I don’t want to put up any fronts tonight. I have a specific goal. Interested?
My aim tonight is to ruin you for ever trying to live your life by yourself. I’m going to look to Scripture, reason and experience----recognizing that Scripture is my foundation for teaching.
I believe that each one of us can do a better job at sharing our lives with people. Now, that said, there are many kinds of people here.
--There are those who have never thought too much about the need for community, and so some of this will be new information
--There are those who want a community but feel isolated
--There are those who right now are thinking, “I couldn’t do more even if I wanted to!” and I think this is where I have been at times, and it is tiring, depleting, burdensome, and full of expectations.
--And then there are those who are thinking “Bring it on. Let’s do it.”
--Still, there could be more, but I wanted to start that way to let you know that I am looking at this concept of community and really discipleship, from many perspectives including that of being mentored and mentoring others.
Two weeks ago Kristin spoke about different forms of fear she had faced and questions—confusion she had toward God. The point of this was that you be able to find that her story is your story is my story. Is is about you and me and we and us.
1 Corinthians 10:13 is one of the Scriptures that Caleb read last week, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” The phrase I love here is “not common to man.” This is saying that there is nothing you or I could face that is special just to us. There is a lot of freedom in that because that means the temptation we’re facing is legitimate, that I’m not crazy when I feel fearful, because it is a common trick, which also means that there is no shame in it. That also means, that as each of us hears the LORD speak grace over that area… we can speak that to others and it will be helpful.
So, we’ve gotten caught up. The 1st week we talked about our struggles being the same. The 2nd week, we talked about having faith and the importance of having people speaking into your life---which brings us to now-----the practicalities of letting people speak into your life and being a person who speaks into others.
Discipleship is the key word tonight.
Have you ever heard that worship is a lifestyle? That it is not a singular act, but a moment by moment opportunity to recognize the glory of God?
Discipleship is the same way. In general, most of us have a lofty idea of what discipleship is. We think it demands a rigorous schedule, a lot of wisdom that we probably don’t have, and it is hard both to find someone to disciple us and hard to disciple others. Right?
It’s incorrect, actually. Quite simply, to disciple means to teach, or to train.
I am always having the opportunity to learn and to grow if I wish. It is a mindset. To want to learn, to listen deeply. And I am always having the opportunity to teach others. And the things we are learning and teaching may or may not be good. So, when I say tonight that I want to ruin you for ever trying to live your life by yourself--what I mean is that I want to ruin you for the idea of ever living in a way where you aren’t listening and teaching, intentionally sharing your life with others.
We find lots of examples of discipleship/mentorship in Scripture. A few are Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and the 12 disciples, Paul and Timothy, and Peter and Barnabas---though there are many more. Tonight, I want to first start by looking at Elijah and Elisha.
Now, Elijah was a great prophet, and you can read about him in 1 and 2 Kings. Towards the end of 1 Kings, we find the stories of where Elijah does the miracle with the widow where she is running out of food and he multiplies it. Then, this same widow’s son dies, and he raises him back to life. Then, there is a story that many of us probably heard—especially if you were in Dr. Joe’s Old Testament Survey class---the story where Elijah goes up against the prophets of Baal. If you don’t know this, go read it directly after service. It’s awesome. Then, Elijah flees the wrath of the evil Queen Jezebel whose prophets Elijah had just bested and had executed. In his fleeing, he winds up on a mountain—the one where God was not in the fire or the wind… but in the still small voice. In this still, small voice God tells him “anoint in your place Elisha.” So, Elijah goes and finds Elisha farming. Elisha is plowing in the field and it says that Elijah casts his cloak on him, and then evidently walks away because Elisha has to chase him. Isn’t that strange? Can you imagine someone casting their cloak on you and then just walking away? It seems strange. But Elisha must have known who he was, for Elisha follows him. Elisha wants to learn how to do what Elijah does. Elisha wants to know what Elijah thinks, why he’s there.
You know, Elisha needed the vote of confidence to follow Elijah. Notice, Elisha was very willing to follow him—he ran after him, but it wasn’t until Elijah came to him first. Sometimes your friends won’t have the strength to ask for help. They need you. And sometimes we cannot see the things that are most true of us—like how Elisha had not believed on his own that he was worthy to follow Elijah. Sometimes we don’t know how to speak to certain things on our own.
I’ll give some examples:
This summer, I had an excellent internship working at a church out in Northern California. While there, some very significant truths were brought to my attention. But you need some context first. Last Spring semester I was in a place of great confusion about the future. I’m studying Urban-ministry desiring to make discipleship my vocation—how cool! Well, I was tired. I was depleted in ministry, and I was scared that at 20, I could already be burnt out. I knew that things were off, and I had no idea why. I was desperate for help. Truly desperate. During my third week of internship, I was talking to the director’s wife and she told me that she thought I struggled with legalism. I was shocked. “Really? Me?” I thought through my understanding of legalism—that of the church being controlling—and I just didn’t get it. Then she asked me, “Kayli, do you know what legalism is?” To which I responded that I’d like to hear her explanation. My eyes were opened as she explained that legalism is living by rules or a set of expectations that the Lord never asked you to live under. AH! That was it. The reason I was tired was because I had taken on, expected more, than the Lord ever asked me to care for. I was harder on myself than He ever was. I continually remember that conversation. I am so thankful that even though I didn’t know how to ask for help, she was able to see clearly something that I didn’t know how to confront. She brought life and light to a dark place. It was freeing.
