Discipleship by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese by Centerpoint School of Ministry

ministry

DISCIPLESHIP tracy meeker & christina andriese

ministry

leadership

curriculum

Dear fellow followers, This eight-week course is designed to serve you as a field guide to apprenticing Jesus. As we explore discipleship through the lens of Jesus’ invitational leadership, we will be walking together through the many ways that he says, “Come to me. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.” We’ll observe the details of his life and put them into practice in our own, uncovering the ways that the spiritual disciplines like silence, solitude, rest, and prayer can help us follow in our Teacher’s footsteps and live out the Great Commission as sons and daughters. We’ll trace our journey with the Lord from rescue to invitation to formation – and along the way, we’ll get activated in intimacy with the Holy Spirit, abiding, feasting, and much more. By the end of these eight chapters, we hope that you are living in the perpetual awareness of Jesus’ extended hand, tender smile, powerful practices, and ever-present invitations. With great expectation, Tracy and Christina

THE INVITATIONS OF JESUS RESCUE // INVITATION // FORMATION �� 5 TO THE TABLE �� 9 TO THE DESERT �� 23 TO THE BOAT �� 31 TO THE PASTURE �� 41 TO THE VINEYARD ��51 TO THE MOUNTAIN �� 59 TO THE CROSS �� 69 TO THE KINGDOM �� 79

INTRODUCTION

A FIELD GUIDE TO APPRENTICING JESUS

Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey — the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt. EXODUS 3:7-10

As Jesus left Capernaum he came upon a tax-collecting station, where a traitorous Jew was busy at his work, collecting taxes for the Romans. His name was Matthew. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said to him. Immediately Matthew jumped up and began to follow Jesus. Later, Jesus went to Matthew’s home to share a meal with him. Many other tax collectors and outcasts of society were invited to eat with Jesus and his disciples. MATTHEW 9:9-10

A discipline is a way to access power. John Mark COMER

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

THE JOURNEY AS FORMATION “The pace of love is three miles an hour.”1 This simple sentence contains enough power to change our lives. It is a revelation about the person of Jesus, a declaration about discipleship, and an invitation into the upside-down Kingdom of Heaven, where low and slow is the order of the day. Honor and joy become byproducts of our personal pace; the rhythms of our days create a culture around us that facilitates our formation. Jesus desires us to come to Him and do as He does so that we might become all that He is. It all started in the Garden. The story of our humanness began with us walking straight into the first Sabbath, and continued with Adonai coming to walk with us in the cool of the day. God has never changed His mind – He is always seeking us out where we’re at, pulling us close to His side, and showing us love as He moves with us and invites us to move with Him. Nowhere do we see this more clearly than in the incarnation of Jesus in human form, the carpenter’s son, the Beloved of Yahweh, the Rabbi from Nazareth who said to those following in His footsteps: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:28-30 This is Jesus’ invitation to discipleship – to spiritual formation at His side. Portland Seminary defines spiritual formation as “the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and for the sake of others.”2 God’s Word puts it this way: “Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are – face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” - 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 msg In this course, we’ve chosen to look at discipling Jesus through the lens of formation and found the waypoints of that process in the Biblical narrative of God drawing us back into His arms throughout history. With Yahweh, we have the opportunity to move from slavery and oppression into apprenticeship. In both cases, we find ourselves in connection with a “master”… but the two spiritual states of being could not be more different. In the Old Testament, Yahweh rescues His people from slavery in Egypt, where they were unable to rest and forbidden to worship. In the New Testament, Jesus invites all people into a new

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Introduction

covenant and Kingdom, where rest is acknowledged as a measure of freedom, and all our lives can become worship. In our modern lives, the process continues through spiritual formation at our Rabbi’s heels. We are still called to be “talmidim” – disciples – who desire to “learn not only the teachings of our Rabbi but to imitate the practical details of His life.”3 As we navigate this journey together, we encourage you to remember that this is not a goaldriven process. We are not striving to create an apprenticeship, and there is no finish line. We are always learning from Jesus, discovering more about His beauty and joy, and further imitating the practical details of His life. And everyone is invited.

Goals are linear and resemble a straight line. Formations look more like a circle, where you are constantly coming back to the same place to seek renewal and refreshment in a particular practice. Jefferson BETHKE

PERMISSION SLIP

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One TO THE TABLE

For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life – pray always, work for others, read the scriptures – and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, Even when I was close to despair. Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “ how am I to find God?” But “ how am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not “ how am I to know God?” But “ how am I to let myself be known by God?” And, finally, the question is not “ how am I to love God?” But “ how am I to let myself be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home. Henri NOUWEN

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

SONSHIP

The Loving Father Then Jesus said, “Once there was a father with two sons. The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me the share of your estate that belongs to me?’ So the father went ahead and distributed among the two sons their inheritance. Shortly afterward, the younger son packed up all his belongings and traveled off to see the world. He journeyed to a far-off land where he soon wasted all he was given in a binge of extravagant and reckless living. “With everything spent and nothing left, he grew hungry, for there was a severe famine in that land. So he begged a farmer in that country to hire him. The farmer hired him and sent him out to feed the pigs. The son was so famished, he was willing to even eat the slop given to the pigs, because no one would feed him a thing. “Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing and he thought, ‘There are many workers at my father’s house who have all the food they want with plenty to spare. They lack nothing. Why am I here dying of hunger, feeding these pigs and eating their slop? I want to go back home to my father’s house, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I’ll never be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your employees.”’ “So the young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. So the father raced out to meet him. He swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love. “Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be —’ “The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ “Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For this beloved son of mine was once dead, but now he’s alive again. Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy. “Now, the older son was out working in the field when his brother returned, and as he approached the house he heard the music of celebration and dancing. So he called over one of the servants and asked, ‘What’s going on?’ “The servant replied, ‘It’s your younger brother. He’s returned home and your father is throwing a party to celebrate his homecoming.’

