Discipleship

Following Jesus

June 4, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

We find one of the hardest teachings of Jesus in Luke, chapter fourteen, verses 26- 33. I’ve rarely heard messages preached from this passage, at least not without several caveats and attempts to water down what Jesus was saying. I think we are on dangerous ground any time we try to soften or redefine the words of Jesus. Jesus was the most intentional person who ever lived. He meant what He said every time. One way we know this is because when Jesus gave a hard teaching such as the one in John 6:53-58, we learn a few verses later that many turned away from following Him.

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Jesus didn’t soften His message or try to say what He had said another way to win them back. No, He meant what He said, and He allowed the people to accept the teaching and follow Him or to walk away. He wanted everyone to trust in Him, but not at the cost of compromising His Word.

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Time Keeps On Slipping

May 25, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

There’s an old song that says, “Time keeps on slipping into the future”. As most of the world has been sequestered in their homes for the past couple of months, I’ve noticed time seems to pass faster than ever before. Others have begun noticing it as well (see “Why time seems to be going faster while we are in lockdown”). Add this to the phenomenon of time passing by more quickly the older you get

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(I don’t know if there’s evidence for this, but it’s something an older person told me when I was younger, and I have found it to be true in my life), and time keeps on slipping not just into the future, but out of my hands. The time we hold today will be gone tomorrow, never to return.

One Day at a Time

May 21, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

Following Jesus must be done one day at a time. Jesus told us we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:31-34). In Proverbs, Agur prayed for just enough provision for today, not for a month, a year, or a lifetime (Proverbs 30:8). Agur was a wise man, so if his advice was to focus only on the day ahead of us, that should probably good enough for us. But when Jesus says it, then as His disciples, we must live as He says.

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As you study the life of Christ, you see a man who took each day as it came. He was never in a rush and never harried. He spent each day dealing with whatever situation was presenting itself. The only long-term agenda He seemed to have was obeying His Father. Everything else was dealt with as it came.

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What is Discipleship?

May 18, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

I am becoming more and more bothered when I read prayer requests for discipleship movements. A popular refrain among churches today is they want to be creating disciples who create disciples who create disciples. This is a worthwhile goal. At the same time, if churches aren’t creating disciples, then what are they creating? What is it they were teaching before discipleship? I am convinced one who is not a disciple is not a follower of Jesus.

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To follow Jesus is to be His disciple. You cannot separate the two. To be blunt, to be saved is to be a disciple. You cannot be one without the other. For too long we have pedaled a cheap grace, allowing people to profess a belief in Christ without explaining the level of commitment a true confession requires.

Faith Demands Obedience

May 11, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Faith is only real when there is obedience”. James, the brother of Jesus tells us faith without works is useless (James 2:15-17). What good is it if we see someone in need and wish them well as we walk by (James 2:15-16)? Saving the best for last, Jesus teaches us that God loves those who obey Him; those who obey Christ will live with Him forever (John 14:23).

Obedience is not optional for followers of Jesus. It is proof of our devotion to Him. Quoting James again. “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. (James 2:18).” Our faith isn’t faith at all unless we obey Christ. Obedience is not an add-on. It is the essence of what it means to follow Jesus.