Reading
Romans 12:1-2
Introduction
I’ve been asked to consider the question How can we be discipled? using Romans 12:1-2 as the basis for my response. There’s so much in these two verses that it’s almost impossible to do them justice in the limited time available – but let’s see what we can do!
Responding to God’s Mercy
Paul makes an appeal to the Roman believers, and that same appeal comes down through the centuries to us here today. He urges them, and us, to live differently, with the only response that makes any sense in the light of what God has done for us.
Up to this point in Romans, Paul has been arguing that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (3:23-24).
We all of us, when apart from Christ, stood condemned before God, without remedy. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves. Absolutely nothing! In Colossians 1:13, Paul writes of how God has, “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
We couldn’t save ourselves; we needed to be rescued. God, through the Lord Jesus, did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He paid the price of our redemption so that the darkness has no more right to hold dominion over us; he broke the power of sin. Through the once-for-all, final blood sacrifice of Jesus at the cross, he paid the penalty of our sins so that we could know forgiveness and freedom from guilt.
God loves us so much that he gave us Jesus so that, simply through faith, we could escape condemnation and inherit everlasting life. We deserved justice; God has shown us mercy!
Sacrificial Living
God’s mercy is the basis of Paul’s appeal. How should we live in response to God’s mercy? Paul writes, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”.
Jesus offered himself in sacrifice for us and, as his disciples, we too are called to live sacrificially. We should live in such a way that our bodies are temples appropriate for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. We’re to live in holiness, in ways that please God, not pursuing personal gratification.
As a way of understanding what holiness means, one definition I came across tells us that holy things are “not for ordinary use.” We’re set apart especially for God.
Then Paul says of this kind of living, “this is your true and proper worship.” Worship, you see, isn’t just something we do on a Sunday. All of life is to be our expression of worship. Actually, I think the Authorised Version expresses the original Greek more directly. It says, “[this] is your reasonable service.” In the light of God’s mercy, there’s nothing unreasonable in how Paul is urging us to live.
How can we be discipled? Well, the first thing is to recognise that discipleship is not an optional extra for enthusiasts. All who call themselves Christians are to be disciples.
Transformed Living
So what does a disciple look like? Paul goes on with, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed…”
We live in challenging times. I’m not referring to the pandemic. Our society has largely abandoned Christian values. Anything goes. You can do what you like, and who is anyone else to tell you otherwise.
Remember that God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness. Our society remains under that dominion. We, as disciples, cannot blithely go along with everything that goes on in society. If we do that, we’re putting ourselves back under the dominion of darkness.
We are called to live counter-culturally. We’re in the world but we’re not to be of the world. We have to show the world what the kingdom of the Son is like. It’s easy to run with the crowd. It’s easy to swim with the current. But the crowd is stumbling in the darkness, and the current will wash you out to sea…
Two caterpillars were sitting on a leaf, and a butterfly flew past. One caterpillar said to the other, “You’ll never get me up in one of those things!” The caterpillar is, of course, the larval stage of a butterfly. The adult stage is the actual butterfly. Once the caterpillar’s eaten enough of your garden, it pupates and becomes dormant. Some time afterwards, the adult butterfly emerges.
The process inside the pupa is mysterious. The insect undergoes a complete structural reorganisation: caterpillar in, butterfly out! The scientific term for what goes on inside the pupa is the Greek word ‘metamorphosis’. We could express its literal meaning as to become a different form or shape.
Now, in the Greek, Paul uses the same word: ‘be metamorphosed.’ Paul wants his Roman readers to undergo a radical restructuring, a change in the shape of things.
Why do we need to be transformed? When we come to Christ, we come just as we are, bringing with us baggage from our old way of life; a way of life that held us in darkness.
As disciples, we have to unlearn sinful ways, things that have perhaps been infused into us throughout our lives. Then, instead of doing things our own way, or the world’s way, we have to learn to do things God’s way.
God’s aim for us, as Paul says in chapter 8:29, is that we “be conformed to the image of his Son…” He wants us to bear the family likeness. I want to be like Jesus! Do you?
How can we be discipled? The second thing is to recognise and accept that discipleship will mean personal and radical change.
Food for Thought
Now, I’ve talked of this transformation as a change of shape. After Christmas, some of us perhaps had a great desire to change our shape and set about the task by joining Weight Watchers (other dieting franchises are available). But we’re not talking here about diet . . . or are we?
Paul tells us that transformation comes about “by the renewing of your mind.” Our minds are important. What we think governs how we behave. There’s a saying that goes, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a lifestyle; sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny.”
The renewal process begins when we hear and respond to the gospel. It continues as we learn of Christ as his disciples. We need to feed the renewal process.
What are you exposing your mind to? What spiritual food are you eating? If you rely only on what you get on a Sunday in church, you’re on a starvation diet! If you relied on your Sunday lunch to get you through the whole week, what state would you be in by Wednesday? Just as you need physical food every day, so you need spiritual food each day!
As a preacher, I have a responsibility to provide spiritual food for you; to use scripture to teach, exhort, encourage, admonish and inspire you, but what you do with what you hear is your responsibility. Paul implies his readers must choose not to conform, and choose to be transformed, and choose the renewal of their thinking.
Make use of the means of grace that God has provided. Think about the things you hear on a Sunday. Read your Bible, Old as well as New Testament, follow a reading plan if that would help. Don’t just say prayers but learn to commune with God in prayer.
Another excellent way of being fed spiritually is to join a small group. From many years of involvement with home groups, I can say that small groups are a fantastic way of encouraging disciples. It’s been great seeing people grow in faith and knowledge of God. It’s kind-of how Jesus did it with his inner twelve. It’s how the Wesleys grew the Methodist movement in the first place! Churches that are growing tend to have small groups based on worship, bible study, prayer and the sharing of life.
How can we be discipled? The third thing is to follow a healthy, nutritious spiritual diet. Take responsibility for you own growth. Use the means of grace God gives; join a small group to worship, study, pray and share with other disciples.
Reap the Benefits
Now, metamorphosis may not always be pleasant but the outcome is glorious. There have been times in my journey when I’ve felt crushed as God has unearthed the next thing in my life he wants to sort out. But he only has in mind what’s best for me as he refines me, and I’m more like Jesus now than I was when I started. There’s still a lot of work to be done…
But Paul tells us that, along the way, we’ll learn what God is like and how to recognise his will for us, and that his will is the very best for our lives. He says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Summary
So, How can we be discipled?
• Recognise that discipleship is for all Christians, not just the enthusiastic few.
• Accept that discipleship will mean personal and radical change, for the good.
• Learn to feed yourself daily with a nutritious spiritual diet.
• Join a group that will support you in your discipleship.
Don’t stay as a caterpillar; become a beautiful butterfly!
