The Call that Distinguishes Developing Disciples

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:5-10).

Have you ever had one of those moments when you wondered if you were truly saved? Have you ever doubted that you were a true disciple of Jesus Christ or just another member of the crowd of people following Him? Sometimes this kind of introspection itself is evidence that you are truly born again because it may be the Holy Spirit prompting you to do some self-inventory and to move forward in maturing discipleship… “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). In today’s text Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request for increasing faith presents a threefold call to higher levels of discipleship. His exhortation prompts diligent disciples in every age to keep on growing in the faith by heeding the call that distinguishes developing disciples.

Christ calls His disciples to increasing faith. Jesus responded to the disciples request for more faith with an exaggerated illustration. With a short parable that promised that faith as tiny as a mustard seed could uproot a mighty mulberry tree and deposit it in the sea, Jesus sought to move the disciples concern away from the size of their tiny faith. He exhorted them instead to accomplish big faith-building things for the kingdom of God. He echoed this lesson in another exhortation to consider potential not by measuring our faith, but instead to imagine the unlimited possibilities that exist because of our position in Christ… “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Developing disciples have increasing faith as we learn to abide in Christ.

Christ calls His disciples to maturing obedience. Jesus took His disciples deeper by placing them inside of another parable. This parable taught the obligation and responsibility of obedience. Just as it was the natural expectation of the servant to fulfill his duty to his master, so disciples are called to a lifestyle of obedience to Jesus Christ our Master… “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:25-26). Diligent disciples imitate our Teacher (see Luke 6:40), by following His example of obedient servanthood… “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This kind of obedience is not honored in this temporal world, but is forever remembered in Heaven… “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). Developing disciples have maturing obedience as we imitate Christ’s servant leadership.

Christ calls His disciples to humbling service. The kind of service Jesus highlighted in this parable is particularly humbling. A compassionate master might throw aside the cultural expectations imposed on masters and servants and reward his hard working servant with a seat at his dinner table, but Jesus proposed that the humility of the servant compelled him to fulfill all of his duty whether his master was compassionate or not. When we imitate Christ by giving ourselves fully to serving others as He did, we are humbled and God is glorified through us… “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Developing disciples are engaged in humbling service, reflecting Christ’s humility to a proud world.

As we grow up into Christ, we become more like Christ as we answer…

The Call that Distinguishes Developing Disciples.

The Strategy that Stops the Spread of Sin

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:1-4).

I’m sure Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus stirred up a lot of emotion and not a few questions in the hearts and minds of the crowd of Christ followers. Evidence of the deity of Christ is found in His sensitivity and responsiveness to such stirrings in our hearts when we read His Word. Here we see that Christ was aware of consternation in the hearts of His listeners about how the rich man ended up in Hades while Lazarus landed at Abraham’s side. The only clue is in the word of Abraham to the rich man… “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (Luke 16:25). God’s Word promises both good and bad things for everyone in this temporal life… “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). But the difference in our eternal destination depends upon our response to the gospel that is revealed in God’s law, promised by God’s prophets, and sealed by the resurrection of God’s Son. Jesus knows how difficult the search for justice and the battle against temptation is in this temporal world, so He responds to searching hearts with a revelation of the strategy that stops the spread of sin.

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples resist sin. Sin abounds because all human beings are sinners… “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We have inherited this sin nature from our ancestor Adam and it leaves us spiritually dead… “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). But by His grace, God has quickened our spirits and made us spiritually alive… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). By His grace God has lifted us up above the temporal world and given us access to His Spirit so we now have discernment, power, and freedom to reject the sin and temptation of this temporal world… “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). When we resist sin we stop it in its tracks and we become a living encouragement to others to choose righteousness and to seek and discover the grace of Jesus Christ!

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples rebuke sinners. Jesus exhorted His disciples to identify and rebuke sin… “If your brother sins, rebuke him”. The Spirit of Truth reveals that everyone has God’s law written on our hearts… “When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires… They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts” (Romans 2:14-15). Though it’s not easy or comfortable in a sinful world, sin is stopped in its tracks when we rebuke sinners, exhorting them in love to take the first step toward freedom in Jesus Christ.