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One — To the table

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

“The older son became angry and refused to go in and celebrate. So his father came out and pleaded with him, ‘Come and enjoy the feast with us!’ “The son said, ‘Father, listen! How many years have I been working like a slave for you, performing every duty you’ve asked as a faithful son? And I’ve never once disobeyed you. But you’ve never thrown a party for me because of my faithfulness. Never once have you even given me a goat that I could feast on and celebrate with my friends like he’s doing now. But look at this son of yours! He comes back after wasting your wealth on prostitutes and reckless living, and here you are throwing a great feast to celebrate—for him!’ “The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me by my side. Everything I have is yours to enjoy. It’s only right to celebrate like this and be overjoyed, because this brother of yours was once dead and gone, but now he is alive and back with us again. He was lost but now he is found!’” 1. Compassion welled up in the father’s heart

a. Exodus 34:4-7 – compassion is the first thing Yahweh tells us about His character. Jesus reiterates this truth in this parable.

2. “From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar” a. His father recognized him in spite of his outward appearance

b. There was no confusion about the son’s identity on the part of the father 3. “Bring the ring, the seal of sonship”

a. “…this ring was an emblem of authority, giving the son authority to transact business in the father’s name. This was a picture of the seal of the Holy Spirit…” 4

4. “And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son…” a. Slaves were barefoot

b. The elder son says “How many years have I been working like a slave for you, performing every duty you’ve asked as a faithful son?” c. Both the prodigal and the elder show us a picture of how we operate in slavery while the Father calls us to the table of sonship

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One — To the table

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

NOTES FROM HENRI NOUWEN 5 1. We are all invited to take “a step toward the platform where the father embraces the kneeling son. It is the place of light, the place of truth, the place of love. It is the place where I so much want to be, but am so fearful of being. It is the place where I will receive all I desire, all that I ever hoped for, all that I will ever need, but it is also the place where I have to let go of all I most want to hold on to. It is the place that confronts me with the fact that truly accepting love, forgiveness, and healing is often much harder than giving it. It is the place beyond earning, deserving, and rewarding. It is the place of surrender and complete trust.” a. Sonship means we exchange the security of the observer for the vulnerability of the returning son

b. The ‘task’ of sonship is to receive the embrace of the Father c. A son knows that love is a totally free gift

2. the younger son

a. “In the context of a compassionate embrace, our brokenness may appear beautiful, but our brokenness has no other beauty but the beauty that comes from the compassion that surrounds it.”

b. “As the Beloved, I can suffer persecution without desire for revenge and receive praise without using it as proof of my goodness.” c. The paradox of humility

i. “On the one hand, the younger son realizes that he has lost the dignity of sonship, but at the same time that sense of lost dignity makes him also aware that he is indeed the son who had dignity to lose.”

d. Do we trust that there is Someone waiting for us at home? 3. the elder son

a. “I had been working very hard on my father’s farm, but had never fully tasted the joy of being at home.”

b. “The hardest conversion to go through is the conversion of the one who stayed home.” c. How do we get lost while staying at home?

d. How do we join Jesus in life “freely and lightly”?

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One — To the table

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

4. the father

a. “Whether you are the younger son or the elder son, you have to realize that you are called to become the father.”

b. “...claim for yourself the authority of true compassion.”

c. “God, creator of heaven and earth, has chosen to be, first and foremost, a Father.” i. In Latin, to bless is benedicere, which means literally: saying good things.

d. Celebration belongs to God’s Kingdom.

5. How is this a picture of what it looks like to be entrusted with the Lord’s heart?

THE COVENANT MEAL 1. “The invitation to a meal is an invitation to intimacy with God.”

a. In the Bible, food is an important part of covenant-making – only allies, those at peace with one another, could share a meal.

b. Exodus 24 – Yahweh invites the elders up the mountain to a covenant meal

c. Matthew 26 – Jesus invites the disciples to the table to a new covenant meal

d. Psalm 23

i. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (niv)

ii. You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. (tpt)

iii. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. (nlt)

iv. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. (msg) ~16~

One — To the table

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

BECOMING THE BELOVED 1. There seems to be a Biblical narrative through the names of God that calls us back to sonship. What we call someone reveals our relationship. a. elohim: this name appears in the first sentence of the Bible. i. Creative power, authority, and sovereignty ii. God above all gods b. adonai: “Lord Master” i. Acknowledges power and leadership ii. Leadership means we are being led, and not driven c. yahweh: Built from the word “I am”, it carries the power of absolute truth about God’s existence and the mystery of what that existence looks like i. This is God’s name, as revealed to Moses ii. A new level of intimacy d. emmanuel: “God is with us” i. Jesus is Yahweh e. abba: “Father” i. Finally, our Rabbi teaches us how to pray, instructing and modeling true sonship by using this familiar, familial term ii. The inherent heart connection is powerful iii. “Give us this day our daily bread” helps us to remember the daily invitation back to the table, to receive from our Dad. NOTES

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One — To the table

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

PERCEPTION EXERCISE

ACTIVATION: A COVENANT MEAL

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One — To the table

PRACTICE: Ask the Lord, “How do you want to manifest as my Father this week?”

