The modern day apprentice.
Well, tomorrow is the big day! An all new season of Donald Trump’s "The Apprentice" begins. I am so excited! I don’t know how I will ever get to sleep tonight. Have you ever browsed the biographies of the competing apprentices on NBC’s website? There are eighteen of them, and theyare veryqualified.
"Allie, 30, graduated summa cum laude andnumber onein her class from the University of Florida. While maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a finance major in the honors program, she met the demands of her rigorous schedule as a varsity Florida Gator cheerleader. Allie developed her disciplined work ethic at an early age as an internationally competitive gymnast."
"Andrea, 31, a self-made multi-millionaire, enjoys creating business ventures on the frontiers of technology and popular culture. Not satisfied with a conventional path, Andrea skipped college and personally financed her first enterprise: Rhythm Styx, a wildly successful toy company. Driven by her early achievements, at age 23 Andrea started a clothing distribution company targeted at the burgeoning youth market. Since then, Andrea founded and is the CEO of five unique companies."
"Lee, 22, graduated from Cornell University with a 4.0 grade point average, where he received a B.S. in policy analysis and management. He worked for Merrill Lynch, researching emerging markets, creating portfolios and compiling business plans for high net worth clients, including an investment banking deal with an estimated value in excess of one hundred million dollars.At age 22, Lee became an analyst for one of the largest business and consulting firms in the world. Today, Lee works with some of the biggest companies and government agencies in the country to devise business strategy and information technology systems."
Obviously, the multi-billionaire Donald Trump is looking for a few good apprentices! Did you know that you can go to NBC’s website and fill out an application to become Donald Trump’s next apprentice? Wouldn’t it be a dream to become the next Donald Trump, or at least to have his hair stylist? Wouldn’t it be great to be the lone standing apprentice at the end of the season and hear those words, "You're hired!"
Of course, Trump isn’t interested in ordinary people, like many of us. Trump is looking for the world’s brightest. He wants those with the finest education; people of much accomplishment and financial success andyoung, attractive, proven executives.
The first century apprentices of Jesus.
But then there is Jesus, scouting the Judean countryside, hanging out at the fishing docks, rubbing shoulders with fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus hung out with ordinary folks! Like Donald Trump, Jesus is looking for a few good apprentices. But unlike Donald Trump, Jesus isn’t interested in leadership acquisition. He’s not impressed with our education, accomplishments, worldly success, or strengths. He’s not cherry picking the finest people this world has produced.
Jesus is interested in leadership development. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. He wants to take us, redeem us, and fashion us according to his likeness. And one of the things we find Jesus doing throughout his ministry is calling his disciples out of the world, only to send them back into the world with a new purpose.
Yesterday I was in Lincoln at a leadership conference, when one of the speakers reminded me of a simple fact. In the Bible the word church means "those called out." Throughout the gospels Jesus continually calls us out of the world, not because of who we are (thank goodness), but because of who he wants us to become. In the gospel of Luke we see this in the lives of Jesus’ closest disciples. When Jesus first calls them in Luke5 they are nothing more than a rag-tag band of smelly fishermen, greedy tax collectors and other societal misfits. ("You're fired!" says Donald Trump.) But after spending a few short years with Jesus, we discover this remarkable transformation in these men.
Jesus can make ordinary people extraordinary apprentices.
In Acts4 two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John, are being questioned about a healing performed before the rulers, elders, teachers of the law, and the high piest in Jerusalem. Acts 4:13 (NIV) says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Jesus calls ordinary people out of the world to develop them, change them, and transform them. But ultimately, he sendsthem back into the world with a new purpose.
I wonder this morning if you are interesting in becoming an apprentice of Jesus Christ. We're going to look at a few passages interspersed throughout Luke. I would ask that you simply consider Christ’s call on your life this morning.
Consider the call to follow Christ.
It cannot be overstated that the disciples were ordinary men when they were first called. In Luke5 Jesus happens across two boats at the water’s edge, left by fishermen who were washing their nets. As they're cleaning their nets, Jesus steps into the boat belonging to Simon Peter and asks him to push out a little from the shore. Then Jesus sits down and begins teaching the crowds from the boat. When he finished speaking Jesus tells Simon in Luke 5:4 (NIV), "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." In Luke 5:5 (NIV) a rather gracious Peter says, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
Now, as a fisherman, let me fill you in on the rules of fishing etiquette.
- Rule #1: You don’t step into a fisherman’s boat and ask to go for a ride at the end of the day, especially whenhe hasn'tcaught anything all day long. It’s just rude!
- Rule #2: You don’t sit and talk out loud to people on the shoreline while other people are trying to fish because you’ll scare the fish away! Lara watches hertelevision in my boat.
- Rule #3: When you are in another fisherman’s boat, you never tellhim where to guidehis boat and you certainly don’t tellhim how to fish. You're there for the ride!
- Rule #4: Forget about all these stupid rules so long as you help me catch fish.
A Biblical fish story.
In Luke 5:6 (NIV) it says, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink."
Boy, talk about a fish story! Spoken from the lips of a true fisherman! Luke probably should have interviewed someone on shore to get the real story. Anyway, when Peter saw this he fell on his knees and said in Luke 5:8 (NIV), "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" But Jesus said to Simon in Luke 5:10 (NIV), "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So the fishermen pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.
