Alt\u00adhough disci\u00adple\u00adship has some\u00adthing \u00abpio\u00adnee\u00adring\u00bb about it, it does not requi\u00adre the per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty of a pio\u00adneer. Timid and brash, intro\u00adver\u00adted and extro\u00adver\u00adted, over\u00adwhel\u00admed with coping with life and rela\u00adxed in ever\u00ady\u00adday life \u2013 all fol\u00adlo\u00adwers are chal\u00adlen\u00adged to joyful\u00adly anti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte the new world of God and to grow into the new crea\u00adti\u00adon that they alre\u00ada\u00addy are in Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u00ab<\/span>You fol\u00adlow me!\u00bb We have been tra\u00advel\u00adling with this the\u00adme for a few weeks now. Time to brief\u00adly sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adse what we mean by disci\u00adple\u00adship. By this we mean living our ever\u00ady\u00adday lives along the lines of who Jesus was and what He did. This includes how we tre\u00adat our\u00adsel\u00adves and our fami\u00adly mem\u00adbers, how we are and behave at work, in the neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood and in church. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing we do should be done more and more in harm\u00ado\u00adny with Jesus Christ. \u00abAnd wha\u00adte\u00adver you do or say should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, through whom you should give thanks to God the Father!\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:17 NLB<\/span>). \tTearing down bridges to the old life: The\u00adse can be rela\u00adti\u00adonships or places that are not good for us, addic\u00adti\u00adve sub\u00ads\u00adtances that pull us back, fal\u00adse secu\u00adri\u00adties that we have crea\u00adted for our\u00adsel\u00adves, detach\u00adment from the paren\u00adtal home, com\u00admit\u00adments that we once made, unhe\u00adalt\u00adhy addic\u00adtions, etc. The\u00adse two points are a gre\u00adat help in taking con\u00adcre\u00adte steps along the line of what Jesus is like and what he does. \tTo what ext\u00adent is it in your natu\u00adre to break new ground? Alt\u00adhough disci\u00adple\u00adship has some\u00adthing \u00abpio\u00adnee\u00adring\u00bb about it, it does not requi\u00adre the per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty of a pio\u00adneer. Timid and brash, intro\u00adver\u00adted and extro\u00adver\u00adted, over\u00adwhel\u00admed with coping with life and rela\u00adxed in ever\u00ady\u00adday life \u2013 all fol\u00adlo\u00adwers are chal\u00adlen\u00adged to joyful\u00adly anti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte the new world of God and to grow into the new crea\u00adti\u00adon that they alre\u00ada\u00addy are in Jesus. \u00abFol\u00adlow me\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7746","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
\nFocus on new territory
\n\u00abAbram set out as the LORD<\/span> had com\u00adman\u00added him. And Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 12:4 NLB<\/span>).
\nWhen I set out to beco\u00adme a pas\u00adtor 30 years ago, it was nor\u00admal for a pas\u00adtor to be cal\u00adled to a new posi\u00adti\u00adon every 10 years. It was com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly uni\u00adma\u00adgi\u00adnable for a pastor\u2019s fami\u00adly to acqui\u00adre resi\u00adden\u00adti\u00adal pro\u00adper\u00adty. Nowa\u00addays, the lea\u00adder\u00adship of the Viva Church Switz\u00ader\u00adland com\u00adplains that it has beco\u00adme very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to attract a pas\u00adtor to a new place of work. We have beco\u00adme lazy and seden\u00adta\u00adry in our pro\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon. And \u2013 the older you get, the more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult chan\u00adge is.
\nI am fasci\u00adna\u00adted by the fact that Abram, at the advan\u00adced age of 75, was rea\u00addy to break new ground. This is a strong indi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon that none of us is too old to fol\u00adlow Jesus and set out for new shores. The\u00adre is no such thing as disci\u00adple\u00adship wit\u00adhout brea\u00adking new ground. It is always about acting on the word of God. A fort\u00adnight ago, I men\u00adtio\u00adned that disci\u00adple\u00adship is for pioneers.
\nIn a con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon, I rea\u00adli\u00adsed that this is a mis\u00adlea\u00adding sen\u00adtence. Many peo\u00adp\u00adle feel that they are any\u00adthing but pio\u00adneers by natu\u00adre. They have just enough ener\u00adgy to cope with life. Any\u00adthing bey\u00adond that is asso\u00adcia\u00adted with stress. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus is not only for inno\u00adva\u00adti\u00adve, extro\u00adver\u00adted, ener\u00adge\u00adtic, adven\u00adture-loving per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adties, but also for quiet peo\u00adp\u00adle who have neither the joy nor the ener\u00adgy for a new begin\u00adning. It is never my inten\u00adti\u00adon to put pres\u00adsu\u00adre and a guil\u00adty con\u00adsci\u00adence on such peo\u00adp\u00adle. Suc\u00adces\u00adsi\u00adon has some\u00adthing dyna\u00admic about it, but it is not just for pioneers!