This week, you are invited to three sonship practices: 1. Practice quick obedience throughout the week. When you hear your Father speak, allow your delight to surface as you follow that sound. Discover the ways that intimate obedience actually rescues you from slavery. Record your experience here.

2. Do whatever makes you come alive in relationship with Him at least three times throughout the week. Record your relational practice here.

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

3. Practice having a covenant meal with the Lord. Record your experience here.

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Two TO THE DESERT

Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the lonely wilderness in order to reveal his strength against the accuser, by going through the ordeal of testing. MATTHEW 4:1 TPT

But Jesus often slipped away from them and went into the wilderness to pray. LUKE 5:16 TPT

The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus. And in doing so recover your soul… This is what Jesus was all about – healing people, saving them, at a soul level. How? Through apprenticeship to Him. So everywhere Jesus went, He was constantly offering an invitation. Usually it sounded like this: Come, follow me. Or like this: Come, be my apprentice. John Mark COMER

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

EREMOS: THE LONELY PLACE In the church, we have all kinds of associations with the wilderness, and almost all of them are negative. The underlying narrative about the “desert place” is that it is not where we want to be; it feels lonely, scary, and vulnerable. We remember how the enemy came to tempt Jesus there and wonder if that will be our experience too. Let’s go back to Matthew 11, where Jesus says “walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.” Remember, as disciples, we are seeking to learn Jesus’ teachings and to copy the details of His life. He was constantly turning things on their head, and giving clarity to things the people around Him thought they already understood. What if we have an opportunity to do that by examining the first account of Jesus’ time in the desert place? 1. It starts with identity.

a. Matthew 3:16 niv – “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” i. This is my Son

ii. I love him

iii. I am well pleased with him b. Jesus had not yet begun his public ministry, and yet His Father confirmed His identity, loved Him completely, and was pleased in Him. c. Matthew 4:1 tpt – “Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the lonely wilderness in order to reveal his strength against the accuser by going through the ordeal of testing.” i. Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit of the Lord.

ii. Transformation and confirmation happens in the desert

iii. Time in eremos isn’t a result of sin; it’s because the Lord wants to continue and deepen our apprenticeship there. 2. Hearing the voice of Abba in the quiet place.

a. Eremos: can be translated as desert, deserted place, desolate place, solitary place, lonely place, quiet place, wilderness

b. “The wilderness isn’t the place of weakness; it’s the place of strength.” 6 c. Consequences of avoiding this place? Benefits of embracing eremos?

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Two — To the desert

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

3. Redeeming our perception of the valley

a. The Israelites go directly into the desert after walking through the Red Sea – a picture of baptism and invitation into a new relationship.

b. They are literally led by the Spirit of the Lord.

c. Rescued from a culture where they had lost connection with God. i. Forbidden to worship.

ii. Forbidden to rest.

d. In the desert, Yahweh moved His people from “this is a foreign God” to “this is my Father”.

There’s a saying in parenting literature: “to a child, love is spelled t-i-m-e.” There’s truth in that. And not just for parents and children. If you love God the father and want a living, thriving relationship with Him where you experience His presence all through the day, then you need to carve out time to be alone with Him. Full stop. And relational time is wildly inefficient. It comes in fits and bursts. You spend a day together, but it’s one short conversation you remember, a passing comment that changes everything. John Mark COMER

SILENCE AND SOLITUDE Although the practices of silence and solitude are deeply related, they are different in some important ways. Solitude can obviously facilitate silence but doesn’t necessitate it. Think about how often you are alone, and how often that space is still filled with music, or podcasts, or your own inner monologue. We’ll dive deeper into silence in another chapter, but for this week we’ll be examining solitude is the act of being intentionally alone with your Father The Gospels reference Jesus going off “to a solitary place”... to a mountainside, to the eremos, where he prays and spends time alone with his Dad. (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12). In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer references that fact that on his first full day of ministry, following his 40 days in the desert, he comes back into the towns to heal the sick, minister to hearts, cast out demons, and then immediately withdraws again to a lonely place to pray and be with the Father. We can assume he was tired, but this practice took precedence over everything and Jesus engaged in it without fear. What gives Jesus his confidence in this practice? Perhaps it was the assurance that he would be face to face with Abba when he got to the quiet place. So many of us struggle to withdraw because we wonder what we will find in the desert. But what if the lonely place is the very location where we discover that we are never actually alone at all, and our good Father is always with us and waiting to meet. ~26~

Two — To the desert

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

Think about it this way: when you make plans to meet with your best friend, you live in expectation of their presence and participation. The date is on your calendar. You won’t miss the moment of meeting unless something is haywire in your life. You both talk about it the week before and feel confident that the other will show up. You’ve built trust with this person and you know that the heart connection between you inspires faithfulness. What if we followed our Rabbi into a confident practice of solitude because we knew, just like he did, that Yahweh will always, always, always meet us in the quiet place? IN-CLASS EXERCISE You’re invited to participate in twenty minutes of solitude. After the exercise, come back to the classroom to debrief.

