The Adventure of Discipleship

In the maritime world, flags are a means of communication or an expression of intent.  Before the telegraph and more advanced electronic communication, flags were the only means of ship-to-ship communication.  Even with modern electronics, flags are an essential part of communicating, albeit more out of etiquette than necessity.  The use of flags is a combination of international law and maritime tradition.

Correctly speaking, vessels wear flags, whereas people fly flags on their vessels.  Each flag has a specific meaning as well as an appropriate location where it is worn.  Ship flags carry a message based on their height, placement, order, size, and color.  Reading ship flags is an art that takes skill and practice.

The ensign flag

The most senior flag on any ship is called the ensign (or national ensign flag).  This flag represents the country of the ship’s registry, the identity of the ship’s country of origin.  It is flown at the highest point and as far to the stern as possible.  No flag is worn higher on the halyard (ropes that hoist the flags) than the ensign flag; all other flags are subordinate.  The ensign is the ship’s primary identity.

The ensign flag represents the power and protection behind the ship.  To attack a ship flying the Stars and Stripes is to attack America.  The War of 1812 was started, in part, over Britain’s disregard for our sovereignty when it boarded American ships and commandeered our sailors.  When terrorists attacked the USS Cole on the 20^th of October, 2000, as it was refueling in Yemen’s Aden harbor, it was considered as much an attack on the sovereign nation of America as the attack on the Twin Towers a year later.

A ship flying the flag of its country is an extension of that country’s sovereignty.  It is a small mobile piece of the country it represents.  Even the personnel of a ship are considered extensions of that country.

The ensign flag represents a ship’s:

• Home country/country of allegiance
• Shield of protection and source of power
• Primary authority
• Sovereign extension

Ships were identified by a line of sight before there was radar.  A crew member perched in the crow’s nest high on the mast would scan the horizon for the presence of other ships.  The first visible evidence of a ship was the mast.  Upon sighting, the ship’s captain wanted to know how many masts (size of the ship) and whose flag she flew (sovereignty).  Upon identifying a ship’s ensign flag, other ships respond based on their relationship to that country.  It could be a response of friendship, neutrality, or hostility.  During our Revolutionary War, America’s small navy would much rather sight a French ship than an English one. 

Besides the ensign flag, there are numerous subordinate flags such as organizational, ceremonial, awards, and informational flags.  A dressed ship will display an extensive array of these flags at one time.  One of the more critical subordinate flags is a courtesy flag.  This flag is usually the national flag of the host country in whose waters a visiting ship is sailing. Ships sailing into the port of a foreign country will hoist their courtesy flag as a way of saying the ship will respect the laws of the host country while in their port.   However, a courtesy flag is always flown lower than (subordinate to) the ensign flag.   To place one’s ensign flag beneath a courtesy flag was a sign of conquest.  A visiting ship enters a foreign port by raising the courtesy flag, not by firing its canons.

When a ship is captured (vs. sunk), it wears the ensign of the conquering country.  When we surrender to Christ, we replace our ensign flag of self-authority/ego (under the control of the kingdom of darkness) with the ensign flag of the kingdom of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), signifying that we are now under the sovereignty of another.

Raising a new ensign was the theme of much of the New Testament teaching.  Paul taught that one of the mysteries of the new faith in Christ is that now there is a standard flag under which every soul sails.  All other flags are subordinate. 

Unity under the ensign

Christ came to create a new identity where both Jewish and Gentile identities were subordinate to Christ and his kingdom.  Paul taught that other identities such as male, female, slave, and free were all subordinate to Christ’s ensign.  Not only did Christ form a discipleship team with various personalities, but he would now form a spiritual fleet with ships of various classes, sizes, shapes, and colors, all sailing in unity under his ensign. 

I… implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling … being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit… one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all  (Eph. 4:1-6).

All other identities become secondary flags worn beneath his kingdom flag.  We could include in that list identity flags of our church, denomination, ethnicity, politics, nationality, and organizational memberships.   What gives cohesion, power, and unity to Christ’s kingdom is that all personal flags are worn beneath his ensign. 

When we are sighted as we sail our course through life, what flag do others see in the top position on our mast?   Could we be wearing, as our ensign, a secondary flag? 

Response to our ensign flag

As previously stated, when two ships meet at sea, they will respond to each other based on the relationship between the two ensign flags.  It will either be a response of friendship, neutrality, or hostility.  When Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), he was saying he wore his ensign flag of Christ regardless of what others thought.  He was aware that people would respond in a variety of ways.  

Even today our ensign flag of Christ is welcomed by some and opposed by others (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).  Either way, we should never lower it to appease others or make the gospel more “acceptable.”  Realizing this, New Testament writers encouraged believers to boldly raise their flag and, in fact, expect hostility. 

As we sail in foreign waters, let’s keep our personal, secondary flags beneath the ensign of Christ.  Many ships, one fleet, many ceremonial flags, one ensign.

