Being Disciples of Jesus
Recently, I was a distant witness to the catastrophic events in China and the outpouring of love from a group of Christians there. It's refreshing to see disciples of Jesus respond to those in need. After all, discipleship is not defined by the "church" or it's institutional trappings but by Jesus Christ in John 13. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Jesus' command to love one another as he loved them was a call for the sacrifice of their own desires for the good of others. The living out of this love for others is the testament of their love for Jesus and in reflecting him they are glorifying God as he did by his obedience and sacrifice.
The example they set in this loving action is the greatest lesson that they can teach. Those who witness this love will respond to their action and be receptive to their message about why they love others. It's a living lesson of love. Jesus conveys this very message in Matthew 28:19 - 20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." He doesn't tell them to make "churches" or "churched" people but to make disciples and reminds them of his command. We overlook this message and it's connection to Jesus' own definition of what it means to be a disciple.
Furthermore, we can see the importance of our own assemblies as part of this discipleship defined by love. Hebrews 10:24 - 25 "and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh." Our assemblies are to be gatherings that encourage us to follow the command of Jesus to love others. Jesus' own example of taking the bread and fruit of the vine as a remembrance of him was in the same setting that he exampled servanthood and commanded them to love. He didn't want them ,or us, to just remember him in some nostalgic way but to remember him in this setting of foot washing and what he had taught them about loving others as a measure of discipleship. It's something we miss and often forget when we share these thoughts in our assemblies.
I'm reminded of so many of the passages in James' letter. 1:22, 1:27, 2:24-26. Also, Paul's admonition in Galatians 5:6 "what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love."
The example they set in this loving action is the greatest lesson that they can teach. Those who witness this love will respond to their action and be receptive to their message about why they love others. It's a living lesson of love. Jesus conveys this very message in Matthew 28:19 - 20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." He doesn't tell them to make "churches" or "churched" people but to make disciples and reminds them of his command. We overlook this message and it's connection to Jesus' own definition of what it means to be a disciple.
Furthermore, we can see the importance of our own assemblies as part of this discipleship defined by love. Hebrews 10:24 - 25 "and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh." Our assemblies are to be gatherings that encourage us to follow the command of Jesus to love others. Jesus' own example of taking the bread and fruit of the vine as a remembrance of him was in the same setting that he exampled servanthood and commanded them to love. He didn't want them ,or us, to just remember him in some nostalgic way but to remember him in this setting of foot washing and what he had taught them about loving others as a measure of discipleship. It's something we miss and often forget when we share these thoughts in our assemblies.
I'm reminded of so many of the passages in James' letter. 1:22, 1:27, 2:24-26. Also, Paul's admonition in Galatians 5:6 "what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love."
posted by Don Campbell at
11:10 AM
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