1,000 Days with the Master ...
Discipleship Training Curriculum ... Module 1
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When God left eternity 1,970 years ago to enter our "dimension" (Earth) to bring us back to Himself, He could have picked any strategy He wanted to grow His Kingdom. What did He choose? He picked a dozen very ordinary men with little more than passion and potential.
He then walked with them for 1,000 days teaching, tutoring, mentoring,
and leading them. He transformed them through that process. They came
out of that "1,000 Days with the Master" as men of God.
Well,
"if it was good enough for Him, it's good enough for us," is our
thought. The spiritual maturity curriculum that follows is comprised of
that exact same discipleship training program. We'll examine the
TEACHABLE EVENTS that HE thought were necessary to turn mortals into
disciples. Today, we'd propose, there's no reason for the curriculum to
be different.
By the way, if we may become a bit philosophical, our focus must never
become the curriculum, or even the result. Our gaze must never leave
the Master Himself, even to switch to something as tempting and
spiritual-sounding as "godliness." Godliness, as such, is not our goal. Following Jesus of Nazareth is. We are called to follow a Person, not a system. "Godliness" is just a system, code of actions. And a SYSTEM of behavior
rather than Jesus Himself is an insidious trap. Our cult friends have
fallen into that trap. Jesus did not invite us to follow His system. He
invited us to follow Him. Let's examine exactly what that meant.
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| Teachable Moment #1. Jesus issues discipleship calls |
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4:18 Walking by the sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew,
his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
4:19 He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."
4:20 They immediately left their nets and followed him.
4:21 Going on from there,
he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He
called them.
4:22 They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
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1:16
Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the
brother of Simon casting a net in the sea, for they were fishermen.
1:17 Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men."
1:18 Immediately they left their nets, and followed him.
1:19 Going on a little
further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John, his
brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
1:20 Immediately he called
them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired
servants, and went after him.
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Personal Application Questions:
- Has Christ called you to drop your old life and follow Him? What
has been your answer? What would your friends and co-workers and
enemies say has been your answer? If a person HAS, will it always SHOW
/ be visible to others?
- Where Christ have to go to find you? Are you prepared
for Him to show up at any moment and in any place in your life to issue
His daily invitations to follow? How can you live such that you would instantaneously recognize Him and His voice and never miss it?
- What is it about the call of Christ that is so compelling?
Why would a reasonable person drop all their nets -- their old life --
(daily) to follow the Christ? And is this really what He wants us to do
daily? In what ways could I be a better / more faithful / more obedient follower?
- Notice that mere willingness to drop nets is insufficient. (Everybody's "willing.") One must actually drop the old life and leave it behind in order to follow Christ. (He may or may not "give" it back.) What net fragments are you clinging to that keep you stuck to, twisted and tangled up in your old life?
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| Teachable Moment #2. Jesus turns down Satan's enticing offers |
 
| 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
4:2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
4:3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4:4 But he answered, "It
is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"
4:5 Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
4:6 and said to him, "If
you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He
will give his angels charge concerning you.' and, 'On their hands they
will bear you up, So that you don't dash your foot against a stone.'"
4:7 Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.'"
4:8 Again, the devil took
him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world, and their glory.
4:9 He said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."
4:10 Then Jesus said to
him, "Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the
Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"
4:11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.
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1:12 Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.
1:13 He was there in the
wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals;
and the angels were ministering to him.
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4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
4:2 for forty days, being
tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when
they were completed, he was hungry.
4:3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
4:4 Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"
4:5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
4:6 The devil said to him,
"I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been
delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
4:7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours."
4:8 Jesus answered him,
"Get behind me Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord
your God, and him only shall you serve.'"
4:9 He led him to
Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,
4:10 for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you;'
4:11 and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, Lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.'"
4:12 Jesus answering, said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
4:13 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.
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Personal Application Questions:
- FBI Counterfeit Agents study real currency so much and so well
(never studying counterfeits) that they instantaneously recognize a
counterfeit. Do you know God's Word (the Bible) that well? Can you
immediately spot a fake (that is, erroneous teaching) when you hear it
or see it? (It is rampant in the Church.) Only a fool bakes a new
kitchen dish without reading the recipe. How much more important to
read the instruction book for life? 1 to 10, how comfortable with the
amount of time you spend in the Word and the degree to which you spot
fake teaching and calls?
- If you're new, start with the Gospel of John in an easily- readable
version (NIV is popular.) Then maybe Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians. Genesis. How would an intimate relationship with God's Word
make you a different person?
- In what area of your life is Satan currently tempting you? And
what, would you guess, is the number ONE book the Enemy wants you to
avoid in the midst thereof? Why would he want you to avoid it?
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| Teachable Moment #3. Jesus' first miracle: turning wedding water into wine |
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2:1 The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there.
2:2 Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage.
2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no wine."
2:4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come."
2:5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it."
2:6 Now there were six
water pots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying,
containing two or three metretes apiece.
2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." They filled them up to the brim.
2:8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast." So they took it.
2:9 When the ruler of the
feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn't know where it came
from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the
feast called the bridegroom,
2:10 and said to him,
"Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk
freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until
now!"
2:11 This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
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Personal Application Questions:
- We're tempted to think that "natural laws" (gravity, magnetism,
planetary orbits, etc.) govern the "ordinary stuff" and God only gets
involved in the "supernatural" stuff. But ... water to wine or
death to resurrection is no different to God than night to day or rainy
to sunny or food to energy or gasoline to combustion. He is running
everything. What "miracles" has God done in your life so far today?
(How about breathing? Heart beating? Blood flowing?)
- Where is the wine running out in your life? Joy draining to
sadness? Peace draining to turmoil? Security draining to fear? Our God
is the One who recharges life's waning parties, once He is invited.
Which of your parties do you need to invite Him to? Which one are you
leaving Him off the guest list?
- Sometimes we're so wrapped up in this world that it takes a miracle
to get our attention. What miracle is God doing in front of you this
moment to get your attention, and what does He want your atention for?
What might He have ahead for you?
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