Postures of Discipleship

In our Christian life we talk a lot about discipleship. It is one of our four priorities at ANCC.

We have defined this as:

Discipleship: Teaching and equipping people to become more like Jesus.

Different seasons in our lives bring different postures in discipleship. 

Sometimes we seem to live in periods of accelerated spiritual progress, sometimes we will face opposition, but each season brings a different posture. 

Today, we will mention four biblical word pictures for these. They’re helpful in our understanding of knowing where are spiritually, but also understanding that discipleship is not a just a matter of head knowledge, but of a relationships with Jesus.

Sometimes We Sit:

Sitting is symbolic of resting. I often will sit during my quiet time and just wait on God. It has the implication of setting time aside and just resting.

Isaiah 40: But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)

Sitting is a posture of listening:

Remember Mary and Martha when Jesus visited their home. Martha gets busy in the kitchen, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet to receive heaven’s meal for her soul (Luke 10: 38-42).

But sitting it indicates that we understand that we are seated in Christ.

Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

No matter what is happening around us or in us, we are seated in Christ. Which means we know our salvation is secure and it is not ours to work for.

You may know that both the Tabernacle and Temple of the Jews had several items of furniture and vessels in it, but it never included a chair where the high priest could sit. Why? Under the Old Testament, the work of the high priest is recurring and is never finished (cf. Hebrews 7:27; 10:4, 11-12).

Sitting means we are able to rest in the knowledge the work of salvation is done through Jesus and His blood.

Which means we don’t strive. We know we are saved!

Sometimes We Stand:

Standing in our faith can mean standing against opposition. 

1 Corinthians 16:13: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Ephesians 6:11: Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

After you have put in place all the spiritual disciplines of the armour of God mentioned in Ephesians 6, you have to stand. We would think that once we have the armour on we should charge! But what is stated here is that we stand. We draw a line and we say no further to the enemies schemes!

Either way, standing reminds us of spiritual warfare, or times of trials:

1 Peter 1:6-7: In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

During times of spiritual warfare or trial, we might not be able to advance or move forward, but as long as we stand where we are and do not go backward, we are still in the fight.

Sometimes We Walk:

Walking to me speaks of the daily routine life of the Christian.

Ephesians 5: 1-2: Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

When I think of the season of walking, I think of the daily routine of being faithful to the Lord Jesus.

But it is also movement, progress.

We are called to walk:

• Above the circumstances - Peter walked on water with Jesus (Matthew 14: 22-34).
• By faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight.
• Walk with the Spirit - we don’t wall aimlessly, but with God - Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh

Sometimes the greatest spiritual gift we have is to just keep going!

Sometimes We Run:

Today is the Reading Half Marathon, so it’s only natural that I mention running!

Hebrews 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Running the race makes me think of all the training that the runners who are running today have endured. They have had ‘strict training’ through the winter, through bad weather, whether they wanted to get up in the morning and run.

If you’ve ever felt you’re not developing in your Christian life, do not get frustrated with the number of ‘training runs’ you need to do!

How do we train as disciples of Jesus? We sit, we stand and we walk.

But when the time comes, we will be able to run the race before us. The Christian life is not a sprint, it is a marathon, a life-long call to become like Jesus. 

Wrapping this up:

You know, discipleship may involve seasons of sitting, standing, walking and running.

We may also experience days when we sit, stand, walk and run. 

I would guarantee, though, that unless sitting at the feet of Jesus is not part of our regular spiritual routine, we will not be able to stand, walk or run!

So, begin with making sure you’re able to sit with Jesus. Secure in your salvation, listening to Him, and then you’ll be able to stand, walk and run when needed.