For Reflection

1.  What are some practical ways to raise our ensign of Christ without confusing it with the secondary flags of our church, denomination, politics, ethnicity, etc.?

2.  How should we respond when people react to our ensign of Christ with hostility?

Discipleship is the adventure of learning to sail in all conditions.

Discipleship is like sailing in God’s direction under his power.  Sailing requires an understanding of the available equipment on our sailboat and the skill to use it.  In TAD Blogs 28-31, I wrote about the wind, mast, sails, keel, and tiller as parts of a sailboat’s equipment.  Each of these elements has a spiritual parallel.  A competent sailor knows how to use each one to create forward progress in all kinds of weather and conditions.

Sailing Conditions

Learning to sail usually begins in a quiet cove on a calm lake, minimizing the difficulty factors of waves, wind, and currents.  Once we become competent and confident, we cautiously move out into open water where the elements are less predictable.  However, spiritual sailing most often does not afford the luxury of this kind of a beginning.  Our spiritual journey begins in rough waters with strong currents.

Most of the New Testament Epistles were written to new believers who were learning to sail.  Far from “Lake Placid,” they began sailing in strong currents and heavy seas.  The storm surge of adversity was their norm.  During the birth of Christianity, new believers didn’t receive the same protection from the Roman government that Judaism had acquired.  Therefore, the more evidence that the followers of Jesus were not embracing Judaism, the greater the adversity became.

The cultural currents of Hellenism were relentless and well-established in the Roman Empire. Judaism had faced the challenge of Hellenistic compromise for hundreds of years, and now the followers of The Way would face it as well.  The first-century culture promoted the accumulation of various belief systems even if they were incompatible.  Syncretism was typical and expected.

Paul and Peter wrote to new believers who were facing waves and currents that needed the onboard coaching of experienced sailors.  Paul and others wrote letters of instruction, but they also came alongside and mentored by demonstrating and coaching to keep the young Christians on course.  Sadly most believers today have never had a personal sailing coach.  They have had some group lessons (on the beach) and then sent out to do their best. 

Setting the Compass

The first step in sailing in open water is to set up our navigation system.  Although the GPS has replaced the simple compass as a tool for navigation, they both require orientation and calibration to reflect true north.  The concept of “getting our bearings” is related to understanding where we are related to a fixed and reliable point of reference.

The writer of Hebrews referred to setting our compass as “fixing our eyes on Jesus.”  Paul said to the Colossians, “Set your minds on things above.”  The words set or fix both have the idea of an ongoing action, not a one-time occurrence.   It is more like set and keeps on setting.  Our compass is a critical but fragile instrument that gets knocked around as we sail, needing protection and frequent recalibration.  Spiritually, vigilance is required to daily align our hearts and minds with Christ and his kingdom, keeping us on course.

Dangerous Currents

Historically, international sailors were aware of the major ocean currents that would affect their travel.  These unseen but powerful forces could alter their intended direction, and if not accounted for, take them significantly off course. 

Unseen but powerful currents are also constantly affecting the direction of our spiritual sailing.  Paul warned about it in Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

Adverse currents have always been at work against apprentices of Jesus.  Currents of deception can initially seem harmless but ultimately become destructive.  Some currents are predictable, some are blatantly obvious, while others can surprise us.  They are all relentless, and ignoring them is not an option if we are to stay on course. 

Turbulent waves

Rough surf and high waves are other common threats to sailing.  Experienced sailors sail not only against the current but also into the waves.  They point the bow of their boat into the waves and take them “head-on.”  The more significant the waves, the more necessary this maneuver is.

I vividly remember the effect of white caps while canoeing in the boundary waters of Canada.  Our shallow draft 17-foot canoe was vulnerable unless we turned and faced the waves head-on, taking them one at a time.  When sailing into the waves, our goal is to stay upright even if forward progress is slow.

Waves of adversity are familiar to both physical and spiritual sailors.  Some of the turbulence is self-induced, but much of it comes through no fault of our own.  We live in a world of turbulence.  The Epistle writers instructed new/old believers to be alert and head into their waves of difficulty.

Paul writes, “The temptations (adversities) in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation (adversity) to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted (tested), He will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).

Peter alerted his audience to the inevitability of adversity.  “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing” (1 Peter 4:12).  Here Peter identifies one of the benefits of high waves: the development of our sailing skills.   

Sailing skills develop as we learn to sail in rough seas.  Adversity tests our ability to integrate our sails and tiller; we seldom learn advanced sailing skills on “Lake Placid.”  Waves of adversity can develop confidence in God’s character and the resources he gives us.  He promises that we will not face any wave that we can’t handle under his direction.

No wind

In addition to strong currents and high waves, sailors also encounter windless days.  Early oceanic sailors knew that in certain places and at certain times of the year, they would encounter the challenge of no wind and no movement of the sails — only deafening stillness.  Although it could be challenging, sailors used the time to make repairs, rest, relax, and prepare for when the winds would pick up. 

