Marks of a Disciple, PART 2

Posted byDr StevenPosted inBible Truth for Today, Counseling for the SoulTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spiritual Formation Growth Plan

Introduction

Personal spiritual growth is an individual choice a disciple of Christ must make. The daily habits that contribute to abiding with and dwelling in the presence of the Lord are critical parts of healthy spiritual formation and growing in discipleship. The prophet Jeremiah was instructed to search all of Jerusalem for a man who was a legitimate disciple of the Lord. He could not find one. Many in the city claimed to be followers of Yahweh, but none were authentic. Observe God’s imperative to search for Jeremiah:

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely…I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds (Jeremiah 5:1-2, 5).

Where Are the Disciples?

Jeremiah went to the poor, the powerful, the religious, and the secular and could not find a genuine disciple. Outside of King Josiah, and a handful of priests, there were no legitimate disciples to be seen. The men in the “City of God”[1] were not praising or genuinely dwelling with the Lord. They lived selfishly instead of living for their God. Michael Haykins describes this selfish dilemma, “Self-centered spirituality is the prime characteristic of pagan culture, be it ancient or modern.”[2]  Christians are disciples of Jesus and must live contrary to the modern pagan culture while embracing a life devoted to Christ. The center of the Christian’s life is Christ, not self (John 15:5). Where are the faithful followers of Jesus today? Personal discipleship disciplines are a choice that a Christian makes daily. When incorporated and properly applied, the Marks of a Disciple ensure spiritual progress during the Christian life.

Paul’s Challenge to Timothy

Paul challenges Timothy to get out of the gym and exercise in spiritual matters in 1 Timothy 4:7-8. Here Paul describes personal godliness as a workout, an active choice that involves initiative and hard work. “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Spiritual Disciplines as a Means of Godliness

“Exercise” is where we find the word “gymnasium.” The word γυμνάζω (gymnazo) means to “exercise vigorously, in any way, either the body or the mind.”[3]  1 Timothy 4:7 speaks of “one who strives earnestly to become godly.[4]  Discipleship includes discipline; it even shares the same root word. Gymnasium activities in Paul’s day included the men in the gym stripping off all their clothes. The initial meaning of γυμνάζω is “to exercise naked.”[5]  The reader may blush while reading but know that stripping down at your local gym is not recommended to the disciple of Christ! Taking this idea into a spiritual understanding and application, the Christian strips down all the pretenses and focuses on fundamental spiritual exercises to arrive at healthy spirituality. Spiritual nakedness gives an individual self-awareness and a clear spiritual assessment of where he is and where he needs to move. The disciple can thank the Lord, He takes us just as we are, and in time and with purpose, He can conform us to the image of His Son.[6]

Spiritual Disciplines to Exercise and Practice

Worship God:

The consistent and faithful worship of God is a spiritual discipline every disciple must include. Worship is generally Sunday church with God’s people gathered publicly and locally, though worship can also be daily, moment by moment. Describing the imperative of individual and collective worship of the Lord with God’s people in the local church, Paul declared:

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Faith is evident in the life of the Christian who not only attends but faithfully participates in the life of his church on Sundays. God is worthy of our time and attention. Giving Sunday mornings to the Lord demonstrates conviction and love for the Lord while affirming one’s faith with prayers, Scripture, fellowship, and Bible preaching. Donald Whitney accurately describes what it is to worship, “To worship God means to ascribe the proper worth to God, to magnify His worthiness of praise, or better, to approach and address God as He is worthy.”[7]  This statement is an incredibly insightful and convicting thought that can cause a disciple to see the value and priority of Sunday worship of Jesus. Because a disciple is a believer, he demonstrates God’s importance in his life by giving time to the Lord to gather with God’s people to worship Him (John 4:23-24).

Gathering with the local church is critical for a genuine disciple of Jesus. It’s a historical practice, and precedent in every generation since Christ – faithful Christians gather in His name. Adam McClendon and Jared Lockhart note the following church example about disciples gathering.

