Discipleship through Imitation
John 13:13-15

    Disciples were supposed to become servants of their rabbi, attending to his personal needs. By learning obedience to his rabbi's directions, a disciple learned reverence for doing God's will. Jesus expectations for his disciples were clear: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" (Lk. 6:46).

I. Discipleship through Imitation

A. A rabbi was to model how to live by using examples from his own life.

1. On the night before his death, Jesus knelt down and did the unthinkable (Lk 22:24-30).
2. Then he said: "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (Jn 13:13–15).

B. The Apostle Paul did the same thing:
"In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." (1 Cor 4:15–17).

C. Paul urged Corinthian believers to imitate him just as he was imitating Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

II. Discipleship involves gradual change over a period of years.

A. Western thought sees Jesus' command to make disciples as primarily informational.

B. The Biblical view recognizes that Jesus lived transparently in front of his disciples in order to teach them how to live. In turn, his disciples were to live transparently before others, teaching them the way of Christ.

1. This approach involves not just information but transformation.
2. God's goal isn't simply to fill the world with people who believe the right things. It is to fill the world with people who live as Christ lived.

C. Shepherding is a metaphor for this kind of discipleship.

1. What distinguishes us is not so much the "pen" we inhabit but the shepherd we follow.

III. Discipleship is best accomplished in a flock.

A. Jewish thinkers have consider it vital to study the Scriptures in small groups of other people.

1. Jesus affirmed his followers' need for community. "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matt. 18:20).
2. Since Jesus is himself the Word of God, it makes sense that he would promise to be present as we come together to study Scriptures.

B. Westerners tend to believe that the only way to deeply encounter God is through solitary prayer and study.

C. If the goal of discipleship is to become Christlike, it's important that we spend time with others, learning how to love and be loved.

D. Following Jesus means sharing our lives in community.

    Attending church may enable us to sing rousing songs and hear a great sermon, but we are missing out if we are not also befriending and relating to each other in deeper ways.