When sailing under the power of the Holy Spirit, we sometimes find ourselves in a place where there seems to be no wind.  In those moments, what should we do?  There is the temptation to get out the paddles and start rowing.  However, if we are confident that God is sovereign over our journey, we will accept the “no wind” experience as a gift from God. 

The “no wind” application is to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  Rather than anxiety or frustration, we will sit quietly and discover God in the stillness.  Remember that “No wind” is not a statement of God’s displeasure or absence, but his care.  It is an opportunity to experience a different aspect of God’s nature.  The Message translation puts it this way, “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God.”

For Reflection

1.  What practical steps could you take to avoid being carried along by the cultural currents?

2.  What would “heading into the waves” of adversity look like to you?

Deep within the human soul is the desire for significance.  You might say we are hardwired for it.  Sadly, too often we settle for success that is both shallow and temporary.  There is the old saying, “He climbed the ladder of success only to find it was leaning against the wrong wall.”  This statement captures the difference between success and significance.  Success has to do with achievement; significance deals with meaning. 

Significance does not come from who we are, what we do, or even our place of origin.  Significance comes from the cause with which we are aligned — the greater the cause, the greater the significance.

A few years ago, I was at a driving range in Kansas City.  Taking a break from hitting my impressive 100-yard drives, I struck up a conversation with an elderly African American man next to me.  Since it looked like he was retired, I asked what he did in his previous life.  He said he had been a high school teacher and football coach in Kansas City.  I then asked the obvious, “Did you play football before becoming a teacher?”

His whole face lit up as he proudly said, “Yes, and I played on the Kansas City Chief’s Super Bowl team with Len Dawson.”  Now I was impressed since, at that point, that was the only Chief’s Super Bowl victory in history – 50 years ago.  The year was 1970.  The win was 23-7 over the Vikings. 

As I asked him his name, he went over to his golf bag and pulled out a white handkerchief.  Bringing it back to where I was standing, he carefully unwrapped it revealing this gigantic ring.  I had never seen a Super Bowl ring before.  It was huge!  As I stared at it, he said, “Would you like to hold it?”  “Sure,” I said. “Would you let me?”  I picked it up and was even more impressed by its weight. 

Driving home and reflecting on our brief conversation, I realized he had not told me what position he played or about any great tackle or touchdown.  It was enough to be identified as a player on a winning team.  When I got home, I looked up his name on the web and found out he played safety.  I’m not sure he was even a starter, but he did play in the big game with Len Dawson and had the ring to prove it.  I thought it was interesting that he found his greatest significance, not from 30 years of coaching young men at an unknown high school but from one game: the 1920 Super Bowl.

Reflecting on my own significance,  I thought about the teams on which I  have played.  I thought back to my high school days and how proud I was when I got my letter jacket with my first letter on it – a big E for Eldora (a small farming town in Iowa).  It was even more significant to me because the letter stood for football and not band.  Wearing it around town, I felt somewhat significant; after all, the Tigers went 7 and 4 that year.

A year later, as I went off to college, I realized that most college guys had high school letter jackets, but they didn’t wear them on campus.  No one would be impressed or even care.  High school football teams were now insignificant.  

Then I thought about how easily I identify, even today, with my first job out of college as an Aerospace Engineer with Boeing Aircraft in 1967.  I was assigned to a team designing part of the Boeing 747.  This commercial aircraft with its various versions has been flying for 50 years.  Amazingly, new production will finally end in 2022.  I was drafted in the military before I had a chance to make a contribution, yet I have a connection to aviation history.  I could have been assigned to work on Boeing’s version of the Super Sonic Transport (SST) which was being designed at the same time.  After 14 years of design work, Boeing’s SST never made it off the drawing board. 

Significance does not come from who we are or even from what we do.  It comes from a connection with a cause bigger than ourselves, a cause of lasting value.  The Creator hardwired us for significance and invites us to play on the most critical team in human history.  It is more like an army than a team since God is in a cosmic battle against Satan and his forces of evil.  God’s strategy is to depopulate the kingdom of darkness and populate the kingdom of light, and he invites us to have a part. 

It is not like God is desperate for help, that somehow his love has gotten him into a dilemma that his power can’t solve.  If we all refused to participate, he said he could use rocks!  Yet, he wants us and invites us to find our significance by joining with him to build his kingdom. 

At any given moment, circumstances may suggest that God is losing the battle, but we shouldn’t lose heart since Scripture tells us the outcome.  We may not know the final score, but we do know who wins.  Satan has already been defeated; he just hasn’t given up yet.  After D-Day in WWII, there was no question about the war’s outcome, only about how long it would take.

Walking along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus invited a few ordinary fishermen to leave their pursuit of survival and success as fishermen to join him in his new cause: fishing for people.  He announced that he was establishing his kingdom and invited them to have a part.  They weren’t clear on what that all meant, but they were willing to take the faith step to find out.  Immediately they left everything and followed him. 

