Advent and Discipleship

I was taught that this time of year is Advent.
Advent, the time before Christmas.
Advent, the time awaiting Christmas.

Of course, Christmas was Santa Claus, presents, Christmas trees, presents, Christmas stockings, presents, … and oh yeah, Baby Jesus.

I grew older, Advent changed.
Advent became the time before the Messiah’s birth.
Advent was the time awaiting the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, Savior of the world.

Advent studies focused on the players: Angels, Shepherds, the Wisemen, the Holy Family, etc.

Or they focused on concepts: Peace, Hope, Love, Joy, etc.

Then, several years ago I discovered a different Advent.

I was researching Advent for a study. I was surprised to read about Advent referred to as “awaiting the Second Coming of Christ.”

(Wow! Another thing I hadn’t been taught while growing up in church!)

Advent and Discipleship

But, today I’m going to write about yet another Advent.

Another Advent

Advent: definition

Advent

1: the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting.

2 a: the coming of Christ at the Incarnation (see INCARNATION sense 1a (2))
b: SECOND COMING

3 not capitalized: a coming into being or use
the advent of spring
the advent of pasteurization
the advent of personal computers

The definition of advent connotes a coming or arrival of a new thing, a new creation, a new event.

What New Thing, New Creation, New Event Are We Awaiting?

We are awaiting the Kingdom.

We are awaiting the Kingdom as described in the Gospel of Jesus, the Anointed One.

We are awaiting the Kingdom of “Is-Not-Yet, Is, Is-to-Come.”

Both the titles “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Kingdom of God” are used in the New Testament Gospels, depending on the writer.

Matthew, writing primarily to Jews, uses “the Kingdom of Heaven.” This is probably out of respect for The Name: HaShem. (YHVH – Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay – YeHoVaH)

Luke, writing primarily to the Greco-Roman world, uses “the Kingdom of God,” probably to emphasize The One True God over the many false gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon.

The gospels of Mark and John also use the Kingdom of God.

The Parables of Jesus

Some of Yeshua’s parables teach of this Kingdom of Heaven/ the Kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Seed Growing – Mark 4:26-29
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Weeds) – Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Matthew 13:31-32;Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19
The Parable of the Leaven – Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure – Matthew 13:44
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price – Matthew 12:45-46
The Parable of the Net – Matthew 13:47-50
The Parable of the Old and New Treasures – Matthew 13:51-52
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant – Matthew 18:21-35
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Wedding Feast – Matthew 22:1-14
The Parable of the Ten Virgins – Matthew 25:1-13

The Parable of the Leaven in the Bread

But a few of the parables tell of the Kingdom as “Is-Not-Yet, Is, Is-to-Come.”

Of those parables, the parable I want to highlight is the Parable of the Leaven in the Bread.

³³ He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33 NASB

²⁰And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” Luke 13:20-21 NASB

In the New Testament, most often “leaven” is used to refer to evil, especially hidden evil, such as “the leaven of the Pharisees”:

⁶And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
¹¹ “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:6, 11-12 NASB

¹Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, ” Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypochrisy. Luke 12:1 NASB

However, in the Parable of the Leaven in the Bread, the leaven represents the Kingdom working its way throughout the bread, the world.

We, the church, are to expand the Kingdom, as the leaven expands the bread.

I find this fascinating in light of my recent attendance at the National Disciple Making Forum, in Franklin, TN. The Forum was sponsored by discipleship.org.

One thing discussed there was the concept of “multiplying disciples” instead of merely “adding disciples.”

[Beware: Math Ahead!]

Arithmetic Growth

Arithmetic growth is constant change, at the same rate of growth.

Example of arithmetic growth:

One disciple makes a disciple, for two people. Then the same disciple-maker disciples another person, for three disciples. The disciple-maker disciples another person, for four disciples. The disciple-maker again disciples another person, for five disciples, and so on.

y = 1 + 1 + 1 +1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1

Geometric Growth

Geometric growth is a changing rate of growth, a change that is changing.

Examples of geometric growth:

One disciple makes another disciple, for two disciples. Those two disciples each make a disciple, for four disciples. These four disciples each make a disciple, making eight disciples. These eight disciples each make a disciple, for 16 disciples. These 16 disciples each make a disciple, for 32 disciples, and so forth.

z = (1+1) + (2×2) + (4×2) + (8×2) + (16×2) + (32×2) + (64×2) + (128×2) + (256×2)

z = 2 + 2²+ 2³ + 2⁴ + 2⁵ + 2⁶ + 2⁷+ 2⁸

Discipleship as Leaven

⁷The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7 NASB

This is not the linear growth of arithmetic growth.

