Messianic Discipleship 101: Growing in the Spirit
Shabbat, February 10, 2007
Two weeks ago, I began reviewing Messianic Rabbi David Levine’s class on making talmidim. My version of his class, which I call "Messianic Discipleship 101." introduces five fundamentals steps of Messianic discipleship. These are the foundation of spiritual discipleship, upon which we will build life in the Spirit. Isaiah 28:16 says “I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. He who believeth, shall not make haste.” Let us not make haste: as disciple-makers may lay a good foundation for our talmideem.
The corner stone of the foundation is Adonai, believing and following Yeshua as Lord. Romans 10:9 tells us: “If you confess with your mouth, "Yeshua is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s not just an intellectual conclusion; it’s not a propositional belief.
It’s life-changing, but only if it is wholehearted devotion: for you shall love
the Lord your God, with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.
As Yeshua said, the v’ahavta is the greatest commandment.
Why is it the greatest commandment?
Because you no longer live for yourself, you live for God. You no longer live to survive, you live to love. In Matthew 16:24, “Yeshua said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” That was an amazing challenge, wasn’t it? It is the first step of discipleship. The new talmid must understand that the Messiah has come to replace everything else as the Lord of his life—you cannot live for God if you live for anything else first.Your instinct is survival, yet you must die to self to truly live for God, to love as He loves us.Yeshua loves you so much he come into the world to lay down his life for you! The talmid must learn to surrender self, in order to live for God and love him with all his heart.The talmid must die to all possessions, in order surrender all to God. The talmid must die to proving herself to anyone other than God, in order to please God first. The talmid must let go of all fears, in order to trust God completely, as a little child trusts—
God is good—all the time! He really loves you! He wants to awaken you to the awesomeness of His love. He created you, in his own image! Since his image was corrupted in you, he died for you! He wants to restore you to the beauty and loveliness that He sees in you. You are lovely to God. Is he lovely to you? Then love Adonai with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength! This surrender to God is something that goes on for our whole life. V’eemru? (and let us say...?)
Rabbi Levine’s first step of discipleship is teshuvah: to turn around in order to return. In Jeremiah 24:7 it is written, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD.
They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” The prophet’s message was for Jews: they must return to God, with whom they made covenant. Israel is backslidden, so the God of Israel calls them back: return O Israel!
Why is it important to establish Adonai even before teshuvah?
To return, you must first know to which way to turn! You must turn to Adonai.
You must turn away from fear and turn toward love. You must return, and keep turning. Teshuvah is not a momentary decision; it’s a lifelong walk.
Teshuvah is something a talmid does every day, so he may follow the Lord. V’eemru?
The second step is emunah. Emunah means both faith and faithfulness.
The Bible does not call us to believe an idea; it calls the talmid into a trusting relationship. Today we say “I believe this” or “I believe that.” But faith has to do with trustworthiness. In Mark 1:15, Yeshua announces the purpose of his earthly ministry: "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" So teshuvah and emunah go together—repent, return to G-d, and believe the good news!
Part of parcel of the good news is slichah, which means forgiveness. During oneg if I bump into you, you may hear me say, slichah! which is how Israelis say "Excuse me!" On Yom Kippur, we ask Hashem for slichot, forgivenesses.
Repent, return to God, and He will forgive you. These three things go together—teshuvah produces the assurance of emunah and slichah.
Romans 8 declares, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua.” Hasatan, the accuser of our souls, wants to enslave us with accusations and condemnation. Messiah came to set you free! He did not come into the world to condemn you but to save you! Messiah is your goel, your redeemer. The talmid must understand and experience the power of slichah. When the Messiah died on the tree, he prayed to the Father, “Forgive them, for know not what they do.” The talmid needs to receive the forgiveness of the Messiah and the Father, and be free from condemnation once and forever. They need to receive slichah in the depths of their souls. Then the talmid will know she can approach the throne of God with confidence and assurance,
as God’s child whom He delights to forgive.
To total teshuvah Abba gives total slichah.
The fourth step is tevilah b’mayim: immersion in water.Tevilah is what you do in a pool of water, a mikvah. It’s thoroughly Jewish and biblical. In Acts 2:38, Kefa said, “Let every one of you be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua.” Thousands of Jews, having made teshuvah through emunah and receiving Messiah's slichah, were immersed that day, in the name of Messiah Yeshua. Through immersion, you declare that Messiah Yeshua is the Lord of your life!
The fifth step is tevilah b’Ruach HaKodesh. That’s right: Kefa also told them all to be immersed in the Holy Spirit! Yeshua told his disciples not to even to try to do anything for God before receiving the Holy Spirit! Acts 13:52 says “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Immersion in the Ruach fills us with the life of the Holy One, empowering us to pray and serve G-d.
That’s Messianic Discipleship 101: the title is “Yeshua is Adonai!” You learn to turn from self to God, to trust Him completely, to accept His mercy to wash away all your sins, to declare that Yeshua is Lord in the waters of the mikvah, and to receive wonderful spiritual gifts as you are immersed in His Spirit.
