Sunday 3 May 2015 - Lawrence Kirby Notes

Influence:
the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Impact:
the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
a marked effect or influence.
Vibrant:
full of energy and life.

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Jesus came and told his disciples, “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.”

Hebrew concept of disciple:
Follower of a Rabbi: chosen by the Rabbi; live life the same way the Rabbi did; teach the same stuff as their Rabbi
how did it happen: they lived life together for about 18 years; they gave up everything to follow

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

'Yoke' was a Rabbi's interpretation of Torah or their way of life.
Paul later - imitate me as I imitate Christ.

James 1:19-27 NLT

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

What does that mean for us?
Discipleship is abt how you live your 24/7 life (orthopraxy) not just about what you believe (orthodoxy)
D is individual but it's most effective together
It takes time
We need to be discipled
We must give up everything
No area of our life is isolated

Some Q's
Who is discipling you?
Who are you discipling?
How much time do you give to discipleship?
Are there areas of your life that are 'out of bounds'?
Have you been baptised?

Discipleship is our challenge....it's a people thing...
People who are vibrant, influential, impacting....