At the moment Jesus was arrested, beaten, and hung on a Roman cross, the disciples felt like the Allied soldiers did during the Battle of the Bulge, taking casualties, giving ground; their team was losing.  But then, just as Christ had promised, victory rose from defeat.  What seemed like a loss became a victory in itself.  The cross became the doorway into the kingdom, the Lamb became the Lion, and the Teacher became the King.

Today, we can find the significance we were designed for when we join the most crucial cause in human history: expanding Christ’s Kingdom.  We don’t know how long we have, but we do know that one day the King of Peace will take his rightful place, not at the head of an army but as the head of his kingdom, his family. 

The invitation is still on the table:  “Follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people.”

For Reflection

1.  What teams have you been on that gave you a sense of significance?

2.  What message of significance does our culture paint?

The word disciple occurs some 239 times in the Gospels; 30 times in the book of Acts.  The Gospels end with the “Great Commission” to make disciples, yet the word is never used in the Epistles.  Why?  What happened to discipleship as the church moved into a Greek and Roman culture?  Was it replaced, forgotten, or was it restated in language that a non-Jewish audience would understand?  What was a Roman concept that would capture the allegiance, submission, and total surrender that was so core to the Hebrew concept of a disciple/apprentice to his rabbi?

Jesus, speaking of life in his kingdom, used three metaphors to capture the relationship between himself and his followers:  disciple to teacher/rabbi, slave to master/lord, and member of a household to head of household (Matt. 10-24-25). In each case, conformity and a shared destiny are expected.

However, the New Testament Epistle writers drop the concept of disciple/teacher in favor of the concept of slave/master.  They did this possibly because the word disciple in the Roman culture (pupil to teacher) didn’t carry the idea of total commitment, ownership, and serving that it did in the Hebrew culture.

In the Greek language, there are a variety of words that get translated as servant in English.  One of the most common in Scripture is the word doulos, which is properly translated as “slave.”  The other Greek expressions range in meaning from minister or deacon (diakonos) to household servant to attendant.  The word doulos (slave) appears 124 times in the New Testament.  Unfortunately, it is most often translated into English as “servant.”  The NASB version is the most accurate translating doulos as slave 65 times and as bondservant 24 times when referring to a relationship with Christ and his kingdom. 

In the first century culture, every slave was a servant, but not every servant was a slave.  Although both served someone, there was a significant difference.  A slave was owned; a servant was hired.  A slave was totally committed to its owner; a servant could have divided loyalties and serve more than one person.  A servant was temporary, but a slave was permanent.  A doulos could be either involuntary or voluntary, although most slaves were captured from military conquests.

At the time of the first-century church, about 20% of the Roman world population were slaves.  They were slaves mainly by conquest, some by birth, and a few by choice.  Walking down the streets of Rome, you would not immediately detect who was a slave and who was free.  The lifestyle of a slave depended entirely upon the character of the master or owner.  Some slaves, who were eventually given their freedom, chose to remain as slaves since their living conditions were better than many of the free poor. 

English translators of Scripture avoided the term slave probably due to the connotation of plantation slavery in the past few centuries.  The NASB translators use the term bondservant where doulos is used in the spiritual rather than the physical context.

The core ideas in doulos as bondservant are:

• Voluntary submission
• The whole person
• The absolute authority over another
• Without pay
• For a lifetime.

Slave and master are different sides of the same coin.  The Greek word kyrio, used over 750 times in the New Testament, is translated lord, master, or owner. Jesus used the slave/master terminology in many parables to describe life in his kingdom (Example: Matt. 18:23-35; Luke 12:35-40). 

Scripture claims we are all slaves to someone or something.  In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were liberated from slavery to the Egyptians to become slaves of God (Lev. 25:55).  Peter said that we are a slave to whatever controls us (2 Peter 2:19).  Paul said we have been freed from slavery to sin to become slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:19).  Furthermore, we have been bought with a price, so we are now owned by Christ (1 Cor. 9:19-20).

It is interesting to observe that the New Testament leaders’ common self-identity was that of a slave (doulos) of Christ.  Paul identifies himself as a slave before an apostle (Rom. 1:1).  He claimed to be a slave who served.  John, Peter, Jude, even Mary self-identified as Christ’s slave (doulos).  In the book of Revelation, John and Moses are identified as slaves of Christ and in the final chapters, believers around the throne are called “His bondservants/doulos” (Rev. 22:3). Paul refers to men he mentored, like Timothy, Epaphras, and Tychicus, as bond-servants/doulos in the Lord (Phil 1:1; Col 1:7; 4:7).

Substituting servant for slave implies that allegiance is temporary, even optional.  If we are only hired, then we can choose when, how much, and how long we obey, treating Christ’s words as suggestions, his values optional, and his mission as elective.  Translating slave as servant has the same effect as translating disciple as student rather than an apprentice.  In both cases, we rob the words of their core meaning, making us comfortable rather than committed.

