Sermon or Lesson: How Jesus Interacted With His Disciples, Part 1 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  The Calling Of The Disciples

PASSAGES:  Mark 1:16-20; John 1:40-50; Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16.  (cf. Acts 9:1-9; Matthew 4:18-22)

Note:  This sermon / lesson may be too long to present in just one session.

PURPOSE:  To identify the characteristics of how Jesus called His disciples and then correlate to how believers are called today.
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INTRO:  In this series, we are going to explore and identify the characteristics of how Jesus interacted with His disciples, to see what we can learn from His technique.  The first step of interaction Jesus took was to call them to become His disciples.
     Have you ever wondered exactly what dynamics are involved in a person being ‘called’ into ministry?  If you have talked to people who are doing ministry, perhaps you have noticed that typically they are somewhat vague about what all has occurred for them to get to the point where they modified and restructured their life perspective, goals, way of living, and what occupies their time.  So you may be of the opinion that a ‘calling’ into ministry is some sort of mystical experience.
     Let’s look at the dynamics and characteristics of Jesus’ technique in calling His twelve disciples and then compare our findings to how believers are called today.
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[Lesson note: Read and process each of the Scripture passages one at a time, having the listeners generate and fill in the information for each passage in each category.]

For the process of getting hired for a job, there are 7 basic steps that typically occur.
The first obvious step is:

1. AWARENESS OF A JOB OPENING

[Lesson Question:  What were the dynamics of how the men cited in Mark 1:16-20 became aware that there was a job opening to become a disciple of Jesus?]

READ:  Mark 1:16-20

SECTION POINT:  Jesus sought out and invited each person to be trained to become His disciple when He initially called them.

- - All of the men were going about their normal daily lives when they heard about or from Jesus.  (vv.16; 19-20)
- - The men may have become aware of Jesus and had some contact with Jesus prior to their being invited or in a sense called to become a disciple: for examples, Jesus was preaching in the area (vv.14,16) and the news about Him spread to the surrounding area (Luke 4:31,37); after teaching in the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon Peter (Luke 4:38-39) and later encountered him at the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:1-3).
- - Jesus immediately on the spot discloses an opportunity: “"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."” (Mark 1:17)

Today - The Holy Spirit lays it on the believer’s heart to pursue serving God in some capacity, i.e. the Holy Spirit subliminally invites believers to become a disciple who has ministry work to do.
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2. DISCLOSURE OF MONETARY SUPPORT AND BENEFITS

[Lesson Question:  What disclosure was made by Jesus about the monetary support and benefits that would be the pay package for this job opening?]

READ:  Mark 1:17-18

SECTION POINT:  At the calling, there is no mention of any monetary support or benefits for this job.

- - At the calling, there is no mention of any money involved or means to provide support; to the contrary some of the men left a valuable fishing business or a lucrative tax collector position to wander around with Jesus, who had no visible wealth or source of income.
- - At the calling, there also is no mention of any amenities or job benefits such as horses, chariots, palace, servants, etc., but subsequently they sometimes got a free lunch.

Today - For some ministry job occupations, the disciple is offered compensation; for other ministry job occupations, the disciple must be self-supporting or must continuously raise support.
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3. DISCLOSURE OF JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

[Lesson Question:  What disclosure was made by Jesus about the job functions and responsibilities for being His disciple?]

READ:  Mark 1:17

SECTION POINT:  At the calling, the only job function disclosed was that the men will go through training to make them "fishers of men", that they will "catch men".

- - At the calling, there is a very brief and vague reference to being made “fishers of men”, and that they "will catch men".  (Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10)
- - And there is recorded no other initial information disclosure of what the job functions and responsibilities will be.
- - However, the social environment of that time in that region would have given the men the expectation that the invitation ‘to come, follow’ meant to become a “disciple” of, a “pupil” and “learner” and “follower” of a master teacher.  (Strong’s #3101; see John 1:35-40)
- - The recorded accounts indicate that the disclosure of job functions and responsibilities occurred during the time of training.
- - On a further note, the performing of job duties would come after the training was over, and almost no job duties were assigned or performed until then.