How long does Messianic Discipleship 101 take? How long did it take for you?
For everyone it is different, but let’s believe it can be a short course!
A talmid can always review what you’ve learned, to learn it deeper.
The next course is Messianic Discipleship 102:. The title is “Growing in the Spirit.” After I was first immersed the Holy Spirit, I was taught how to grow in the Spirit, using
the analogy of the wheel and spokes: The rim of a wheel is our everyday life. A talmid learns how to walk in the Spirit. The hub is the Ruach Elohim, the Spirit of God: provide the power to live a new life for God. Spokes transfer power to the wheel, where rubber meets the road. The spokes, in Messianic Jewish terms, are avodah, kehilah, t’filah, and d’var Adonai. Or in English, service, community, prayer and the word of the Lord.
Just as Adonai is the corner stone for the foundation course so d’var Adonai—the word of the Lord—is the first spoke that empowers growing in the Spirit. Why?
Because the disciple must be confident that the word of God is the truth and the standard of life. When I was a young believer, Jim Kenas, an older man who was beginning to disciple me challenged me to accept the Scriptures as the standard of life. I had to decide whether I was going to try to live according to my own worldly standards or according to the standards of the word of God. He couldn’t disciple me further until I had decided to live according to God’s word. V’eemru?
Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” Until a new believer accepts the flawless truth of God’s word, he cannot grow in understanding the way of the Lord. The word of God is the path. To grow in the Spirit, a disciple needs a consistent devotional life in the word. Why?
The Scriptures teach us what the Lord is like, what he expects, what he sounds like. Ask the talmid if he or she is spending time reading the word every day. Ask, how much? A new believer should be encouraged to read several chapters a day. Fill up on the word of God! When you go to the gas station, you don’t buy half a gallon, do you! You fill ‘er up!
The new disciple should also memorize verses. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” A new believer is a young person in the Lord. Two verses later it says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” What does it mean to have hidden God’s word in your heart? Why does Scripture memory help you to avoid sin? What are other benefits of Scripture memory? The disciple-maker can memorize Scripture along with the disciple.
Then the disciple should be taught how to study the Scriptures, to get more out of the word. Last year I taught you a bit about how I study the Word of God. My notes are on the web site. First, study the original meaning of word, in its original language. Second, study the word or text in its local context, the paragraph. Third, study the text in its historical context, in order to understand the author and his audience. Fourth, study the text in its thematic context, the wonderful web of the whole word of God. Finally, apply the word to your own life, with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh.
The next spoke in the wheel is avodah. What does avodah mean? It can mean work, service, or worship. When Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness…” it is rich in meaning: it can mean the work of the Levites in the sanctuary or the service of cohanim (priests) or the worship of the congregation. We can embrace a worship service and feel the presence of the Spirit and think that’s everything. But if we understand that service and worship are integrated, then we can understand that you are worshipping when you changing diapers in the nursery or preparing for the oneg or greeting newcomers at the door—as the Psalmist said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the gates of the wicked!” Avodah is thus both practical and spiritual. It is both singing and dancing and waiting on tables.
There’s a widespread teaching about priorities: God first, family second, work, then ministry. How many of you have heard of a priority scheme like this? Friends, it’s not in the Bible! Yeshua gave us one priority: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” All these things integrate together. God, family, work, ministry—do everything as unto the Lord. God does not want us to have a secularized understanding where he is realm from the everyday world. He wants us to see that the world that he made is the world that He inhabits, with you. So even our work is avodah. Work unto the Lord.
Avodah, servanthood, trains the talmid in the way of love. The talmid can ponder the story of Yeshua washing the feet of his talmideem. If Messiah became a servant of all, how much more should we become servants to each others?
Avodah means that out of love, we become bond-servants of the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 15, Torah describes how a servant can become a bond-servant because of love. 16: “if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.” So an earring was sort of like a wedding ring—a covenant before servant and master. Of his own free will, the talmid attaches himself to his Master, as a bond-servant or covenant-servant.
The whole idea of Lordship is that the God can command us! If he cannot command us then we are not bond-servants and He is not Lord. Some people hear the gospel in a modern, therapeutic way. God helps us with our problems. Yeshua promises that we will have problems. But take heart, He has overcome the world! God will allow us to have difficulties and will call us to serve him even through the difficulties. Many people come to the Lord thinking he will remedy all of their problems. That understanding misses his Lordship and the importance of seeking first the kingdom of God, rather than our own betterment. The Gospel or Good News of Messiah is an invitation into the Kingdom of God community. It envisions a transformed life where God puts all in right order. Right order in human relationships begins with the Lordship of God established through Yeshua. Thus Yeshua taught his talmideem to pray: "Your kingdom come, you will be done." When we pray as he taught us, we are to prepared to see this prayer answered in our relationships with God and neighbor. Then our lives wil be completely transformed!
