Chapter 13 Thessaloniki

Relational Discipleship

All followers of Jesus are invited into an Eternal Adventure that begins here on Earth and will extend into the world that follows next. This is the invitation, our calling: We are to engage ourselves in the process of making other disciples.

This is a naturally risky process as we humans are basically self-centered, creature comfort-oriented individuals who are always asking “What’s in it for me?”. But when we allow Christ to be the Lord of our lives and give freedom to the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, then the Father’s purpose for our lives is fulfilled. This ultimate purpose of our lives is defined over and over again in the Bible as being involved this process of discipleship.

There are many modern formulas for discipleship. Some involve heavy-handed authoritarian oversight of new converts, while others focus on simply numbers of personal commitments to Christ. These programs often set aside time in the week for “disciple-making activities” that will bring people into the church in a focused, systematic manner.  Building the Kingdom becomes a “program” that if we put in our time, and follow the formula, that “great numbers” will fill our local churches. The Biblical record suggests another manner. We see it in the life of Jesus, and in the lives of the brothers and sisters of the Early Church.

Some of my most significant learning experiences in life have followed a model of relational discipleship.

When I was in flight training in the Navy, one valuable skill that we had to acquire was flying in formation with other airplanes– we’re talking “Blue Angels” tight formations.

 

Much of military flying involves operating with other aircraft in all-weather conditions and organizing coordinated attacks on targets that require precise position of aircraft. For these tactics to be successful, we all had to learn the skill to fly safely close to other aircraft. It had to be a skill that became natural in any situation:

• Flying through clouds in close formation with two, four or 16 other aircraft.
• Inbound to a target at low level with those same aircraft.
• Providing mutual defensive support by maintaining formations through often violent flight maneuvers.
• Rendezvousing with the inflight refueling tanker to get needed fuel to get back to the ship, at night and in foul weather.

 

Needless to say, formation flying was an essential skill for every Naval aviator.

 

 

 

On my first formation training flight, my instructor rendezvoused with the flight leader. He smoothly guided the jet into a parade position on the wing line of the lead, with wing overlap. The aircraft were about six feet apart. He held position nicely as the lead aircraft did some turns and descents, climbs, and even rolls! Then we leveled out and he gave the controls to me in the front cockpit. My first attempt at flying six feet from the wingtip of the lead aircraft resulted in wild, dangerous gyrations, until my instructor took over and showed me how it was done– with gentle movements of the stick and throttle.

Then he told me to place my right hand on the stick and left hand on the throttle so that I could feel his smooth movements. Soon he told me that I was to control the jet, with his hands monitoring my movements. I could feel his hands dampening my erratic movements. After many minutes of this, he told me look back in the mirrors.  I did, and to my surprise, he was holding his hands high over his head, off the controls.  I had been flying six feet from the lead aircraft all by myself!

Here is a division formation photo for Attack Squadron 52 with our commander Daryl Kerr as the lead and Michael as #2 on the port side over an island off the Olympic Peninsula 1977

Paul and Silas were about to engage in this process of relational discipleship as they approached the next stop on the Mission Road Trip.

 

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.  He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.”  Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too.  And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.  So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.  That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea.  Acts 17:1-10

 The next stop on the Via Egnatia was the port city of Thessaloniki, where some of the major trade routes of the Aegean crossed. This city was a commercial center with a major port, complete with a mint that made coins.

 

 The modern city and port of Thessaloniki 

 

 

The ancient Agora in Thessaloniki

 

Here Paul followed his usual pattern, beginning to proclaim the Messiah to the Jewish synagogue. After three weeks, he turned to the Greek and Roman inhabitants of the city. Although Luke does not give us much information about the ministry in Thessaloniki, Paul’s first letter to that congregation tells us how he and Silas made disciples in their time there.

