SERMON: BEING A DISCIPLE

30 March 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Romans 12

1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-- several years ago, The Sunday School Times carried the account of a Christian school in India that was created before World War II to minister to the children of the "untouchables" -- the Dalits -- the people in India at the bottom of the caste social system who perform the most menial and degrading tasks and who live in slums and poverty that we can only imagine
-- each year the "untouchable" children in this school received Christmas presents from children in England -- the girls got a doll, and the boys got a different kind of toy
-- on one occasion, the doctor from a nearby mission hospital was asked to distribute the Christmas gifts to the children in the school -- during his visit, he told the youngsters about another village in India where the boys and girls had never even heard of Jesus
-- he suggested to them that maybe they would like to give them some of their old toys as presents -- this would be a way that they could show the love of Jesus to these boys and girls who were even worse off than them -- they liked the idea and they all agreed to give up one of their toys
-- the doctor said that he'd come back in one week to collect the gifts of old toys from the children -- this would give them time to pick out the one they might want to give up
-- a week later, the doctor returned to the school to collect the gifts of old toys from the children -- the sight was unforgettable -- one by one the children filed by and handed the doctor the doll or toy that they had selected to give up
-- to his great surprise, every single one of them gave back the new presents they had just received several days earlier -- when he asked why, a girl spoke up, "Think what God did by giving us His only Son. How could we give Him less than our very best?"

-- Last week, I reminded you that Jesus has invited each and everyone of us to two things -- first, He invited us to the cross -- He invited us to come to Him for salvation -- to ask Him to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to be our Lord and Savior -- that was the first invitation -- the first call -- of Christ
-- the second invitation that Jesus gave us was for discipleship -- to follow Him in ministry by picking up our cross and getting involved in sharing His love and His life with those around us -- this means that we do like the untouchable children in this story -- we give Jesus our very best
-- we get outside the walls of this church -- we get out of our comfort zones -- we get off the sidelines -- and we get in the game -- we enter the battle -- and we make a difference in this world
-- this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying in the passage that we opened with this morning
-- if you would, let's look at this chapter in a little more detail

II. Scripture Lesson
-- look back at verse 1

1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-- Paul is writing this letter to the church at Rome -- we don't know much about the church in Rome in Paul's day -- but it seems like Paul was trying to help this church grow -- the Christians in Rome had responded to Jesus' first invitation -- they had received Him as their Lord and Savior -- and now Paul is saying, "There's more -- there's more to this Christian life than that"
-- so he writes here in verse 1, "I urge you" -- the King James Version says, "I beseech you" -- other versions say, "I appeal to you" -- He is trying to strongly encourage the church at Rome to get up and do more than they were doing -- He was trying to get them to respond to Jesus' call for discipleship
-- Paul says, "I urge you to do this -- in light of everything that Jesus has done for you -- in light of God's mercies -- I want you to give yourselves back to Him -- I want you to offer yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice"
-- in other words, Paul is saying, "I want you to get out of the church and to get in the game -- I want you to touch someone else's life in the name of Jesus -- I want you to be a disciple of Jesus"

-- Paul's call here for discipleship reminds me of the story of the Alamo -- as you might remember, the Texans in the Alamo were surrounded by Gen. Santa Anna's forces -- The fighting raged on for days until it was obvious that the 15 men in the Alamo could not hold the Mexicans off -- They knew the wall would be breached -- and they knew that if that happened, they would be killed
-- So, Colonel Travis took his sword and drew a line across the ground -- and he issued a call -- he said everyone who is willing to fight for Texas, come and stand with me behind the line -- the rest could leave and surrender to the Mexicans and save their lives -- every single man chose to stand behind the line, and all died for their cause.
- That's what Paul is trying to get us to do here -- He's trying to get us to draw a line in the sand and say, "I don't care what happens to me -- from this point on, I am going to live for Christ -- I am going to make Him the most important thing in my life and I'm going to share Him with those around me"

-- this is the call to discipleship -- the invitation to follow Jesus -- but it begs the question, "How? -- How do I become a disciple of Jesus? -- What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus in 2008? -- What does it look like?"
-- that's what the rest of this chapter is about -- look down at verse 3

3. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5. so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8. if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.


-- first, we have to know who we are in Christ -- when you are saved -- when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- then the Bible tells us that we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit -- and the Holy Spirit graces us with spiritual gifts
-- Paul lists some of those gifts in these verses -- and what he's saying here is that we should primarily minister within our graces -- that if we are gifted in serving, then we should serve -- if we are gifted in teaching, then we should teach -- if we're gifted in encouragement, then we should encourage -- and so forth
-- that doesn't mean that we can't help in other areas, but it means that we are going to be most effective in the areas that we were called to minister in -- Paul says, "Know what your gifts are, and use those gifts, for that's the area that God wants you to work in"
-- that's why I encourage people to get involved in lots of different types of ministries -- this way, you can find out where you are gifted -- you can find out what you like doing -- and you can see where you are the most effective for the kingdom of God
-- it will also show you areas where you aren't really gifted -- there was a lady in a church I used to belong to who believed that she was called by God to lead the worship service -- but after a few Sundays, it was obvious to everyone that this was not a ministry that she was called to -- so the pastor replaced her and she promptly quit the church and tried to find a new church who would let her lead the worship
-- that's why Paul warns here in verse 3 to not think more highly of ourself than we should -- know your graces -- know what you're called to do -- because it is there that you will be the most satisfied

-- verse 9

9. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

-- now Paul is getting into what a disciple of Christ looks like -- a disciple must be filled with sincere love -- their acts of ministry must be done out of love -- out of love for Jesus and out of love for the person that they are ministering to
-- people can tell whether you're real or not -- we've all seen those people who are just full of smiles and just so friendly and just so helpful and when they walk off we say to ourselves, "I don't believe any of it -- that person wasn't real"
-- as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. -- If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. -- If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
-- our ministry has to be real -- it has to be driven by and filled with sincere love -- otherwise, it is useless

