Discipleship. It’s a fundamental, core, calling of God in Scripture. What does it mean? Let’s go back to God’s creating the heavens and the earth, and all living things for a starting point. God created human beings unique among all of his creatures. Human beings were created in the image of God. What does this mean? Foundationally, it means we were made for a relationship with God! To love God as God loves us. And we were created to grow in our relationship with our Creator. I guess you can call it a growth in discipleship – knowing God, loving God, living in a good relationship with God.
Now jump to Jesus. Our sin has made a terrible mess of our relationship with God. Instead of cultivating a relationship with God, we undermine it, neglect it, destroy it. Yet, God so desires a relationship with us, being made in his image (God loves us) that Jesus, God’s Son, came to restore our relationship with God. And Jesus did it! Jesus restored our relationship with God and now calls us to grow in it, walk in it, delight in it. I think this would be called discipleship.
What does this mean? What does this look like? Here is where we will be for the next 4 weeks: To be a disciple of Jesus, to cultivate a relationship with God boils down to this, “Loving God and loving our neighbor.” Let’s explore what this looks like: The Kingdom of God is like… Loving God and Cultivating Relationship (Scripture, Sabbath, and Prayer… other ways) and the Kingdom of God is like… Loving Your Neighbor and Cultivating Relationships (The Arts of Curiosity and Hospitality… other ways?)
Looking forward, here’s to becoming, being, and making disciples of Jesus: Loving God and our Neighbor. 1st summer BBQ this Wednesday 6:00pm and 1st Public Reading of Scripture 7:00pm, The Book of Ruth.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Mark