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Someone made the beattitudes from Matthew 5 into a beautiful song of prayer

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Someone made the beattitudes from Matthew 5 into a beautiful song of prayer

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Have Mercy On Me (Featuring David Gungor)

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What is the goal/purpose of spiritual disciplines?

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What is the goal/purpose of spiritual disciplines?

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Year long Bible reading plan with Bible project videos embedded throughout

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Spend quality time reading the Bible daily while learning how to read it with contextual videos from The Bible Project.

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"Spiritual" things v.s. Being with Christ

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"Spiritual" things v.s. Being with Christ

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https://youtu.be/suMhQ3ETCyI

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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7fPEPqhBL6kzcNHVK2q-6Ou9bitS2j2p

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psalm 23

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Rivers & Robots - Shepherd Of My Soul [Official Lyric Video]

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Dallas Willard on Training in Godliness being the process for transformation

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Dallas Willard on Training in Godliness being the process for transformation

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Dallas Willard - Divine Conspiracy 01: Jesus & Culture

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Dr. Tim Mackie helping to make the OT accessible to all.

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The Bible Project Home | The Bible Project

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Watch animated videos of different books and themes of the Bible for all ages.

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More Background on the Rabbi/Disciple System

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More Background on the Rabbi/Disciple System

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I recently was asked about how disciples studied with rabbis. What age were disciples, and did they pay the rabbi a fee to study? How did they support themselves at the same time? Did the rabbis work at some craft to support themselves? (They were not like rabbis of today, which like pastors are to paid to teach a congregation.)

This was my answer:

Boys attended school (which focused on studying the Scriptures) until age 13, and then typically learned a trade as an apprentice after that. Parents would start making arrangements for boys to do apprenticeships when they were young. After they finished school at 13, many would go and live with a tradesman's family for a time, and they would earn their keep by doing chores and menial labor as they learned from the craftsman. Marriage was encouraged by about age 20.

The Mishnah says that the time that some began to attend the bet midrash (house of study) which was a rabbi's "school" or "study group" was about 15. Adults of all ages could come to listen in on the sessions (including women) when they had spare time, and there were quite a few who studied but never became teachers - they were still called "disciples" even at advanced ages. There were just a few who were dedicated enough to spend years of time in training to become rabbinic teachers themselves.

Even though marriage was strongly encouraged, some young men were so earnest in their studies that they would put it off until later so that they could study full time. Gamaliel II (the grandson of Paul's teacher) already had disciples when he finally got married. Paul and Jesus fit into this tradition of setting aside marriage for the sake of ministry. This was likely what Jesus meant about being "eunuchs for sake of the Kingdom of Heaven."

Regarding fees - it was forbidden to charge a fee to teach the Torah, so it was common for rabbis to practice a trade part of the time and teach part of the time. Disciples did the same. Some rabbis were from priestly families, so they would have a stipend from the Temple, but many were manual laborers. There are many reports of teaching sessions held in the evening or on the Sabbath or festival days, so often men worked and studied at the same time. Some could work seasonally and take time off between planting and harvesting, etc. This makes sense with how the Gospel accounts describe the disciples fishing occasionally, even after they had become disciples of Jesus.

Women often helped run the family farm or manage its business, giving the husband time to study. (Think of Proverbs 31, where the wife ran the business, and the husband "sat in the gate" - either in government affairs or in intellectual discussions.) Proverbs, of course, is from an earlier time, but the same thing was true in later Judaism - in pious families, the wife often would earn the money so that the man could spend his time in religious study. Extended families would also support a brother or son who was engaged in study too.

Often disciples would travel together with a rabbi, and they would take weeks away to go on a teaching trip. A disciple had to ask his wife's permission to be away from home to study longer than 30 days. When they traveled, rabbis and disciples would pool their money to buy food, etc. Jesus received contributions from wealthy women, and they were known for supporting other rabbis too. When they traveled, the villages they taught in were expected to extend hospitality, giving them food and shelter.

My reference here is the chapter, "Education and the Study of Torah" in The Jewish People in the First Century, by Safrai & Stern (Van Gorcum, Brill.) Shmuel Safrai spent a lifetime engaging the original rabbinic texts, and distilled the results of his research here. It is the best scholarly source available on the topic. Another excellent source is New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus, by David Bivin (En-Gedi, 2005). This paperback is a little more readable than the huge volume by Safrai.

(Some may want to read my articles on some basic, related issues: " Can We Call Jesus 'Rabbi'?" and " Can We Use Jewish Sources to Study Jesus? ")

(Photo: Matty Stern)

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The Reality of Disciples and Rabbis - Our Rabbi Jesus

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I recently was asked about how disciples studied with rabbis. What age were disciples, and did they pay the rabbi a fee to study? How did they support themselves at the same time? Did the rabbis work at some craft to support themselves? (They were not like rabbis of today, which like pastors are to ...

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Partnering with God and drawing from his life vs giving him lip service while our hearts are far from him

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Partnering with God and drawing from his life vs giving him lip service while our hearts are far from him

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An amazing comparison of two Old Testament metaphors.

