To Be A Disciple - Part 11

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MP4 Video - 720p (100.09 MB)
MP3 Audio (1.7 MB)

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To Be A Disciple - Part 11

MP4 Video - 720p (100.09 MB)
MP3 Audio (1.7 MB)
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The Gentle Teacher - Did you ever have a harsh teacher? It made it hard to learn didn't it?

Transcript

 

[Darris McNeely] Did you ever have a harsh teacher that made it hard to learn? I did one time, in junior high school. I had a teacher that would walk the halls, and if he didn't like the clothes you had that day, if he didn't like the look on your face at that particular moment, he might just walk up behind you and kind of box your ears and hit you up behind the head. He was known to carry a paddle in his back pocket. He was a teacher that we learned to avoid. He was not gentle. That's not how a teacher mentors and disciples somebody.

When we look at what Jesus did, we see that He was working with a group of imperfect individuals, who – at times, perhaps the apostles needed to be cuffed up the side of the head a little bit. They were slow to learn in some areas, quick in others, and yet Jesus was always gentle, always patient, and always wanting them to learn, and taking the time to teach them. And that's how He is with us. The classic example of this, I think, is in Luke chapter 22, beginning in verse 24, where on the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, and ultimately crucified, His disciples – after three and a half years living with Him day in and day out, being mentored and trained, watching His example, learning – still had missed a very, very big point about becoming a disciple. They started to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest. And that's what they were doing in that last period before Christ's death.

"They were disputing among themselves," it says, "as to which of them would be considered the greatest." Christ's answer – He could have hit them upside the head, but He didn't. He kind of verbally chided them, in a gentle and patient way. He said, "'The kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you. On the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who's greater? He who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as one who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials, and I bestow upon you a kingdom just as My Father bestowed upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on the thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel'" (Luke 22:24-30).

Christ took a very gentle, patient, and yet firm mode of instruction at this critical moment when they were quarreling among themselves, saying, "Pick me! Pick me! I'm better than you! I should be sitting at His right hand." They had missed the point up to that time, even after three and a half years. And I think that's the point of encouragement for you and I to take – that no matter how many times we may stumble, how many times we may need to reboot on this road to becoming a disciple, that we have a faithful, patient, gentle, and kind teacher in Christ – to lead us, to work with us, to allow for the mistakes, to give us kind of a big pen to play in at times, but to always direct and guide us along the way to becoming a disciple. And when we have that understanding of how Christ works with us, then it makes for a very, very effective student-teacher relationship. Take heart and be patient. We have a kind Teacher.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.