Daily Dose of the Word of God - Beyond Sunday Ep. 111

Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach

Transcript

Jeff Klein  0:06  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Monday, January 19. This is Jeff Klein reminding you to take your faith into the week, Beyond Sunday.

Jeff Klein 0:18  

I was driving home and along the highway read a billboard: "Apprenticeship is the lifeline of the electrical industry." If you want to be an electrician, you have to enter into apprenticeship with a master electrician first. It's interesting that the electrical industry vigorously defends apprenticeship and considers it the lifeline of their whole industry. It's also interesting that we (the church) have all but rejected apprenticeship for big group gatherings, classes, seminars and conventions. Jesus might say that apprenticeship is the lifeline of the Christian faith. I mean, this is how the early church was built! Think about it. Barnabas comes alongside Paul after he becomes a believer in Jesus and he trains him and walks with him to learn how to follow Jesus more completely. Paul then grabs Timothy and apprentices him to himself and trains him to be a pastor and sets him in the city of Ephesus. Paul then apprentices through his letters and writings to keep him on the right track.

Jeff Klein  1:27 

 
How do we get back to that lifeline? Do you have someone who you are apprenticed to? Is there someone who you are walking alongside and helping to grow into this amazing life in Christ? What would it take for you to begin to become a disciple maker? Who has God put in your life? Who needs you to walk alongside them and show them what you have discovered about following Jesus? They don't even have to know Jesus because making disciples happens with people who don't know Jesus. Can you imagine if the American church began to adopt this idea that apprenticeship is the lifeline of the Christian church and faith? Can you imagine if every person that sat in a seat on Sunday morning was actually thinking about who they might come alongside of to show them and help them discover what it means to follow Jesus in some more complete way? We would change the world. Who is God asking you to apprentice this week?

Jeff Klein  2:31  

Let's pray. Jesus, teach us to get away from simply thinking about the Christian faith being passed on through speeches and big group gatherings. Lord, teach us that we - each one of us - is someone who carries Jesus inside of us and can apprentice someone else. In your name Jesus, we pray, amen.