 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13

 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.  So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.  Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

 As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.  We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.  You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.   1  Thess 2:1-13

Notice the specific details of what the Road Trip Mission Team did in Thessaloniki:

•  They proclaimed the Gospel boldly, even though there was great opposition (vs. 1-2).
• They didn’t use flattery or trickery in their messages about Jesus and the Christian life. There was no “Come to Jesus and you will have a great life, with no problems, and abundant material possessions” message. They told it like it was: “We suffered greatly at Philippi.” (vs. 3)
• They were not trying to get them to give offerings, but rather worked hard to earn their own living. (vs. 5&9)
• They did not only just speak to them, but they poured their lives into them, caring for them as parents care for their children. They developed deep personal relationships with the Thessalonians (vs. 7-11)
• They exhorted them, taught them, and encouraged them in their walk with the Lord. (vs. 12)

These are all the elements of Relational Discipleship, as modeled by Jesus with his 12 disciples and the many others who shared meals and experiences with Him. Jesus was very personal with his friends, living and traveling with them. Hours were spent talking over meals, or perhaps good cups of coffee and other beverages. Jesus allowed his disciples to be real with Him as He was real with them. He encouraged them often and rebuked them when necessary.

Think of how we are making disciples in our own churches or ministries. Are there any similar elements to the Road Trip Mission Team ministry? If not, perhaps we should reexamine what we are doing.

Any understanding of Biblical Discipleship should begin with this mandate from Jesus:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”                Matthew 28:18-20

 

This is a passage of Scripture that is often called the “Great Commission”.  It is where missionaries have traditionally gotten their “marching orders” to go to other countries and evangelize unreached people.

I first heard this message at a concert on Maui by Keith Green, a famous Christian singer, who’s latest album was titled “Jesus Commands Us To Go!”.  I was so excited afterward that I told my cousin Kean Salzer that I was ready to go to any place and tell the people about Jesus. 

He looked at me, and with a smile asked me: “How would you like to go to an island in the Pacific where less than five percent of the people attend church on Sunday?” 

I responded excitedly: “Let’s go!”. 

He calmly said: “You are standing on it!”

In the early 1980’s, church attendance on Maui was incredibly low.  I got the message. Maui was a good place to share the Good News. I didn’t have to “go”.  I was already “there”. It was a few years later in my studies that I understood why the Great Commission is often misunderstood as a command to pack your bags, leave your home, and go work in a foreign culture. There are a few words in the famous passage that should be understood in their original context.

The word translated “Go” is the Greek word “poreuomai” which has the meaning to pursue the journey on which one has entered; to continue on one’s journey; to proceed.

“Therefore” is the Greek word “oun” which means therefore, accordingly, consequently, or these things being so.

The next word, translated “Make Disciples” is the key word “matheteuo”, which has the meaning of:  to be a disciple of one,  to follow his precepts and instructions; or to make a disciple;  to teach, instruct.

Of the four verbs in this passage (Go, make, teach, baptize) this word mathēteuō  is only verb in the Imperative (aorist) command form. The other three verbs are in the “continuous action” form.

The final significant word, often translated “Nations” is Ethnos:  a race, nation, people group.

 Putting all these concepts together, and understanding the grammar, we hear Jesus literally saying:

All Authority in the Universe has been given to me. Since these things are so, pursue the journey on which you have entered, and disciple the races and ethnic people groups, teaching them to do all the things I commanded you and baptizing them. Remember, I will be with you always as you do this.”

 Principle: Jesus wants us to establish relationships with the people He places around us and let them know that He is our Creator, Savior and Lord. We are to baptize them and teach them the importance of obeying all the things He had commanded us. And, most importantly, He will be with us, empowering us, encouraging us, and opening opportunities for us as we do these things.

Wherever in the world that we happen to be “going”, Jesus commands us to be about the business of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey the things that He taught us. Thus, what He gave us, we are to give others. It is that direct, and that simple. Peter was told by Jesus (John 21) to not only “follow” but to “Feed My Sheep” and “Tend My Lambs”. This implies having a relationship with those to whom we are giving.

The First stage in Discipleship is Being a Disciple of Jesus. Now the second stage is the natural progression of every true disciple: Making Disciples. Paul communicated a similar message to his disciple Timothy.

You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:2 NLT

How do we become “instinctive” disciple makers?  What is the lifestyle of the Christian to be?

Think back on how you have acquired a skill or knowledge. It’s a process that here on Earth usually involves four steps, in this order:

 1) I do it;                

2)  I do it with You; 

3)  You do it with Me;                   

4)  You do it.

