D17 Part 3: Gospel-saturated Discipleship

Paul has a mess on his hands with those Corinthians. The people who claim to follow Christ ... to be disciples ... are taking advantage of the poor in their own congregation, in-fighting, and committing indecent acts against each other. Things were such a mess that Paul had to write them at least four times (only two of those letters have been preserved), send emissaries, and even revisit them personally.

His goal was never to merely adjust their behavior. Paul was always about their discipleship - the quality and strength of their following of Jesus. He taught and encouraged them to cling to the Gospel and let it fill their minds. If they would remain focused on the Gospel, the behavioral issues will largely take care of themselves. By all means, stop doing that stupid thing now, but in the long run, drown yourself in the Gospel for real change.

In 1 Corinthians 15, as he's discipling these believers through his letter to them, he states it plainly: "Now I want to make it clear to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand ... for I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received -- that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (emphasis added). I've got to make it clear to you what is of first importance - Jesus and what He did. Everything about my discipleship of you hinges on this.

This leads us to the third of our 17 truths about discipleship that we have been considering these last several weeks (the "D17"):

Discipleship must be Gospel-saturated (1 Cor 15:1-11).

The process of cultivating one another to become fully formed followers of Jesus must be drenched with the Gospel. We cannot intend to disciple one another without basing everything on who Jesus is, what He did and said while in the flesh, and everything He accomplished on the Cross. Specifically, the books of the Bible we typically call "The Gospels" must be our foundational texts ... moreso than other books of the Bible. The story in the Old Testament is vital. Paul's letters are indispensable. The rest of the New Testament is crucial. But the Gospels are our primary text for discipleship - because in them, Jesus most directly teaches and models discipleship with His followers.

We can even turn the noun "gospel" into a verb - we can "gospel one another." Especially for those who already follow Jesus, we need to continually gospel one another - to keep reminding and encouraging one another based on Jesus' words and actions. We all need the Gospel to continually saturate every aspect of our lives. This is because the Gospel is bigger than just "getting saved." The Gospel does contain the message of receiving eternal life through the forgiveness of sins. But the Gospel also includes walking in obedience, thinking more like Jesus, surrendering more to Jesus, and seeing how the Gospel affects ... and should rule over ... every nook and cranny of our lives.

I took part in an internet-based reading plan where we read through all of the Gospels in a week. We were supposed do that six weeks in a row, but I managed only the first week. Even with that, reading large passages each day, the sweep of the Gospel opened up in surprising new ways. Now, I'm spending time each day reading smaller passages, but staying strictly within the Gospels until I've read them several times through.

I suggest making a goal that you read through (or listen to) all four Gospels at least three times through before going on to study other books of the Bible. Large passages, small passages, in a week or in a month, whatever plan will best keep you on task. (By the way, just three chapters a day gets you through all four Gospels in a month.) Then think about the question, "What is the Gospel about in full?"

Furthermore, consider the idea of "gospeling one another." Paul said in Romans 1 that he was eager to preach the Gospel to the church at Rome - but they were already believers. So, Paul wanted to "gospel" them even though they were already saved. He wanted to see the Gospel apply to more and more of their lives by "gospeling" them. Rather than trying to fix each other's behavior, let's gospel one another instead.

The phrase "Discipleship is Gospel-saturated" comes from Caesar Kalinowski.

Lk 15.11-32

Psg: Lk 15.11-32 (http://biblia.com/bible/leb/Lk15.11-32)
Date: 6/28/12

Read

11 And he said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his* father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me.’ So he divided his* assets between them. 13 And after not many days, the younger son gathered everythingand* went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth by* living wastefully.14 And after* he had spent everything, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 And he went and* hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. 16 And he was longing to fill his stomach witha the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving anything* to him.

17 “But when he* came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance ⌊of food⌋,b and I am dying here from hunger! 18 I will set out and* go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and ⌊in your sight⌋!c 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.’ 20 And he set out and* came to his own father. But while* he was still a long way away, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran ⌊and embraced him⌋d and kissed him. 21 And his*son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and ⌊in your sight⌋!e I am no longer worthy to be called your son!’ 22 But his* father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it*on him, and put a ring on his fingerf and sandals onhis* feet! 23 And bring the fattened calf—kill it* and let us eat and* celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and* approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the slavesand* asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has gotten him back healthy.’ 28 But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out and* began to implore* him. 29 But he answered and* said to his father, ‘Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! 30 But when this son of yours returned—who has consumed your assets with prostitutes—you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and ⌊everything I have belongs to you⌋.g 32 But it was necessary to celebrate and to rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found!’ ”

Record

“And you never gave me...”

Reflect

• The older son is complaining because he is comparing how the father has treating him compared to the other son. The parable exposes his heart, and of the Pharisees present, and how they reject grace in favor of meritorious religiosity, but it is the comparison that they can’t get past that exposes that heart.
• There are plenty of ways that we grumble to God as we wallow in grace because we compare ourselves to others and the grace that they receive.
• The older brother would have been happy with his state if this grace was not extended to his brother (or if he was unaware of it).
• When I whine and moan to God, how often is it because I know of some form of grace that someone else has received that I have not? Some skill or ability, a form of success, an accomplishment, a possession, … Would I be perfectly fine with the grace I have received if I was unaware of the grace given to others, or if they had never received it at all? How much of my dissatisfaction with grace has to do with looking at the grace God gave to someone else?

Respond

• You will not stop transforming me until I can rejoice fully in the grace you give to others but not to me. I resist that work by intentionally dwelling, comparing, wanting, coveting. I cooperate (submit, die to self) by seeing how much grace I have that I don’t deserve, by seeing the grace given to others as grace, by trusting that you actually know how to dispense grace in the right way, and by being responsible with the grace I have already received (being faithful in the little things).
• CR: Every complaint is an opportunity to thank God for the great feast given to the undeserving brother, and a chance to be thankful for the grace I already possess.
• CR: When I pray for others, not only pray for how God can “fix” them, but give thanks for the grace given to them (even if that same grace was not given to me).