No one is ‘my’ disciple

The more I walk with Christ and the deeper this relationship becomes, the greater my freedom to be the person God created me to be. I cannot prove that by observation or even by a sense of being increasingly spiritual or holy — I just know that it is true because the ideas and desires that once held me in bondage are falling away. This prisoner is no longer shackled.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Paul said that we are slaves to whatever we serve. The overall picture is either God or sin, but sin takes many forms, some less obvious than others.

One yoke of slavery is the sin of living by and pushing my personal opinion. I can easily assume I am right (whether from education or mere pride) and that others don’t know what they are talking about. That is arrogance, and also bondage. For one thing, such an attitude marks me as unteachable and bound in narrow-mindedness. Other people sense it immediately and would say I was full of myself, or a know-it-all, thinking descriptions less polite.

Chambers says a spiritual minded person does not demand that others believe this and that, only that they ‘square’ their lives with the standards of Jesus. Christianity is not about believing the Bible, but believing the One whom the Bible reveals.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39–40)

Believing what the Bible says is great, but as long as it doesn’t make me a dogmatic theologian who never spends any time with Jesus or tells others about Him. It is Christ who sets me free, not my doctrine. This freedom is about having a clear conscience. It is about living as a servant of Jesus Christ instead of a servant to sin.

However, when I start telling others what to believe and how to live, then I run the danger of interfering with how Jesus is managing their faith and their affairs. Chambers is right in saying that it takes God a long time to get us out of this notion that unless everyone believes the same as I do, they must be wrong.

Of course there are certain tenets of faith that are not negotiable, like Jesus is God’s Son, sent to die for our sin, was crucified, and rose from the dead. But if God is leading another person to a different style of worship, or ministry, or way of praying, I’ve no business telling them that they are wrong because they must do these things the same way I do them.

I’m to be patient and kind, not fudging the truth if another person is in error or confused, but sometimes it is me that is out of touch with God’s truth. The point is, each of us must let the Lord have His way in our own lives. In making disciples (a command from God) I’m supposed to teach them what He has taught me remembering that the idea is to produce followers of Jesus Christ, not convert people to my own prejudices and opinions.

No pattern? Be one!

Details are my forte. I can fill in an outline with no problem, but coming up with the outline is more difficult because it asks for big-picture thinking. Backing up and taking that long look at something, or seeing it in an overview is a challenge. When I need to speak or write on a topic, I often go through books on the same topic looking for a logical outline. I fill in with my own thoughts once I get it (no plagiarism allowed) because with an outline to guide me, the details are easy.

Today’s devotional is again about having a pattern to follow. It and other verses remind me that having long-term goals and an overall plan for reaching them is a good thing. I do have a purpose statement and set objectives to fulfill it, but I so often get caught up in the details. I need constant reminding to keep the big picture in mind.

Paul wrote, “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern” (Philippians 3:17).

Mentors can be part of the goal-setting process in that they can show the way, help me over the rough spots, and get me past the unknowns. As I wrote yesterday, the problem is finding them. I can have heros (heroines) in books and in the Bible, but Paul is talking about people with skin on, people who care about godliness and Christian growth as much or more than I do.

With or without mentors, the Bible does offer big-picture instructions. Here is what Paul told Timothy:

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:12-16)

In those days “youth” could be anyone up to forty, so that encourages me, but also challenges me. If these things are required of youth, how much more an older person like me?

This passage is telling this “youth” to be a mentor and how to do it. Paul had been his mentor and now Paul tells him to be that pattern of conversation, behavior, Christian love, spiritual life, faith and purity that the people around him needed. Yes, I hear you, Paul. Yes, I hear You, Lord.

Paul says that the way to do it is by personal preparation and diligence. Read the Scripture, not just for myself but read it to others. Exhort or encourage them to walk with Christ. Teach them doctrinal truth. Use my spiritual gifts (that have been affirmed by my church leadership). Get with it.

I’m also to think about what I have learned, and this is one area where I have regrets. Over the past forty years of being a believer, God has shown me many things. Some of them stuck but others I’ve let slip and had to relearn and relearn. Meditation would remedy some of that, and perhaps that has been missing because I’ve not given myself entirely to them as this passage says.

But rather than beat up myself, I know that I have grown and that some progress is visible. Paul says to be diligent. The words used are “keep on keeping on” words. He says to pay attention to my own spiritual life and the teaching of the Bible, continue to follow those things, and by doing this, I will become more like Jesus (which is the ultimate goal of salvation). Not only that, I will have an influence on those who hear me and who watch my progress.

This is incredibly practical. Yesterday I lamented about not having a mentor and today God quickly addresses my lament. He says, “Quit complaining. Just be one yourself — and here is how to do it.”