Modern Day Disciples

July 22, 2024 2:25 PM

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Modern Day Disciples 

Matthew 22:34-40, 28:16-20

Trish is a divorced single parent. She has a demanding, stress-filled job and is trying to raise two children. She once attended church but no longer has time. She was hoping to receive encouragement from her church but after the separation, no one called.

Richard experienced several job changes. The job he has now doesn’t pay nearly what he used to receive. He used to attend church regularly but when his job problems began, he could no longer give what he pledged. Embarrassed, he stopped attending. 

Phil and Judy have two young children. They are considering attending a local church but haven’t followed through. Meanwhile, their next-door neighbors drive off every Sunday morning dressed up to go to church but so far have not invited Phil and Judy. 

How can we be the church for Trish, Richard, Phil, and Judy? One religious consultant confessed: “I was taught to make and train members of a church. Instead, I should have been teaching disciples for Christ.” What does that mean? In the Bible, a disciple asks: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Mat. 22:36-40) Disciples of Jesus learn to ask: How can we love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind and what would it mean for us to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves?

Remember Trish, our divorced, single parent? She was invited by a coworker to a divorce recovery meeting at a nearby church: meals and childcare provided. Trish never felt more secure and loved. Weeks later, she and her children attended worship at the same church. Now, Trish is a leader in the divorce recovery ministry of that church.

Richard, who experienced financial difficulties renewed his friendship with a buddy on Facebook. With his friend’s encouragement, Richard visited a men’s breakfast group at his church. Richard was pleasantly surprised to be warmly welcomed and discovered that many of the men experienced similar struggles. Now, Richard is one of the cooks at the men’s group and leads a group that offers classes to help those who lost their jobs. 

Judy received a tweet mentioning a MOPS group. MOPS stands for Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, a faith-based group offering support for mothers and their children. Days later, she attended one of their gatherings and found practical advice and an atmosphere of encouragement. While there she was invited to attend worship. Now, Phil and Judy volunteer with the children’s ministry at that same church.

Yes, the world has changed dramatically but the church can still make a difference in the midst of those changes. Just ask Trish, Richard, Judy, and Phil.

Prayer Challenge: Lord, help me learn to become more of a disciple.