These verses have great importance to Christian discipleship. The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God and these verses point out that Jesus is the revelation of God. That He defines our concept of God and models for us what a true human being should be like.
Focusing our discipleship on Jesus forces us to take serious His words and actions. It sets the agenda for our discipleship. He is the standard by which we measure ourselves. His model and teachings must become the norm for the Christian life.
This means that an authentic comprehension of Jesus becomes critical. We need a refined process of discipleship that studies the Gospels giving specific care to the words in red and less concern about doctrine and theology. Our objective is to know and emulate Jesus.
Our discipleship must have a preoccupation with the person and work of Jesus. We must determine what elements of His life we can emulate through daily activity. We may not be able to die for others as Jesus did but we can live sacrificially on their behalf. Effective discipleship will help us to understand Jesus better and provide the tools and opportunity for appropriating His example into our lives and world.
In his book The Forgotten Ways, Allan calls this process "the conspiracy of little Jesuses." He adds, "if Jesus is perfectly human, the human image of God, how bad can we or the church become if we became more like Him? Would the world not be a better place if there were more little Jesuses around?"
As we embark upon structuring a three year plan to lead us as a body of Christ followers we must ask, "are we fundamentally aligned with Jesus' purposes and will for His family on earth?" At this critical time in our church we must allow Jesus to under-mine status quo thinking and call into question our religion, the institutional process we have developed and the behavior we practice. May we never give up on this holy quest.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Adrian
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I work alone, for the most part. It's a curse and a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed in that I get to ponder Jesus for hours on end almost every workday.
Jesus is leading whefc down an untrodden path.
It's exciting to see the response, the desire for His vision in our leadership.
5 years ago I became disqualified for critical leadership roles in our fellowship. God used circumstances to bring me face to face with myself. Confession to my brothers, repentence and allowing Jesus to make me whole has brought unbelieveable miracles and blessings to my garden. While there is a sadness in the pain I have caused others and having doors of service to my God locked, I cannot regret anything that has occurred.
He lives in me and I in Him.
I thank Jesus for the journey He is taking our fellowship on. I encourage all to rest in Him,trust in Him and allow Him to have His way.
I would like to offer a suggestion, if I may.
A season of repentence. Repentence, not of sin, but of comfort and security with the sanctuary we call whefc. I believe it must begin with us letting go of what was, before we can embrace the path of the unknown. We have been thru a season of brokenness and one of healing. Remnants of the past shadow our footsteps.
Let us abandon our hearts, minds and souls to the leading us our Lord, forsaking all else. In the emptiness of repentence, His vision will shine brightly, His road will be visible.
Thank you for moving us Lord, we are stubburn creatures prone to seeking the easiest path. Waken our hearts and mind to new and divine visions, make our hearts yearn for you and you alone.
Carry on!