Hillside Happenings
a blog from our pastors and staff
Sometimes you find an article or a blogpost that can express things better than you can say yourself. This week I came across this article that I thought might benefit some of our readers. Here is the link to the article, written by Andrew Dragos for Seedbed.com. Comment to let me know what you think! 7 Things the Bible Teaches About Discipleship By Andrew Dragos - January 29, 2018
1. The life of discipleship was anticipated in the Old Testament, made explicit in the Gospels, and fleshed out in the Epistles and other New Testament writings. The Old Testament set a pattern for discipleship by way of covenantal relationship—God’s calling for Israel to be his people and to walk in his ways (Deuteronomy 4:1-14; 10:12-13; 1 Samuel 12:14). When they broke covenant, Israel was described as “walking in the ways” of pagan gods (1 Kings 18:21). This walking in the ways of God finds culmination in Jesus’s call for his original apostles to “follow him.” The actual word disciple is almost exclusively limited to the New Testament Gospels and Acts, and was an early designation for followers of Jesus. The word denotes a master (or teacher) – student relationship, and meant that the student would follow in the path of life laid out by his or her master. 2. Discipleship is the highest calling, core identity, and central task of the church. Discipleship cannot be named among one of the activities of the church, it is what the church is and does. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he made clear in the Great Commission that making disciples was the call of the church (Matthew 28:18-20). In this sense, discipleship is not optional—there is no such thing as Christians who aren’t disciples. As a community, a church cannot tag discipleship onto its multi-level programs, it must be the core purpose behind everything the church is and does, including its worship, evangelism, social witness, multi-generational programs, etc. 3. Disciples of Jesus seek to glorify their Lord by becoming like him in all respects. In ancient times, disciple relationships were common both in Gentile and Jewish worlds. The basic pattern was that of a student learning from and becoming like their master. This is what Jesus said in Luke 6:40, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (NIV) Later, Paul said that the goal of the Christian life was predestined to be conformity to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29). Therefore, the best witness to what is expected of Jesus’s followers is the life of Jesus himself, not in spite of his unique vocation as the Son of God but especially in light of his identity. The Gospels’ witness to Jesus’s teaching, way of life, and relationship with God are fundamentally the most instructive revelation of what God expects of his people. And since Jesus fulfilled the image of God perfectly, Christians can now look to his example in order to fulfill their own original vocation as image bearers of God (Genesis 1:27; 2 Corinthians 4:4). 4. The life of discipleship is characterized by a pattern of self-denial and a focus on others. Disciples are not characterized by conceit, narcissism, or false humility. Even excessive introspection misses the purpose of the Christian life. Rather, disciples are marked by an outward life that focuses on serving others (Mark 10:35-35). Instead of claiming natural rights or seeking maximal happiness and comfort for one’s own existence, disciples look to the needs of others, especially those in close proximity to them. Indeed, the very act of the Incarnation set a pattern for self-denial and emptying oneself of privileges in order to love others well (Philippians 2:1-8). Jesus often reminded his original disciples of the cost to follow him; it involved “denying the self daily” and “taking up the cross” (Luke 9:23). Disciples must crucify—put to death—anything that stands in the way of following Jesus. 5. Authentic discipleship requires the initial, and often ongoing, act of repentance and turning away of sin. A disciple of Jesus that lives in the kingdom of God, or under his rule, recognizes that repentance is not a suggestion but an imperative. To repent, biblically, means not only to feel remorse for sin but turn away from it and toward God; to turn away from evil and toward the good. The Old Testament prophets regularly called God’s people to repent (Isaiah 45:22; 55:7; Ezekiel 14:6; Joel 2:12-13) and in the New Testament it is made a prerequisite for salvation (Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:37-41). Being a discipleship is totalizing and comprehensive, and requires the entirety of one’s being. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, he responded that one must love God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength. (Mark 12:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 12:1; 1 John 3:6-7). Often this means re-evaluating core assumptions about identity, vocation, and culture, and being willing to allow the gospel to critique us, even when it’s painful. 6. Discipleship requires intentional practices that gradually become enduring, natural habits. The life of discipleship, sometimes referred to as spiritual (trans)formation, is not an immaterial, mindful, transcendental life that materializes on its own. It is rather an earthy and intentional descent into practices that were modeled initially in the Old Testament saints and especially in the Psalter. Singing, praying, worshiping, communing, reading, meditating, and lamenting were the primary ways that God’s people covenanted with him. Jesus modeled these same rhythms throughout his ministry, even if reported only on occasion (Matthew 14:22-23; 22:29; Luke 5:15-16). The early church also modeled healthy spiritual habits together (Acts 2:41-47). As these means of grace are engaged, desires and appetites are transformed. What was difficult to do becomes more natural (2 Timothy 2:1-7). Discipleship is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit who uses the Word of God throughout these various rhythms to transform us (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13; Titus 3:5). 