Overcoming Poor Discipleship: Finding Direction in the Lifestyle of Jesus
Unless you are in a church, that is not under the authority of Jesus Christ, you have heard sermons explain why it is necessary for you to behave a certain way or that you need to be rid of sin. If they do not tell how you accomplish it, you may leave thinking it is something you can accomplish on your own. For me, that was like running into a forest with no trail and no map and expecting to get where I needed to go. It left me feeling lost, alone, and scared.
Last week, we talked about the attributes of Jesus and how He modeled how we should behave. This is not something we can do on our own. Jesus taught us in John 15:1-11 that we need to be connected to Him (the Vine) or abide in Him. He told us to follow Him, so we need to look at His lifestyle and apply it to our own.
We should not say that because Jesus was God manifested in flesh, that it is impossible, and we shouldn’t try. It is impossible and we should remember that God will do all the heavy lifting if we cooperate. We can be trained and transformed to be more like Christ. We may not be fully Him, but we can bring a lot of glory to God by being surprisingly Christlike. Surprisingly Christlike is a situation in which someone expects you to behave like everyone else might, and instead you act like Christ would if He were in that situation.
Follow the lifestyle of Jesus through:
Simplicity: Jesus owned little and lived simply. His focus was not on material possessions, but on spiritual riches.
Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58: And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
Service: Jesus' life was dedicated to serving others. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and welcomed the outcasts.
Mark 10:45: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Fasting: Jesus showed us there is power in fasting and relying on God
Matthew 4:1-4: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Prayer: Jesus regularly prayed, seeking spiritual strength and guidance. We see examples of Him praying alone and spending hours with His Father. We see him teaching prayer and praying while in the company of His disciples.
Luke 6:12: In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
Mark 1:35: And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Matthew 6:9-13: 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name.10 Your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread,12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
John 17
Holiness: Jesus lived a life of perfect holiness without sin. He is the ultimate example of righteousness and purity.
John 8:29: And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
Scripture: Jesus was deeply knowledgeable of the Scriptures. He taught them with recognizable authority.
Mark 1:22, 27: And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
Abiding: Just as we are expected to abide in Jesus, Jesus abided in His Father.
John 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
Friend of Sinners: Jesus welcomed and associated with sinners, offering them love and forgiveness.
Matthew 9:13: Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Allowed Others to Minister to Him: While Jesus was here to serve, He was human and He needed help, just as we all do. He shows us not to prioritize independence but to live in a community. He received hospitality and care from many, including women, who followed him.
Matthew 26:7-13: a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."
Lived to Fulfill His Calling: Jesus' entire life was focused on fulfilling his mission to save humanity and establish the Church to make disciples and preach the Gospel.
Luke 19:10: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost
Matthew 16:18: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 28:18-21: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Hospitality: Jesus shared meals and fellowship with many, demonstrating hospitality and welcoming all.
Matthew 9:10-17: And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Teacher: Often called a Rabbi, Jesus taught using sermons, parables, prophecy, lessons, asking questions, and His life.
Sermon example: Matthew 5-7
Parable example: Luke 15
Prophecy example: Mark 13
Lessons example: Luke 10:38-42
Asking Questions Examples: Matthew 12:1-5, 9-13, 25-27
Modeling Example: Luke 13:1-11
His invitational Style: Jesus invited people to follow Him. He never used manipulation or scare tactics. He also never compromised His message to lure people in or keep people from leaving.
Mark 10:17-22 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Praise and Worship: Jesus praised His Father in prayer and perhaps in music. His ultimate act of worship was His sacrifice.
Matthew 6:9: Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name.
Matthew 26:30: And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
John 17 has multiple examples.
Romans 12:1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship
My challenge to you is to reread the Gospels with the attributes from last week and the lifestyle of this week in mind. See how many more instances you can find. If you don’t study Jesus, then how do you expect to act like Him?
Last week's post: https://www.walkinthetruth.org/post/why-people-are-turned-off-to-christianity-and-what-we-can-do-about-it
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