This is the basic process where you personally pass on skill to another person through a working relationship. My experience learning to fly in formation in the Navy followed these basic steps.  My pastor on Maui, Craig Englert, first articulated this process to me in 1982, after we had been spending time together.  Craig is the master of relational discipleship. He first invited me to a Bible study where he bought his guitar, led a short worship session, and then taught a Bible lesson.  Once he discovered that I could play guitar, he asked me to help him lead worship.  After a few weeks, he asked me to pick out the songs and he would help me.  Finally, one night he announced that now I would lead the worship myself.  The four step process was complete!

 Laura, Craig and Michael engaging in Relational Discipleship Maui 2024

 

Jesus gives us the ultimate example of a lifestyle of discipleship. What were His methods of bringing people into the Kingdom?  How did He reach the crowds, and work with individuals? What did they learn from living with Jesus?  What did they think was important? 

Let’s look at The Master of Making Disciples.  Jesus once gave his disciples a very culturally significant illustration of how to begin the process of making disciples when He told them:

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.  Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.                     Matthew 5:13-16 NLT

Naturally we receive this image through the grid of our own cultural eyes. In North American culture, we use salt to flavor our food.  Therefore, Jesus must mean that we are to be the “flavor enhancers” of our society. My Miskito friends along the Coco River in Nicaragua use salt to keep their fish and meat from spoiling. They would take this to mean that Christians on the Rio Coco should be the “preservatives of cultural values”.

Although these understandings of the meaning of salt may make sense to the modern person, the message for the First Century audience was more focused and specific. Looking at this passage through the eyes of those First Century disciples gives us a Cultural Understanding, and a clue to truly effective discipleship.

Salt had a special significance to Biblical people. It was in abundant supply around the Dead Sea, where evaporation in the world’s lowest point made it the valuable commodity in the region. 

 

 

In the photo, Mikaela is seen gathering chunks of salt that were lying along the shore near En Gedi. These were evaporated water from the mineral rich Dead Sea that were laden with salt and crusted with soil.

As in our cultures, this Dead Sea salt was used for flavoring food, and for “salting” fish and other meats to prolong their shelf life.  If you go into a Bedouin tent today, you will find a bowl with salt (often clumped together with dirt) on the table. You reach with your hand, crumble the salt, and then sprinkle it over your food.  When there becomes more dirt in the bowl than salt, the woman of the tent comes over, takes the bowl and throws the contents out of the tent. Then she brings a fresh clump of salt to the table.  Archeologists often identify the streets of ancient cities by the salt content of the soil.

Salt dissolved into water can later be evaporated and will return to its original state- square solid crystals. It does not change its form. Salt has a deep and specific meaning to Middle Eastern people. To ancient and modern Hebrews, salt is a symbol of an eternal relationship with God.  In the book of Numbers, God declares:

 It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord to you and your descendants with you.” Numbers 18:18

The writer of Chronicles records:

“Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?  2 Chronicles 13:4

Principle: Salt Covenants last forever. They do not change.

In a modern Bedouin marriage ceremony, salt is placed between the hands of the bride and groom as they are pronounced husband and wife. On Friday nights, Jews dip the Sabbath bread in salt. The bread is the gift from God and salt preserves the covenant between Mankind and God.

 To the Biblical person as well as the modern Middle Eastern, salt has the significance of loyalty and fidelity, because its essence never changes. If I want to express friendship to a Middle Easterner, I would say “There is salt between us.” Salt seals a contract for Muslims and Jews. It is immutable, indisputable, and unchangeable. A salt relationship is forever. Jesus applied this meaning in a very specific relational sense:

Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”          Mark 9:50 NLT

 Jesus was instructing his disciples to be known by their loyalty to their friends and family.  This is consistent to other Biblical teaching about relationships, gossip, and disunity. 

Paul instructed the believers in Colossae to:

Let you speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.    Colossians 4:6                                                     

 Leonardo Da Vinci used this image in his famous painting “The Last Supper”.  Jesus has just announced to his disciples that one of them will betray him. Da Vinci captures the reaction on the faces of the disciples. Notice the third man on Jesus’ right.  It is Judas, clutching the money bag, who has just knocked over the container of salt with his right wrist, spilling it out on the table. There is no more salt between him and Jesus!

