A Table of Discipleship

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach at MKCC in our latest teaching series - The Table.

• In many of our homes the tray has replaced the table, we choose entertainment not intimacy. 
• We take everything a put it in a box when God is wanting to open the box and release the power of his Gospel over our lives. 
• The power of the Christian life is not goosebumps in church but in holy spirit demonstration in our home, schools, colleges, work places and streets. 
• Religions have at least two characteristics: 

       • people create religious rituals to ceremonialize their devotion
       • people create a religious hierarchy to outsource their religious  obligations

       So, the default mode of culture and people is toward ceremony and hierarchy, rather than devotion and ministry engagement.

• Discipleship is about Leaving & Following Christ’s FIRST words and Christ’s FINAL words to us are the SAME words… “FOLLOW ME.” – Brad Cooper 
• Discipleship is about Transformation 
• We are educated way beyond our level of obedience. 
• Many churches equate discipleship with knowledge…The essence of discipleship is transformational not informational 
• Judas learned from Jesus' teaching, but never allowed Jesus' teaching transform him. And Jesus would not be Judas' Savior because He was not Judas' Lord.-AW Tozer 
• Christian discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God’s righteousness and less and less attention to our own; finding the meaning of our lives not by probing our moods and motives and morals but by believing in God’s will and purposes; making a map of the faithfulness of God, not charting the rise and fall of our enthusiasm. – Eugene Peterson 
• Leonard Ravenhill "I don't mind feeding babies with a bottle and milk, but I do mind parting whiskers to get the bottle in!" 
• Discipleship Happens in Community 
• Discipleship Takes Time