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Two — To the desert

ACTIVATION Write down every lie or struggle you encountered in solitude. Participate in the physical declaration exercise in class, and record your experience below.

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

PRACTICE: This week, engage in solitude on three separate days for twenty minutes. Use the space below to process. Remember – this is a formation. Remain mindful of the 80% rule!

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Three TO THE BOAT

“On one occasion, Jesus was preaching to the crowds on the shore of Lake Galilee. There was a vast multitude of people pushing to get close to Jesus to hear the word of God. He noticed two fishing boats at the water’s edge, with the fishermen nearby, rinsing their nets. Jesus climbed into the boat belonging to Simon Peter and asked him, “Let me use your boat. Push it off a short distance away from the shore so I can speak to the crowds. Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished, he said to Peter, “Now row out to deep water to cast your nets and you will have a great catch.” LUKE 5:1-4

As a hired servant, I can still keep my distance, still revolt, reject, strike, run away, or complain about my pay. As the beloved son, I have to claim my full dignity and begin preparing myself to become the father. Henri NOUWEN

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

CULTIVATING TRUST “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough.” This well-known verse opens Psalm 23 in the Passion Translation and points to the kind of trust and intimacy that Jesus calls his followers to cultivate and experience. We have the opportunity to experience the Creator of the Universe as our best friend – a relational status that implies closeness, enjoyment, choice, favor, and so much more. As an outpouring of that kind of intimacy – that friendship and protection – we can operate in the kind of trust that declares “I always have more than enough.” Why is this important for our apprenticeship to Jesus?

It can be helpful to look at some of Brene Brown’s work on defining trust as a foothold into this practice. In presenting her research and findings, she often refers to trust (in the context of a relationship) like a jar of marbles – you add marbles to the jar every time you take a risk to share something, and the other person honors that risk by showing up. She says, “it is crystal clear. Trust is built in very small moments.” 7 Later in the same presentation, she quotes another researcher, saying, “Trust is choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else.” 8 These statements support and challenge one another – so what happens when we carry these kinds of framing statements into our discipleship practice? Every single time Jesus says, “Come. Follow me”, he is also saying, “Will you make the important things in your life vulnerable to my actions? Will you build trust with me by spending time with me?” Imagine hearing that call and leaving behind a lucrative tax collector’s booth… or a slovenly but familiar slum… a family where your inheritance was assured… or a fishing boat that was your only source of income. What was it about His voice that inspired disciples to that kind of radical leap?

Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?” But they were overwhelmed with fear and awe and said to one another, “who is this man who has such authority that even the wind and waves obey him?” MARK 4:40-41 ~32~

Three — To the boat

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

REBUKING THE STORM We want to frame this chapter through the invitation to the boat because it paints a picture of where the mundane and miraculous intersect. For Peter and many of Jesus’ followers, a boat was a workplace, a marketplace, and a ministry. The boat represents the vessel of our culture, the place where we seek provision, where we share life with our peers – Jesus goes right into the heart of that place where humans trust in their own skill, talent, power, and knowledge, and he arrives with revelation and rest. He teaches from that place, using what we know to create radical encounters – the miraculous superimposing of the purpose of God on what is familiar. Jesus calls us to rest right in the middle of the storm, too. He invites us to take a nap in the middle of the chaos that surrounds the place where we need provision and the thing we’ve previously used to meet that need. 1. Trust is integral to rest

a. Jesus modeled the depth of his intimacy with the Father by resting in the storm

b. If rest is a byproduct of freedom, and freedom implies choice, then trust is naturally woven into that process 2. Jesus does say “drop everything and follow me”, but then he actually goes into their world. a. Trust is built in small moments.

b. Reintegrating the spiritual and the mundane builds intimacy and trust 3. Jesus and the boat

a. Sits in a boat to teach

b. Calls Peter out of the boat

c. Tells the disciples to cast their nets again

4. Small obedience

a. This is how the practice of sonship and fathering happens on a day-to-day basis.

b. The Lord uses this practice to reinforce who we’re becoming. 5. Information vs Revelation

a. The disciples have all the information they need about the boat – how to operate the boat, how to use it to fish, how to maintain it, how social systems work in the boat.

b. This information doesn’t bring transformation.

c. Jesus shows up and brings revelation, which in turn brings transformation.

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Three — To the boat

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

EXERCISE: LECTIO DIVINA • Reading: Read a passage slowly and carefully within the bible. • Prayer: Having a loving conversation with God. • Meditation: Thinking deeply or swelling upon a spiritual reality within a text. • Contemplation: Resting in God’s presence. • Action: Go and do likewise.

