Ever\u00adyo\u00adne wants to be hap\u00adpy in life. But how do I do that? Do I make mys\u00adelf hap\u00adpy, do I fol\u00adlow someone or some\u00adthing? If you read Paul\u2019s account, his disci\u00adple\u00adship does not seem very pro\u00admi\u00adsing at first glan\u00adce: weak\u00adne\u00adss, abu\u00adse, hard\u00adship, per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon and fear accom\u00adpa\u00adny him on his jour\u00adney. But the\u00adse do not deter him for two reasons. On the con\u00adtra\u00adry \u2013 he choo\u00adses the path out of his com\u00adfort zone becau\u00adse, on the one hand, he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces Christ hims\u00adelf in his weak\u00adne\u00adss and, on the other, he beco\u00admes an ambassa\u00addor of the good news of sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon, peace and joy.<\/p>\n
I was once allo\u00adwed to go on a hike across the Mon\u00adte\u00adr\u00adatsch gla\u00adcier. It was actual\u00adly a dan\u00adge\u00adrous endea\u00advour becau\u00adse the\u00adre were hid\u00adden crev\u00adas\u00adses ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre. We had a moun\u00adtain gui\u00adde who I fol\u00adlo\u00adwed clo\u00adse\u00adly. I never felt unsafe \u2013 despi\u00adte the danger\u2026 \tHe is the exam\u00adp\u00adle: Who would know bet\u00adter how to lea\u00adve the com\u00adfort zone wit\u00adhout fai\u00adling? Who has a big\u00adger heart for peo\u00adp\u00adle than him? He gave us the exam\u00adp\u00adle of how disci\u00adple\u00adship works, how he lived disci\u00adple\u00adship towards his father. \u00ab<\/span>Then he said to them all: If any man will come after me, let him deny hims\u00adelf, and take up his cross dai\u00adly, and fol\u00adlow me\u00bb (Luke 9:23 LUT<\/span>).<\/p>\n \tPeo\u00adp\u00adle must trust in Christ and his Father so that they can ent\u00adrust their lives to them. This is only pos\u00adsi\u00adble if they encoun\u00adter his glo\u00adry. His glo\u00adry should be shown in us.<\/p>\n \tWhat con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons must be met for you to lea\u00adve your com\u00adfort zone? Ever\u00adyo\u00adne wants to be hap\u00adpy in life. But how do I do that? Do I make mys\u00adelf hap\u00adpy, do I fol\u00adlow someone or some\u00adthing? If you read Paul\u2019s account, his disci\u00adple\u00adship does not seem very pro\u00admi\u00adsing at first glan\u00adce: weak\u00adne\u00adss, abu\u00adse, hard\u00adship, per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon and fears accom\u00adpa\u00adny his jour\u00adney. But the\u00adse did not deter him for two reasons. On the con\u00adtra\u00adry \u2013 he\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[95],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-harry-graf","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7715","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nDisci\u00adple\u00adship requi\u00adres the rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon of my own incom\u00adple\u00adten\u00adess, that I need someone to go befo\u00adre me. If I do not under\u00adstand this, I will not follow.
\nWe all want to be hap\u00adpy. How do we find hap\u00adpi\u00adness? By fol\u00adlo\u00adwing our own com\u00adpass? If we belie\u00adve the trends of socie\u00adty? Will I be hap\u00adpy if I am doing as well as pos\u00adsi\u00adble? Will I be hap\u00adpy if others are doing well?
\nPeter ans\u00adwers Jesus\u00bb ques\u00adti\u00adon as to whe\u00adther they will also go away and fol\u00adlow their own ways: \u00abWe belie\u00adve and have reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded that you are the Holy One of God\u00bb (John 6:69 NLB<\/span>).
\nPeter says: \u00abI trust that you know the way. You know the source and the goal of life. I made the same decis\u00adi\u00adon 45 years ago. I want to be a fol\u00adlower of Jesus in order to find hap\u00adpi\u00adness with him and with him.
\nWhich path did Christ take to find happiness?
\n\u00abAlt\u00adhough he was God, he did not insist on his divi\u00adne rights. He renoun\u00adced ever\u00ady\u00adthing; he took the low\u00adly posi\u00adti\u00adon of a ser\u00advant and was born as a man and reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded as such. He hum\u00adbled hims\u00adelf and was obe\u00addient to the point of death, dying like a cri\u00admi\u00adnal on a cross\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:6\u20138 NLB<\/span>).
