Discipleship 101

All of life and all of the world called to follow Christ's authority

2 Timothy 1:9-10 “…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our  works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…”

“On two separate occasions Peter received the call ‘Follow me.’ It was the first and the last word Jesus spoke to his disciple (Mark 1:17; John 21:22). A whole life lies between these two calls. The first occasion was by the lake of Gennesareth, when Peter lest his nets and his craft and followed Jesus at his word. The second occasion is when the Risen Lord finds him back at his old trade. Once again it is by the lake of Gennesareth, and once again the call is, “Follow me.’” The Cost of Discipleship, pp. 45-46.

My inclination and disposition does not fit with Christ’s call to service. Bonhoeffer, remember with regard to discipleship, says Christ summons a man to come and die. I don’t die well. Jesus commands followership that is one’s life in toto. The same for the world—all things are under Him.

When Paul speaks of God who has “saved us and called us with a holy calling,” I am reminded that He had to shake up my life. He had to invade and subdue my life. Otherwise I would continue to live in rebellion. Today I preached on the working of God’s exceeding greatness toward us who believe (Eph. 1:19). My main goal centered on God’s provision of His Son to overcome death and hell and to place Him as the One and Only who is seated at the right of God and reigning over all. “…He put all things under His feet…”

At Christ’s resurrection the whole world came under His dominion. We get the on-set of the entire world being subdued—all things which He made, all things in providence under His authority, all things under God with their various functions and uses. The whole world and everything in it must follow in discipleship.

All things: my self-centered attitudes and ways, my past, present and future, the skeleton and muscles of my body, my parents and siblings, my wife and children, the neighborhood, city, county and state, the church where I serve, the nation with her election year, education and economics, ladybugs and laser surgery, galaxies and germs, and property taxes and verb tenses.

The whole of my life—very similar to Jesus’ call to Peter—is to be for the Lord. The whole world, as well, is in discipleship to the Lord. He tells me, and He tells the world, “Come and follow.”

G. Mark Sumpter

C.S. Lewis on God as Fuel

Energy drinks resurrection style

“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.

There is no such thing. That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended—civilizations are built up—excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down. They are trying to run it on the wrong juice.”  See Mere Christianity, pp. 53-54

The verses of Ephesians 1:20-22 strike us, catch us off guard. Paul rivets our attention on the power toward His own people. Christ’s power is for His people. Jesus’ power benefits His own. Here are the words: 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Paul highlights the work of Christ. With a trajectory—a direction of movement, we follow the verses from Christ’s resurrection to the church. “…He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand….. to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” There’s movement. Where does the movement go? It goes from Christ’s bodily resurrection to union with His people. The accomplishment of Christ must get to the church in order to be completed!

Mission Accomplished at Resurrection Central targets union with His people. Completion, wholeness, fulfillment of the work of Jesus means that He must be united to the church, connected to His people. It is just like a groom who remains incomplete if he remains detached from his bride. The head must be connected to the body.

“…He gave Him to be head over…[His body]…” There is power, power, wonder-working power…in the life-giving supply of Jesus via His resurrection. By faith in Christ we are joined to Him.

Are you in the life-giving resurrected Christ? Is He in you? Apart from Jesus Christ we can do nothing. We have no fuel. Our churches have no fuel. Our marriages have no fuel. The work of our hands has no fuel. Our towns and cities have no fuel.

To recast Lewis: God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

G. Mark Sumpter

O Lord, I Repent From Wanting to Get People Saved

Ken Myers writing about C.S. Lewis on method of presenting Christ

“Lewis’s imaginative skills were thus focused less on the mere credibility or plausibility of belief (which are the concerns of most apologists) and more on the ramifications of belief: If the gospel is true, here is how the world would look. Even ‘belief’ had a more comprehensive scope in his thinking than most apologists recognize. The gospel wasn’t just a message about getting saved; it was a message of salvation in the context of a bigger story about the meaning of everything. It presupposed a cosmology and a rich anthropology. As in the Creed, Lewis’s defense of the faith began with a tacit but rich affirmation of the Maker of heaven and earth, who made all things in a particular way, the shape of which his creatures would do well to honor.” Ken Myers in the recent Touchstone Magazine, “Contours of Culture,” Sept/Oct 2010.

Lord, help me show people just how great You are; what Your world is like and what it will be like more and more since Jesus is subduing more and more for His own name, and Dear Father, You show them life in the Big Picture of things—for the glory of Jesus’ Lordship. Amen.

G. Mark Sumpter

Calvin on Christ's Session

The Graces of Our Lord's Ascension

First, it perceives that the Lord, by his ascension to heaven, has opened up the access to the heavenly kingdom, which Adam had shut. For having entered it in our flesh, as it were in our name, it follows, as the Apostle says, that we are in a manner now seated in heavenly places, not entertaining a mere hope of heaven, but possessing it in our head.

Secondly, faith perceives that his seat beside the Father is not without great advantage to us. Having entered the temple not made with hands, he constantly appears as our advocate and intercessor in the presence of the Father; directs attention to his own righteousness, so as to turn it away from our sins; so reconciles him to us, as by his intercession to pave for us a way of access to his throne, presenting it to miserable sinners, to whom it would otherwise be an object of dread, as replete with grace and mercy.

Thirdly, it discerns his power, on which depend our strength, might, resources, and triumph over hell, “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,” (Eph. 4:8). Spoiling his foes, he gave gifts to his people, and daily loads them with spiritual riches. He thus occupies his exalted seat, that thence transferring his virtue unto us, he may quicken us to spiritual life, sanctify us by his Spirit, and adorn his Church with various graces, by his protection preserve it safe from all harm, and by the strength of his hand curb the enemies raging against his cross and our salvation; in fine, that he may possess all power in heaven and earth, until he have utterly routed all his foes, who are also ours and completed the structure of his Church.

John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, Book II, 16:16

This past Sunday from Luke 6:12-19, we spent time learning to act on the rule and triumph of Jesus Christ. In the midst of conflict and controversy, per the context of Luke 6, Jesus builds His church and serves as the One who ministers in word and deed. In Calvin’s words, He’s about His session, His meditorial reign, establishing His church and overseeing her “until he have utterly routed all his foes.”


G. Mark Sumpter

Smackdown Move On the Classical World

He says, “Come, follow Me.”


“In that classical world, there is hardly a chance that the fool will speak wisdom. ‘Greeks seek wisdom, and the Jews seek signs,’ says Paul with rare defiance, ‘but I preach Christ crucified, a stumbling stone to the Jews and folly to the Greeks!’ But the folly of God is wiser than men. Wiser even than Greeks. It slaps the staid old classical world silly. There, a man who loses his reputation loses everything. But Christ made himself of no repute, and took the form of a slave, obedient unto death; and he made all things new.”


Professor Anthony Esolen of Providence College, Providence, RI. Quote from Humor on the Move, an article in TOUCHSTONE, May/June, 2010.


G. Mark Sumpter