\nBrea\u00adking new ground does\u00adn\u2019t just hap\u00adpen through a heroic care\u00ader chan\u00adge or a geo\u00adgra\u00adphi\u00adcal shift, but in most cases in small, incon\u00adspi\u00adcuous steps. It can be about for\u00adgi\u00adving someone, ent\u00adrus\u00adting someone with the secret of shame that has been kept for years, adop\u00adting a new per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve on life, plan\u00adning time to lis\u00adten to God, taking the first step in a mes\u00adsed-up rela\u00adti\u00adonship, cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00ading a new eating habit or sport\u00ading acti\u00advi\u00adty or sig\u00adning up for the church weekend.
\nThe new land for Abram was a land flowing with milk and honey. Disci\u00adple\u00adship is also an invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to a life in abun\u00addance. The new world of God, the new hea\u00adven and the new earth lie befo\u00adre us. Now it is time to take steps towards this land. By the way, a fol\u00adlower of Jesus is alre\u00ada\u00addy a new crea\u00adti\u00adon, he wears the fabric of God\u2019s new world. So you could say that disci\u00adple\u00adship is about beco\u00adming the per\u00adson we alre\u00ada\u00addy are in Jesus. \u00abFor we are God\u2019s crea\u00adti\u00adon. He has crea\u00adted us anew in Christ Jesus so that we may car\u00adry out the good deeds he has pre\u00adpared for our lives\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 2:10 NLB<\/span>).
\nNew ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry in the heart
\nWe remem\u00adber that Abra\u00adham only dared to set out \u00abbecau\u00adse he was wai\u00adting for a city with firm foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adons, who\u00adse buil\u00adder and maker is God hims\u00adelf\u00bb (Hebrews 11:10 NLB<\/span>). The human ten\u00adden\u00adcy is to cling on, to sett\u00adle down, to build huts. To over\u00adco\u00adme this moment of iner\u00adtia, we need some\u00adthing big\u00adger and stron\u00adger in our hearts to pull us forward.
\nThis grea\u00adter thing is the new world of God. The cul\u00adtu\u00adre of this city cor\u00adre\u00adsponds to the natu\u00adre and deeds of Jesus. It car\u00adri\u00ades His DNA<\/span>, His rest, His peace, His grace, His hope, His com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon, His cou\u00adra\u00adge, His wis\u00addom, His aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty, His power, His gent\u00adle\u00adness, His love, His joy, His humi\u00adli\u00adty, His self-disci\u00adpli\u00adne, His pati\u00adence, His kind\u00adness, His com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty of friendship, \u2026
\nRecent\u00adly, a 93-year-old dea\u00adco\u00adness died who had been say\u00ading for a long time that she was loo\u00adking for\u00adward to mee\u00adting her bri\u00adde\u00adg\u00adroom. The new world is com\u00adpared in the Word of God to a gigan\u00adtic wed\u00adding feast whe\u00adre the bri\u00adde\u00adg\u00adroom, Jesus, recei\u00adves his bri\u00adde, the church, and gives her a home. As long as we belie\u00adve that the place whe\u00adre we spend eter\u00adni\u00adty could be mono\u00adto\u00adno\u00adus and bor\u00ading, the forces of this world will be too strong for us to set out bold\u00adly into new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry. But the Bible says: \u00abFor this world is not our home; we await our future city only in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Hebrews 13:14 NLB<\/span>). A fol\u00adlower of Jesus is a citi\u00adzen of the city to come. We need to get to know our place of citi\u00adzen\u00adship, our true home, bet\u00adter. When Moses stood befo\u00adre Cana\u00adan, the land flowing with milk and honey, he sent out twel\u00adve spies. The\u00adre they saw fruit and peo\u00adp\u00adle on a sca\u00adle never seen befo\u00adre. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, ten of the spies did not count on God\u2019s help and did not dare to set out. We urgen\u00adtly need to send out spies into the new world of God. Let us ask Jesus to give us a glim\u00adpse of the future city, to open the eyes of our hearts to this incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble glory!
\nThe\u00adre is a for\u00adeign word that descri\u00adbes suc\u00adces\u00adsi\u00adon more pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly than any other Ger\u00adman word I have found. It means to anti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte some\u00adthing, to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse some\u00adthing befo\u00adre it has hap\u00adpen\u00aded, a fore\u00adsight or a leap into the future. The oppo\u00adsi\u00adte of this is to igno\u00adre, over\u00adlook, miss, fail to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse. Disci\u00adple\u00adship means that we anti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte the new world of God and are alre\u00ada\u00addy living the life\u00adstyle of God\u2019s new world. And again: you don\u2019t have to work hard for it, the gift is rea\u00addy! This makes it clear that disci\u00adple\u00adship leads to a high\u00adly attrac\u00adti\u00adve life of abun\u00addance, a land flowing with milk and honey.
