Sermon Notes: Acts 9:1-19

Impact Series: The Making of a Disciple Acts 9:1-19

Impact Series – The Making of a Disciple

Introduction:

A Church is not a static assembly but a dynamic movement, leading to the making of disciples and the transformation of the world
If we are not, we are not doing the work we were called to do and we might as well take the word church out of our name and call ourselves the Club, a club who happens to talk about Jesus but is not doing the work of Jesus.
The Church is comprised of the saints, you and me. The church is only as dynamic and transformation as its saints. If the saints are disciples themselves, they will be making disciples of others. That’s how it has worked from the beginning of the movement. When that simple process is stifled or ends, the Church becomes a static assembly not a dynamic movement.
So it begins with the individual saints, growing as disciples and making disciples of others.
Look at the conversion of Paul to see an outline of how discipleship and transformation occur.

Saul awakens to Christ

As good Wesleyans we understand the concept of prevenient grace, the notion that the Divine Spirit is working some new in us even before we are aware of it. And as that grace works in us and begins to awaken us, we have a decision to make.
Saul was a slayer of Christians, who early on were called followers of the Way. He was a highly-respected teacher among the Jewish scholarly and political elite. He was feared by Christians, because by his order many Christians had been persecuted and killed. He was the last person who you would think would be transformed.
Think of someone you know who you think would be the last person who would have a change of heart and begin pursuing the way of Jesus. Now realize that if Paul could change, so could that person, so do not give up on them. God has not.
Also, just as we see God at work in all of the players of this story in our passage today, do not underestimate how God might use you in his work of transforming a life.
On his way to Damascus to round up and persecute followers of the Way, Paul, then known as Saul, has an encounter with the Divine. A light from heaven shines upon him, he falls to the ground and hears the voice of the Lord, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Of course, Saul was not familiar with the voice of the Lord, so he asked, “Who are you?” And Christ answered, “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.”
Our first introduction to Jesus is as a persecutor of Christ. When the Divine is not alive within us, we persecute all that is of God, whether it be beautiful things, Truth, relationships, goodness, love. Without Christ in our hearts, we will spend our lives persecuting, demeaning, wrecking, undermining all that is beautiful, good, truthful, relational and loving. That is why it is so important that our first response to Christ be to step up onto what Wesley called the porch of repentance. To be convicted of the darkness in our hearts and ask the Lord for forgiveness of our spirit of persecuting.
Then, wasting no time, the Lord gives a command for Saul to go. There is no time for idleness and resting on the tarmac for those who belong to Christ. His word for us is to go. Go make disciples, go to the ends of the earth. Go tell it on the mountain.

Saul’s Blindness

But at first, when Saul gets up from the ground and opens his eyes, he realizes he can no longer see. He thought he understood the world and how things work, but his world is turned upside down. He once saw the world clearly. Now it doesn’t makes sense. Now he has this overwhelming confusion. He senses a powerful burden of guilt and sin for what he has been doing to the followers of the Way and to Jesus Christ himself. He will need to be led out of this dark confusion, disciple, mentored, as his transformation begins and grows.
He is led by the hand. He has no idea where his life will take him now. But he trusts.
Recall the time I told Michelle I thought I had been called to pastoral ministry.
We did not know where we were going or how to do it.

There must be an Ananias for every new follower of the Way

That is why there must be an Ananias for every new follower of the Way of Jesus
You see, as Christ was working grace in the heart of Saul, he was equipping and preparing and directing a man named Ananias to guide, welcome and disciple the new convert, Saul.
It is critically important if the Church is to be a transformative movement that makes disciples that you and I remain attuned to the voice of the Spirit. The Spirit will speak to you, reveal to you your work and lead you to whom you are to guide, direct, mentor and disciple.
Thank God for each Ananias who stepped up in my life and did this, and for the Ananias who stepped up and did it for you. Now it is your turn.
And it will not always be easy. Ananias had his doubts as well. Isn’t this Saul, the persecutor of Christians you are calling me to mentor and disciple? He may kill us all!
The Lord responded, don’t worry, Ananias. He’s with me.
So Ananias goes to Saul and places his hands upon Saul. This is so significant. This is the ritual manner of passing on the Holy Spirit from disciple to disciple. In laying on his hands on Saul, Ananias acknowledges his role in making a disciple of Saul. Ananias says, “The Lord has sent me so that you may see again and be filled the Holy Spirit. “

Saul’s Early Discipleship

Immediately the scales fall from Saul’s eyes. He is beginning to see the world in a new way, as a follower of Jesus, through divine lenses. He is gaining a new worldview as revealed by Christ. What is happening is the beginning of Saul’s discipleship experience.
Everyone needs this, but not everyone gets this. Maybe you did not, and maybe you still need it. Maybe you need to be discipled by and experience Christian so that you might grow, so that the scales may fall from your eyes and you can begin to see the world through the eyes of Jesus.
Then Saul is baptized. Too often in the Church we baptize right away, but we do not first ensure the candidate for baptism receives a solid introduction and understanding of the faith through a discipleship model that follows a catechism, a collection of teachings that ensures a new follower of the Way knows that they are doing, and so are not a spiritual danger to themselves or someone else.
Finally, we are told Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus

Conclusion

We can clearly see the importance of discipleship
Back in late November as we were preparing to enter the Advent season, I announced that after Christmas and at the first of the year, that we would explore how we could become a more active church in terms of discipleship by establishing small groups that could regularly meet for discipleship instruction and for building community within our faith connection at New Chapel
In the next few weeks I will be announcing a date and time for an introductory discussion on establishing small groups and recruiting facilitators.
We must enthused (En-theos , God alive in us) about discipleship, our own growth and the growth of new disciples in our congregation.
I hope you will come to the meeting and learn what needs to be done, how it can be done, and how you can play a role in a small group study.

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