The reason that being a doulos was so central to the early church was that it was central to the life of Christ. Paul writes, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant (doulos)” (Phil 2:5-7).  If we are to emulate Christ and he is a doulos, well…the implications are obvious.

The term disciple dominates the Gospels as the word bondslave dominates the Epistles.  Both describe a relationship of total and perpetual alignment through obedience.  The welfare of a slave depended totally on the character of the master.  So the way to understand our relationship as slaves to our Master Christ, is not by diminishing the concept of doulos, but by raising our understanding of the character of the One who bought us and promises to provide all that we need…forever. 

We often list our identity in Christ with terms like saint, child of God, citizen of the kingdom, follower, disciple, etc.  How often do we include the term doulos/bondservant?

For Reflection

1.  What is your reaction to being called a slave/doulos of Christ?

2.  What are some consequences of thinking of a slave as only a servant?

So who was the first disciple?  The term disciple comes into focus in the Gospels and centers around Jesus’ ministry to a band of men who became apostles plus many others who became believers.  The term gains new importance when, just before the ascension, Jesus commissions the now band of eleven disciples to go and make disciples.

The usual narrative for identifying the first disciple would be the Gospel of John when John the Baptist introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God.  Several of John’s disciples then peel off and begin to follow this new rabbi, Jesus.  The initial ones were Andrew, the brother of Peter, and John.  So it looks like the answer to our question, “Who was the first disciple?” is a pair:  John and Andrew.  But not so fast.

The term disciple is primarily a New Testament term.  In the Old Testament, we have a few examples of one person mentoring another, such as Elijah with Elisha or Moses with Joshua but the term disciple turns up only in the book of Isaiah: primarily Isaiah 50:4.  Maybe it provides a clue to answer our question.

Isaiah is a book of prophecy regarding Israel’s future and the expected coming of the Messiah.  Isaiah’s prophesy of the Messiah takes two forms: a Servant and a King.  Scholars have identified four short passages in Isaiah that portray the Messiah as the suffering Servant and refer to them as the servant psalms.  They are:  Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-7; and 52:13-53:12.

The most familiar is the passage from Isaiah 53, in which the description of the suffering servant fits the gospel narratives of Jesus.  Less familiar is the passage in Isaiah 50, in which we get a prophecy regarding the first disciple.

“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.  The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient nor did I turn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5 NASB).

The Servant Messiah found in Isaiah was, first of all, a disciple.  The picture of discipleship from this description parallels what we see unfold in the gospel narratives. Daily, the disciple not only hears but listens to the voice of God.

1. Daily, the disciple not only hears but listens to the voice of God.
2. He gains understanding and is faithful to do all that he hears.
3. He takes what he learns and passes it on to others.

The picture we get of Jesus in the gospels is an obedient servant, who had a “discipleship” relationship with his Father.  Jesus was a disciple as well as a disciplemaker.  He is the model for both. 

We see the transition from disciple to a disciple who makes disciples in Matthew 3:17 when at Jesus’ baptism, the Father announces, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus’ ministry had not yet begun, so what was it that pleased the Father?  Luke gives us a clue, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).  Those “hidden years,” of which we have little record, were a period of his apprenticeship to the Father–a time of mental, physical, social as well as spiritual growth. 

The only glimpse we have into this period of Jesus’ life is at age twelve when he was discovered in the temple in Jerusalem “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46).  People observed his discipleship.  Luke records, “all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and His answers” (Luke 2:47).  It is hard for us to think of the Creator of the world learning anything, but being fully man and fully God, he did.  Hebrews verifies this:  “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8).  Jesus was the model of a supreme disciple.

When discovered by his parents and questioned about his behavior, his response was, “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father” (Luke 2:49 MSG)?  We can safely assume that the next 18 years were not insignificant.  Jesus was not just marking time until his grand baptismal entrance.  He lived as a disciple of the Father, preparing for those three short years of ministry when he would be the superlative disciplemaker. 

Parenthetically, maybe we should learn from the example of Jesus when we are eager to launch people into ministry without the adequate preparation of discipleship.  It seems like our current mantra is:  “Get saved, get baptized, and get busy.”  And then we wonder why there is poor spiritual hearing, insufficient understanding, and very little spiritual fruit–something for thought.

In earlier blogs, I identified traits that Jesus said would be the marks of his disciples:

1. Wholehearted Allegiance (Luke 9:23)
2. Faithful Obedience (John 8:31-32)
3. Servant Love (John 13:34-35)
4. Spiritual Fruitfulness (John 15:8)

It should come as no surprise to find that Jesus demonstrated each of these traits giving us not only the instruction but the model to follow.  We see his wholehearted allegiance to and reliance on the Father in John 5.  “The Son can do nothing of Himself but only what He sees the Father doing.”  Then as his earthly ministry is about to end, he prayed, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).   Another evidence is his commitment to prayer.   

