BLOG | What is a Disciple?

By this point of our journey, we've come to trust in Jesus by faith for our salvation. We've been washed of our sin, buried with him, and risen to new life in baptism. And we've received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we walk in that love and power and life day-by-day. So what's the next step?

What does the journey with Jesus now look like? The next step (and all the rest of our steps) is becoming a disciple of Jesus. And this begins with Jesus's call to discipleship. Jesus' death and resurrection isn't the end of the story. He calls us to continue our trusting relationship with Him on a journey that lasts the whole of our lives, and even into eternity. We've trusted Him as our Saviour and now we trust Him as our Lord. As those who've been saved through Jesus's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, we now offer to the living Jesus what Paul calls our obedience of faith. We trust him. That's what faith is. And in our trust, we obey what he's calling us to, which is discipleship.

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. And as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was out among the wild animals and angels took care of Him.

Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee where he preached God's good news. "The time promised by God has come at last," he announced, "the kingdom of God is near. Repent of your sins and believe the good news." One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. And Jesus called out to them "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people." And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore, Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men. Jesus was calling them to a journey of discipleship, and they responded.

So, what is a disciple? To be a disciple means to be a learner or a student. Our English word comes from Latin and is related to our word discipline. To be a disciple is not by definition to have achieved something, but to be on the way. To be a disciple is not a status you've already obtained or achieved. But as a student today, it's a status meaning you don't yet have something, but you're on the road to learning something.

Now in our society, learning and education are tied to a set curriculum. There are certain things that everyone should learn and be able to do by going through the education system. Who your teacher is doesn't change what you're expected to learn. We have many teachers over the course of our education, and they're all teaching us from the same curriculum. But things were a bit different in the ancient world, and specifically for Jesus's own Jewish culture.

In the ancient world, people attached themselves to particular teachers they wanted to learn from. In the ancient Jewish world, that teacher was called the rabbi, which means "my great one" or "my master." They might form a school as the Pharisees did with their disciples, or a teacher might be out on their own as John the Baptist apparently was with his disciples.

Another way ancient education was different was that learning was not limited to knowledge. A student (or disciple) wasn't only learning what their teacher knew or what could be expressed in their words, but what their teacher did and who they were. A disciple wanted to learn not only their teacher's knowledge, but also how to live like their teacher. In this way, a disciple is more like an apprentice, learning the trade of a master carpenter or electrician by doing what they do. But even more than that, the disciple wanted to be just like their teacher.

When Jesus goes to Peter and Andrew, James and John, and calls to them, "Come follow me," He's inviting them to be His disciples and to learn His particular wisdom and His own way of life. For the rest of Jesus's life, they'll be following Him, hearing Him teach the masses, watching Him heal the sick, listening intently to His arguments with the Pharisees. This is not our Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-three kind of education. This is the whole of their lives. They will walk where He walks, sleep where He sleeps, and try to understand every word He's saying. They want to be just like their master, to be like Jesus.

You see, discipleship is not just something we do. It's not one task among others, like I'm a parent, a spouse, an employee, and a disciple. No, discipleship describes who we are. The whole of my life is given shape and focus by discipleship to the Lord Jesus. Jesus gives us our identity and everything we do flows out of our identity as His disciples. This means there's no part of our lives in which we are not a disciple of Jesus.

Discipleship is not a solo effort. Jesus called 12 people to learn from him in an especially close and committed way. He formed a community of students. Discipleship also takes a long time; we never perfectly learn Jesus and are continually on the journey with Him.

And finally, the outcome of our journey of discipleship is increasing likeness to our teacher. As we follow, if we're learning well, we're becoming more and more like our Master. We are becoming more like Jesus.

Click here to learn more about discipleship, or click here to find ways to get connected at Elim.

BLOG | What is Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

The next step in our journey after baptism in water is baptism in the Holy Spirit. Just as you are immersed in water in burial and resurrection with Jesus, the promise of God is that you will be immersed in his Holy Spirit. Remember the words of John the Baptist: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” (Mark 1:7-8). We baptized you in water, but Jesus himself baptizes you in the Holy Spirit!

After his death and resurrection, Jesus promised his followers, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This promise was first fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost in the year Jesus died and rose nearly two thousand years ago:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [i.e., languages] as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)

When spectators questioned the source of these languages, Peter stood up and told them: “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today” (Acts 2:32-33). This was the fulfillment of John’s prophecy that Jesus would baptize his followers in the Holy Spirit or “pour out” the Spirit on them.

The experience of that Day of Pentecost is still for us today! Jesus’ promise of baptism in the Spirit is “…for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). The Day of Pentecost lays out a pattern we experience over and over, in which we see people filled with, or baptized in, the Spirit and enabled to speak in tongues, that is, languages they never learned. They go on to confidently announce the good news about Jesus (Acts 2:13-36).

People have different experiences when they encounter the Holy Spirit; God wants to meet each of us in a personal way. Here are some other things you may experience:

• God pouring out his love into your heart (Romans 5:5)

• A deep sense of joy or peace (Romans 15:13)

• A tangible sense of God’s presence, which may feel like an overwhelming energy in your body (Colossians 1:29)

When the Spirit comes on you, he often gives you new abilities; we call these “spiritual gifts” because they come from the Holy Spirit. Generally, they involve supernaturally-empowered speech. There are gifts of:

• Boldness or confidence in sharing the good news about Jesus (Acts 4:31)

• Tongues and their interpretation into a known language (1 Corinthians 14)

• Prophecy, sharing a word from God for others (1 Corinthians 14)

• Words of knowledge or wisdom, facts or insight that could not be otherwise known (1 Corinthians 12:8)

• Healing, a supernatural empowerment to heal the sick (1 Corinthians 12:9)

• Discernment, the ability to tell what is from the Holy Spirit, a human spirit, or an evil spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10)

• A greater desire to worship (Acts 10:46)

This is not an exhaustive list (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Romans 12:6-8; and Ephesians 4:11-16), but all evidence the Spirit’s power in a person’s life.

