John Chapter 1:
**Remember to keep your Bibles open. A journal is recommened, too.**
1:3 - Jesus is the Light of Men. Jesus makes disciples of fallen men by gracing them with the light of the glory of His presence (2 Cor. 4:6). A Disciple of Jesus is a person who reflects the light of Jesus (verse 8).
1:12, 13 - Jesus -- and only Jesus -- gives men the right and ability to become disciples.
1:14 - Jesus is the missionary who leaves heaven to make disciples on earth. He becomes human to disciple humans. Those who make disciples have to be missionaries like Jesus.
1:18 - Jesus makes disciples by making the Father known. Making disciples is changing people into the likeness of God (Eph. 5:1).
1:23, 29 - Once someone is a disciple, they point people to Jesus and His saving work (like John the Baptist did). John is a good example of a disciple.
1:37 - A disciple is someone who follows Jesus proactively, at all cost.
1:38 - Jesus makes disciples by asking good questions: “What do you seek?” What kinds of questions do we ask?
1:39 - He invites them to journey with Him, not just observe from an outside perspective or study without participation: “Come and you will see.” Making Disciples begins with meeting seekers, being with seekers and sharing life with them. Discipleship is more about living life than gaining knowledge.
1:41 - Those who become disciples of Jesus attract other people to Jesus. This is Jesus’ strategy to advance His kingdom of disciples.
1:42 - Jesus gives his disciples a new identity (Other examples are seen in re-naming Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob).
1:43 - He finds the lost Phillip and calls him to follow Him. Evangelism is the seedbed of discipleship. You cannot disciple without evangelizing.
1:45 - Phillip then finds Nathaniel. Jesus reproduces disciples through His disciples.
1:48 - Jesus complements good character and is verbally generous. He is winsome in his approach.
1:50 - Jesus casts a vision of the greatness of the kingdom of God... often.
1:51 - Jesus explains His centrality in discipleship. He alone is the stairway to heaven and we would be remiss to discount him.
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What are your insights & thoughts?
2 comments:
Harvey, thanks for posting this. I really like the insights and format. I'm particularly drawn to the statement of "discipleship is more about living life then gaining knowledge." Speaking for myself I often reverse this.
Yes, the modern context of discipleship is pretty skewed. A lot of it has to do with the fact that modern Christianity is often theologically and intellectually deficient. But, we can't compensate for it so much that we ignore the importance of a changed life. "The goal of our instruction is love." --1 Tim. 1:5
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