The original meaning for the word church involved a gathering (an assembly) of people. While the word itself should be sufficient to demonstrate the necessity for the people of God to gather regularly, God graciously gave us example after example throughout the New Testament not only to describe the early church’s activity but also to serve as a model for believers so we could know and follow God’s design for us today.[8]

Walk with Others:

Living life together with others offers encouragement and accountability. Small groups, Scatter Groups, and other aptly named groups can assist the disciple in healthy spiritual formation and personal discipleship. After preaching to large audiences of hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, Jesus would take His immediate disciples aside in a small group setting and teach them personally. Andrew Murray summarizes, “For three years the disciples had been in the training school of Jesus.”[9] This setting is more relational and personal. It’s living life together. God created us for community and fellowship.[10] Knowing and being known is part of our DNA. We need Christian friendships. Speaking of friendship as part of the Christian life, Michael Haykins proposes,

Now, the Bible uses two consistent images in its representation of friendship. The first is that of the knitting of souls together… Not surprisingly, the term ‘friend’ naturally became another name for believers or brothers and sisters in the Lord (see 3 John 14)…The second image that the Bible uses to represent friendship is the face-to-face encounter. [11]

Disciples need others for accountability. Other than the Lord, who will challenge us when we are wrong? Who will correct us with love? Paul and Timothy and Jonathan and David are just a few of many other Biblical examples of disciples who enjoyed the benefits of walking in life with others. Teaching, learning, togetherness, unity of purpose, and relationships are all part of this mark of the disciple. We have brothers and sisters in Christ as part of this “Family of God.”[12]  The same ones who hold us accountable, we can hold accountable. The same ones are also sources of encouragement. We, too, can encourage others. The Apostle Paul shares the following about how Christians edify one another with love in Ephesians 4:16, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Win to Jesus:

The discipleship process must start with someone. From Jesus to His immediate disciples and the subsequent disciples up until this day, someone has shared the Gospel, planted the seed, watered the seed, or harvested a soul to the Lord. This new convert is a disciple of Jesus, a new Christian. Each person investing truth into that person is serving the Lord and others. Humble service is how a disciple can win people to Jesus. The spiritual gift imparted to the new believer can be discovered and utilized in Gospel ministry upon salvation. Every Christian must find a way to serve within the context of his local church. Service is how we win people to Jesus and fulfill The Great Commission imperative of Matthew 28:19, “Go.”

The great missionary, the Apostle Paul, is an excellent example of serving the Lord and serving others. His love and devotion to Jesus and His Gospel is evident. Michael Gorman writes, “That Paul suffered is well known; that he did so, at least from his perspective, out of love, is not always recognized.”[13]  Why did Paul serve, even to the point of suffering? He loved the Lord, as Deuteronomy 6 instructs, and He loved people, like the Second Commandment[14] states, to share the Gospel with them, to serve them.

Love is the greatest motivation we have in serving the Lord and others. Love is more than words; it’s action. Love is commanded by God and commended throughout Scripture. Notice how charity (love) affects a disciple’s service.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

Rest in Jesus:

The Christian life is not all work. Jesus completed the work of salvation on the cross, and we can rest in Him, knowing His presence in our lives. Jesus says it best when He invites those seeking peace to come to Him in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Disciples living with faithful worship, walking with others through life, and winning others to Jesus with their loving service can enjoy the rest and peace abiding with Christ affords. The disciple who realizes the daily presence of the Lord can discover the joy of serving Jesus and living a life dedicated to Him as the center of this Christian life.

Assessment Results

The Marks of a Disciple Spiritual Assessment I developed was administered to a small sampling of nine Christian people. The education levels of these nine include four college graduates, two with some college, one having trade schooling, and the rest are High School graduates. All nine’s ethnicity is white. Four live in a city environment, and the rest live in the countryside. The average age is 35, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest being 70. There are three churches represented in this sampling. The following group results demonstrate areas that are strong and areas that could use improvement for these disciples.

  • Worship God (out of 30 possible points): 26.5
  • Walk With Others (out of 30 possible points): 22.6
  • Win to Jesus (out of 30 possible points): 24.4
  • Rest in Jesus (out of 30 possible points): 26.8

Total Discipleship Assessment (out of 120 possible points): 100.3

There is no right or wrong answer to the assessment questions. This assessment is merely a tool used to assist a disciple in honestly evaluating where he is in his walk with Christ. To gauge the present condition of the disciples in this assessment, I factored that four of the six questions must be marked “5” for a higher, more excellent score. Subtracting units of four from the highest possible score is how the following numbers were derived. An honest personal spiritual assessment with scores falling into the number windows below may be found.

Individual Mark Scoring:

  • 27-30, Excellent, keep going!
    • 23-26, Good, don’t stop!
    • 19-22, Room to Grow.
    • 0-18, Ask for Help.

Overall Scoring:

  • 108-120, Excellent, keep going!
    • 92-107, Good, don’t stop!
    • 91-76, Room to Grow.
    • 0-76, Ask for Help.

