[Sermon Summary]

Hello everyone, I'm going to be preaching on the theme of discipleship from Being Disciples by Rowan Williams.

DISCIPLESHIP is a state of life, a way of abiding with Jesus. In John 1, we get a clear picture of what it means to be a disciple. Discipleship is a state of life. Discipleship is not just a decision and a belief, but a life-stage.

The first characteristic of discipleship is staying with Jesus. In John 1, two men see Jesus, they follow him, he invites them to stay with him, and they do. Rowan Williams connects "stay" in John 1 with "abide" in John 15 as an important characteristic of discipleship. "Abide in me" "Abide in my love" (John 15) Therefore, a person who lives as a disciple of Jesus must have personal time with the Lord each day and abide in the presence of the Lord. Abide in the Lord's word and in the Lord's love. This is the first characteristic of discipleship.

A disciple has a birdwatcher's life style. A committed birdwatcher waits with clear expectation and focus. With anticipation, the birdwatcher stays in one place, remains silent, doesn't get impatient, and doesn't wander off. In this way, as a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus lives like a birdwatcher. It's about living with the 'expectation' of Jesus, paying attention and not being distracted.

As T.S. Eliot sang - there is a strange moment when "the kingfisher's wings" flutter and send "light upon light". - All the effort the believer puts into watching, following, staying, and expecting Jesus is clearly worth it. (T. S. Eliot called "the king-fisher's wing' flashing 'light to loght' make it all worthwhile.)

The believer who lives the resurrection lives with a new sense of expectation given by the Holy Spirit.

The believer should have a sense of expectation in every situation, asking questions such as

- "What is Christ trying to give me through this person or gathering?"
-"What is Jesus Christ really trying to give me here and now?"

May you be a "Birdwatcher of Faith," expecting the Lord to work and gift you in every situation.

[Sermon Notes]

Title: "Are you a disciple of Jesus?"
(Discipleship: Walking with Jesus) *1st topic in Being Disciples

John 1:36-39 / John 15:4-9

(John 1:36-39) “「36」 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

「37」 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

「38」 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

「39」 He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”

(John 15:4-9) “「4」 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

「5」 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

「6」 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

「7」 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

「8」 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

「9」 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

Title: "Are you a disciple of Jesus?"

*1st topic in Being Disciples / John 1:36-39 / John 15:4-9

i-1. -Good morning, everyone.

Starting today, I'm going to be speaking on topics from Rowan Williams' Being Disciples. I will be covering the following six themes.

1. Being Disciples / 2. Faith, Hope, and Love / 3. Forgiveness 4. Holiness / 5. Faith in Society / 6. Life in the Spirit

I-2. Jesus lived with clear expectations and purpose.

Jesus lived with the expectation that his followers would live a happy life.

(Jn 10:10) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

(Jn 10:10) "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

Jesus did not live a "life of receiving" but a "life of giving". The life he gave was "life everlasting" and is called "life abundant". Many people dream of a "happy life," but they don't know how to get there (the way).

The "real" "eternal" and "abundant" life Jesus spoke of is the happy life, and he made it clear when he said he was the way, the truth, and the life for the "happy life".

(Jn 14:6) "Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me."

A happy life is lived by Jesus, and so the believer receives Jesus. The believer partakes of the sacrament of the bread and cup given by Jesus. The believer enjoys "a new relationship in the new covenant".

(Lk 22:20) "He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, my blood poured out for you."

*When one receives Jesus, one believes in Jesus, and the believer becomes a child of God. *To be a child of God is to be born again of water and the Spirit. Just as water is poured over the body or immersed in water, the believer experiences the Holy Spirit (anointed).

- The Holy Spirit teaches the believer the mindset, attitudes, and lifestyle of the kingdom of God. Yes, to believe in Jesus, to become a child of God, is to experience the Holy Spirit.

*The believer has a sensory experience of the Trinitarian God and comes to know the character and work of God. The believer comes to know the oneness, harmony, and community of the Trinitarian God.

-- The believer comes to know God's love, goodness, great power, mercy, forgiveness, and resurrection.
-- The more the believer experiences God, the more he knows God, and the more he is united in what he believes and knows.
-- The heart is opened toward and receives the neighbor, just as it receives Jesus
-- You live a whole new dimension of life as the Holy Spirit teaches you (fruit of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, fullness of the Spirit, sorrow of the Spirit, prayer of the Spirit).
-- Realizing that he or she is in a relationship with God in which he or she is not abandoned, the believer not only lives with the security that God provides, but also lives a life that embraces the abandoned, the forgotten, the wronged, and the resentful.
-- The believer's broken home is rebuilt, and a church devoid of God's glory is transformed into a place full of God's glory.

i-3. Identity as a Christian is the starting point; identity as a disciple is the destination.

<Being a Christian is not a destination in itself; being a Christian is a step toward being a disciple. The happiness of a true believer is deepened and enriched by the life of being a disciple. Let's explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, what you'll experience, and how you'll be transformed. We bless each and every WorshipFrontier believer to live a life of being a "disciple of Jesus."

1. Discipleship is about finding where the Lord is.

1-1. Discipleship is a state of life.

In John 1, we get a clear picture of what it means to be a disciple. Discipleship is a state of life. Discipleship is not just a decision and belief, but a life stage.