Now, it’s not just pointing out the areas to work on—although Scripture does say in Proverbs that 1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who(A) hates reproof is(B) stupid.---which is hard to fight with…. But it is also pointing out the good. We are our toughest critics. Elisha never would have gone to Elijah on his own… The place where I interned has a beautiful tradition when someone steps out of a staff position or an intern position and moves on. They have a party, and then they ask specific people to publicly talk about the good things that they see in this person—not where they are going, not their “potential” –the things that are true of them now. Over and over, I witnessed this amazing act of grace where beautiful women who didn’t believe they were beautiful were reminded that they were… where men who are deeply faithful and good at discipling people but have been lied to that they are failures… are reminded of the beautiful fruit. It is good to remind each other what is true about them. We need that. I need people to tell me that I’m great. And so do you. And so we also have to be mindful to tell others. That is freedom.
Back to our passage
So, later, in 2 Kings 2, Elijah knows that it is time for him to be with the Lord, and so he tries to leave Elisha behind as he walks off into the wilderness. Elisha refuses to leave him. This happens three times. Then, Elijah is taken up to Heaven by chariots of fire. Elisha puts on Elijah’s cloak and immediately goes and prophecies to the people of Jericho. Doing what Elijah had done was natural. In the next chapter, he raises a widow’s son—just as Elijah had done. It was natural.
Discipling is to make someone in your place. That is it. That is it. So many times, we try to make discipleship out to be this lofty thing, this huge commitment. You feel pressure that you have to be able to solve someone else’s brokenness, you feel responsible for them. Now, while it is good to take discipleship seriously, what I have just described is not discipleship. A disciple is someone who wants the wisdom of someone else. Your and my role in discipling people is to be faithful to share that which God has already made plain to our hearts. Yes, a mentor’s job is to replicate something in their life into someone else. When we realize that, we come to freedom—because every time I share what God is doing in my heart, I am discipling someone. I am encouraging them. I am bringing them hope. I am giving them insight that may help them. In the same way, when someone shares with me what God is speaking to them, I am being taught about the character of God, His heart for His people, I am reminded that He is faithful… I am invited into the company of others.
I have a little demonstration for you. Can I have a volunteer?
We have certain things in our lives that help us to grow---maybe attending church, hearing teaching, practicing a lifestyle of worship, prayer, fasting, immersing yourself in and studying Scripture… there are many ways in which we can grow. Imagine this is you seeking to grow. You are something absorbent. You dip yourself into God’s living water, which will bring you life.
Now, this is by your own effort. These are the things you can do…
Now, this other glass, let’s say this is you trying to grow with others…. You have a much larger supply of insight and strength at your fingers by opening yourself up to moments of discipleship, moments of sharing the deeper things…
You know, this first person will eventually fill up their glass, but it will take a lot longer, and it may be more painful. It is certainly one thing to be a missionary out on the field, surrounded in an area where you cannot be in community with other believers. Of course, missionaries are still okay---the Lord provides peace for them. By why would we, who have infinite resources to be able to encourage each other, to grow together, willingly cut ourselves off. Why intentionally choose to not be poured into and not to pour into others? Many people here today, if not a high, high majority are living isolated. We are not meant to have to grow by ourselves, and when we don’t share in each others joy, pain, the deep places… we start to think that we’re crazy or that we’re failures. I told you about the lady that showed me the name of my struggle. It was freeing. She had seen it in her life. I knew others who struggled with the same thing. I wasn’t a failure. I was one of many being attacked. I was able to gain the wisdom of a community rather than try to go it alone. And in the last many months, because of many areas of freedom, I have had more peace and joy than ever before in my life.
Some of you might feel overwhelmed at the things I have just described. Let me take off the burden. Discipleship comes in many forms. It can be a long-term relationship or it can be in moments. It can be in intentional meetings with someone on a consistent basis, or it can be sharing your life in a coffee shop with a friend. The thing to remember is that you are only responsible for speaking those things that the LORD has made clear to your heart.
What if you don’t feel like you have anything someone should replicate? Let me speak to that—you do. You absolutely do. In the very least, you have the affection of the Almighty, and you can talk about that. I would say, however, that chances are 99% that you have something, many things to give away. Ask the Lord to remind you what those are…
….
In Luke 8, Jesus is teaching through parables.
Verse 4 begins, “(A) And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5(B) "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up,(C) it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7And some fell among(D) thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded(E) a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, (F) "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Now, Jesus goes on to explain the parable to the disciples afterward. He says that the seed being sown in the Word of God, and that depending on circumstances, that word may be received and take root in different ways—or rather, it won’t produce anything at all. Many of us have heard this before. It’s the parable of the sower, and usually when I read it or hear it, I think of the same things. Tonight, I want to pick on a few phrases that may help bring a freshness and helpfulness to what we’re studying. I want to focus on the last part, with the good soil, in contrast with the others. Jesus says that the good soil is the one who holds the Word of God fast in an honest and good heart, and bears fruit with patience.