\nJesus gave up ever\u00ady\u00adthing one could have and beca\u00adme a ser\u00advant of the Father in order to open the way for peo\u00adp\u00adle to enter into com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with the Father and thus pave the way for their hap\u00adpi\u00adness. He cho\u00adse to lea\u00adve his com\u00adfort zone \u2013 in every respect, so that the Father\u2019s goals could be achieved.
\nChrist beca\u00adme a ser\u00advant fol\u00adlower. Now he calls us to beco\u00adme ser\u00advant fol\u00adlo\u00adwers \u2013 with the same wil\u00adling\u00adness to go out of our com\u00adfort zone to reach people
\nWhat does ser\u00advant disci\u00adple\u00adship mean?
\n\u00abVer\u00adi\u00adly, ver\u00adi\u00adly, I say unto you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alo\u00adne; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eter\u00adnal life. If any man will ser\u00adve me, let him fol\u00adlow me: and whe\u00adre I am, the\u00adre shall my ser\u00advant be also. And whoe\u00adver ser\u00adves me will be hono\u00adu\u00adred by my Father\u00bb (John 12:24\u201326 NLB<\/span>).
\nTo fol\u00adlow (Greek \u00abako\u00adlou\u00adtheo\u00bb) means to be on the way tog\u00ade\u00adther. Ser\u00adving here (Greek \u00abdia\u00adko\u00adneo\u00bb) means, among other things, \u00abpre\u00adpa\u00adring the table\u00bb.
\nChrist is super trans\u00adpa\u00adrent: disci\u00adple\u00adship is no walk in the park. Disci\u00adple\u00adship is step\u00adping out of our com\u00adfort zone. If we fol\u00adlow Christ, we will walk the paths that he walks \u2013 tog\u00ade\u00adther towards peo\u00adp\u00adle. This path, the path of love, is chal\u00adlen\u00adging. We give more than we recei\u00adve. Love and devo\u00adti\u00adon are not an invest\u00adment. Love is a one-way donation.
\nWhat is the task on this path? It is a path of \u00abpre\u00adpa\u00adring the table\u00bb and it is a path of \u00abtaking up my cross\u00bb.
\nWhat does this table stand for? It is the table of com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with our Crea\u00adtor and Father and his Son our brot\u00adher, set with com\u00adple\u00adte provision.
\nWe are to help prepa\u00adre this table of hap\u00adpi\u00adness for others so that they can find this hap\u00adpi\u00adness. That is why the Father will also honour us when we do this ser\u00advice. We show peo\u00adp\u00adle the way how they can come back into fel\u00adlow\u00adship with HIM<\/span>. We ful\u00adfil His grea\u00adtest wish that He can cele\u00adbra\u00adte a feast with the child\u00adren who have retur\u00adned, like the father of the pro\u00addi\u00adgal son after his return. We are not like his brot\u00adher, who was angry when the pro\u00addi\u00adgal son retur\u00adned. We are the pio\u00adneers of the return.
\nIf we want to be such trail\u00adbla\u00adzers, we also have to go to the pig\u00adsties of this world, which means lea\u00adving our com\u00adfort zone.
\nThe way of the cross is the wil\u00adling\u00adness to pay any pri\u00adce so that others may find sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon and redemp\u00adti\u00adon. That was the goal of Jesus Christ.
\nIn order for us to walk the same path, we need Jesus Christ as our gui\u00adde for various reasons:<\/p>\n
\n\tWe need his wis\u00addom and strength for this ser\u00advant disci\u00adple\u00adship, for this taking up of the cross, for this \u00abdeny\u00ading himself\u00bb.<\/p>\n
\nAre you hap\u00adpy to lea\u00adve your com\u00adfort zone?
\nPaul now goes one bet\u00adter. He wri\u00adtes: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre I take plea\u00adsu\u00adre in weak\u00adne\u00ads\u00adses, in abu\u00adse, in hard\u00adships, in per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adons, in fears for the sake of Christ, becau\u00adse when I am weak, I am strong.\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 12:10 ELB<\/span>)
\nThe Eng\u00adlish King James trans\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon even speaks of \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre I take pleasure\u00bb.