From the Marks of a Disciple Spiritual Assessment, “Walk with Others” was the lowest score. “Walking with Others” is a weak area of discipleship for this group. “Resting in Jesus” was the highest. This writer initially thought that “Worshipping God” would have been the highest mark but found it enlightening and encouraging that “Resting in Jesus” is the highest. These disciples rely on the Lord and enjoy Jesus’s presence.

Customized Growth Plan

Following Spiritual Disciplines, as advised in the following Growth Plan, will contribute to the overall spiritual health of a disciple of Christ. These are a means to an end, not the end itself. The result of discipleship is becoming more like Jesus; this is the goal. This growth plan will assist in godliness and discipleship while primarily focusing on the spiritual disciplines contributing to effective “Walking with Others.”

Worship God:

Continue to attend church services each Sunday, being faithful to participate in the activity of your local church. Let your personal daily worship overflow into a public gathering. Worship the Lord with your heart, soul, body, and mind. Bow down before Him in public prayer. Praise Him in worshipful and doctrinally sound singing. Gather in person and participate with your local congregation each Sunday.

Walk with Others:

  1. Talk Bible with Others. 
  2. Participate in the small groups offered in your church. Don’t just attend; participate in the discussion. Become a meaningful contributor.
  3. After reading the Bible personally, talk with another Christian friend about the passage. Plan for a friendly Bible discussion once a week.
  4. Send a text with a Bible verse that encouraged you today.
  5. Listen to a podcast such as “Love Worth Finding” with Adrian Rogers, “Everyday Truth” with Kurt Skelly, “Family Talk” with James Dobson, “Thru the Bible” with J. Vernon McGee, or “Truth for Life” with Alistair Begg and share it with a friend. Share one podcast each month. 
  6. Ask another disciple to participate in a Bible reading challenge with you and keep each other accountable. This could be a chapter of Proverbs each day, the New Testament in the year, the whole Bible in a year, or the whole Bible in 3 months plan. 
  7. Read books such as “Living By the Book” by Howard and William Hendricks, “Women of the Word” by Jen Wilken, “Jesus on Every Page” by David Murray, “The Calvary Road” by Roy Hession, or “Running With Giants” by John Maxwell and discuss the Bible truths you learned with others.
  8. Talk To God with Others.
  9. Pray with your small group.
  10. Share your prayer requests with the group.
  11. Ask prayer requests on behalf of others.
  12. Offer to lead the group in prayer.
  13. Text a friend you are praying and pause to pray for them.
  14. Offer to pray for a person in distress or facing a tough challenge and then pray with him at that moment.
  15. Keep a prayer list with the requests of many others listed. “The Battle Plan Prayer Journal” by Alex Kendrick is a good resource for your prayer list.
  16. Read a book such as, “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala, “Partners in Prayer” by John Maxwell, “Praying for Your Elephant” by Adam Stadtmiller, “The Prayer of Jabez” by Bruce Wilkerson, or “The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies” by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick and then plan a specific time each day to pray personally, to prepare yourself better to pray in the small group.
  17. Share Life with Others.
  18. Become more relational with other Christians.
  19. Include other disciples in your daily life.
  20. Speak encouraging words: Purpose to say something positive to at least one Christian daily.
  21. Lovingly speak the truth. A brother or sister in Christ may need a gentle reminder to do the right thing or to think the right way.
  22. Be an example. Positive proximity demonstrates words and actions that may encourage, challenge, or compel another disciple to take the correct next step.

Win to Jesus:

Discover your spiritual gift and sign up for at least one ministry in the context of your local church. You need your church, and your church needs you to reach more folks for Christ with the Gospel and to adequately disciple the new converts. The greeting team, cleaning crew, kid’s ministry, VBS, AWANA, nursery, music ministry, Scatter Group host, media ministry, grounds crew, and safety team are good places to start. Ask your pastor this Sunday about ministries in which you can volunteer. Disciples can win others to Jesus with their service.

In addition to serving, find creative ways to invite others to Christ. Invite people to attend Sunday church with you. Ask a neighbor to attend the next outreach event at your church. Take a dessert to a neighbor who recently lost a loved one and ask them if you could pray with them.

Rest in Jesus:

Jesus did the work of salvation at the Cross. Jesus is with us while we work to share His message with the lost. Jesus is with us when we baptize new disciples and teach the Bible. Rest upon Him. Walk in the Spirit. Rely on Christ. Commit all the results and expectations to the Lord. Let Him build His church as He promised He would in Matthew 16:18.