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples release sinners. Jesus required His disciples to forgive repentant sinners… “if he repents, forgive him”. Sin leaves a lingering offense and pain that must be released through forgiveness for the good of both the victim and perpetrator. That’s why Jesus so often strongly urged forgiveness… “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Sin is stopped in its tracks when we release sinners through forgiveness.

As we grow up into Christ, we overcome evil and advance holiness as we practice…

The Strategy that Stops the Spread of Sin.

The Resurrection that is Convincing

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31).

Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus reminds us that physical death is not the end of our story. We’re created in the image of our eternal Father and we will live beyond physical death... “Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus’ use of the name Lazarus in this parable reminds us that there were other incredible resurrections in the Bible, but the difference between Heaven and Hell has everything to do with the resurrection that is convincing.

Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled the law of Moses. The Old testament reveals that after physical death the destiny of both the righteous and the wicked is in the hand of God… “But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-2). Jesus’ parable reveals Hades as a place of judgment and torment. Abraham’s side is a place of blessing and comfort. After His death and before His resurrection Jesus descended into Sheol and set righteous captives free… “Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?” (Ephesians 4:8-9). He delivered those who strived to obey the law of Moses to a place called Paradise… “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Since the death and resurrection of Christ, departed souls of true disciples go immediately into the presence of Jesus in Paradise because He fulfilled the law for us… “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled the words of the prophets. Jesus pointed to this truth in His revelation to two disciples on the road to Emmaus… “’Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:26-27). The Spirit echoes this truth through the inspired words of the Apostle Paul… “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled the promise of eternal life. Jesus promised eternal life to true believers… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). He sealed this promise with His own resurrection… “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

As we grow up into Christ, we confidently look forward to victory over death because of…

The Resurrection that is Convincing.

The Relationship that is Esteemed by God

 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery” (Luke 16:18).

Jesus followed His declaration about the timelessness of the truths of Scripture… “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:17), with a very important example. He used the very first human relationship that He gave to mankind to teach that God’s intentions as revealed in His Word are forever. The relationship between a husband and wife was given before any other earthly relationship or institution, was reflective of the most important relationship to human beings, and was to remain forever a clear and compelling revelation of the character and nature of our eternal God. Despite the fall and resulting corruption of mankind’s understanding of God’s purpose and intention for marriage, it remains the relationship that is esteemed by God.

In God’s eyes marriage is primary. It is the first relationship instituted by God. The relationship between a man and a woman came before the relationship between parents and children, friends, neighbors, or any other human relationship. The institution of marriage was established before God created the church, government, industry, or any other institution. The first marriage was arranged and officiated by God Himself… “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6). Through marriage God intended to establish the primary unit of society, the family, and to empower mankind to fill the earth with Godly children… “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15).  Marriage is intended to be the foundation of other relationships and therefore it is intended to last a lifetime… “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress” (Romans 7:2-3). God’s grace is available to willing hearts that will invest in a marriage that will last a lifetime.

In God’s eyes marriage is purposeful. Christian marriage is to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His Church. The Spirit reveals this important truth about marriage through the inspired writing of His servant Paul… “’Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31-32). The Spirit of truth clearly reveals the connections between husbands and Christ… “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25), and between wives and the Church… “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands” (Ephesians 5:24). A Godly marriage is a reflection of the gospel that invites others to consider trusting Jesus Christ and becoming part of His Church.

In God’s eyes marriage is personal. Christian marriage is supposed to be a reflection of God’s love, forgiveness, and patience to the broken world we live in because these qualities are indispensable for two imperfect people building an enduring marriage… “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). Children growing up in a Godly home will learn about God’s grace, mercy, salvation, and sanctification by observing these important gospel truths as they watch their parents mature in the Christian faith… “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Godly parents have the privilege and responsibility of leading the children God has entrusted to our care to faith in Christ by word and example as we grow together as one in Christ.

As we grow up into Christ, we enjoy a lifetime of blessings when we make it a priority to invest in…

The Relationship that is Esteemed by God.

The Worldview that is Esteemed By God

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:14-17).