-- verse 10

10. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

-- this is what sincere love looks like -- honoring our brothers and sisters -- caring for them -- ministering to them -- meeting their needs

-- verse 11

11. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

-- we have to remember why we're ministering to others -- there's a lot of good deeds being done in the world today -- there's a lot of people trying to change the world -- but the difference between them and us is our perspective
-- they are trying to change the world to make it a better place -- we are trying to change the world for eternity -- we are trying to meet people's needs -- to minister to them with the love of Christ so that they might be brought into the kingdom of God
-- this doesn't mean that we witness to them and give them the gospel message every time we hand them a bottle of water or do something else for them -- but it means that we tell them the reason why we are doing it
-- we have some friends who are missionaries in Pakistan -- and Laurel wrote one time about them helping this Muslim woman in the airport -- she was in a wheelchair and no one would help her with her luggage or help her get to her flight -- so Laurel and her kids took care of her -- and all the while, the woman kept asking, "Why are you doing this -- why are you doing this?" -- and they were able to say, "Because Jesus loved us we have to love others"
-- Paul is saying that we should keep our spiritual fervor -- we should remember that we are serving the Lord when we serve others -- and that our acts of service should be done in remembrance of the eternal -- praying for the people as we serve them and share the love of Christ with them

-- verse 14

14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
20. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

-- Paul reminds us here that our ministry should be for all the people -- not just for those that we like -- it's easy to serve our family and our friends -- it's hard to serve those and to love those who are unloveable -- but that's what we are called to do as disciples of Christ -- and that is who we are called to reach out to
-- if you remember, Jesus stayed in trouble with the Pharisees and the church leaders because He spent His time with the poor and the sinners and the outcasts of His day -- Jesus didn't minister only to those He liked or only to those society liked -- He ministered and served everyone -- even those who didn't like Him -- even those who betrayed Him
-- never forget, Jesus washed Judas' feet at the Last Supper, too, knowing that Judas was going to betray Him -- we are called to minister to everyone in need -- not just to those we want to help -- but to those who need help
-- Paul says, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him -- if he is thirsty, give him something to drink -- in doing so you will heap burning coals on his head"
-- this phrase can mean one of two things -- first, it can mean that your enemy has a burning conviction in their heart because of the kindness you are showing them -- it makes them see how they were wrong to you
-- or, secondly, it might refer to the practice of lending coals from your fire to help your neighbor start their own fire -- in Paul's day, fire was a precious commodity -- and if you shared your fire with someone, you were really making a difference in their life
-- regardless, the lesson here is that we shouldn't discriminate but that we should minister to all that come in our path -- sharing with them the love of God and pointing them to Jesus

III. Closing
-- o.k., let me close with just a few final thoughts on discipleship
-- Following Christ doesn't mean you change the world by yourself, but you change it where you are -- with who you are with -- in how God has graced you
-- simple things done with grace and power can affect the world -- ripple through time and space and touch eternity itself
-- the question is, "Where can we act now -- as individuals or as a church?"
-- we are in a post-Christian society and we can no longer do church as we used to -- our churches are dwindling -- numbers of members at all mainline churches and at the SBC are declining -- we must change the way we do church -- the way we live out our faith in the world -- we must start being intentional in our discipleship
-- to be true disciples of Christ -- to pick up our crosses and follow Him -- we first have to recognize the value of all humans and of all lives -- no matter their size, their shape -- their class -- their financial or economic status -- their position -- born or unborn -- these are all people, created in God's image -- and we need to minister to all of them
-- second, we need to meet these people at the point of their need -- everyone needs help -- everyone needs a touch from Christ -- notice where Jesus was in His day -- He wasn't in the church -- His ministry, by and large, did not happen in the temple or in the synagogues -- it happened in the street -- with the poor and the sick and the outcast and the maligned -- we have to return to this understanding of ministry and of missions and of discipleship and we have to start getting outside the walls of the church -- we have to start looking for ways to help those around us
-- I think our Second Saturday Servants program is a good start -- and I think we're doing some great ministry through it -- but there are many other areas where you can get involved
-- think about the current economic crisis in our country -- the subprime mortgage crisis -- this is an opportunity to minister to people -- perhaps by offering Christian financial classes or by simply helping them make ends meet during this tight time
-- think about the recent news that 1 in 4 teen-aged girls has a sexually transmitted disease -- that's a failure of the church to reach out to these girls -- how can we reach out to them now -- how can we minister to them in the name of Christ -- maybe some of you feel led to do that in one way or the other
-- maybe God has gifted you in auto repair or in plumbing or something else -- is there a single-parent home that you might be able to serve in that way -- using your gifts and your talents to show the love of God in a tangible way?
-- we've been hearing a lot about a possible flu pandemic -- people are worried -- they don't know what to do -- we can reach out to them -- we can help them
-- the list is endless -- but one thing is sure -- if we are going to be disciples of Jesus -- if we are truly going to follow Him -- then we have to get in the game -- we have to enter the battle -- we have to cross that line and take our stand with Jesus and minister in His name outside the walls of our church
-- I want to leave you with this thought from Chuck Colson -- talking about the economic tragedies and the natural disasters and all the things going on in our world and in our country and in our communities today, Chuck wrote this, "These tragic events [are] a chance to demonstrate the compassion of the Church...We ought to be a witness to the world that when times get tough, Christians can be counted on to be merciful. Remember the Church in Acts 4 -- Members shared everything with others in need."
-- that is the picture of a true disciple of Christ -- that is who Jesus wants you to be -- will you answer His call today?
-- let us pray