The next spoke is kehilah. What does this mean? Assembly, community, congregation. Many people hear the gospel in an individualistic way, that strips people out of their community, so that people think of themselves as people buying a ticket on an airplane to heaven. This is not the fullness of the God’s plan. We must connect ourselves with his body and connect ourselves as a living community.
What is the second commandment? “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Yeshua said the second commandment is like the first. Why? Because they are both about love. If you love God, you will also love others. When a talmid dies to self, he learns to love others.
The Body of Messiah is built on a family, mishpochah. Everybody knows that in a family you have to do chores. If you don’t teach your kids to do chores, they became brats: self-centered and dangerous! Kehilah says that we are joined with each other outside our immediate families.
Paul once wrote: “You have many teachers but not many fathers.” We make disciples in a way that impart God’s fatherhood into the lives of other people. We're not talking about a discipleship mill that churns out discipleship widgets! We are talking about adding members to the family of God.
Mishpochah, family, is a great gift that God has given to the Messianic movement. It is core to a Jewish understanding. He called Abraham to be a father of many nations. Every messianic congregations can have an anointing of mishpochah that brings healing for people who come out of broken families.
Israel is a nation that has grown out of a family.
Messiah established a new family out of all who are adopted as children of God the Father. So in Ephesians 3:14-15, Paul says, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. That’s why gentiles are to be accepted in the mishpochah of a Messianic congregation. Once they have accepted Yeshua as Lord, and His Spirit gives them the calling of Ruth to Naomi, then like Ruth they can make covenant with Israel and become part of the mishpochah. In Messianic congregations, believing Jews and Gentiles have equal value in their access to God.
The fourth spoke is t’filah—I don’t think David covered it in the class, but it’s in his notes.
What does t’filah mean?. Scott and Anita Smith live in a house called Beth T’filah—house of prayer, which is also a house of discipleship.
Hashem’s desire my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Prayer begins with open communication and dialogue with God. Yeshua teaches in Matthew 6:6, :”When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Prayer is about our intimate fellowship with Hashem. He wants us to pour out our hearts to him and also to listen to him. The talmid needs to learn how to listen to the Spirit of God.
How does the Spirit of God speak to us in prayer? Through the Bible, by giving us an insight or personal application as we read or establishing a principle to apply, or giving counsel or special revelation, as we wait upon the Lord.
That’s Messianic Discipleship 102. Is there a Messianic Discipleship 103?
There sure is! Around here, we call it the membership class!
Rabbi David talked briefly about four major approaches to discipleship:
1) small groups, 2) classes, 3) one-on-one mentoring, and 4) nothing!
Tragically many congregations offer nothing to new believers! It’s a good thing we don’t treat newborn babies this way! Think what would happen to them?
Too often, new believers receive no discipling, so they don't grow in the Spirit.
The other three approaches can all be effective, so long as we do something.
The most effective discipleship is a combination of one-on-one or -two mentoring plus either small groups or classes.
How many of you want to become disciple-makers?
• That’s Messianic Discipleship 104! Advanced stuff! But it should be our goal!
• But first, let us all lay a foundation on the corner stone!
• Is there anyone here who needs to become a talmid of Messiah Yeshua?
• Is there anyone here who needs to surrender your life to Adonai?
• Is there anyone here who needs to trust in His goodness and love?
• Is there anyone here who needs to experience His forgiveness?
• We want to help you. We want to pray for you. We want to teach you how to be a talmid.
Here are Things to consider as part of our approach:
• Humility and equality, treating people as equals before the Lord, not condescending.
• Take time: it’s nothing you can rush through in a predetermined way.
• Nurture: build up and encourage. Paul quotes Jermemiah who says “we have authority to build you up not to tear you down.”
• Commitment and patience: connects with taking time and nurturing.
• Listening: showing genuine interest and love. Discerning the need to ask or answer questions. Pay attention to the disciples need for modesty, gender, need for safety.
• Don’t drop the Messianic Jewish. Don’t put Jewish cosmetics on a Christian framework!
• Live what you teach, integrity, transparency, so you can be an example. As Sha'ul/Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Messiah.”
• Help the disciple to know the direction of life. Depression and hopelessness are symptoms are not knowing the direction one should be going.
• Listen to the Holy Spirit. Teach the disciple how to listen him/herself.
• Tell stories. Listen to each other’s stories.
• Include prayer in what we do. It’s not just a matter of meeting and dialoging; it’s also praying for what is going on a person’s life.
• What we do should be mutually beneficial, for both mentor and disciples.
• We should use both Tanach and Brit Chadashah.
• We should pay attention and call attention to the fruit, the observable changes in a person’s life.
• We are not their everything; Yeshua is.
• Identify those who are called and those who respond to the calling—that’s the lesson of the rich young ruler. When he didn’t respond to the calling, Yeshua didn’t go after him. On the other hand, sometimes you must go after people to bring them back; sometimes you can’t.
Mattityahu 28:19-20. "Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh,and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age."
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