't! We've made the test for salvation doctrinal rather than behavioral, ritualizing it with walking the aisle, praying to receive Christ, or signing a doctrinal statement.

Perhaps we've made it so easy to get into "the life" that we've made it nearly impossible for people to live the life. The life that Jesus calls us to -- a life of following him -- a life of humility, sacrifice, submission, and obedience.

This has led to what some call bar-code Christians -- people who believe the right things but who don't follow Jesus. The real gospel requires us to repent of our sin. To believe means to follow Jesus daily. The gospel requires us to make disciples who learn to obey everything Christ taught. The evidence of salvation is living a life of transformation. I'm not speaking of earning salvation; I'm talking about proof of salvation. Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves is, "Does the gospel we preach produce disciples or does it produce consumers of religious goods and services?"

The most basic issue confronting us is restoring the gospel message of scripture that will create healthy followers of Jesus. For many, this will require the redefining of the very nature of faith as a faith that follows, a faith that forms the inner person, a faith consistent with the call of Christ to "follow me,... and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) ~ Hull, pages 43-44

The point is that from a biblical perspective it is not really possible to be a believer in Jesus without being a follower of Jesus. Discipleship can not be separated from faith. Sometimes we talk and act as though they are separate. But they cannot be separated. We are not Christians because we have acquired a lot of Bible knowledge or we agree with all the Christian doctrines. We are not Christians because we have had a religious experience of some sort or have been baptized. All such things are important but we are Christians because we put our faith or trust in Christ Jesus. We trust him in such a way that we follow him and embrace for ourselves the things which are important to him.

And what are the things which are important to Christ? Hint: the Jesus Creed.

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SECTION 7 NOTES

(1) Paganism is a collection of religious practices and views which finds spiritual significance in nature.

(2) Animism is a worldview which emphasizes the role of various spirits associated with natural objects (such as rocks or trees) or ancestors. The objective in Animism is to learn how to appease the spirits so they do not harm you or so that they might even be helpful to you.

(3) By Eastern Religions we are referring to the many many forms of Hinduism and Buddhism. These religions emphasize a journey toward enlightenment and liberation which will end the cycle of samsara or reincarnation.

(4) Gnosticism was an ancient belief in the West which saw the world as having two dimensions -- the material, which was by nature bad, and the spiritual, which was by nature good. Gnosis is the Greek word for knowledge. Gnostics believed that through various kinds of experiences people could receive "knowledge." This spiritual knowledge would help them escape from the control the material realm. They would then find their sense of being in the spiritual. Judaism and Christianity have a much more positive understanding of the material realm than the Gnostics.


ASSIGNMENT #7

1) Look at Matthew 28:18-20. If you had to preach a sermon on this passage what would be your main point? What would the outline look like? (5 point possible)

2) Think of yourself as a preacher. Using your outline from above write out a sermon or devotional message based on Matthew 28:18-20. In your message you should explain what Jesus is saying in the passage and then encourage people to apply the ideas in the passage. Perhaps you'll use some illustrations or stories to effectively communicate. Your message can be short or long. Points will be awarded for how well you develop the message. (35 points possible)

Again, email your essay to me at bboydston@piu.edu . Write your essay in the email itself -- or if you use a word processor, copy and paste the essay into the email. Make sure that your name, the name which you used to register for this class, appears at the top of the essay.

I will respond to you as soon as possible. Do not wait for a response from me before you start working on your next assignment.