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:
David Deaton - May 12, 2019
He Is Not Far From Each One Of Us.-ACTS 16
Acts 16 After a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas sets them on different paths, Paul and Silas begin a journey to check in with and encourage various churches that had been planted. Along the way they come across Timothy and decide to bring him along. Along the way, Paul attempts to venture to multiple specific regions, but is thwarted. Not by his companions, or ranking authorities, or hostile community members. The Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Jesus, does not allow their group into these territories. Paul had a plan, but it seemed misguided. In the wise words of our very own Dave Deaton, “Paul clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing.” The pressure to have our lives planned out and followed through perfectly can be overwhelming. There is comfort in knowing the greatest missionary in history had to be re-routed by the Spirit on multiple occasions. Eventually, Paul had a vision that sent him on a new, complicated course. He met an aggressively hospitable woman named Lydia, removed a bad spirit from a slave girl, and was beaten and jailed. Then, a well-timed earthquake from the Holy Spirit allowed Paul to escape and lead directly to the conversion of a jailer. Dave closed by saying, “The most important thing for us to do is follow the Spirit. It’s not always pretty, and the best of us get it wrong.” Paul had a plan, the Holy Spirit had other ideas, and lives were changed forever. Don’t be afraid to plan and act in faith and with conviction, but do not hesitate to follow where the Spirit leads.
Scripture References: Acts 16:1-40
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