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Three — To the boat

PRACTICE: LECTIO DIVINA

Exodus 34

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

Matthew 6:9-14

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Three — To the boat

Revelation 4

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Four TO THE PASTURE

god,

my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. PSALM 23:1-3 MSG

He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved – surprised to be loved! 2 SAMUEL 22:17-20 MSG

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

HOLY DEFIANCE Let’s go back to Matthew’s gospel and that beautiful invitation from Jesus: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 Woven into this narrative is the simple, sweet promise: “I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” How many of us answer the question, “How are you?” with “I’m good! Just busy!” Or “I’m good! Tired, but good.” Jesus, our rabbi, is once again calling us back to our original design and promising to model that for us. We were created to work from rest, to sabbath, and take delight in the fact that we are limited creatures in loving relationship with a limitless God. Rest confirms our humanness and our participation with the Divine in the same breath. It honors our choice, invites our limitations, and makes joy true. It is the rebellious side of love – a war cry against the slave-driver’s whip that insists we do more. In rest, we can reframe a moment of crisis away from a terrifying encounter with a thief into a gentle invitation from our Rabbi, to lay down our lives, pick up our cross and follow him. Rest is an act of holy defiance and rebellion against an enemy that says, “Are you sure? Maybe you should save a little extra manna, just in case. While you’re at it, build a storehouse. Keep that for yourself. You might need it. Are you sure? Why don’t you take on that extra project... you might not actually be good enough and the only way forward is to do more.” It is a response to the open hand of our Savior rather than a reaction to the whip of a slave-driver. Culturally, this is no longer a practiced value. We are surrounded by hustle mantras – because there is always more that is possible. More work. More money. More connections. But what if Jesus says that we cannot serve both God and money because he knows how incredibly easy it is for us to willingly resubmit to slavery? Rest is not comfortable. At least not at first. Rest gives us easy access to the thing we most need to take to God. For some of us, it might be shame. For others, it might be anxiety. For another, it might be anger. Those are the things that are going to appear smack dab in the middle of our experience when we rest. But those are also the things that make it possible for us to experience what it feels like to be stood up in a wide-open field, “surprised to be loved”.

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Four — To the pasture

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

THE ELEMENTS OF REST 1. Provision

a. I always have more than enough i. I have all that I need

ii. I shall not want

b. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. i. These verses speak to satisfaction and sustenance.

ii. What kind of sheep lays down in a green pasture?

c. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. 2. Quiet

a. Silence as a practice is more than just the removal of noise.

b. Quiet, especially for enneagram types who operate out of the mind intelligence center, means silencing the thoughts that they either lean into, avoid, or resist. c. On a Sabbath, we are meant to rest from toil, and from worry.

3. Jesus as shepherd and best friend

a. A shepherd guides, protects, and sets the rhythm of rest for the flock.

b. A best friend is someone who knows, enjoys, and chooses you.

i. We are invited to rest in the reality of these two dynamics that both exist in the person and leadership of Jesus

JESUS RESTED Record two examples of Jesus resting in Scripture.

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Four — To the pasture

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

SABBATH 1. Human beings were created to operate out of rest.

a. In Jewish culture, the day begins at sundown – the day begins with rest.

b. We were created and then stepped directly into the first Sabbath.

c. God’s original design for us is that we would engage in rest as an unforced rhythm of grace.

2. Sabbath in the law

a. Exodus 20:8 – “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

b. Exodus 34:21 – “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.” c. We are invited to remember the Sabbath

d. Jesus reminds us that Sabbath was made for man, and not man for Sabbath. 3. What are the ingredients for Sabbath? a. rest

b. delight

c. worship

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Four — To the pasture

NOTES

~47~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

IN-CLASS EXERCISE: We will take twenty minutes at the end of class to schedule your week so that you can Sabbath. For anyone who feels blocked or locked in their ability to know what rest looks like, we will also have a time of peer ministry. Use the space below to record your experience, concerns, and notes.

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Four — To the pasture

ACTIVATION NOTES:

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

PRACTICE: Observe a true, full Sabbath this week. Run everything through the filters of rest, delight, and worship. Record your experience below.

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Five TO THE VINEYARD

The person with an abiding spirit of gratitude is the one who trusts God. The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness. Brennan MANNING

Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. A.W. TOZER

What a trellis is to a vine, a rule of life is to abiding. It’s a structure – in this case a schedule and a set of practices – to set up abiding as the central pursuit of your life.” John Mark COMER

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

WHERE WE MAKE OUR HOME “I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed you. So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine. “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father! “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness! “So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends. “You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father. You didn’t choose me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last, because whatever you ask of my Father, for my sake, he will give it to you! So this is my parting command: Love one another deeply!” 1. Being the branches

a. Sit at Jesus’ feet and “keep on obeying as a habit”...

b. Because we are all branches in one vine, if we don’t love one another it means that our fellowship with the vine has been cut off. To bear fruit must come from loving each other, for the same Christ-life lives within every believer. We are not branches of many trees, but of one vine.9

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Five — To the vineyard

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

c. Figure out who you are supposed to love and lean into the opportunity

d. Carry the right question

i. “Who am I supposed to love?”

ii. not “What am I supposed to do?” 2. Bearing fruit

a. We naturally bear fruit as part of the vine

i. Lifting and propping up the fruitless branches: a trellis accomplishes this and provides a picture of a rule of life

ii. We don’t gather fruit as slaves.

b. When Jesus calls us, we move from a slave-and-master relationship to an apprenticeand-master relationship. i. John 15:15 – I will no longer call you servants.

c. The ease of bearing fruit as a vine 3. Reframing pruning

a. The desire of the Lord is that we bear much fruit in the right seasons without striving

b. This happens as a byproduct of rest c. The spiritual disciplines as a trellis

d. The Greek word for “pruning,” kathairo, can also mean cleansing.10 CHECK-IN 1. How are you doing holding the process of formation rather than striving toward goals?