“Discipleship is a state of being. Discipleship is about how we live: not just the decisions we make, not just the things we believe, but a state of being.”

(A) Therefore, the first step in discipleship is to seek, meet, and be with Jesus.

2 The people see Jesus passing by and follow him. - Jesus sees them and asks them a question. "What are you looking for?"- they answer, and Jesus invites them in. - Rabbi, where is your lodging? / Come and see, let's go together. / They stay with Jesus that day.

(Mk 3:13-14) "13 "Jesus went up on the mountain, and called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. "14" And he appointed the twelve [he also named them apostles]; and he kept them with him, and sent them out to preach the word."

(B) Stay and Abide

Rowan Williams connects the word stay in John 1 with the word abide in John 15.
-Remain in me. Abide in me. -Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you."
-Stay in my love. Abide in my love. "Make yourselves at home in my love."

(Jn 15:4-9) "[4] Remain in me, and I in you, and you in me. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains attached to the vine, so you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"5" I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for I remain in him. You can do nothing apart from Me.

"6" If a man does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a useless branch and dries up. People gather it up, throw it into the fire, and it is burned.

"7" If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, whatever you ask for, it will be done for you.

"8" If you bear much fruit and remain my disciples, my Father will be glorified by this.

"9" As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love."

I want you to have a private, personal time with Jesus each day. I encourage you to spend time with Jesus each day in His Word, in prayer, and in His presence.

1-2. The second aspect of being a disciple is to have a birdwatcher-like lifestyle.

Being a 'disciple', a learner, in that sense is a state being in which you are looking and listening without interruption. ('non-intermittent' quality in being a disciple)

- You are hanging around; you are watching; you are absorbing a way of being that you are starting to share. You learn by sharing life; you learn by looking and listening.

There is a sense of anticipation in a birdwatcher, and so a very skilled birdwatcher will settle down in one place, remain silent, not impatient, not wander off, because they have an expectation that something amazing will suddenly unfold before their eyes.

This is the same attitude of a believer who is becoming a disciple. Jesus' disciples are those who live in expectation through Jesus. A believer prays, a believer seeks the Lord's will, a believer makes decisions.

A birdwatcher sits on the edge of his seat, knowing that something amazing will suddenly unfold before his eyes. Sometimes, of course, this means standing in the rain all day, even though nothing is happening. In this way, as a follower of Jesus, we live like a birdwatcher. It's about living with the "expectation" of Jesus, paying attention and not being distracted. (Being Aware and Attentive)

As T. S. Eliot sang - there is a strange moment when "the kingfisher's wings" flutter and send "light upon light". - Every effort the believer makes to watch, follow, linger, and expect Jesus is worthwhile. (T. S. Eliot called "the king-fisher's wing' flashing 'light to loght' make it all worthwhile.)

- AND I THANK THAT LIVING IN THIS SORT OF EXPECTATION - LIVING IN AWARENESS, YOUR EYES SUFFICIENTLY OPEN AND YOUR MIND BOTH RELAXED AND ATTENTIVE ENOUGH TO SEE THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS - IS BASIC TO DISCIPLESHIP.

1-3. In the Gospels the disciples don't just listen; they are expected to look as well.

Mark's Gospel doesn't sugarcoat the insensitivity of the disciples. The disciples of Jesus are shown to be, at times, incredibly insensitive as they follow Jesus. Over and over again in the Gospels, we see the disciples' inability to recognize what is the glory of God and what is at the heart of Jesus' words.

(Jn 2:11) "This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

Jesus performed many miracles, which were not just miracles, but signs (signs, hints) of meaning. But the disciples continue to show insensitivity, which is why the Gospels ask the question, "What did you do that for?" (What did you do that for?).

Jesus asks the disciples, "How do you understand it?" and "Do you know what it says?"

In Mark 8, Jesus talks to his disciples on the boat after the feeding of the 4,000. After feeding the 5,000 and 4,000 twice, he asks his disciples what they saw, and finally says, "Jesus said to them, 'Do you know what this means?

(Mk 8:17) "Jesus overheard and said, "Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all this? Don't you get it at all?"

(Mk 8:21) "And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?""

Jesus asks his disciples to focus, recognize, and expect. He asks them to watch their actions with as much attention as they listen to his words, and to watch with such inner composure that when a world-changing light suddenly appears, like the flap of a kingfisher's wings, they are ready to seize the moment.

Blessings to you, WorshipFrontier believers, as you live this life of discipleship.

1-4. The Holy Spirit breathes a new sense of expectation into the believer who lives the resurrection.

As believers, we are to live with a sense of expectation as we move through this age. We should live in anticipation of finding our story in the Bible, understanding who we are, and being transformed together with one another.

As believers, we should look at our neighbors with expectation. Whoever they meet,

"What is it that Christ is trying to give me through this person or this gathering?"

- "What is it that Jesus Christ is truly offering me here and now?"

- As followers of Jesus, we are to live with expectations for one another, so that when the Lord sees us, we may experience the fulfillment of the expectations and goals we have for our lives as so-called "happiness".

- If we choose to live our lives as disciples of Jesus, we can ask ourselves the following questions

- What are my expectations for myself? - What are my expectations for my family and children?

- What are my expectations for the church, society, and the world?

May you experience the kingdom of God as you live with Jesus in your life.