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| mathétés(disciple) |
I went in to the doc this week
because I’d been having constant pain in my knees. After x-rays and tests it
was clearly shown that at the ripe age of 36 I have degenerative arthritis in
both knees. As we talked about treatment options the talk of physiotherapy came
up and my doc said something that struck a nerve. “A good Physio will try and
work themselves out of a job.” Meaning that if they are doing their job right I
will learn the skills, exercises and all the things that will help me to take
care of myself going forward.
The reason this struck a nerve was
that I was in the middle of preparing my sermon for this Sunday on Matthew
28:18-20(NIV)
Then
Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptising 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. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.”
You see discipleship is about
learning and training. As Christians we are called to learn from those who have
come before us and to pass on knowledge to those that come after us. This seems
simple enough, but truly as someone who has worked in ministry in both a lay
and paid capacity for over 15 years I've come to realize that for many pastors
and leaders this is actually quite scary.
I’d love to say that we pastors don’t
ever think about it, but when you are in a paid ministry position the thought
of training your replacement and that in doing so you may be giving up the
security of a pay check or even more so the family and friends, your children’s
schools, your doctor, well let’s face it your life. Not just your life but the lives of your
spouse and children. Well that is sometimes a hard thing to think about, but we
do.
Thinking about those, is one thing. The reaction to those thoughts is
another. The majority of my peers and colleagues take the minute to think and
then press forward in obedience to their calling. You see there is a freedom
that comes through obedience to God. It is not an easy path but it is one with
hope and promise. Where we are called to journey with each other as believers,
climbing through the muck of life. Through the good, the bad, the funny, the
sad, through disappointment and victory, all the while looking to Christ for
guidance and support.
I've had people ask me how do I
believe in a God we can’t see and am I just leading people astray by teaching
about Jesus and the Bible and what it is to follow him. My answer…
The more I walk side by side with
followers of Christ the more I see him inside each of them. The strange part is
that I don’t see it when they are successful or obtain some certain goal. I see
it when they are in those learning moments. When the realization comes that the
only way forward is to lean on Christ, his grace and to be obedient to his
call. Just like so many of my pastors took the time to pour into me to try and
see how the Spirit dwelled inside me, who challenged me and pushed me no matter
what the cost to themselves.
So if you are a believer, if you
attend church or if you had someone that is or has disciple you. Do me a big
favour. Give them a hug this Sunday or send them a note of encouragement. The truth is that though we are in positions
of discipling we are also disciples ourselves. We are constantly learning,
growing and hoping. You see we know that we aren't perfect and that we sin as
well. That we are human just like everyone else. We are often our own harshest
critic and sometimes we need to be challenged but sometimes we just need to be
loved as well, just like you.
Then after you've
done that take a
moment and talk to God. Ask him who it is that he is putting in your life who
has he put there for you to disciple, to do life with, to get to see another
glimpse of what God looks like. Let’s focus together at discipling another
generation of believers instead and work ourselves out of a job.
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