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Five — To the vineyard

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

2. Read john 10 in the Passion Translation. What is the Lord saying to you?

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Five — To the vineyard

IN CLASS EXERCISE: MEDITATION/SOAKING Psalm 1:1-3 NLT Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the lord, meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

~57~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

PRACTICE: This week, you are invited to soak and meditate at least twice throughout the week. Record your experience below. Additionally, you are invited to start your rule of life on the handout given to you in class.

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Six TO THE MOUNTAIN

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. MATTHEW 5:1 MSG

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence! Then the lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people. EXODUS 24:9-12

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

TRANSFORMATION ON THE MOUNTAIN “Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John, and hiked up a high mountain to be alone. Then Jesus’ appearance was dramatically altered. A radiant light as bright as the sun poured from his face. And his clothing became luminescent—dazzling like lightning. He was transfigured before their very eyes. Then suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared, and they spoke with Jesus. Peter blurted out, “Lord, it’s so wonderful that we are all here together! If you want, I’ll construct three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But while Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud composed of light spread over them, enveloping them all. And God’s voice suddenly spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, the constant focus of my delight. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:1-5 tpt 1. On the mountain, we are overshadowed

a. The Greek word translated “overshadow” is episkiazo, which is used exclusively for the power of the Almighty “overshadowing” such as Mary, who conceived a child supernaturally by God.11

b. This was not a natural shadow created by the light of the sun, but the supernatural overshadowing of God’s power. c. This word is only used five times and only in the new testament. i. Mary’s conception is the first time we see it in scripture.

ii. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord would first manifest himself like this over a young girl?

iii. Here are some other times when the Lord’s power spread over someone: Matthew 17:5

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed (epeskiasen) them and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him!”

Mark 9:7

Then a cloud appeared, overshadowing (episkiazousa) them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him!”

Luke 9:34

While he was saying these things, a cloud came and enveloped (epeskiazen) them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

Acts 5:15

so that they carried out the sick even into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, so that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall (episkiasē) on some of them.

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Six — To the mountain

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

2. This is a different kind of overshadowing than in Psalm 91, where we dwell under the shadow of His wings. a. Psalm 91 speaks of a shadow that brings protection

b. Luke speaks of a shadow that brings power.

3. Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” a. It is used as a metaphor that God would spread His shadow over her.

b. Mary was in essence covered by the power of God.

c. The favor of the Lord wasn’t meant to expose her. It was intended to cover her.

4. The etymology of being overshadowed. (English nerds, this one is for you.)

a. “Over” is a preposition in English which means “extending directly upward from. A position above or higher than something else. It can imply something so big that one thing covers another”; to be under an umbrella, to be over the chair.

b. It is a choice to be positioned under something

5. Discipleship: Jesus appointed his 12 he taught on the mountain. a. The committed climbed with him.

b. Echoing Yahweh’s invitation to the elders to join Him on the mountain.

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Six — To the mountain

NOTES

~63~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

FASTING Over the past few years, I have developed a personal tradition that has turned into one of my favorites. Every January I get to start the New Year off with a fast. Now, don’t stop reading because you don’t agree with my word choice! I said “get to” on purpose because for so many years of my Christian life I was unable to fast. I use to struggle with vanity and my body image. So much so that for almost two years I was anorexic. Before, the pursuit of a fast was never about an expression of my love and devotion for the Lord, it was a spiritual longing compromised by my obsessive need to lose weight. (I like to call things what they are!) I could tell it wasn’t pure because after a day of not eating I’d immediately step on the scale to see how much I weighed. The compromise didn’t start there; it actually started in my thoughts. The second I would have a desire to fast, or someone would call a fast and I wanted to join, my initial thought was, “I wonder how much weight I could lose.” Ah, but insert Jesus. He fully delivered me (a story for another time for sure). The process of loving myself, realizing that I am beautiful, and surrendering vanity took some time. I am so set free in that area that, as I write, it sounds like I am describing another person’s journey! And now I get to add fasting into my lifestyle and relationship with the Lord. So since I have been able to do this I’d love to share with you some things I have learned and fallen in love with about the spiritual discipline of fasting! 1. Fasting is not about meeting a mark or a standard. It’s about love and devotion. When I was dating my husband my heart was so alive I would simply forget certain daily routines because my heart was in the clouds. As I fast, I don’t worry about putting a limit on my love. Not in days, not in food, not in time spent reading and worshiping. The length or extremity of restriction is not the goal! 2. You shouldn’t fast for breakthrough. Jesus modeled for us to fast before we needed to release power. If you fast for breakthrough it’s similar to fasting to lose weight. Fast because your head is in the clouds concerning our Bridegroom Jesus. Fast because you hunger for Him alone. Breakthrough is the byproduct of a relationship with Him. 3. Psalms 69:10 (kjv): the writer says he chastens his soul with fasting. I have found that sometimes my soul does not line up to my spirit or to truth and that it is healthy for me to periodically fast to discipline my soul. When I tell my soul what it will do instead of the opposite – allowing my soul to make decisions for me – I find that I actually connect even deeper and more quickly with Jesus. Maybe that’s a part of what Jesus meant when He told us in Luke 10:27 to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength.

