It should go without saying that our model of how to do things and what to value needs to be Jesus himself. After all, he was the embodiment of God. “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It is easy to get off track and begin to follow something else entirely. For example, I have heard people quoting well-known preachers as if they were quoting the word of God: “Well, so and so says…” I have seen churches model their entire program and worship after some big church that they admire. “Tradition” often directs our paths. Who has not heard someone say, “We do it this way because this is the way that we have always done it”?
Certainly, we can (and should) learn from others and from the traditions that have been past down to us. However, I would suggest that we need something deeper if we are going to find the life of Christ. With that in mind, give this quote some thought.
“What the church needs are apprentices of Christ” – authour unknown.
In Estevan, we understand apprenticeships, because many of our jobs require them. An apprentice is one who learns from someone who already knows how to do the job so that he has the skills and abilities to carry on the same work. He not only understands the theory, but he is trained so that he can do what the instructor does.
The Biblical word for that is “disciple”. By definition, a disciple is “one who follows another”. This “following” is not intended to be a passive thing, though, where you wander around watching whatever happens. Rather, it is active. A Biblical disciple is someone who does what Jesus would do if he were here.
If we understood “discipleship” as an “apprenticeship”, maybe we would see our life and our calling differently. Maybe we would see everyday circumstances in new ways. Maybe we would see people, all people, the way God sees them. Maybe God’s Spirit would be awakened in us so that we lived by his power and not just our own. Maybe our faith would become “the thing” rather than just “another thing”. Maybe we would find out that we are here for a reason and that God has something for us to do.
I know one thing, it would be anything but boring!
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” - Ephesians 2:10
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It is easy to get off track and begin to follow something else entirely. For example, I have heard people quoting well-known preachers as if they were quoting the word of God: “Well, so and so says…” I have seen churches model their entire program and worship after some big church that they admire. “Tradition” often directs our paths. Who has not heard someone say, “We do it this way because this is the way that we have always done it”?
Certainly, we can (and should) learn from others and from the traditions that have been past down to us. However, I would suggest that we need something deeper if we are going to find the life of Christ. With that in mind, give this quote some thought.
“What the church needs are apprentices of Christ” – authour unknown.
In Estevan, we understand apprenticeships, because many of our jobs require them. An apprentice is one who learns from someone who already knows how to do the job so that he has the skills and abilities to carry on the same work. He not only understands the theory, but he is trained so that he can do what the instructor does.
The Biblical word for that is “disciple”. By definition, a disciple is “one who follows another”. This “following” is not intended to be a passive thing, though, where you wander around watching whatever happens. Rather, it is active. A Biblical disciple is someone who does what Jesus would do if he were here.
If we understood “discipleship” as an “apprenticeship”, maybe we would see our life and our calling differently. Maybe we would see everyday circumstances in new ways. Maybe we would see people, all people, the way God sees them. Maybe God’s Spirit would be awakened in us so that we lived by his power and not just our own. Maybe our faith would become “the thing” rather than just “another thing”. Maybe we would find out that we are here for a reason and that God has something for us to do.
I know one thing, it would be anything but boring!
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” - Ephesians 2:10
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