Today - If academic ministry training is pursued in advance, most of the job functions and responsibilities are known and prepared for in advance.  If very little academic ministry training is pursued in advance, many unknowns or unanticipated additional job functions and responsibilities will be encountered and hopefully successfully learned as time proceeds.
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4. DISCLOSURE OF JOB REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR THE JOB POSITION

 [Lesson Question:  What disclosure was made by Jesus about the requirements to apply for the job of being His disciple?]

READ:  Mark 1:17

SECTION POINT:  At the calling, the disclosure of job requirements consisted of an implied need for being significantly flexible, agreeable, teachable, and mobile.

The disclosure to “come”, “follow” implied the need to be willing to leave their current occupation and be trained for a new occupation:
- - i.e. they must be flexible;
- - they must be willing to change, go, and do;
- - they must be teachable;
- - they must be trusting enough to walk into the unknown;
- - they must be mobile to travel.

Today - If applying to an existing ministry, most of the job requirements are listed and described.

Today - If considering to self-initiate a ministry, many of the job requirements will naively be unanticipated, or underestimated, and encountered as the ministry forms and evolves.
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5. DETERMINATION OF QUALIFICATIONS

[Lesson Question:  What qualifications were necessary or required for these men to be considered for this disciple job position?]

READ:  John 1:40-50

SECTION POINT:  At the calling, the qualifications of the men varied widely.

- - Evidently, Andrew (v.41), Philip (v.45), and Nathanael (v.49) were or became believers at the time of their calling.  
- - Shortly thereafter or possibly somewhat later, others of His disciples became believers.  (John 2:11; 6:64)

- - Some of the men were religious and righteous at the time of their calling: Andrew (v.41); Philip (v.45); Nathanael (vv.47,49).
- - And apparently some of them may not have been religious or righteous at the time of their calling: Peter - proclaimed himself as being sinful (Luke 5:8); Matthew - held a despised corrupt job position and associated with wicked people (Matthew 9:10; Luke 5:27-30); Paul - was fanatically religious but legalistically righteous and murderously oppositional (Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 9:1).

- - Evidently, none of the men except Saul/Paul had formal higher academic religious training.  (Philippians 3:5)

Today - The Holy Spirit extraordinarily gifts the believer with spiritual gifts that will need to correspondingly match the particular ministry job in order for that ministry work to be done with excellence.  However, at the time of the calling, these Spirit-given gifts may not necessarily be fully developed or fully Spirit-empowered.

Today - If applying to an existing ministry, the job qualifications can vary widely from ministry to ministry and can be required or adhered to with extreme subjectivity, or inconsistency, or completely ignored.

Today - If considering to self-initiate a ministry, the person will likely grossly underestimate the qualifications needed to do the ministry job with excellence.
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6. CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW

[Lesson Question:  What was the interaction between Jesus and these men during the interview phase?]

READ:  Luke 5:1-11

SECTION POINT:  At the calling, the interview conversations were quite brief and some were accompanied by a miracle performed by Jesus.

- - The accounts indicate Jesus giving a brief statement during the interview phase with almost no subsequent discussion.  (exception of Luke 5:1-11)
- - Jesus adds exhortation for Peter/James/John to "Don't be afraid;…”.  (v.10)

- - Some witnessed the display of a miracle during the interview phase, some did not.
- - Saul/Paul was both confronted and afflicted with a multiple-faceted miracle (light, voice, conversation, blindness - Acts 9:3-8).

- - With Saul/Paul, he was immediately ordered what to do.  (Acts 9:6)

Today - If applying to an existing ministry, the interview process can be lengthy.

Today - During the entire process of applying for a ministry job, interactions may yield a subtle confirmation or a negation but having an accompanying miracle is extremely rare.

