It Is Always A Privilege and an uplifting experience to meet together around the table of our Lord in obedience to his command. This morning it is especially joyous, having just witnessed the baptism of a young woman, now our new sister in Christ.
There are numerous names that describe the affiliation we have with the Lord Jesus Christ: brethren and sisters, friends, bride, servants, slaves, and disciples. They all express various aspects of our relationship to Jesus. We have the mutually encouraging family bond as brothers and sisters of our Lord and are invited to be close friends of the Master; there is the intimate relationship of a bride with the bridegroom, yet we are also called servants and slaves. For the relationship that recognizes devotion and dependence on Jesus there is the title “disciple.” A disciple is one who follows and learns from another, being devoted and subscribing to a particular mode of teaching, belief and life style.
Barriers to discipleship
Today a new disciple of Jesus is in our midst, reminding us that we started out on the walk to the kingdom in a similar manner, full of zeal and enthusiasm, determined to follow the Lord throughout our lives. An occasion such as this is an opportune time to renew our commitment as disciples of the Lord Jesus, and also to consider carefully the warnings he gave about barriers to discipleship:
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Lk. 14:26-33).
The passage clearly sets out the conditions of discipleship:
- Discipleship has priority over family and even our own life.
- Discipleship means carrying the cross of Christ in a representative way.
- Discipleship requires counting the cost.
- Discipleship means submitting one’s whole life to the service of Christ.
When we list the requirements like this, it is natural to feel inadequate and wonder inwardly whether we have the faith and strength to conform to the Lord’s expectations.
Guiding principles
Let us examine three guiding principles that can help us to put into practice the Lord’s teachings. First of all there is the obvious but sometimes overlooked maxim that to succeed in any task, ‘there must be a serious and genuine start.’ We cannot finish what we do not start.
There are hundreds of excuses people use to justify why they defer making the initial step toward discipleship. The classic examples were those cited in the parable of the wedding feast: “And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it…and another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen…and another said, I have married a wife…” (Lk. 14:18-20). Then there were the two men who refused to respond positively even when approached with a personal invitation by the Lord Jesus himself: “and he said unto another, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father’ …And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house— (Lk. 9:59,61). Surely the lesson that we are expected to learn is that having received and understood the call of the Gospel, nothing should prevent us from responding promptly with enthusiasm.
We were witnesses to the positive response of repentance and baptism this morning. It is only a beginning, but beginning is an essential first step.
Writing copy
The second principle is “to follow the example of Jesus.” The apostle Peter left no doubt about this as he urged the early Christians to follow in their Master’s steps:
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (I Peter 2:21-25 NIV).
Our template was perfect. He was so totally committed to God’s will that he submitted to a sacrificial death. In contrast, we so easily give way to sin. Nevertheless, as Peter said, we must try to emulate him in the attempt to be disciplined in speech and actions. The word ‘example’ in the above quotation means ‘a writing copy.’ This is the only place where it is used and was obviously chosen to teach a profound lesson.
Scribes were taught to write by using a small tablet upon which the teacher wrote letters. The student’s task was to carefully copy the letters on the blank line below the original letters. Interestingly, some of us can still remember struggling with the same method at school. The task is not an easy one, as every student will recall. The hand of the novice is unsteady and letters have the habit of dipping below the line, parts of letters are unconnected, round letters look anything but spherical, and the finished product is frustratingly out of balance and uneven. But that is not all! The first line that the student attempts to copy is of necessity referenced against the top line, and the second compared against the copied one, and so on down until the task is completed. Unless there is a concentrated effort to use the illustrated example at the top as the point of reference, the margin will become wider leaving inadequate space, and inevitably the quality of the lettering will deteriorate. On completion, the bottom line will have little resemblance to the top one. What the apostle was demonstrating to the early Christians is pertinent to every disciple: we must endeavor to keep our eyes clearly focused on our reference point, the flawless example of the Son of God.
Preparation
Our third guiding principle is faithful adherence to the simple remembrance instituted and commanded by our Lord. Regular participation in the emblems of bread and wine is vital in sustaining a strong and dynamic spiritual life. It is not an event that can be tucked away as just another item in a busy weekly schedule. There should be nothing hasty or haphazard in our attendance at the Lord’s Table. On the contrary, there must be thoughtful preparation to ensure the right attitude of mind; leading to the appreciation that the emblems are our weekly connection with God’s great purpose in His Son, which we neglect to our peril.
The scripture record shows that Jesus was well prepared for the last supper: “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Lk. 22:15). Communication through prayer with his Father had strengthened his resolve to fulfill the divine purpose, enabling him to focus on the “joy that was set before him” (Heb. 12:2) and endure the terrible trials ahead.
Whether our pilgrimage in the truth has been an hour or half a century, the three principles looked at this morning can be beneficial in strengthening our faith. First, we need to make a start in order to finish. Second, as disciples of Christ we follow his example; he is the clear, accurate and inspiring example upon whom we must firmly fix our eyes, for he is the perfect embodiment of a godly life. Third, consistent attendance at the breaking of bread service is necessary for our eternal welfare.
Now with these principles in mind and with thankful hearts, we invite our new sister to share with us in remembering the death and resurrection of our Lord by partaking of the bread and wine.
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