When Jesus gave this promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit, he told his disciples to wait until they received it. They spent ten days in prayer and worship before Jesus fulfilled his promise on the Day of Pentecost. So, as you desire the baptism of the Spirit, set your heart on God’s promise, ask God in prayer to fill you with his Spirit, and seek him in worship. Jesus will fulfill his promise in his own divine time as we wait and ask.

Finally, while being baptized in the Holy Spirit is a step we each take on our journey with Jesus, it is not one we then leave behind. Paul instructs us: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), that is, go on being filled over and over and over. For it is the Spirit, his power and his gifts, that enable us to grow in our lifelong journey of becoming more like Jesus. May God fill you with his Holy Spirit!

BLOG | What is Water Baptism?

The next step after placing your faith in Jesus is baptism in water.

The word “baptism” comes from the Greek language spoken by the early Christians and refers to a washing by immersion in water. This ritual has its origin in the various washings of people and things undertaken by faithful Jews before the coming of Jesus. But with Jesus, it took on new significance.

At the very beginning of Jesus’ work, He Himself was baptized in water by John. The opening of the story as told by Mark says this, “John the Baptizer was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

“John announced ‘Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am, so much greater that I'm not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of His sandals. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ One day, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized Him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart, and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’”

There are a few things to notice here. First, baptism is connected with repentance and confession. In coming to the water for baptism, we confess that we've sinned against God and others. And we are repenting or turning from those old ways of life. We've received forgiveness of sin in Jesus.

Second, in Jesus's baptism, the voice of God His father, the voice from Heaven, announces that Jesus is His dearly loved Son who brings Him great joy. In baptism, we are joined to Jesus, God's eternal Son, and we become a brother or sister of Jesus, and a son or daughter of God. Those same words of affirmation, acceptance, and welcome that the father spoke over his Son, Jesus, are spoken over us.

The Holy Spirit also descends on Jesus, anointing Him for His mission. So, in this event, we see three: the Son (Jesus), the voice of His father, and the Spirit descending. This is why Jesus commands us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” When we baptize, we do so while invoking the three who were present at Jesus baptism. We baptize you into the name of the Trinity.

An important early Christian named Paul also wrote about baptism in his letter to the Romans. He says, “When we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in His death. For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” In the light of Jesus’ death on the cross and rising from the dead, baptism has become a ritual that identifies us with what Jesus went through by first dying and then rising again. What we once were in our sin has died with Jesus.

Paul goes on to say, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ,” Paul goes on, “we know we will also live with Him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him.

“When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. So, you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin, and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” When we go down into that water to be washed, to be baptized, we are joining with, or being identified with, Jesus in His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Who we once were in our sinfulness is washed away and is buried with him. And we come up from the water to new life in Jesus.

If you desire that—if you're ready to confess your sin and turn from it in repentance, to join with Jesus in putting your old life behind you and beginning a new journey with Him—you can be baptized.

Get in touch with us by clicking here, and it will be our privilege to baptize you. This will take place as part of our worship together as a church to witness to and celebrate God's salvation in your life.

There’s one more thing about Jesus's baptism: you'll notice that John said “someone is coming soon who's greater than I am. So much greater that I'm not even worthy to stoop down and untie His sandals. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” We will baptize you with water and we're excited to take the step with you.

The next step after that is baptism in the Holy Spirit, something Jesus Himself does.

BLOG | Start your journey

True life is found in a journey with Jesus.

Jesus announced that He had good news: the Kingdom of God was coming. In Jesus, God was bringing an end to injustice and was really establishing His Kingdom. This is really good news for all who suffer at the hands of others.

The problem is, it's also bad news. It's actually bad news for each one of us who've ever done anything wrong. Whether big or small, we all have done things that make us guilty, and we're guilty before God and before others. That's what we call sin. It's what separates us from God. It's what separates us from one another.

But there's good news again: Jesus came to establish God's Kingdom and justice even for those who have sinned. He loves us so much that He refused to abandon us, despite our sin. By dying on the cross for us, Jesus satisfied God's justice in our place. And so now he offers forgiveness for all our sins, because He Himself paid for them when He went to the cross. Through Him, we can come home to God.

Our journey with Jesus begins when we accept what He has done for us. For He did not stay dead. He actually rose from the dead and lives forever, sending His own Spirit to live in us when we trust Him for our salvation and leading us into true life.

Listen, if you feel led to place your trust or your faith in Jesus, who gave His life for you, you can pray something like this "Dear Jesus, I open my heart and my life to you. Would you come and bring the gift of your new life into me? Forgive me my sins. I want to be a follower of Jesus."

This is what we mean by beginning a journey with Jesus. It's a journey of a new life in Him. And if you're just starting out, or maybe you have some questions before you start this journey and pray this prayer, we'd actually love to walk alongside of you in that. You can get in touch with us just by clicking here.

The next step after placing your faith in Jesus is baptism in water. Read our blog about water baptism here. If you’re ready for that next step, you can fill out our baptism card here.