He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Lk 5:16).  Slipping away from the crowd’s pressing needs, he would pray about significant decisions: choosing the twelve and the crucifixion.  

Jesus’ life also demonstrated his love for the Father by his faithful obedience.  “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me” (John 14:31).  Teaching faithful obedience continues to be part of disciple-making.  The Great Commission states that we are to make disciples and teach them to obey the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ just as Jesus obeyed his Father.   

Regarding servant love, when Jesus said that He was giving us a “new” command to love others (John 13:34-35), he replaced the self-love model of the Old Testament law with his servant-love model.  The standard for loving others is no longer how we love ourselves but how Jesus the disciple loved.

The trait of bearing spiritual fruitfulness is evident throughout the gospel narratives as Jesus went about doing good, healing, encouraging, serving, and lifting the burdens of others.  His mission to establish and expand God’s kingdom was initiated and then passed on to the future generations of disciples.  “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you” (John 20:21).

It still takes disciples to make disciples.  They are not made by programs or institutions but by men and women who pursue knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ, intentionally helping others do the same.

For Reflection

1.  How would you describe a disciple from Isaiah 50:4-5?

2.  What other illustrations can you think of where Jesus demonstrated the marks of a disciple?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear

Hearing occurs when sound is funneled through the external ear and piped into the auditory canal.  When the sound waves reach the eardrum, they cause it to vibrate.  These vibrations travel to the middle ear triggering three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) to vibrate, causing the “oval window” to vibrate while tiny hair cells translate the vibrations into electrical impulses that then travel to the brain via sensory nerves.  Whew!  That’s what it takes to hear, but what does it take to listen?

Both the Old and New Testament Scriptures are filled with warnings about hearing without listening.  Hearing, save for disease or old age, is pretty much automatic.  We can dull our hearing by abuse but also increase our hearing with practice.  With effort we can tune into frequencies that are lost in the cacophony of everyday noise.  Most of us have experienced sitting quietly in the woods and being amazed at how many different sounds are present that we would normally miss.

Hearing is the front end to a more complex process called listening.  As parents we know too well that at times our kids are hearing us but not listening.  Feeling ignored we shout, “Are you listening to me?!”  We want more than hearing, we want attention, comprehension, and understanding … even action.

Through the prophet Jeremiah we can sense God’s frustration as He addresses His children, ‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, Who have eyes but do not see; Who have ears but do not hear” (Jer. 5:21). 

Scripture constantly appeals for us to tune in with our spiritual hearing.  Jesus said, “… blessed are those who hear (listen to) the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28).  As new creations in Christ we are blessed with a spiritual hearing capability that can be either developed or ignored. 

In the familiar passage where Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd He says, “… the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4).

Here in lies the critical question of discipleship.  Out of the myriads of voices calling out for our attention, do we discern His voice?  I have no question that God can shout, but He rarely does.  It seems He is more likely to whisper.  For example, Elijah is worn out and discouraged following his skirmish with the prophets of Baal.  After some rest and food, he seeks to hear from God.  The text tells us that there was a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire but no voice from God.  After all the loud noise there came a “gentile blowing” and that is when Elijah heard God speak.  Perhaps a reason for this is that God’s desire is not to force us to hear but rather that we would choose to hear and intentionally tune into His frequency. 

In the 70s the CB (Citizen Band) radio became a traveling craze.  Truckers had used them for years but ordinary travelers began to horn in on their territory.  In its heydays the CB radio developed its own movie genre and cultural lingo:  “10-4 good buddy”, “catch you on the flip flop”, and “spy in the sky”. 

The CB radio normally had a line of sight range of 3-20 miles and 40 channels/frequencies to pick from. This bi-directional personal communication system, allowed for only one person to talk at a time.  In order for two (or more) travelers to use their CB radios to communicate, they had to be close enough, tuned into the same frequency, and take turns speaking.  When caravanning on a trip we would establish an agreed upon channel and our personal call signs:  “Luck Duck this is Red Rider, how do you read me?  Over”.  The “over” was important since it gave the other person the chance to speak.

How often do we say “Over” when we communicate with God?  Do we let Him speak?  Do we know His channel … His frequency?  Along our journey we can spend our time listening to the banter on the trucker’s channel (usually #19), roam the other channels listening to fellow travelers, or we can tune into where He is speaking.  He rarely competes.   A disciple will set up an agreed upon primary channel so he can communicate with God with a frequent “over”.

God speaks primarily through Scripture and the Holy Spirit.  His promise to the disciples in the upper room before the crucifixion was to send His Spirit who would guide them into truth (John 16:13).

However, just reading the Bible is not the same as “tuning in” to His frequency.  Tuning in requires thoughtful reflection and intentional meditation.  Tuning in requires tuning out other frequencies to reduce the static and clutter.

