Follow Me!
I play a guitar. But I must admit I
am still a beginner. Twenty-eight years ago, when I was in middle school, I saw
some of the high schoolrers at my church play a guitar. It looked cool. So I said
to myself, “I must learn to play a guitar too!” Thankfully, my grandfather
bought me a guitar, and I found an instruction manual at the bookstore. I would
say it was fairly easy to learn how to finger a chord and strum. But then, I realized
if I was really going to advance, I would have to get a person, who would teach me, show me, correct me, guide me by the
hand, more than just to read about them in the book. Since I haven’t got a
teacher yet, my playing skills are about the same then and now.
When Jesus called his first
disciples, he didn’t say, “Read the Scriptures.” Instead, he said, “Follow me! Come
with me! Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn from me!” (cf. Matt 4:19; 11:29) Jesus called
and chose twelve, and basically he lived a life together with them. He taught
them how to live as God’s people – a life
of love and forgiveness. But more importantly, Jesus also showed them why to live that life. In particular,
through his life, Jesus taught his disciples the why’s – why he believed what he believed, and why he lived like he
lived. That way the disciples could learn that the Way of Jesus (Christianity) is
not about do’s and don’ts, but it’s about a lively
relationship with Jesus that gives
freedom, power, and joy. So they chose to follow Jesus and his way, not because
they had to, but because they wanted to – have and live that life.
Showing Jesus
Paul said to Corinthian Christians,
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Co 11:1 NKJV). Paul preached the
good news of Christ to the Gentiles who had never met Jesus in person. Ultimately,
what he did was to show Jesus through his
life. When he was cursed, he blessed; when he was persecuted, he endured
it; when he was slandered, he answered kindly (4:12-13). The people saw how
Paul lived a life of love and forgiveness, and they were drawn to Jesus.
I still remember when I was
spiritually wandering in my senior year in high school. I couldn’t read the Bible.
I couldn’t pray because I felt like I talked to the wall. I felt like I was a
hypocrite. So I shared my feelings with my mother. After hearing my story, she
shared her story how she had a hard time to come to the faith although she had always
grown up in the church as a pastor’s kid, how she met Jesus when she had
forgiven the person who did harm to her family. We had an honest conversation
about Jesus. My mother showed Jesus
through her life. I also remember when my father as a pastor had to handle dissension
in the church. At that time the church was at the crossroads. They were in the
process of building a new church building. But a small group of the leaders
were against the change and caused troubles. One day I said to my father, “Why
don’t we just move on?” He said, “If we moved now, the sheep would be
scattered. If we had to move, we would do when the church was strengthened and prosperous.”
Since then, the church continued to be built up, grew in numbers, and he has
been serving that church for 28 years. My
father showed Jesus through his life.
Making Disciples
It is known that 2 Timothy is Paul’s
last words to Timothy, his spiritual son. In today’s passage Paul says, “My
son, what you have heard from me – now teach
and pass on to other faithful people”
(2:2). Then, he uses three metaphors to show what it means to live as Jesus’ disciple:
soldiers, athletes, and farmers. These three have one thing in common in that they have one clear aim. For
soldiers, their aim is to please their commanding officer. For athletes, their
aim is to win the race. For farmers, their aim is to reap a rich harvest. In order
to achieve their aims, they are willing to sacrifice and even suffer, because they
know what they suffer now is nothing compared to the future glory and joy. For
disciples of Jesus, our one and only aim is to
please Jesus by making disciples (“Great Commission”). It is to know Jesus
and make Him known.
John Wesley is a good example to
follow in terms of making disciples. At that time God used two particular
leaders to revive His people in England: one was John Wesley, and the other was
George Whitefield. In fact, Whitefield was a more popular and effective
preacher. But today, it is known as Wesleyan Revival rather than Whitefield
Revival. Why? It is because the fruit of Whitefield’s labors died with himself;
Wesley’s fruit remains, grows, increases, and multiplies exceedingly. Later in
his life, Whitefield said to one of his colleagues, “My Brother Wesley acted
wisely – the souls that were awakened under his ministry he joined in class,
and thus preserved the fruits of his labor. This I neglected, and my people are
a rope of sand.”[1]
Our Christian disciple-making can be
formal like Wesley’s class meeting, or it can be informal like one on one
coffee break conversations. But the point is that all of life is an opportunity for making disciples. So Paul says to
Timothy, “Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Don’t get
caught up with everyday affairs. Do not waste your life. Be focused and concentrate
on your aim – pleasing Jesus, your Master, by making disciples.”
What Will We Leave Behind?
Mr.
Holland’s Opus is a story of Glenn Holland, who is a talented, ambitious musician
and composer. But in order to have more free time to write his own orchestral
composition, he accepts a teaching position at high school. Against all expectations,
Holland never has a private time for himself or his family. In addition, his
son is found to be deaf. He needs to take care of his special needs family and
teach and mentor his students, delaying his own composition work. Eventually, he
reaches an age when it is too late to compose and have it performed. To make
things worse, the new principal eliminates music from the school curriculum,
and that leads to Holland’s early retirement. Holland realizes that his career
in music is likely over, thinking that his former students have mostly
forgotten him. He was disheartened by his failure over to have his composition.
On his final day as a teacher, Holland enters the school auditorium, where hundreds
of former students have secretly returned to the school to celebrate his life
and perform a surprise concert. One of his most musically challenged students
and now the Governor says, “Mr. Holland, there is not a life in this room that
you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are
your symphony. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music
of your life.”
One time Paul said to Thessalonian Christians,
“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the
presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our
glory and joy.” (1 Th 2:19-20, NIV) In the day of the Lord when we give an
account, our crown is not our possessions, our successes, or our interests. Our crown is the people whom we led to the
light of Christ. Tomorrow my parents are coming to visit. I love my father
and my mother so much. But in the day of the Lord you are my crown and my joy. You
are my father, my mother, my sister, my brother in the day of the Lord.
Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who lead
many to the right path to life will shine like the stars forever.” My prayer is
that in the day of the Lord all of us in this room may shine like the stars and
hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your
Master’s joy!” Amen.