7. An essential element of effective discipleship is community. God’s salvation is not intended primarily to create individual Christians but to create a people that share an identity in Christ. Community has played an integral part in humanity’s wholeness from the very beginning: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18) In the Old Testament, the entire community was often held responsible for one person’s sin (Joshua 7:24) and people sought reform together (2 Chronicles 34, Nehemiah 9, Jonah 3). In the New Testament, Jesus’s followers regularly gathered together for several purposes, both in large and in small groups (Acts 2:41-44; Acts 4:31), and it is indeed mandated for Christians (Hebrews 10:25). Varying sizes of communities afford Christian disciples the opportunity to be vulnerable, encouraging, accountable, and supportive of one another in appropriate ways. Community is necessary for discipleship because everyone has a weakness that is served only by others, and conversely, everyone has a strength that can serve the weakness of another person. It is in isolation that disciples fall prey to Satan’s devices and fall into temptation. Together, the life shared by disciples serve as a testimony to God’s plan of renewal for all of creation. Recommendations for further reading: The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Complete Book of Discipleship by Bill Hull Following the Master by Michael J. Wilkins The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard The Means of Grace by Andrew C. Thompson Article taken from: https://www.seedbed.com/7-things-the-bible-teaches-about-discipleship/
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I wanted to write to you this week in encouragement that God is alive and well in the world today. I feel that Christians feel so isolated in this large world that we have. Living in Western New York, I feel that way a lot of times. We need to remember that we have a body of Christ right around the corner at our local church. I know it is hard to get to know others and going to church can sometimes not be what we want to do on a Sunday morning, but God is worth our time. God is worth the effort. And you will be better for the time that you plug in to God's work here on earth and get with a good Christian community of believers. And ultimately that it what it comes down to, our choice to plug in and spend effort with God and others.
Many of us have strong opinions and various view points on a wide variety of issues, but lets not let this separate us, for we are together in Christ! I truly believe that those who proclaim Christ most often have more in common then different. Though I am an Assistant Pastor at Hillside Wesleyan Church in Olean, I encourage you to plug in to your local church where you are. But if you are in the Olean area, do not have a group of Christian believers to plug in with, or feel that you want to find out more about our church, come here. I should be there just about every Sunday morning at 10:45am. Come and talk with me and maybe we can have a coffee in Christian fellowship. Oh, and I hear the worship at Hillside is pretty good too. Thanks for reading, Andrew Fidurko, Assistant Pastor (Worship Leader) Winter is upon us.
And just as we go through the seasons, especially here in Western New York, so we go through seasons in our lives. Education, relationships, church life, growing older, illness, deaths and losses. I heard a speaker ask the question of the audience – what would you like to have known at graduation that you now know? From the group of older adults - a lot of the answers were around the topic of relationships – how important they truly are – and yet how little time we invest in them – until it is too late. We seem too busy chasing after things – things that we later find out do not matter as much as we once thought they did. John Wesley often asked the question – Are you closer to God today than you were yesterday? Brennan Manning believes Christ will ask – Did you know I loved you? And God may ask – what did you do for my kingdom? Did your life bring me glory? Were you the salt and light for the world? Was your life lived in such a matter that you were a Christian example of my love and grace? Hillside is a very caring and giving group. And I am proud and honored to call Hillside my home. How can I and Pastor Dan help you answer these questions? How can Hillside be an outreach to the city of Olean for Christ? If Hillside ceased to exist – would we be missed – and what for? What is our identity in the community? We are both a body, and a group of individuals? As individuals we impact those around us. How do we share our faith to those around us? Do we believe in our faith enough to share it – and tell others that our relationship with God is real – and I just wanted to share with you how important it is to me – and how real it can be? Our relationship with God needs to be alive and real before we can share it with others. We need to be growing closer to Him daily – spending time with Him in prayer, reading his Bible, joining with others in Sunday School and small groups – and growing together. On this journey, I don’t want to leave anyone behind. If there is anything we at Hillside can do to support your journey, please talk to us. Thanks, Pastor Nila This is my go-to song when I need some encouragement and a reminder of God's faithfulness. I pray it blesses you! |
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This class will be studying Priscilla Shirer’s Bible study, Discerning the Voice of God: Is That You, God? The Father so passionately loves you that He sent Jesus to die in your place. He desires a personal relationship in which He speaks directly to you. Have you spent most of your Christian life leaning on these beliefs without really experiencing them? Have you been in the presence of passionate believers who shared stirring encounters with God’s voice while your own soul overflowed with confusion? How did these saints know God was speaking? No blessing surpasses a relationship with God in which you know when He is specifically calling to you. The more intimate your relationship with Him, the clearer God’s voice becomes. Discerning the Voice of God provides participants with practical help in knowing what you hear is from God. Through this study you will become more familiar with God’s Holy Spirit, His character, language, and tone of voice. |
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