In Luke 5:27-28 (NIV) weread how, "...Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him."
What I want you to notice is that before anything else, Jesus first calls us to himself, for our salvation. "Follow me." In one verse Simon Peter said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man." But in the next verse, Simon Peter leaves everything to follow Jesus. Why? In one moment, Levi is collecting taxes.But in the next moment he too leaves everything behind to follow Jesus. Why?
The disciples identified that Jesus could offer them forgiveness and eternal life.
In John 6:37-40 (NIV) Jesus says, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Later in that same chapter, many of Jesus' disciples turn back and stop following him. In John 6:67 (NIV) Jesus asks Peter, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" In John 6:68-69 (NIV)Simon Peter answers, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Before anything else, Jesus first calls us to himself for salvation. "Follow me." You may like the music, the kid’s programs, the preaching, the friendships you form here, the convenience of this facility and location, or the Starbucks coffee in the lobby.But church isn’t about any of that. It’s first and foremost about Jesus Christ calling us to himself, for salvation. Jesus has the words of eternal life. He has the authority to forgive our sins andthe power to raise us from the grave.
Have you been caught by Jesus? Have you been hooked? Are you in Jesus’ net? "He who has the son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1 John 5:12 (NIV)
Consider the call to kingdom living.
After calling us to salvation Jesus next calls us together, into community. In Luke 9:1 (NIV) we find Jesus calling his disciples, the twelve, "together." In your English Bible, the word "together" may seem quite insignificant. But in the Greek, the word "together" literally means to "call alongside." Furthermore, in the original Greek, word order is everything.In the Greek, the word "together" or "to call alongside", appears first. Luke was emphasizing that the disciples were being "called together" alongside Jesus.
In "The Apprentice", ambitious apprentices compete, hoping to eliminate one another. But in God’s kingdom, disciples are called alongside one another and alongside Jesus. Right after Jesus calls his disciples together, he gives them power and authority to drive out demons, to cure diseases, to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
The real power of God is experienced when Christians come together.
Many Christians spend their whole lives never tasting such power and authority. The real power of God’s kingdom isn’t experienced when Christians are apart from one another, isolated. The real power and authority of God’s kingdom is experienced when Christians come together, alongside one another as did the twelve disciples, in community. Alone, we are easily defeated by sin and death. Alone, we are easily deceived. But when called together, alongside one another, a whole new way of life opens up to us.
In Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) the early church, "..devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
If Acts 2:42-47 doesn’t describe your experience of church, you need to heed Christ’s call to come alongside other Christians, in community. You need to get in that Bible class or that Life Group, where you do life together with other Christians. These places arewhere you can devote yourself to God’s word, to living out the one-another passages of scripture, to worshiping Jesus Christ, to praying for God’s healing touch, to meeting real needs, and to leading people to Christ.
The disciple is called out of the world, first to follow Christ, but then alongside other believers, in community, where the real transformation begins to take root.
Consider the call to the harvest field.
After Jesus calls us to himself for salvation, and then calls us together into community, he then sends us back into the world to be an influence to others.
When Jesus first called Simon Peter he said in Matthew 4:19 (NIV), "..I will make youfishers of men." Shortly after calling his disciples in Luke 6:12-13 Jesus spends a night in prayer. In the morning he gathers twelve of his disciples together and designates them apostles. They would become his official representatives, leaders in his kingdom.
In Luke 9:3-6 (NIV), Jesus sends his twelve disciples out with these instructions. " 'Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.' So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere." You may be tempted to think of Jesus’ twelve apostles as a special bunch, and they were. They were eyewitnesses of the resurrection. They were leaders! But in Luke10 their ministry is extended to an even greater group ofseventy-twodisciples! In Luke10seventy-twodisciples are appointed for service and are sent out two by two, ahead of Jesus to every town and place he was about to go!
In Luke 10:2-9 (NIV) Jesus gives them the same instructionsthat he gave to the twelve earlier. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is near you.' " The operative word that Jesus gave his disciples was "Go!" After calling us to himself for salvation andafter calling us alongside one another in community, Jesus sends us back into the world to be an influence. Go!
The call of Jesus is for all of us to go into the world.
The word "go" wasn't just for the twelve, it was for the seventy-two! Theword "go" wasn't just for the seventy-two.Jesus tells the seventy-two, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out (more) workers into his harvest field."
In Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Jesus gathers all his disciples together and gives them marching orders for the Church. Remember that the Churchconsists ofthose who are called out from the world. To them he says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of theHoly Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." What we have is a succession of calls. The first call is tofollow Christ, the second call isto enter into community, and the third call is to go out into all the world making disciples.
- Are you following Jesus Christ unto eternal life? Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and for the gift of the Holy Spirit?
- Are you coming alongside other Christians, in community, living in and daily experiencing the power and authority of Christ’s kingdom?
- Are you going out into the world, making disciples of all the nations, being an influence for Jesus Christ? Are you truly an apprentice of Jesus Christ?
If you are a true apprentice of Jesus Christ, you acknowledge your need for growth and development. You might just be ordinary enough for Christ to use you mightily!