Discipleship Training
Just a month ago, the church had finished the IDMC discipleship training meeting. We have really learned a lot and listened a lot during the meeting. Thinking back, what actually is discipleship training?
I personally prefer using the words “discipleship nurturing”. We are able to follow Jesus Christ to be His disciples because we have the life of Jesus Christ living within us. We have the life of Jesus Christ living within us because we are willing to be nurtured by Him.
Discipleship nurturing is a process of helping each of us to grow and nourish our spiritual lives. We cannot live the life Jesus wants us to live without the salvation of Jesus and without the life of Jesus living within us. Lives need to be nurtured, not to be trained.
The lives of disciples originate from the trust in Jesus and to accept Him as our saviour and the Lord of our lives. We acknowledge that Jesus is our saviour because we admit that we are sinners, we need the salvation and forgiveness from Jesus. He became the Lord of our lives because we are willing to return the sovereignty of our lives to Jesus and return to the position of a created being.
Discipleship nurturing, in a nutshell is to continue learning how to return the sovereignty of our lives to God, returning to the status we are supposed to be, our status as “created beings”, “sinners of grace”, “people of God” and “servants of God”.
Discipleship nurturing is a process of “giving up”, it is the process by which we are willing to give up our sinful "old self", then put the image of Jesus Christ back in our lives and let the glory of God manifest in us.
This process is “discipleship nurturing”. It is a lifelong process. We will never reach the perfection like Jesus Christ in our lifetime. But we still have to strive hard, because God hopes that because of His love, we will be willing to be renewed by Him, to get close to Him every day, to put down our old self every day, and to live like Christ.
Therefore, it is essential for disciples to have daily devotions and prayer, to be close to God. This should not be done reluctantly but with a willing heart that enjoys walking with God daily, come face to face with Him through faith every day, to be filled with God’s love, be driven by Him to serve others, to love those around us, and live out the glory of God. This is fundamental and the purpose of discipleship nurturing.
We pray the Lord will help every brother and sister of our church to draw close to Him every day, be filled with His love and be willing to be sent to the world to live our lives, to show His glory. This is what is pleasing to God.
門徒訓練
剛剛一個月前, 教會上完 IDMC 門徒訓練會議, 我們實在學習了很多, 聽了很多, 回想一下, 其實什麼是門徒訓練?
我個人來說, 我比較喜歡用 "門徒栽培" 這字眼。因為我們能夠跟隨耶穌, 作為衪的門徒, 是因為我們有耶穌基督的生命, 有耶穌的生命, 是因為我們願意被神栽培出來的。
門徒栽培, 是一個孕育生命的過程, 是栽培, 培養。沒有耶穌基督的救恩, 沒有耶穌基督的生命, 我们不可能活出基督的樣式。生命不是能被訓練出來, 而是被栽培出來。
門徒的生命源於信靠主耶穌, 成為我們救主, 和生命的主。承認耶穌是救主, 是因為我們承認我是個罪人, 需要耶穌基督的救贖和赦免, 成為我們生命的主, 是因為我們願意把生命主權交還給耶穌, 我們歸回到一個被造者的位份。
門徒栽培, 簡單來說, 就是不斷的學習, 如何把生命的主權歸還予神, 回到我們本來該有的位份, 我們的位份是 "被造者", 我們是 "蒙恩的罪人", 我們是 "屬神的子民" 及 "僕人"。
門徒栽培, 是一個 "捨棄" 的過程, 是我們願意放下有罪的 "老我" 的過程, 然後把耶穌基督的樣式, 重新放回在我們生命當中, 讓神的榮耀在我們身上彰顯出來。
這個過程, 便是 "門徒栽培"。這是一個一生的過程, 我們在有生之年, 都不會達到, 完美的耶稣基督樣式, 但我們仍要努力, 因為神是希望我們因著衪的愛, 我們會願意被主更新, 每天願意親近神, 每天放下老我, 穿上基督的樣式。
所以, 每天靈修親近神, 每天禱告, 與神相處, 是作門徒必要的事情。這也不是出於勉強, 仍是出於甘心樂意的, 每天願意享受與神的同行, 以信心每天來到神面前, 面對神, 被神的愛充滿, 被神驅動, 去服侍別人, 愛身邊的人, 活出神的榮耀。這是門徒栽培的基本, 也是目的。
求主幫助我們教會每一位弟兄姊妹, 我們都願意天天親近神, 被神的愛充滿, 被神差遣到世上為神活出衪的榮耀, 這是神所樂意看到的。
