Adult Mentor: 4th Quarter 2014

By Rev. Montgomery Richard

Adult Mentor (ages 36 & older).This book is for the adult learner, ages 36 and older. It is designed to increase Christian faith and biblical understanding using a variety of learning methods.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Jul 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781589428966

Book preview

JESUS CALLS HIS DISCIPLES

QUARTERLY THEME:

The Making of Disciples

Lesson Scriptures: Matthew 3:16-17; 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 6:12-16; John 1:29-48

BIBLICAL TEACHING EMPHASES

    I. GOD SENT JESUS

  II. JESUS CALLED HIS DISCIPLES

III. THE DISCIPLES RESPONDED TO JESUS’ CALL

KEY VERSE:

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19, KJV)

INTRODUCTION:

This quarter we will be looking at the making of disciples. Christians usually think of disciples in relation to Jesus, but many people have disciples. Socrates had disciples. Star athletes often have disciples who copy them, though they usually don’t use the term disciple. As an adult mentor, you have disciples as well. You may call them mentees, which fits better with mentors, but they are disciples just the same. A disciple is simply a person who follows another person and who tries to emulate the one he or she follows. Sometimes disciples are chosen by the one they follow. Jesus specifically chose the Twelve to follow Him and to learn about the Kingdom.

EXPOSITION:

I. God Sent Jesus

From the beginning, Jesus planned to call disciples. At that time in Israel, roving teachers were a fairly common sight. Most of those men had bands of followers who were called disciples, so for Jesus not to have His own group would have been unusual. But the main reason Jesus called disciples is because God sent Him to do so. The plan formed in heaven from the very foundations of the universe was that God would send Jesus to redeem creation and humanity. A key part of that plan was for Jesus to gather a small group of individuals in whom He would invest to ensure His work would continue after His return to heaven. He would train these disciples in everything they would need in order to accomplish God’s plan. He would explain to them the mystery of God’s redemptive plan, of which prophets had spoken but which never fully had been revealed until the coming of Jesus.

THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS:

1 Jesus was not working on a project He concocted in the carpentry shop. He was fulfilling the mission of the Kingdom of God.

2 The work Jesus had to accomplish required partners who could continue the mission after Jesus returned to heaven.

3 The times were right and the hearts of the men were prepared so that they would respond favorably to Jesus’ call.

After Jesus poured His own life and wisdom into the Twelve, God planned for Jesus to die, rise again, and ascend to heaven, leaving the work of discipleship to the Twelve.

Jesus did not call the Twelve so He could have the pleasure of company or an ego boost from having followers. He called the Twelve because it was part of the plan of God to develop leaders to do the work of the Kingdom. They were taught how to fulfill the Great Commission, which was carried out after Christ’s return to heaven (see Matt. 28:16-20).

II. Jesus Called His Disciples

If you read the biblical accounts of Jesus calling His Disciples, you get the impression that He selected specific individuals from out of the crowds that He encountered. We don’t know the details of how Jesus made His selections or even why He chose those twelve people. We can, however, clearly see that He chose exactly whom He wanted for the purposes He had planned. Therefore, He knew all along exactly which twelve men He was seeking.

ACTIVITY:

MAKING IT STICK

Read through all the verses listed for this lesson. Think about what was happening as Jesus called His Disciples. What principles can you draw from these accounts to help you understand what it means today for us to be disciples of Jesus?

The mission of Jesus required assistants. Jesus had the lead role—apart from which none of the rest of the work would have mattered. There was work to be done after Jesus returned to the Father, however. Each man Jesus selected had his role to play in the larger plan that Jesus came to enact. Each man was chosen to fit the needs of the plan.

There was a larger band of disciples who followed Jesus and had smaller parts to play in the plan, but the Twelve, whom Jesus designated Apostles, had the lead roles. No one but Jesus could bear the sins of the world on the cross, and none but Jesus would triumph over death and hell. But the Disciples had important roles to fulfill after Jesus returned to heaven, such as spreading the Gospel beyond Jerusalem and leading the Church.

The work of Jesus’ ministry required partners who had the skill sets necessary for the roles they would be given. Much of Jesus’ ministry leading up to the Passion Week was devoted to getting these collaborators ready for their jobs.

III. The Disciples Responded to Jesus’ Call

What a strange scene it was. In Galilee, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew were casting their nets into the sea, trying to catch some fish to sell. The day was probably like any other day until Jesus walked by them. Matthew 4:18-20 records Jesus’ call to the two fishermen to follow Him. Without so much as a question, without a moment’s hesitation, two professional fishermen left their boats behind and followed Jesus. They showed they were willing to learn, as Jesus said, how to ‘fish for people’ (v. 19, NRSV). Jesus then