\nNot only are we sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to lea\u00adve our com\u00adfort zone, but now we\u2019\u00adre sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to enjoy it! What\u2019s the point?
\nBut the\u00adre is an ans\u00adwer: Paul reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded what is important for peo\u00adp\u00adle to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse the Father and open their hearts to Jesus Christ. It is not the strength of his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers, but the strength of God that is shown in his followers.
\nPaul reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded that it is the \u00abradi\u00adance of God\u2019s glo\u00adry\u00bb, which has beco\u00adme visi\u00adble in Jesus Christ, that tou\u00adch\u00ades hearts.
\nWhen what Christ is like beco\u00admes visi\u00adble, peo\u00adp\u00adle can trust.
\nNow it is not the case that Christ makes us, who are sent out as ambassa\u00addors, into heroes who no lon\u00adger have any weak\u00adne\u00ads\u00adses. Rather, he shows his glo\u00adry by demons\u00adt\u00adra\u00adting his strength, his abili\u00adty to crea\u00adte chan\u00adge, in weak peo\u00adp\u00adle. Peo\u00adp\u00adle don\u2019t need us, they need Christ.
\nPaul \u00abrejoices\u00bb in chall\u00adenge becau\u00adse Christ then shows hims\u00adelf in all his love and power \u2013 the\u00adse qua\u00adli\u00adties of \u00ablove\u00bb and the abili\u00adty to \u00abbreak chains\u00bb, to free peo\u00adp\u00adle and bring them into com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with the Father.
\nThe key to Paul\u2019s minis\u00adtry skills was his trust in Christ. This is also our way of beco\u00adming capa\u00adble of wal\u00adking out\u00adside our com\u00adfort zone: a clo\u00adse, unclou\u00added rela\u00adti\u00adonship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
\nThe weak\u00adne\u00adss of Paul show\u00aded the strength of Christ. Peo\u00adp\u00adle did not need Paul, they nee\u00added Christ. But Paul was the ser\u00advant who pre\u00adpared the table of fel\u00adlow\u00adship with Christ and the Father, and he was rea\u00addy for any\u00adthing. We can do and be the same.
\nThis makes the path out of the com\u00adfort zone meaningful. On this path, Christ\u2019s glo\u00adry beco\u00admes visi\u00adble. Or as someone once said: \u00abWhen God wants to do some\u00adthing gre\u00adat, he starts with a dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty. When God wants to do some\u00adthing real\u00adly gre\u00adat, he starts with an impossibility.\u00bb
\nPaul sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adses this enti\u00adre con\u00adtext in chap\u00adter 4 of 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans as follows:
\n\u00abFor God, who said: \u00abLet the\u00adre be light in the dark\u00adness\u00bb, has made us rea\u00adli\u00adse in our hearts that this light is the radi\u00adance of God\u2019s glo\u00adry, which beco\u00admes visi\u00adble to us in the face of Jesus Christ. But we car\u00adry this pre\u00adcious tre\u00adasu\u00adre in fra\u00adgi\u00adle ves\u00adsels, name\u00adly in our weak bodies. So ever\u00adyo\u00adne can see that our strength comes enti\u00adre\u00adly from God and is not our own. We are beset on all sides by dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties, but not crus\u00adhed. We are per\u00adple\u00adxed, but we do not des\u00adpair. We are per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adted, but God never aban\u00addons us. We are thrown to the ground, but we get up again and car\u00adry on. Through suf\u00adfe\u00adring, we con\u00adstant\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00adence the death of Christ in our own bodies, so that his life is also visi\u00adble in our bodies. It is true: becau\u00adse we ser\u00adve Jesus, we live in con\u00adstant dan\u00adger of death so that his life can be made visi\u00adble in our mor\u00adtal bodies. So we live in the face of death, and that has brought you life\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 4:7\u201312 NLB<\/span>).
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group <\/p>\n
\n\tIs your trust in Christ gre\u00adat enough that you can do things that are chal\u00adlen\u00adging, but you know they are God\u2019s will?
\n\tWhat can streng\u00adthen your trust in Christ so that you dare to step out of your com\u00adfort zone?
\n\tCan you under\u00adstand Paul\u2019s delight in challenges?
\n\tDo you under\u00adstand why Paul says this? What sen\u00adse can it make to accept chal\u00adlenges in your discipleship?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"