The first message in our Summer Series of Walking With Jesus: Learning to Be a Disciple was about the DNA of being a Disciple.
That DNA of being a Disciple was described as:
• Divine Truth. Truth comes from God. It is the revelation of God to humankind. This comes from the Son, the Spirit, and the Scriptures. The Son (Jesus) is both God and human and came to reveal to us in his person what God is like and what God requires. The Scriptures were authored by God and reveal God’s unfolding plan for humanity. The Spirit of God is also Divine Truth, since he brings revelation and direction to believers.
• Nurturing Relationships. Humans were never created to be alone. We are social creatures and have an intrinsic need for relationships. Our relational orientation is a reflection of the image of God in us. God Himself is relational and exists in a community—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is love because God is relational. To the Christian, God is love because he has always existed in relationship. Is love possible without someone to love? This should be the defining characteristic of our faith. All men should know that we are Christ’s disciples by the love that we have for one another.
• Apostolic Mission. Apostolic means that someone is sent as a representative with a message. We are here for a purpose. We have been given a prime directive to fulfill—to make disciples of all the nations. This part of us also comes from the nature of God. Jesus is an Apostle. He is the Chief Cornerstone of the apostolic foundation. Before he left this planet, he sent his disciples into the world with a mission.
One of the key tools we talked about in Walking With Jesus was Life Transformation Groups. Find out more on our website.
Below is the full Sunday Morning message by Phil Helfer:
Phil Helfer - February 16, 2019
Our Spiritual History and Why It Matters-Acts 7
Acts 7 When he is confronted by the religious leaders, Stephen summarizes the history of Israel, from Abraham and Moses to David and Solomon. Stephen emphasized how all of them were met with resistance from the leaders of their day, and compared the failure of those leaders to the failure of the very leaders who were confronting him. They respond with aggression and violence, resulting in Stephen’s death. When you are faced with your own failures, how do you respond? When someone points out your flaws, your mistakes, your shortcomings, do you get angry? Do your defenses activate with aggression? Or are you contrite? Are you able to accept that you are not perfect? 1 John 1:8-9 “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins” We don’t need to defend ourselves. We don’t need to hide in the darkness and attack anyone who dares to bring us out into the light. God has already taken care of it. He knows every failure, mistake, and shortcoming we have. And His response to all of those things is to love us and forgive us through Jesus!
Scripture References: Acts 7:1-60
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