Conclusion

This Personal Spiritual Growth Plan will only help an earnest disciple when utilized. Decisions are good to make, but with no action, nothing will change, and nothing will be better. Choose to grow. Instill these disciplines into your life. While Jeremiah could not find a disciple, the Lord saw a faithful disciple in Jeremiah. Be like Jeremiah. 

From the example of Paul telling Timothy to “get out of the gym,” we uncover the truth that the Christian life requires spiritual exercise, and this spiritual exercise is much more valuable than the sweat of a physical workout in the gym. Like physical exercise, spiritual exercise takes decision, time, place, and effort. Marathon runners will adjust their schedule for race day. Basketball players will design their calendars around the big game. Disciples of Christ examine their priorities and will implement the necessary changes to become more like Jesus. 

We have assessments available in the Wilton Baptist Church lobby. Please pick one up next Sunday to take the test for yourself.

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A. and Beitzel. Larry J. “Christians, Names For,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988).

Faithlife, LLC. “Disciple.” Logos Bible Software, Computer software. Logos Bible Software Bible Sense Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, May 30, 2023. https://ref.ly/logos4/Senses?KeyId=ws.disciple.n.01.

Gorman, Michael J. Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001).

Haykin, Michael. The God Who Draws Near: An Introduction to Biblical Spirituality (Evangelical Press, 2007).

Magnum, Douglas. Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament, Lexham Context Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).

McClendon, Adam P.Lockhart, Jared E. Timeless Church: Five Lessons from Acts (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2020).

Murray, Andrew. Humility: The Beauty of Holiness (New York; London; Glasgow: Fleming H. Revell, 1800).

Rainer, Thom S. and Rainer, Sam S. Geiger and Rainer Eric, Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2010).

Raymer, Roger M. “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985).

Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889).

Thomas, Robert L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Life (Revised and Updated) (NavPress, 2014).

Yount, William and Barnett, Mike. Called to Reach: Equipping Cross-Cultural Disciplers (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2007).

Gorman, Michael J. Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.

              [1] Psalm 48:1, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.”

[2] Michael Haykin, The God Who Draws Near: An Introduction to Biblical Spirituality (Evangelical Press, 2007), 11.

[3] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 122.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

[6] Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

[7] Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Life (Revised and Updated) (NavPress, 2014), 103–104.

[8] P. Adam McClendon and Jared E. Lockhart, Timeless Church: Five Lessons from Acts (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2020), 34.

[9] Andrew Murray, Humility: The Beauty of Holiness (New York; London; Glasgow: Fleming H. Revell, 1800), 39.

[10] Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

[11] Michael Haykin, The God Who Draws Near: An Introduction to Biblical Spirituality (Evangelical Press, 2007), 73.

[12] The family of Christians, named for Christ, is described in Ephesians 3:14-15, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

[13] Michael J. Gorman, Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), 179.

[14] Matthew 22:38-39, “This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Published by Dr Steven

Steven Harness is a Christian husband and father of three who has been married to Natalie for nearly 25 years. A veteran pastor and counselor he’s been in gospel ministry for 25 years. He blessed to serve as the lead pastor of the Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, NY. He has a long-term interest in archeology, history, creation science, ancient languages, and the Bible. He enjoys the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and targeting. He is also a fan of youth sports such as Jr. NBA and Little League baseball, both of which he has enjoyed coaching. Concerning credentials, Steven holds a Bachelor of Bible (BB) at Pensacola Christian College, a Master of Divinity (MDiv.) in Education from Mid-America Theological Seminary, a Master of Ministry (MMin.) in Pastoral Studies, a Doctor of Philosophy of Religion (PhD.) in Counseling from Bethany Divinity Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry (DMin.) in theology and apologetics from Liberty University. He is also a Board-Certified Christian Counselor (BCPPC), a SYMBIS facilitator, and president of the New York Association of Christian Schools. He is the lead counselor of Mountain View Christian Counseling and the lead speaker for Truth Defended, and apologetics ministry. www.truthdefended.org Ultimately, Steven hopes to serve the Lord with gladness, humble plodding along and making a difference for the Kingdom. He is available for special conferences and training sessions. Steve is also a Board-Certified Christian Counselor (BCPPC) and a SYMBIS facilitator. He is the president of Mountain View Christian Counseling and the New York Association of Christian Schools. He recently started "Truth Defended" a ministry equipping Christians to defend their faith.

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