 

 

Light has many usages in Biblical imagery, but the one referred to here is identified by Jesus as the good deeds, those random acts of kindness toward the people around us, that will cause others to see God in us. Living as “Salt & Light”, through sanctified lives with loyal, giving hearts, is the model for building relationships for the Kingdom.  It is the “Love God, Love Your Neighbor” commandment that Jesus says sums up the entire Hebrew Scriptures (Torah and the Prophets).

Principle: Being Salt and Light to the people around you is the first step in introducing them to Our Creator.

It is at the heart of the Christian Lifestyle of Making Disciples. While modern methods of evangelism and discipleship may focus on tracts, response to sermons, Bible classes and Discipleship programs, Jesus himself gave us a model of “relational discipleship”.

Traditionally, we think that the disciples saw Jesus, heard his call, and dropped everything to follow Him. We get this idea when we read Matthew’s account of Peter’s call:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and went with him A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.                                                    Matthew 4:18-22 NLT

 

 

On the Sea of Galilee 2023

It helps to understand the objectives of the writer of the Gospel to draw out the eternal principles.  Matthew’s purpose was to tell us Jesus’ words.  His gospel is really five sermons that Jesus gave, with selected information that connects it all together.  Luke, on the other hand, had a very specific objective in writing his account of Jesus’ life. 

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4.                                                                       

Luke, with his logical Greek mind, was all about putting things in order. Let’s take a look at the chronological order of Jesus’ relationship with His Disciples. We see the following:

Luke     4:31:   Jesus enters Capernaum;

            4:31-37            Teaching, Healing, Demonic Cleansing;

            4:38-39            Heals Peter’s mother-in-law, then eats with them;

             5:2                   Borrows Peter’s boat for teaching;

             5:4-7                Sends out Peter’s boats for the “Big Catch”

             5:6                   Peter’s confession

             5:9-11             The Call of Peter, James, John

 

Jesus met Peter when He arrived in Capernaum from Nazareth. Undoubtedly Peter heard Jesus teaching at the synagogue that was within a stone’s throw from his own home.  He saw Jesus healing sick people and confronting demonic forces.  He probably was the one who asked Jesus to come to his home and touch his mother-in-law, who was healed immediately in front of his eyes. He invited Jesus to sit and share a meal.  Jesus and Peter were now friends.

 

 

The 'Flying Saucer' church built over a 5th Century church  that was built over a First Century Fisherman's house in Capernaum.

 

 Luke tells us that some days later, Jesus was teaching along the shore, and saw Peter, and very naturally asked him to stand in his boat so that he could see more of the crowd which has gathered around him.  Peter was a captive audience.  What did Jesus say in that teaching?  Obviously something that touched Peter.

When finished with the crowd Jesus turned to Peter, and asked him how the fishing was.  “Terrible” replied Peter. “We didn’t catch anything”.  It was then that Jesus asked his friend to take the boat out again.  Peter protested, since he knew well that fishing was not particularly good in the middle of the day. But since his friend Jesus asked, he gathered his crew and set out.  They dropped their nets and surprise surprise!!! Their nets filled with fish- so many that they began to break under the weight. Peter had to call his business partners, the Zebedee & Son’s Fishing Company, to come help, but the catch was so big that both boats began to sink.

It was then that amazement seized the fishermen.  Peter had an epiphany, and realized what was happening.

“Jesus”, he said, “You don’t want me on your team. I am a sinful man!”

Jesus replied: “Yes I do! Your two friends James and John too! Relax! Be Cool! You will be with me from now on, and together we will be catching many men for the Kingdom.”

 Principle: When we develop a relationship with a new friend, and take opportunity to bring them in the presence of God, they are more open to hearing His calling.

There is a pattern that Jesus has when it comes to evangelism and discipleship. First He “notices” (Matthew 9:9 & Mark 2:14) a person or group. Then we see Jesus “hanging out” (Matthew 9:10 & Mark 2:15) with this person or small group.

A good example of this willingness to ‘hang” with strangers is Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Sychar. Let’s read it to understand this “relational discipleship”.

Normally Jews and Samaritans didn’t interact, especially women and men. This meeting took place in the middle of a probably very warm travel day. Jesus was in need of a drink from the well, but He knew that the woman was in need of a drink of His Living Water.  The fact that she was at the well at the middle of the day rather than the customary early morning time when most of the other women from the village came for their household water indicates that this woman was not part of the village social network, which was later confirmed by Jesus’ prophetic words to her.

Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.”