The spiritual habit of a daily appointment with God in the Scripture has been a historically foundational practice of disciples for centuries.  It has been my practice for over 50 years ever since I was introduced to a little booklet called “7 Minutes with God”.  I started with developing a 7 minute daily habit which has now expanded and modified over the seasons of my life.  I know of no other spiritual discipline that is more effective for tuning into the voice of the Shepherd.

Larry, a good friend and fellow disciplemaker of over 50 years in both the marketplace and in churches, recently said to me, “I think I could summarize what I do in mentoring men as simply equipping them to hear and respond to the voice of God.”  What a great summation of being a disciplemaker!

That said, it is not always easy to discern whose voice I am hearing:  My voice?  God’s voice? Voices from my past? Satan’s voice?  Listening and discerning is a skill that takes practice and patience.  One thing is for certain, God never speaks to us contrary to Scripture.  That is why to keep from being deceived, we need to be students of His Word.  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately (correctly) handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).  Even Satan uses Scripture!

An apprentice of Christ is a serious student of the Bible.  In Deuteronomy Moses gave this instruction to those who would be kings of Israel.  “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests” (Deut. 17:18).  The king was to have his own personalized copy written by himself under the mentorship of the priests.  Can you imagine how the history of Israel would have been different had this instruction been followed?

When my father died, one of the priceless heirlooms passed down to the family was his Bible.  It was a small version that he took with him everywhere.  Flexible enough that he would often roll it up as he carried it.  But what was amazing is that there were very few pages that were not marked up with his annotations.  They didn’t make sense to us, but they did to him.  He didn’t write his own copy, but he took a copy and made it his own. 

For Reflection:

1.  How have you personalized the Scripture and made it your own?

2.  What is your process for clarifying the voice of the Good Shepherd from other voices?

The iconic lighthouse has long been a fascination for this Midwesterner.  Whenever our family traveled to the coasts, we made it a practice to visit lighthouses in the area.  We have even collected some high-quality lighthouse replicas to display in our home.

Before GPS, the purpose of a lighthouse was to warn ships of danger in inclement weather and orient them to their location in good weather.  It works by providing a light source combined with reflective lenses to concentrate the light rays into a single beam of light.  Over the years, lighthouses have undergone improvements regarding the source of light and the development of more efficient lenses.  But the principle has always been the same.

The lighthouse example aptly captures the message of Matt. 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; … Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Continuing the discussion of our spiritual senses, each one has a corresponding missional component.  Our spiritual vision allows us to see the truth/light of Jesus and His Word and then reflect it to our world.  If the light is restricted and our lens defective, bringing illumination to our sphere of influence is compromised.

“We cannot reflect what we do not see.”  The location and relationship of the sun, moon, and earth illustrate this principle.  The sun is the source of light.  The moon, having no light source within it, is designed to reflect that light.  But the reflection will only happen if there is a clear, unobstructed view.  Ironically, the sun’s light can be blocked by the earth as it occurs with a lunar eclipse.  If our mission is to illuminate the glory of our Light Source to our world, we need to position ourselves with an unobstructed view so we can see Him most clearly and reflect Him most accurately. 

Getting back to our lighthouse metaphor, the brightness and consistency of the light source (originally a flame) need constant management by the lighthouse keeper for the life-saving beacon to be reliable.  That required the lighthouse keeper to carry fuel up a winding staircase, usually twice a day.   When he was not refueling the light, the keeper was polishing the lens, which tended to accumulate dust and debris from the surrounding air. 

We could learn from the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper.  As we heighten our ability to see with our spiritual eyes, we increase our capacity to reflect to others what we see.  It is not enough to “absorb” the light; we need to keep our lens clean to reflect the light.

Paul’s tribute to the church at Thessalonica is an excellent example of reflected light.

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.  For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (Thess. 1:6-9).

The believers in this early church had not only absorbed the light of the gospel, but their lens was clean enough to effectively reflect it into their neighborhood, making Paul’s job easier.

Another example from the Gospels is when Jesus first went into the region of the Decapolis (Mark 5), where He encountered a demon-possessed man and resistant people.  Confronted with the miracle of this wild and uncontrolled man now clothed and in his right mind, the people demanded Jesus get out of their country and leave them alone.  They valued their pigs more than this man’s freedom from demons.

Jesus did not argue or put up any resistance.  He quietly left…but not without first establishing a light.  When the cured man asked to join the traveling team, Jesus implied the man could wear the uniform but not ride the bus.  Instead, he was to return to his village and play ball on his home court, testifying of what God had done.  In other words, be a light. 

The Gospel of Mark gives us the best account of the confrontation, initially recorded in Mark 5.  But one chapter and several months later, Mark records the return of Jesus to this predominantly Gentile area on the southeast corner of the Sea of Galilee.  This time the people welcomed Him, not with skepticism or resistance, but with enthusiasm.  Why?  Could it have been the “lighthouse” that had been living in their community?  The redeemed man, who didn’t know much about the Light source that he had encountered, reflected what he did know.  And like the woman of Sychar, it was just enough light to motivate his social network to see for themselves. 