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Six — To the mountain

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

ACTIVATION: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

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Six — To the mountain

PRACTICE: This week, you are invited to consider and/or participate in some kind of fast. Record your experience below.

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Seven TO THE CROSS

The Gospel will persuade no one unless it has so convicted us that we are transformed by it. Brennan MANNING

Vision of God secures humility. Seeing God for who he is enables us to see ourselves for who we are. This makes us bold, for we see clearly what great good and evil are at issue, and we see that it is not up to us to accomplish it, but up to God —who is more than able. We are delivered from pretending, being presumptuous about ourselves, and from pushing as if the outcome depended on us. We persist without frustration, and we practice calm and joyful non-compliance with evil of any kind. Dallas WILLARD

True humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us. Tryon EDWARDS

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

CARRYING THE CROSS From then on Jesus began to clearly reveal to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer injustice from the elders, leading priests, and religious scholars. He also explained that he would be killed and three days later be raised to life again. Peter took him aside to correct him privately. He reprimanded Jesus over and over, saying to him, “God forbid, Master! Spare yourself. You must never let this happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get out of my way, you Satan! You are an offense to me, because your thoughts are only filled with man’s viewpoints and not with the ways of God.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice and lose your lives for my glory, you will continually discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will forfeit what you try to keep. For even if you were to gain all the wealth and power of this world with everything it could offer you—at the cost of your own life—what good would that be? And what could be more valuable to you than your own soul? It has been decreed that I, the Son of Man, will one day return with my messengers and in the splendor and majesty of my Father. And then I will reward each person according to what they have done. But I promise you, there are some standing here now who won’t experience death until they have witnessed the coming of the Son of Man in the presence and the power of the kingdom realm of God! Matthew 16:21-28 tpt 1. “Follow me! Don’t quarrel with me, adversary!” 12

a. The invitation remains to follow Jesus – to quick obedience – to listen.

b. He is asking us to join Him in His heart posture.

c. “Prayer is asking God what He wants to do, and then asking Him to do it.” 13

2. Maturity and second-half of life spirituality

a. John 21:18: Peter, listen, when you were younger you made your own choices and you went where you pleased. But one day when you are old, others will tie you up and escort you where you would not choose to go – and you will spread out your arms. (Jesus said this to Peter as a prophecy of what kind of death he would die, for the glory of God.) And then he said, “Peter, follow me!”

b. Following leads to copying the details of Jesus’ life – a life of love and sacrifice, maturity, devotion, and humility.

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Seven — To the cross

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

c. Hebrews 12:2

i. “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” niv

ii. “We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!” 3. Motivation

a. “For the joy set before him”

b. What joy is set before us as Jesus’ disciples? 4. The dynamic tension of Jesus’ invitations

a. We are invited to sacrificial love and devotion

b. Yet, Jesus also says, “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” c. “Many times Jesus said, “Come after (follow) me,” but only here does he say, “Come to me.” 14

NOTES

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Seven — To the cross

NOTES

~73~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

INTERDEPENDENCE TO EXPERIENCE LIFE JESUS’ WAY In his book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer says this: “To be one of Jesus’ talmidim is to apprentice under Jesus. Put simply, it’s the organize your life around three basic goals: 1. Be with Jesus. 2. Become like Jesus. 3. Do what he would do if he were you. The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus. And in doing so recover your soul. To have the warped part of you put back into shape. To experience healing in the deepest parts of your being. To experience what Jesus called “life… to the full”.15 The rabbi Jesus offers us a yoke – a tool for work – to share with Him in interdependence as we rule and reign in this world, shaping it for God’s glory and for the sake of love. When Paul famously writes about his weakness in 2 Corinthians, he shares that he has asked the Lord to remove his weakness but that it has been “given to him” to keep him from becoming arrogant. And then he says, “Each time he [God] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tpt – “But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” a. Or “The power of Christ rests upon me like a tent or tabernacle” (providing me shelter).

b. This is a picture of a meeting place created in the moment we acknowledge our weakness. c. Our need for God’s power makes a place for God’s presence.

Quiet is a spiritual discipline in and of itself. A millenium and a half ago, the African theologian Saint Augustine said entering silence is “entering into joy”. John Mark COMER

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Seven — To the cross

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

EXERCISE: 1. A collaborative conversation about distraction.

2. Processing the silent treatment. a. What lies am I believing about silence?

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Seven — To the cross

PRACTICE: This week you are invited to practice silence. Record your experience below.

~77~

Eight — To the kingdom

Eight TO THE KINGDOM

The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace—

a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—

and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.

Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage.

They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flock, and foreigners to work your fields,

But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God. You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory.

