Jubilee Fam,
On Saturday, we had a rich conversation at our second Brothers Equipping Brothers meeting, discussing our mission to grow disciples who, in turn, grow disciples. I was reminded of a definition that brings terms like discipleship and discipling closer to home for me. Mark Dever offers a helpful distinction:
“Discipling is deliberately doing spiritual good to someone so that he or she will be more like Christ. Discipleship describes our own following of Christ. Discipling is helping someone else follow Christ.”
By God’s grace, there is so much discipling happening at Jubilee as you help one another follow Christ in every stage and season of life. I thank our good Father for that!
Here’s a definition of what it means to follow Christ:
By definition, Christians are people who follow Christ. What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? At the simplest level, it means that we accept what He has taught as accurate and truthful. Beyond that, we also embrace His teachings as the guidelines for our lives. We use His life as the pattern for our own and learn from all the instructions He left us. We do this by putting into practice what He taught.
As we journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we find ourselves on the mountain with Jesus, sitting at His feet among His disciples. He is not only teaching them—He is teaching us as well. What we heard on Sunday are words from our Lord that we accept as accurate and truthful, and we also embrace them as the guiding pattern for our lives.
Hear our Teacher-Savior’s words once again:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:27–30)
There is no doubt a personal element to Jesus’ commands—it is better for you to fight against lust, not just the act of adultery. However, don’t forget that these six examples of greater righteousness in Matthew 5 are not merely about your personal relationship with God. They carry a rich horizontal dimension as well.
Can you imagine a community where our sisters in Christ don’t have to worry about brothers in Christ—Jesus’ men—inappropriately touching them, whether with their hands in the act of adultery or with their minds? The goal of Jesus’ commands is love—love vertically, no doubt (“the pure in heart shall see God”), but also love horizontally in how we treat one another.
Can you imagine a community where this kind of love is practiced and put on display?
Jesus can. It’s called the kingdom of heaven.
Let’s keep learning from our Teacher, Jubilee.
Pastor Lew