As keepers of our individual, mobile lighthouses, we need to keep the light bright and the lens clean.  Only then can we stand as beacons of light and truth to a world caught in the darkness and storms of today’s culture. 

For Reflection:

1.  In the Old Testament, Israel was to be a beacon of light to their surrounding world.  What happened?

2.  What are the spiritual practices for keeping our lens clean?

3.  Reflect on the difference between a dirty lens and a cracked lens?

One of the unique contributions of sight is our ability to discern between light and dark.  Light, or more accurately light rays, is a substance, but darkness is not.  Darkness is merely the absence of light.  We can go to Lowes and buy a light bulb but not a “dark” bulb.

To see, we need four things:  light source, light, reflective object, and light receiver/sensor

The theme of light and darkness permeates Scripture.  The Bible claims that God not only gives light, but He is the source of light.   The Old Testament Scripture portrays God as light. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).  But with the incarnation, we have both a new light and a new light source. John’s gospel introduces Jesus as the light of the world and in his epistle as the source of light. 

Light is needed because man’s natural condition is darkness.  We have been born into Satan’s kingdom of darkness, and without redemption, that is where we will die.  The gospel claims that a transfer can take place, a transfer from the kingdom of darkness controlled by Satan to the kingdom of light controlled by Christ.

Paul describes his whole mission in the context of light.  On the road to Damascus, God said to him, “I am sending you to the Gentiles…to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts26:18).  So it should not be surprising that later Paul wrote to the new believers in Colossae, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). 

Man’s superficial problem is the rejection of God’s light.  The root problem is the rejection of God as the light source.  In the Garden of Eden, God’s only prohibition was to not eat of the tree of “knowledge of good and evil.”  This tree represents more than just a moral code of good vs. evil.  The terms “good and evil” are broad. “Good” can mean gracious, pleasant, prosperous, benefit, welfare. “Evil” can mean harm, adversity, ruin, trouble, unpleasant, calamity, wicked, as well as disaster.  God used the same word “good” when he comments on creation, saying that it was “good.”  It was not just a moral evaluation, but a statement of beauty, benevolence, perfection, and delight.

We get a clearer picture of the phrase “good and evil” from the prayer of Solomon as he assumes the kingship of Israel from his father, David.  “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil (emphasis mine). For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”  (1 Kings 3:9)?  At this point, Solomon recognized that God is the ultimate source for discernment to judge, guide, and govern wisely.  His humility caused him to depend on a light source outside of his abilities, and God was pleased.

Returning to Adam and the tree of “knowledge of good and evil,” we must not assume it merely represents obedience vs. disobedience or good vs. evil.  Adam did choose to disobey God, but he did much more than that.  The knowledge of “good” represents discernment, judgment, and perspective of not only what is righteous, but what is beautiful, proper, and beneficial. Satan’s temptation was for Adam and Eve to have the final say in what is good and evil and thus become their own source of light and “be like God.”  Herein lies the significance. Adam’s decision (and ours) is to replace God as our light source and become our own light source.  It was not just a rebellion against the light but the light source. 

God designed man to depend on God for knowing what is right, real, righteous, and useful.  To have the final say as to what is good and what is evil is God’s role.  When humanity took on that role for himself, darkness resulted.  Rejecting the true light, he became trapped in the kingdom of darkness without hope. 

Replacing our light source is rebellion against God and is clearly illustrated throughout history.  European history during the 17^th and 18^th centuries is referred to as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason.  It was a time when leading thinkers reacted to a culture dominated by the authority of God, church, Scripture, and tradition.  They sought to replace religion with a better “light source.”  They claimed that reason alone could discern what was true, good, and beneficial without the encumbrance of the superstitions and narrowness of the European form of Christianity and the church.

The intent was not to plunge the world into moral decay and decadence but to replace the light source with reason.  Most historians would say that the Enlightenment period ended at the time of the French Revolution.  The Age of Reason had not produced the light that it promised, leading to embracing a new light source historians call the Romantic Age, based on imagination, emotions, and passion.  History is a constant testimony to the various sources of light that man has experimented with to overcome his darkness:  wisdom, religion, tradition, reason, emotion, public opinion, etc.

In the Old Testament, God chose the nation of Israel to demonstrate that He was both light and the light source.  But history reveals that Israel went through cycles of first rejecting the light (disobeying the laws of God) and eventually rejecting the light source (God Himself).  When Israel asked Samuel for a physical king, God tells Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

If we are to see with our spiritual eyes, we need the right light source.  As the sun is the source of the light waves giving us the ability to see our natural world, so God is our source of light for the spiritual dimension – our source for truth, goodness, perspective, wisdom, as well as morality.

For Reflection

1.  Where in our culture have you seen not only the rejection of the light but of the light source?

2.  In what ways can we reject God as our light source?