This is the ballooning growth of geometric growth.

This is to be the model for Discipleship and Disciple Making.

This is to be the model for the growth of the Kingdom “on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Jesus, Disciple Maker

In addition, the method of discipling that Yeshua used was “Intentional” and “Relational.”

It was “Intentional” in what He intended to teach them and in what they were to learn.

It was “Relational” in how He taught, modeled, corrected, and encouraged them.

And it was scalable.

Yeshua’s method of discipleship was not to disciple one person to spiritual maturity, and then disciple another one to spiritual maturity, and so on.

No, Jesus discipled a small group. They, in turn, then discipled disciples to become disciple makers.

Today, we can use the same method of discipleship. A mature disciple disciples a few, who disciple a few while the discipler disciples another few,etc., etc.

His way leads to geometric growth.
His way leads to explosive growth.
His way expands the Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”

This Intentional, Relational, Discipleship was part of why the Gospel spread and the church grew so rapidly after the resurrection.

²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:21 NASB

And, in my opinion, the lack of Intentional, Relational, Discipleship is part of why the church in the West is shrinking and has lost influence.

Another Look at the Great Commission

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ 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 NASB

Unfortunately, to a large extent, Yeshua’s model of Intentional, Relational, Discipleship has been lost in American Christianity.

“Fire insurance” conversion, Consumer Christianity, the “Name-It-and-Claim-It Gospel, “Seeker-friendly” teaching, along with undemanding and unaccountable church “membership” have all worked against growing spiritually mature, disciple-making disciples, who live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven while here on earth.

It’s not enough for church leaders to preach about the need for evangelism.
It’s not enough for church leaders to say, “Go and get converts.”
It’s not enough for church leaders to preach about the need for discipleship:
It’s not enough for them to say, “Go and make disciples” without first making disciples!

Disciples must first be made before they can become disciple-makers themselves.

What now?

How can the Leaven of Discipleship become restored to expand the Kingdom?

Ideally, the local church is to be disciple makers.

However, for many churches, and many more Christians, this isn’t happening.

You can ask to be mentored or discipled.
You can offer to help create a discipling process.
Or, you can leave, and seek discipling at another church.

[Frankly, I have done all three.]

But . . .

If your church isn’t discipling you, you have to choose to be Intentional.

You have the responsibility to find mature Christians who will teach you what they know.

If your church isn’t discipling you, you have to choose to be Relational.

You have to develop a close relationship with these mature Christians, truly “living life together” as Jesus did with His disciples.

In any event, the Great Commission isn’t just for preachers.

The Great Commission isn’t just for clergy, with degrees and credentials.
The Great Commission isn’t just for church staff.
The Great Commission isn’t even just for a few spiritually mature individuals in the church.

No, the Great Commission is for every believer, every follower, every disciple.

Including you.

Including me.

Ouch!

Do I feel overwhelmed? Yes!

Do I feel unprepared? Yes!

Do I feel afraid? Yes!

Yet,

The answer to “overwhelm” is small steps.
The answer to “unprepared” is planning.
The answer to “fear” is Love.

“We love, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:9 NASB

In response to His Love, we are to Love.

³⁰ AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’” Mark 12:30 NASB

For I know:

¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NASB

²⁷ Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27 NASB

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:8 NASB

And by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will “write God’s Word” in my mind and upon my heart.

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ¹⁶ “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, ¹⁷ “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Hebrews 10:15-17 NASB

I will heed the guiding /the leading of the Holy Spirit.

¹³ “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative,but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13 NASB

I will; so help me God.

(And I give you permission to ask me how I’m doing.)

So I ask.

Are you awaiting the Advent of the Kingdom?
Are you living, now, in the Kingdom?
Are you acting as leaven to expand the Kingdom on earth?

This year consider:

What are you “awaiting”?

A sweet baby Jesus with Santa kneeling by the manger?

The Second Coming, counting on the “rapture” to avoid the tribulation and to avoid the work to have a deep, strong, abiding faith, that is needed to persevere in hard times?

The Kingdom on earth that came with the Incarnation, that is now and has been breaking into the world, that will be when the New Earth is established?

That which is “awaited” will come.

Will you be ready?

Blessings,

TLThomas

It’s ok to doubt if you check it out!

Be a Berean

¹⁰The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10, 11 ESV

My Word On The Word

Advent and Discipleship