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What is the Difference between converts and disciples?

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What is the Difference between converts and disciples?

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Professing Christians vs Confessing Disciples

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What if I told you that Jesus didn't want us to win converts? What if I said that in all of Scripture we are never told to convert anyone? What if I proposed that people accepting Jesus into their life does not fulfill our mission?

We may share the Gospel, but it's not always the same Gospel Jesus shared. Our version can be a little softer. It can be easier. The message, too often, has been watered down. Many of us don't want to be called radicals. Many of us take the message of Jesus, and we omit some of the more intense parts because they might scare people away.

An Inconvenient Truth

Out of our desire to win converts we've often tried to make Jesus more convenient. That's what our culture is all about. So watering down the Gospel to reflect the culture can be an easy trap to fall into.

We often make following Jesus comfortable and easy, reducing the expectations: You don't have to do anything different. Just believe.

Carrying our cross has been reduced from a radical relationship of self-sacrificing love and humility to cheap advertisements with bracelets, jewelry and bumper stickers. We turned following Jesus into little more than eternal "fire" insurance. In so doing we made Him something He is not: safe.

What happened to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's idea of, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die"?

The Consumerism Gospel

When we sell people on a Jesus who is easy to follow, can we really blame them for bailing out or drifting off when things don't go smoothly?

It shouldn't be surprising living in a consumer-based culture, that many times people bring the same attitudes into church: It's my way, my preferences, my desires that are important. If I don't get my way, I'll take my business elsewhere.

In watering down the Gospel we have taken what is all about Jesus and made it all about us.

Jesus is a part of our lives when He should be our life. He is life. Following Him requires all our life. The disciples ate, drank, sweat and slept ministry from when Jesus called them to the day they died. Jesus wasn't a part of their lives. He was their life.

We all are guilty of putting things above Jesus. Whether it's health, wealth, comfort, causes, dreams, hobbies or interests, we all come to Jesus with expectations of what He will do for us. We all have our passions and causes.

But Jesus didn't come to take sides. Jesus came to take over.

Disciples vs. Converts

Many people come to Jesus thinking it is enough to believe, to stand on the sidelines and root for Him. Jesus isn't looking for cheerleaders. He is seeking men and women who will follow Him whatever the cost. He is looking for radical devotion, unreasonable commitment and undivided dedication.

Jesus isn't looking for converts. He's looking for disciples.

Converts are new believers. We all start as converts. Too often we stop there. We make Christianity all about what we believe. Converts aren't bad or wrong. They are like babies. There's nothing wrong with being a baby. The problem comes when that doesn't change. When a baby acts like a baby, it's cute. When a 35-year-old does, it's sad. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me."

For years churches have worked to get people to make a decision to accept Christ, which is a great thing. It's important. But what happens next? Where's the follow up? How do we train up new Christians?

Our mission isn't to win converts; it's to make disciples. So what is the difference?

1. Converts are believers who live like the world. Disciples are believers who live like Jesus.
2. Converts are focused on their values, interests, worries, fears, priorities, and lifestyles. Disciples are focused on Jesus.
3. Converts go to church. Disciples are the church.
4. Converts are involved in the mission of Jesus. Disciples are committed to it.
5. Converts cheer from the sidelines. Disciples are in the game.
6. Converts hear the word of God. Disciples live it.
7. Converts follow the rules. Disciples follow Jesus.
8. Converts are all about believing. Disciples are all about being.
9. Converts are comfortable. Disciples make sacrifices.
10. Converts talk. Disciples make more disciples.

A disciple is someone who whole-heartedly follows the life and example of Jesus, who makes His mission their mission, His values their values, and His heart their heart.

A disciple is someone who desperately seeks to be like Jesus. A disciple is someone so committed to the cause of Christ that they would follow Him through the gates of hell and back.

A disciple is someone who finds their entire identity, purpose and meaning in Jesus. Jesus is the center of their lives. They are all in, fully committed.

Not only is a disciple willing to die for Jesus, but they are dedicated to living every day of their life for Him.

A Change of Heart

Jesus doesn't call us to be converts or to win converts. Jesus calls us to make disciples.

Jesus offers us grace and love without condition, but not without expectation. When we try to water down the message by saying things like, You don't have give up sin. You don't have to change. You don't have to be transformed. You don't have to die to yourself. You just need to believe. In doing this, not only are we depriving people of the truth. We are denying them access to a real, transforming relationship with the almighty God.

Christianity isn't just a system of belief. It isn't a lifestyle. It's a life transformed by Jesus.

Jesus doesn't call everyone to leave everything every day. He calls us to be willing to give up everything at any point.

His call for each of us is different. He has uniquely gifted every person to carry out a unique and valuable function in His kingdom. While what we are called to may be unique, the call is an extreme standard: Jesus must be greater than everything else.

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We're Called to Make Disciples, Not Converts

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What if I told you that Jesus didn't want us to win converts? What if I said that in all of Scripture we are never told to convert anyone? What if I proposed that people accepting Jesus into their life does not fulfill our mission?