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet!”          John 4:7-19 NLT

 

Notice how Jesus reaches out with courtesy to this woman, and how He brings the conversation to a spiritual level.  He sparks her interest and she responds.  He kindly commends her, and He then gives her a “Word of Knowledge” (1 Cor 12:8) that touches her spirit.  Soon she is convinced that He is indeed the Messiah. She and Jesus have become friends.

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay at their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many of them to hear his message and believe.  John 4:39-41 NLT

Jesus was willing to interact with total strangers in hope that He would have opportunity to give them the message of restored relationship with God.  He trusted in His divine ability to speak truth in their lives. He knew that strangers responded to kindness and attentiveness.  In these encounters, he often stepped across cultural barriers and  shared his meals with the unsaved.

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such despicable people—even eating with them.  Luke 15:1-2                

According to the traditions of the religious sects, physical contact with non-Jews and lower class “unclean” people made you “unclean”.  They would never allow such sinful people touch them, or share food with them.  Jesus was not constrained by these artificial religious barriers.  He was willing to spend time with any potential disciple. 

 

 We had many meals with our Utila pirate friend Webb.

 

Here is one good example recorded in the book of Luke.

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus  and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today.”

Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the crowds were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. Luke 19:1-9 NLT

 

 

Lukas and Mikaela at the ancient site of Jericho 2018

 

Jesus shared many meals with his disciples as well as strangers.  Remember, in the mind of the Middle Easterner, you only eat with your friends.  Jesus, through cultural language, was extending his friendship to these outcasts from Jewish society. Sharing meals together was a very significant event!

We also see Jesus teaching to large crowds, and to his “small group”.  He used the “crowd” setting to say things that would draw many to more intimate encounters with him and his disciples.  He understood the value of having a small group that He could not only share words, but also His lifestyle.

Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. There was such a large crowd along the shore that he got into a boat and sat down and spoke from there. He began to teach the people by telling many stories such as this one:

 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.  As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.  Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plant sprang up quickly,  but it soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil.  Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain.  Still other seed fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” Then he said,  “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”

 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him, “What do your stories mean?”

 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret about the Kingdom of God. But I am using these stories to conceal everything about it from outsiders,  so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:  Mark 4:1-11 NLT                                                                      

Mark goes on to explain this interaction with the crowd and small group:

He used many such stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand. In fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables, but afterward when he was alone with his disciples, he explained the meaning to them.        Mark 4:33 NLT

 

The Sea of Galilee from Mt Arbel during a storm 2018

 

In addition to building relationships through hanging out, sharing meals, teaching moments, Jesus was also willing to be interrupted in his teaching and discipling ministry. One example is the account of a day (Luke 8) that included interruptions from a demonized man, a leader of the synagogue in Capernaum, and a woman in the crowd.  Luke records a typical “interruption” later on in chapter 18.

As they approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road.  When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by.  So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  The crowds ahead of Jesus tried to hush the man, but he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him.  Then Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he pleaded, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said, “All right, you can see! Your faith has healed you.”     Luke 18:35-42 

From the Gospels we can see that:

• Jesus taught the large crowds;
• He spent quality time with many people, from the rich and politically powerful to the down and outcasts.
• He lived with his disciples, sharing His life with them;
• He was willing to stop anytime to interact with anyone who was a potential disciple.

 As we look at the “Jesus Method”, it would be good to consider some practical applications.

• What is the power of loyal, faithful, giving relationships and living a truly sanctified life in our society?
• Are we willing to be “interrupted” from our agenda and schedule and stop to serve a potential disciple?
• How will our individual efforts combined with other Christians’ personal discipleship affect the world?

 These are worthy points to ponder. Our answers will determine our effectiveness in bringing others into the Kingdom. Let’s imitate the methods of the Road Trip Mission Team in their effective methods of making disciples in Thessaloniki.

 

Principle: When we follow these guidelines, we will have greater success in making disciples: 

1)  Speak Boldly

2) Be obedient, whatever the cost

3) Don’t deceive or manipulate

4) Trust Jesus to build His church

5) Point disciples to Christ

6) Show genuine love

7) Develop intimate relationships

8) Give freely

9) Be diligent and hardworking

10) Model the Christian life

11) Encourage and Exhort

12) Pray for your disciples & thank God for them