"Christ-like Curriculum" Part 2

What do I do now? Once you have determined that pursuing Jesus is worth everything there are some practical steps we need to take on this journey together. How do we admire Jesus sufficently?

Ask. We need to ask Jesus emphatically and repeatedly our desire to see him and know him for who he truly is. The heart of the kingdom is "asking" to see God, much like the people in Exodus 3:7-10 "cryed out" to God to be rescued. Jesus is a cry or conversation away. I have never met anyone that has genuinely sought God, and not found him. This is an ongoing process by the way. This may take a few hours, a few quiet times alone, a few days, a few years, probably not that long. Let someone know, a pastor or friend, that this is a genuine desire you have so that they can help you. Jesus wants to be found...

Dwell, Reside, in His Words. Now that you have asked God to show himself, and your desire to be his disciple, you must dwell with his words, in the Bible. John 8:31-32: 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Anyone who holds to the teachings of Jesus is a "true" disciple, and they will be set free. Not a bad deal. You will be set free from the bondadge of sin, death, and empty religion, and be found in the new life of the kingdom of God.

We will dwell and immerse ourselves in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Find a version of the Bible that is readable (The Message, NIV, New Living Translation, Living Bible). We will study, reflect, pray, take notes, ask questions, ask others, listen to teaching in small groups, and public worship gatherings. Our minds need to be re-trained and changed by the word of God. TV and mindless entertainment will not cut it. Only watch enough to realize it is not worth our brain and heart capacity.

Not only will we dwell in the word, we must put it into practice. The word must be lived. We will do this imperfectly at first, it will feel strange, but it will become liberating. Know what the word says, but learn how to live it.

Two more things. Once you have read the Gospels many times, and God begins to teach you and change you. Read some other saints of the past. Mother Teresa, Wesley, Calvin, St. Francis, Augustine, etc. They will inspire us from years past how to be better disciples of Jesus.

Last. Get in a group of people that desire to be disciples of Jesus. You need to walk this in a community of like-minded people. We have many groups like this at CCR.

That is it for now. I will add some more in the coming weeks. I hope this has inspired you to take a next step with Jesus, as his disciple, his apprentice, in the Kingdom of God. Please respond with any questions or comments.

"Christ-like Curriculum" Part 1

How do I become a disciple of Jesus? I believe many Christians and even non-Christians want to live in the ways of Jesus. They are tired of the empty, shallow, direction-less lives they lead, and want something more, something that satisfies their "entire" lives, not a Sunday experience, or religious experience, ritual, but a whole life change. If we are honest we get to a point in life where the same sins and mistakes become old. The same anger, the same unforgivenness begins to wear on our souls, emotions, and even our physical lives. This does not imply that we will never make mistakes or sin; but we learn to desire something bigger than sin, and that is Jesus.

The idea of a "Christ-like Curriculum" may be misleading. These are some basic steps, principles if you will, to get us moving in the direction of Jesus and being his disciples. This is not 8 steps to Jesus, or 9 steps to being like Jesus; it is more organic. Life with Christ is not linear, it is up, down, sideways, close, far away, but always moving us somewhere. It even takes work; discipleship is not by accident, it is intentional, and a desire that must be cultivated. Salvation is a gift, but discipleship is a process.

Baseline question: what would cause someone to choose to be a disciple of Jesus? There has to be something in our souls, something deep down, that sees Jesus as the most magnificent, beautiful, amazing, loving, person, and of course the Son of God, Savior of the World, and we could go on and on... There has to be something of fascination, intrigue, and desire to move in this direction of discipleship. There has to be a desire to "be with" and learn from Jesus.

Reflection: reflect on these two scriptures Matthew 13:44, 45-46. Jesus gives us two parables that show the state of the soul for becoming his disciples.

44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Do these parables do something to you? Have you found Jesus to be so beautiful, breath-taking, and worth everything, that you would sell it all to know him, be with him, and be part of what he is doing in the world? Is there an excitement, a sense of loss if we miss it, a sense of expectancy, a sense of goodness that will come when we choose Jesus?

If you have even a small sense of what these parables describe you are on your way to becoming a disciple of Jesus. God has begun a work in you that is ready to go further into the life and discipleship of Jesus. The ones who bought the field or the pearls had no regrets. Of course they counted the cost and knew it was well worth the effort.

The idea that Christian discipleship is to be ugly, painful, and boring is a lie of culture and the enemy. These parables paint an entire different picture. The walk of discipleship will be hard; yes; it will be painful at times; yes; but it is well worth it. The result can be people who love God more, love people more, know how to forgive, know peace, know peace, become less self-addicted, know how to give, know what matters most in life, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. The idea of "taking up our cross" to follow Christ is not supposed to be drudgery. It is simply saying there is nothing more precious in my life than to follow Christ. So count the cost.