Breaking The Barrier II

The other evening I had the privilege of playing with my daughter on the floor for a little while. There she was sitting on the floor playing with a few of her toys, staring at a few of them with intrigue wondering what they are supposed to do and what she could possibly do with them. In seven quick months, I have learned about the curiosity of a child; I have seen her spend hours upon hours watching the world around her; studying it and seeing what it is all about. At seven months, Hailee has a lot to learn, some of that she will do by watching those around her, other times she will be shown what to do by someone she knows, and maybe a few times she just figures something out because she has tried some many times she was bound to get it right eventually.

Much is the same with being a disciple of Christ. All of you will learn at different times and in different ways. Most of you will be privileged to know a few people who have walked the path as a disciple before you and you will observe the lives that they live and try to do the same. Other times someone will grab you by the hand and show you how to live a better life as a disciple. And more than a few times, you will stumble around and figure out a little more about life as a disciple because eventually you will get it right. As a disciple of Christ, you are a student, who desires to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Rob Bell in his book, “Velvet Elvis”, writes about what it meant in the days of Jesus to be a disciple of a rabbi (teacher). He says that the goal of a disciple was to not just know what the rabbi knew, but to become like the rabbi. One the other side of the coin, the goal of the rabbi for the disciple was not for the disciple to spit back information, but to understand and live out what the rabbi was teaching. In other words, being a disciple in the time of Jesus was not about passing some test but was about understanding the teaching of a rabbi and committing your life to become like that rabbi.

Jesus says in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In Jesus’ day, the word translated “know”, would have been understood in its Jewish context to mean “knowledge of the requirements of the Law”. In contrast to that, Jesus is saying that it is not the Law that one needs to know but God and himself (Jesus Christ). And where can a disciple come to “know” God and Jesus Christ?

Disciples of Christ in today’s world are truly blessed to have easy access to the Scriptures. You are blessed because the Scriptures are an open window to who God is. When I look at the Scriptures, I see the story of the people of God, from creation of the world to the birth of the God’s church, with many steps in between. As we study this story, we learn about the nature and character of God and the more we are able to understand his nature and his character, the better we will be able to live this life as his disciple.

So where do you start? (That all depends on where you are.)

New Disciple – Just start reading. Learning to read and understand the Bible takes time. Like learning to read Shakespeare, it has its own style. The more you read the more you will understand. I would recommend starting with the gospels and really getting to know the person of Christ, when you get through the gospels, read through the book of Acts and letters of Paul (Romans through Philemon), then try to read some of the Old Testament. I would recommend Genesis, Exodus, Judges, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel to start.

Wanting a little more – After a while you may hit a spot where you don’t seem to be getting much new out of reading. Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of the world…you are really just getting started. If you need something fresh, I recommend find some good resources to help you get a deeper understanding. With the internet, there are many good commentaries that you can get your hands on. Studylight.com has a few. Using some of these resources can give deeper insights and thoughts that should provoke even more understanding. Learning to understand and apply Scripture to your life is a fascinating journey and you will find that the more you read the more there is to learn.

Find a Friend – This can be something that is easily overlooked, but having someone to share your thoughts and observations with can really enhance what you get our of God’s Word. Ultimately, Scripture cannot be understood, learned or applied in a vacuum. Disciples of Christ are called to work learn and grow as a community.

Becoming a disciple is a journey and Scripture is only a small part of that journey. However, the more you learn and understand Scripture; the more you will be able to live a life that is pleasing to God. So don’t ignore the part Scripture can play in living your life as a disciple of Christ.

Love in Christ.

Mike