Moses and Joshua | Part 2
“...one can be a believer and attain their Doctorate of Ministry, but not be a disciple.”
When it comes to discipleship, there are a lot of misconceptions. A few are:
Discipleship is a program.
Discipleship is academic.
Discipleship is synonymous with being a believer.
Discipleship is for unbelievers.
Another great misconception about discipleship is that it is spiritual drudgery. No one is audacious enough to admit this out loud, but it lingers in the mind of some. This misconception is derived from the cost of discipleship given by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s face it, in this church age, how many “believers” will not view denying self and taking up their cross to follow Him as spiritual drudgery? As if that wasn’t radical enough also hating one’s father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, and own life would certainly qualify biblical discipleship as spiritual drudgery.
One of the reasons many reduce discipleship down to a program or class is because it makes discipleship more reasonable and acceptable. The reality is one can be a believer and attain their Doctorate of Ministry, but not be a disciple. Because discipleship is not defined as scholarship.
In the misconception of discipleship being spiritual drudgery, what is misunderstood is that biblical discipleship involves a loving relationship between the disciple and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another because He first loved them (John 15:12). That love was not only demonstrated to them at the cross (John 15:13), He had demonstrated His love for them throughout their time following Him. The spiritual drudgery misconception paints the picture of discipleship being all about the disciple enduring hardness for a Lord who finds pleasure in His disciples living the hardest life possible on earth. It further implies that enjoyment of any kind is strictly prohibited. In other words, there is no loving relationship between the disciple and the Lord in this misconception. This misconception is as dangerous as it is erroneous.
“...one of the greatest disservices committed by disciplers is failure to teach and emphasize intimacy with Christ.”
In Exodus 24, God summoned Moses to come up to Mount Sinai where He would give Moses the Law. The people were not allowed to come close to the mountain or go up with Moses. In Exodus 19, the people learned how important it was to respect the instructions of not getting too close to the mountain or attempting to go up (Exo. 19:11-13). So going up the mountain to get near the LORD was no light thing. However, when Moses went up the mountain it is pointedly obvious he did not go up alone:
Exo. 24:13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
It was clear that Moses alone was to go up and be near the LORD (Exo. 24:2, 12). But the people were not allowed to even get close to the mountain. So Moses was either gambling with Joshua’s life, or wanted to teach Joshua a significant lesson that he had to have peace from God.. Joshua would not have fully accompanied Moses into the presence of God, but we can all imagine what must have been going on in Joshua’s heart and mind just accompanying Moses to a point as Moses went to be in the presence of God.
Moses understood that Joshua was to be his successor. He would have also known that Joshua would someday meet with God just as he had. This is one of the reasons Moses had Joshua come with him to a point. In the first mention of Joshua, we see Moses speaking to him (Exo. 17:9), but in the opening verse of the book of Joshua, we see the first mention of God speaking directly to Joshua:
Jos 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
Joshua would eventually lead the people into the promised land, but he would not do so without meeting with God along the way just as Moses had.
While it is vital to teach sound doctrine throughout the discipleship process, one of the greatest disservices committed by disciplers is failure to teach and emphasize intimacy with Christ. Disciplers must understand that biblical discipleship majors on intimacy with Christ.
“...one of the most critical lessons that disciplers teach in discipleship is the need to and how to sit at the feet of Jesus day after day.”
John 15 is a cornerstone chapter on intimacy with Christ. What is often overlooked about this chapter is that the context of the chapter is discipleship. It is obvious that Jesus was talking to His disciples. Having established that, we can never forget that biblical discipleship occurs in the context of intimacy with Christ. Without intimacy with Christ, discipleship will be viewed as spiritual drudgery.
As much as disciplers are and should be preoccupied with verses being memorized with precision and the completion of homework in the workbook, if there is no evidence of intimacy with Christ, that is all irrelevant. Intimacy takes time to develop for a babe in Christ, but over time, if intimacy with Christ is not happening, neither is discipleship. Jesus stated that proof of discipleship is the bearing of much fruit (John 15:8). It is also clear from John 15 that fruit is the by-product of intimacy with Christ. Discipleship is not happening if there is no intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, one of the most critical lessons that disciplers teach in discipleship is the need to and how to sit at the feet of Jesus day after day (Luke 10:38-42). Disciplers should discuss and teach this as if the spiritual life of the disciple counts on it because it does. Knowledge of the word and ministry activity must never be substituted or confused as intimacy with Christ. When this happens, a crash is inevitable, with some of them being of a massive nature.
This reinforces the importance of the disciple embracing the quiet time as not merely a spiritual discipline, but as a way of life.
Kenny Morgan is the Discipleship Pastor at Midtown Baptist Temple and leads the Life Fellowship adult class.