The Pharisees had a hard time understanding and receiving the things Jesus was teaching about stewardship of earthly things like money and material things. They were enslaved by a temporal worldview that kept them from grasping spiritual truth… “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The freedom from such blindness and slavery to deception lies in God’s Word… “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). That’s why Jesus responded to the Pharisee’s ridicule with an admonition to renounce the foolishness and deception that is exalted by the world and to seek the truth that is exalted in God’s eyes, that is revealed in His law, the word of His prophets, and the good news proclaimed by His Son. The Spirit of Truth echoes this important truth through the inspired words of the Apostle Paul… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). For culture shaping, kingdom building disciples everywhere, abiding in His word promises to grow our faith and empower us with the worldview that is esteemed by God.

Loyal disciples are obedient to God’s law. Here Jesus said “The Law and the Prophets were until John”, but we know He did not mean the law had come to an end because He also said… “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void”. For Christ’s disciples God’s law is an everlasting standard of holiness and perfection… “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). As we study and strive to obey God’s law we discover and reflect the amazing mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, the One who fulfills the law for us… “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and world are confronted by the increasing presence of Christ’s grace in and through us as we learn to love and strive to obey God’s law.

Learning disciples are hungry for the word of God’s prophets. Jesus also said He came to fulfill the word of the prophets. God inspired the prophets to describe the life and ministry of Christ in such revealing detail that people would recognize Him… “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Devoted disciples that desire to know Christ more intimately are diligent in their study of the scriptures… “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). As we gaze intently into the face of Christ revealed by the prophets, the Holy Spirit transforms us into His image… “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our families, friends, coworkers, and even strangers will take notice as we become more like Christ and we are set apart by the word of God’s prophets.

Loving disciples are consistently sharing God’s good news. Transformed disciples become culture transformers as we share the transforming gospel of the kingdom of God… “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). Our world and everyone in it will be eternally impacted as we seize every opportunity to share the soul saving gospel of God’s kingdom.

As we grow up into Christ, we become more effective culture shaping kingdom builders as we adopt…

The Worldview that is Esteemed by God.

The Stewardship that is Faithful

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:10-13).

Maturing disciples are always learning to live this temporal life in the shadow of eternity. Everything we see here is incomparable to the reality that awaits us in Heaven… “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). But the things of this world are a vital part of God’s plan to prepare us for eternity. The people, places, victories, and trials of this life are the tools God uses to refine and sharpen our faith… “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). This means every person, every thing, and every circumstance in our lives is God’s investment in us. Whether little or much, righteous or unrighteous, self-inflicted or caused by others, our sovereign God uses everything in this life to refine our faith, conform our will, and prepare us for Heaven… “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). This important spiritual principle shapes the attitude of true disciples toward the temporal, transient things of this world and exhorts us to serve God above everything else. Today Jesus reinforces this truth with an insightful word for truth seekers about the stewardship that is faithful.

Determined disciples are becoming managers, not misers. Jesus reminded His disciples in this lesson that we are eternal beings living in a temporal world, and we own nothing here. God’s plan from the beginning was for us to care for and manage HIS creation… “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Fallen people have a fallen view of God’s world that corrupts and compels them to earnestly pursue the accumulation of material things, until the truth hits them squarely in the face… “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). As we learn to hold loosely the things of this world we become more fully surrendered to the holy purpose and work of the Lord.

Diligent disciples are becoming generous, not greedy. Jesus was intentional in beginning this brief but powerful lesson with an exhortation to be faithful and honest with little. He knew the difference between the little we have and experience here on earth compared to the much that awaits us in Heaven. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to reinforce Christ’s encouragement to invest everything today to produce a lasting, righteous harvest tomorrow… “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10). As our faithfulness and honesty grows we sow seeds of righteousness in an unrighteous world.

Disciplined disciples are becoming sanctified, not selfish. All we touch here reveals the Glory of God… “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).  In the beginning, mankind was given the ability to glorify and honor God by caring for and managing God’s creation… “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). When we are born again we are set free to renounce slavery to worldly things and to freely serve God wholeheartedly through holy stewardship of everything He has created… “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16). As we let go of worldly things we become more set apart and available for Godly things.

As we grow up into Christ, He gets the glory as we trust and practice…

The Stewardship that is Faithful.