The Cross
Every once in a while someone comes along who engages and changes the history of a nation. Martin Luther King Jr. was one such man. Forty seven years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial he preached one of the greatest sermons every preached in America. Today if you were to say “I Have a Dream” everyone would know that it references Martin Luther King’s speech in August of 1963.
Dr. King envisioned a new and better day in America— a day when “the sons of slaves and the sons of slave-owners would sit down together at the table of brotherhood … when a state sweltering with the heat of injustice would be transformed into an oasis of freedom.”
That speech marked a turning point for civil rights in America. With his non-violent approach to injustice, he set the standard for “the high road” in civil disobedience. He was living out the “take up your cross & follow Me” mandate from Jesus. He helped us believe that American could not only be a better place, but the very lives of people could be transformed by God’s love. It was & still is the only hope for our country, to be transformed as a nation, one life at a time.
The call of God on Martin Luther King is the same call that God gives each one of us. God wants to transform us and our families to become like Him. Discipleship is this life-long process of becoming more like Christ.
Pathway is a life-changing community, where people are transformed by their encounters with God and His Word. The transformation occurs through a process that we call Discipleship.A Disciple is one who walks in the footsteps of another, seeking to model his life after that person. A Disciple is a follower of Jesus, a person who seeks to become more and more like Him. As we do this, our lives are transformed by God and His Holy Spirit. Our lives become more and more marked with Love and forgiveness.
Where are you on the journey of discipleship? Many of you have been following Jesus for years now and others of you have just begun the journey. There are some who have not even started yet.
People are asking: “Just who is this God/Man Jesus Christ & can I trust the Bible to tell me the truth about Him? How can I know for sure?” How is your journey going? Are you making progress and growing in your faith? Are you feeling stuck, like you haven’t made much progress lately? Are you losing ground, wandering off, or going back to some old ways?
Let me challenge you to be proactive in being discipled.
What does a disciple of Jesus look like?
1. The life of a good Disciple Christ-centered. Jesus becomes the focal point of my life, the One whom my life is all about. It is not longer about me, but now my life is dedicated to God & His will for me. The disciple is called to be like Jesus and not like this world.
2. The life of a good Disciple is grounded in the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word to us, revealing Himself to us, so that we might understand who He is and who we are in relation to Him.
3. The life of a good Disciple is relevant to the world in which we live. God wants us to live out our lives in this fallen world as a light to others who are looking for the Way, the Truth and the Life.
4. The life of a good Disciple interacts with the Living God. The 3rd person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, dwells in our lives. This is God’s Spirit within us that equips us to communicate with Him and to understand His specific will for our lives.
5. The life of a good Disciple is transformed. Discipleship is the process of God’s power changing our lives in order that we might be like Jesus. This is the ultimate goal of Discipleship.
It is not about knowing facts about Jesus or the Bible. It is all about living our lives like He lived His life. I believe that God has a dream, a Divine Dream, for you and for me. That we might become His Children, to look like Him, talk like Him and live out our lives that way He lived His life, with Love and Humility.
Veritas pro Christo et Ecclesia - Pastor Mike