\nIf the invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon from Jesus: \u00abFol\u00adlow me!\u00bb trig\u00adgers pres\u00adsu\u00adre in you, some\u00adthing is going wrong. We are sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to over\u00adco\u00adme our moments of iner\u00adtia in respon\u00adse to God\u2019s words. This requi\u00adres dyna\u00admism. Whe\u00adre do we get it from? The ori\u00adgi\u00adnal Greek text says that the Holy Spi\u00adrit is dyna\u00admis, i.e. dyna\u00admi\u00adte with an incre\u00addi\u00adble explo\u00adsi\u00adve power. And then: \u00abRather, we know: If someone belongs to Christ, he is a new crea\u00adti\u00adon. The old has pas\u00adsed away; some\u00adthing com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly new has begun!\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 5:17 New Tes\u00adta\u00adment). The new crea\u00adti\u00adon is not only in the future city, but alre\u00ada\u00addy in tho\u00adse who belong to Christ. That is why some\u00adthing very spe\u00adcial always hap\u00adpens when a fol\u00adlower sets out for new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry: lon\u00adging meets what alre\u00ada\u00addy exists. In other words, the enti\u00adre DNA<\/span> of the new world and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre of Jesus is in us as poten\u00adti\u00adal. Disci\u00adple\u00adship means beco\u00adming what we alre\u00ada\u00addy are in Christ.
\nFare\u00adwell bar\u00adbe\u00adcue party
\n\u00abAnd he went away from the\u00adre and found Eli\u00adsha [\u2026] ploug\u00adhing with twel\u00adve teams in front of him. But he hims\u00adelf was with the twelfth. And Eli\u00adjah went to him and threw his cloak over him. Then he left the oxen and ran after Eli\u00adjah, say\u00ading, \u00abLet me kiss my father and mother. Then I will fol\u00adlow you. But he said to him, \u00abGo, turn back! For what have I done to you? So he tur\u00adned away from him, took the team of oxen and slaugh\u00adte\u00adred them, and with the harness of the oxen he roas\u00adted their meat and gave it to the peo\u00adp\u00adle, and they ate. Then he aro\u00adse and fol\u00adlo\u00adwed Eli\u00adjah and ser\u00adved him\u00bb (1 Kings 19:19\u201321 ELB<\/span>).
\nWhen I left my job 30 years ago, I copied all my pro\u00adjects onto a disc. I put them in my lug\u00adga\u00adge so that if some\u00adthing went wrong, I could slip back into my old life pat\u00adterns. Befo\u00adre Eli\u00adsha left to fol\u00adlow Eli\u00adjah, he cle\u00adared the table. He sacri\u00adfi\u00adced a team of his oxen, burnt the yokes, roas\u00adted the meat and orga\u00adnis\u00aded a fare\u00adwell din\u00adner. This was a powerful ritu\u00adal with which he bur\u00adned the bridges behind him and at the same time signal\u00adled the joyful begin\u00adning of some\u00adthing new. Eli\u00adsha did not clo\u00adthe hims\u00adelf in mour\u00adning, but cele\u00adbra\u00adted the depar\u00adtu\u00adre with his fami\u00adly. Disci\u00adple\u00adship is a fes\u00adti\u00adval that needs to be cele\u00adbra\u00adted. The\u00adse are con\u00adcre\u00adte steps towards a glo\u00adrious future. We can learn two things from Elisha:<\/p>\n
\n\tCele\u00adbra\u00adte con\u00adcre\u00adte steps: Like Eli\u00adsa, you could orga\u00adni\u00adse a bar\u00adbe\u00adcue or bring a des\u00adsert to the small group to cele\u00adbra\u00adte par\u00adti\u00adal suc\u00adces\u00adses. Cele\u00adbra\u00adti\u00adons help you to enjoy and be awa\u00adre of small steps for\u00adward in your disci\u00adple\u00adship. Sus\u00adtaina\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty is improved.<\/p>\n
\nLet us do as Eli\u00adsha did: let us allow our\u00adsel\u00adves to be chal\u00adlen\u00adged by God\u2019s word and dare to ven\u00adture into unknown new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry. In doing so, we will dis\u00adco\u00adver that it is not so unknown. It is alre\u00ada\u00addy within us as a gift!
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: 1 Kings 19:19\u201321<\/p>\n
\n\tDo you know the new world of God? Talk about your ide\u00adas and what the Bible says about it.
\n\tWhat does it mean to anti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte the new world of God in your ever\u00ady\u00adday life? What cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristics of the future city would you like to anticipate?
\n\tWhen taking a step in disci\u00adple\u00adship: What is our respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty? What is God\u2019s respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty? Whe\u00adre does the strength come from?
\n\tWhat could be my \u00abcow\u00bb that I should slaugh\u00adter? How can I cele\u00adbra\u00adte a depar\u00adtu\u00adre? Who do I invi\u00adte to a fare\u00adwell dinner?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"