Because you got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, Your inheritance in the land will be doubled and your joy go on forever. ISAIAH 61:1-7 MSG

~79~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

THE KINGDOM COMMISSION In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell popularized the theory that 10,000 hours of practicing a particular skill would lead to mastery of that skill. “The principle holds that 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” are needed to become world-class in any field. When psychologists talk about deliberate practice, they mean practicing in a way that pushes your skillset as much as possible.” 16 This assertion has since been challenged, but it is still embedded in our cultural awareness. And it is interesting to consider that Jesus’ talmidim would have spent about three years in his presence, copying the details of his life. If we assume they spent 12 hours a day walking and working with him, then in three years’ time, they would have surpassed the mark of mastery by 3,000+ hours. However – if we remember that Jesus invites us to rest well, too – then maybe a better equation is to calculate a full 24 hours, every day for three years. In that case, the disciples would have accomplished master of life Jesus’ way nearly three times over before he commissioned them to go out and preach the gospel. 1. A formula for mastery

a. Joy plus rigor equals mastery

b. Time spent in the practices of the spiritual disciplines

c. Carrying the tension of perpetual childhood and mastery

2. We can’t truly adopt Jesus’ teachings without adopting his lifestyle. a. “I’m just like my dad!”

b. “You’ve heard it said... but I say” NOTES

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Eight — To the kingdom

NOTES

~81~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

FEASTING We have deliberately chosen to include feasting as a spiritual discipline because in our time walking with Jesus, working with Jesus, and watching how he does life, we have seen the beautiful reality of his participation in celebration, abundance, and feasting. Feasting connects us to a cyclical rhythm that reminds us that celebration is a part of mastering life with Jesus. And, at the same time, it calls us back to where we started this journey: we’re back at the table. 1. Feasting brings Heaven to earth.

a. We recognize what he has done. i. Old Testament

b. We recognize that he’s actually with us right now. i. Blessing

ii. New Testament

c. We declare abundance and hope for the future i. Confident expectation of good

ii. Formation

d. We live freely and lightly, doing what Jesus did NOTES

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Eight — To the kingdom

NOTES

~83~

DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

IN-CLASS EXERCISE Receive your Father’s ring with a commission.

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Eight — To the kingdom

PRACTICE: Participate in a potluck feast with your cpsom class. Record notes about your experience below.

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

NOTES

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Eight — To the kingdom

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

NOTES

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Eight — To the kingdom

NOTES

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DISCIPLESHIP by Tracy Meeker & Christina Andriese

NOTES

~90~

Eight — To the kingdom

NOTES

~91~

WORKS CITED

Koyama, Kosuke. Three Mile an Hour God. SCM Press, 2015

https://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/about/formation.html

https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim

Nouwen, Henri. The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. Image, 1994

Comer, John Mark. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Waterbrook, 2019

4 5 6

https://jamesclear.com/great-speeches/the-anatomy-of-trust-by-brene-brown

Brian Simmons, in the footnotes of the Passion Translation

Brian Simmons, in the footnotes of the Passion Translation, Matthew 17

Brian Simmons, in the footnotes of the Passion Translation, Matthew 16

This is a quote from Graham Cooke.

Brian Simmons, in the footnotes of the Passion Translation, Matthew 11

Comer, John Mark. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Waterbrook, 2019

10 11 12 13 14 15

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235448

DISCIPLESHIP This eight-week course is meant to serve you as a field guide for apprenticing Jesus. As we explore discipleship through the lens of Jesus’ invitational leadership, we will walk with you through the many ways that He says, “Come to me. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.” We’ll observe the details of His life and uncover the ways that spiritual disciplines can help us follow in our Teacher's footsteps, living out the Great Commission as sons and daughters. We will trace our journey with the Lord from rescue to invitation to formation, and along the way get activated in intimacy with Holy Spirit, abiding, and much more. By the end of these eight chapters, we hope that you are living in the perpetual awareness of Jesus’ extended hand, tender smile, and powerful practices.

KEY OUTCOMES At the end of this course, students will: 99 Experience the spiritual disciplines and deepen spiritual formation habits.

99 Better understand the difference between a goal-oriented process and a formation.

99 Clarify the way we see and experience Jesus as a leader.

99 Have a clear and practical plan to rest well.

99 Begin to copy the details of Jesus' life in their own.

99 Have a well-defined understanding of solitude, silence, trust, sonship, abiding, fasting, and more.

TRACY MEEKER Tracy Meeker is the Children's Ministry Director at Centerpoint Church in Murrieta, CA. She also serves in the Prophetic Ministry, both on the prayer team and as an artist. As a part of CPSOM, Tracy is passionate about seeing the next generation of leaders cultivate a deep, meaning ful understanding of holistic health and healing. Her core values of Freedom, Love, and Learning inform all aspects of her work and her quest to see the healthiest generation of ministers launched into the church body and the world at large.

CHRISTINA ANDRIESE Christina Andriese describes herself as a lover of God and people. She is a pastor and senior leader at Centerpoint Church in Murrieta. She loves to take any opportunity to connect with people's hearts and to encourage them to become the best version of themselves. Her dream is to see the church awaken to her full potential – to see humanity walk in freedom – ignited by hope, empowered to dream, and equipped to operate our of the resurrection power that Jesus provides!

C E N T E R P O I N T S C H O O L O F M I N I S T RY

PRICE: $20.00