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:
Bob Mabry - March 24, 2019
When God Answers, Am I Paying Attention? -Acts 12
Acts 12 King Herod does not approve of the growing number of believers. He sentences James to death, and arrests Peter for the purposes of suffering a similar fate. The night before his execution, Peter is visited by an angel of the Lord. Despite being heavily guarded and chained, the angel releases him and guides him out of the prison. Peter at first struggles to believe what has just happened, then reality hits and he makes his way to a friendly home full of other believers. He is initially greeted by astonishment and skepticism, but once he recounts his story of escape, the house full of people are ecstatic. Peter knows his presence has put them in danger, so he instructs them to tell his story to others then proceeds to be on his way. Herod is furious and has multiple guards killed because of Peter’s escape. Herod meets his own end at the hands of an angel of the Lord. Upon Peter’s arrest, verse 5 tells us: “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Verse 15 tells us how the house of believers responds to the servant girl finding Peter at the door: “They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind!’ But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, ‘It is his angel.’ “ When great trouble arises and persists, the church prays fervently. When their prayer is answered, the church doubts. How often do we pray together and genuinely expect God to come through? When presented with a clear act of God, how often are we skeptical and doubt what is clearly in front of us? Instead, let us move forward together as a community knowing this truth in 1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Scripture References: Acts 12:1-25
Recent Comments