The good soil is the one who holds the Word of God fast in and honest and good heart, and bears fruit with patience.
Holds fast. Patience.
The lesson of the sower is two things---to be mindful to receive and be taught, yes… to hold fast and be patient. But what if it is also to be mindful to share our lives, the truth that God has spoken to us liberally. It is both an example of how to receive instruction and an admonition to hold to it… and an encouragement to disciple others. You see, the sower spread the Word of God everywhere and only in some places did it grow—and that’s okay. The point is that we’re instructed to sow.
Since learning the value of being mentored this summer, I’ve been intentional to look for discipling moments. Coffee dates are a regular activity where I can share my life with people and hear their story too. It’s been an amazing thing to witness. Because my heart is now keen on learning and teaching, I find that I always walk encouraged. I always have something to be grateful for. Sure, there are times that are more visibly “helpful” for me or for the other person, but it’s okay. It’s good to sow seed. It’s good to be vocal about what God is doing in my life, in the life of our campus, in our community. And oftentimes the other person is able to point out areas of hope and God’s faithfulness and goodness that I hadn’t noticed, and I’m able to point out areas that they hadn’t. It’s beautiful. It’s worship.
The passage following that of the sower is one which my Bible entitles “A Lamp under a jar.” I submit to you today that the reason we share our lives is because of this---
Luke 8:16-18 says,” 16(A) (B) "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17(C) For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18(D) Take care then how you hear,(E) for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."
It is not the “This Little Light of Mine” song—though the simplicity of the song is correct. The point is---if we are listening, if we are taking hold of truth, we will find that our stock of truth keeps growing.—“more will be given.” To neglect what we have, to not share God’s faithfulness is to lose wisdom—“it will be taken away.” This is what this means. This is what this means to be faithful to share the areas where God speaks grace. It is meant to be increased in others.
I mailed the internship director’s wife a letter of thanks a few weeks ago. She impacted me in many ways, but never as greatly as the story I shared with you. I have told that story to many people, and most everyone has been able to identify with. I have found that as I’m faithful to pass on that freedom, I understand it more and more. I told her that God is continuing to use her words to bring richness and depth. It is the “more will be given.” Many times we can’t see promises in Scripture come to pass visibly. I love that I see this one all the time. I love that I get to practice this.
So here’s wrap up.
It is intentional that God spoke to Elijah to disciple someone. It is intentional that Jesus discipled people. Scripture is our model for the best way of living. God’s instructions are always for our good, and we’re instructed to live in community because it’s a powerful and freeing thing—both for us and for others.
We are always training our hearts—telling our hearts by what we do what is the most important thing to us. Are we training our hearts to look for people to share our life with? Are we looking for people to share their lives with us?
At the beginning, I talked about 4 different kind of people who are listening tonight.
For those of you who have never thought a great deal about the need to be in community, I would encourage you to practice it. And all of this takes time and practice to feel normal. It’s not strange to think that you would have to practice at something to be good at it, yet I think we don’t always try because we’ve had a bad experience. Practicing is good. And discipleship is not conditional. Consider the passage of the sower that we had looked at above. The good soil is the person who had held fast and is patient. Growing, taking root takes time and patience. It doesn’t happen for them right away, and yet they are considered the model! Go for it.
For those of you who may be isolated, I would like to encourage you. Some of you may be sorrowful right now. Maybe you know that something is “off” and you have no idea how to fix it, how to speak to it. I’ve been there. In some areas, I’m still there. Others have been there. It is not acceptable to me that any of us should go at it alone. Where you can, please ask for wisdom from those you trust. At the same time, everyone, please seek out others, for some may not be able to ask for help.
For those of you who would say “I couldn’t do more if I tried!”… please rest in knowing that discipleship is not supposed to be a burden. Living in community is not supposed to be a burden. So, if sharing your life with people is difficult right now, I would suggest that the enemy is stealing your joy and twisting it in the same way that I felt burdened by expectation. If you’re interested in hearing more about this, come talk to me, and I can share more with you. It’s not about “more, more, more…” It’s about getting to the place where living in community is joyful. That is my message to you tonight.
And for those of you who are saying “Bring it on. Let’s do it!” Go out in full force. Please ask the Lord to open your eyes of how you can even more be faithful to pass along the good news that He has spoken to you.
We’re actually going back into a time of song and prayer. There will be four people down at the front that you can come pray with, that will stand with you, that will speak blessing, and truth. It is an honor to stand with people, and it is an honor to be stood with. Right now would be an opportunity to share your lives—down here at the front and in your seats. Stand with people. But don’t just stand with them right now in the context of Church. Stand with them later tonight in the Union. Stand with them tomorrow, in three weeks, in three months. Let us train our hearts to be listening and to be sharing.
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