Today - If considering to self-initiate a ministry, the self-conducted analysis, contemplation, and wrestling process can be ongoing for years or decades, challenging, exhausting, and very discouraging - particularly after one or more failed or abusive experiences in doing ministry.
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7. MUTUAL AFFIRMATION OF SELECTION

[Lesson Question:  What were the dynamics of the affirmation by both the men and by Jesus that they were hired to be His disciples?]

READ:  Luke 6:12-16

SECTION POINT:  Affirmation of being selected or hired to be a disciple involved Jesus individually choosing and making an offer, and each of the men accepting the offer.

- - The affirmation of being selected or hired came in the form of being personally chosen and invited by Jesus to join Him.  (Mark 1:20; 2:14; John 1:43)
- - Note that this is different from an invitation to the general public.
- - Also note that no invitation was given to the religious leaders, presumably because they refused to believe (John 3:11) and they were oppositional (Luke 6:7).  (e.g. - sandwiched between the calling of Peter/James/John and the calling of Matthew is the lack of calling to the religious leaders in Luke 5:17-26)
- - Jesus prayed extensively, and then distinctly chose twelve of the men and gave them a designation or title for their job position.  (Luke 6:12-16; cf. John 6:70)
- - Those that would become the Twelve Disciples all immediately responded agreeably and submissively.  (Mark 1:18,20; 2:14)

Today - If applying to an existing ministry, mutual affirmation will be stated and corresponding action occurs thereupon.

Today - If considering to self-initiate a ministry, the indicator to proceed will be when critical elements become fulfilled or fall into place - thereby usually being interpreted as God opening the door and encouraging the person to proceed.  The indicator to not proceed will be when one or more of the critical elements do not become fulfilled or fall into place or fall out of place.
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BIG IDEA: The calling to be a disciple goes beyond just believing; it also involves willingly leaving some of what you have been doing, following God's leading, being trained, and then doing ministry work.

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APPLICATIONS: 

- - Has God ‘called’ you into ministry work?  Part-time?  Or full-time?  Or in your free time?
- - Has He given you an understanding of or predisposition for what He wants you to do?
- - Has He or is He providing the necessary logistics to allow you to start taking action towards that?
- - What has your response been so far?
- - Having just studied Jesus’ technique for calling His disciples, do you see any similarities to what you have experienced so far?  Do these similarities solidify in your mind that the Creator of the universe has something particular for you personally to do?

- - For others of you, if God has not called you to become His disciple and to do ministry work, then why do you suppose that is?  Can you identify the reasons why God has not called you?  Are you a believer in Jesus, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins (see Romans 3:20-25)?  If so, are you open to Him calling you?  Are you watchful for His calling?
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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD‑ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary”. The Bible Library CD‑ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Copyrights:
Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright © 2016 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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File name: HowJesusInteractedWithHisDisciples01-SermonOrLesson.___ (.htm, .doc, .pdf)
Translation used: NIV, quoted or referred to in various places within the lesson
Source: www.BelieverAssist.com

Sermon or Lesson: How Jesus Interacted With His Disciples, Part 1 (NIV based)
LISTENER WORKSHEET

TITLE: The Calling Of The Disciples

PASSAGES:  Mark 1:16-20; John 1:40-50; Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16 (cf. Acts 9:1-9; Matthew 4:18-22)

PURPOSE:  To identify the characteristics of how Jesus called His disciples and then correlate to how believers are called today.
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READ and process each of the Scripture passages one at a time, filling in the information for each passage in each category.
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Categories for how people are hired:

1. AWARENESS OF A JOB OPENING
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

2. DISCLOSURE OF MONETARY SUPPORT & BENEFITS
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

3. DISCLOSURE OF JOB FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

4. DISCLOSURE OF REQUIREMENTS
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

5. DETERMINATION OF QUALIFICATIONS
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

6. CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

7. MUTUAL AFFIRMATION OF SELECTION
(   ) ________________________________________________
(   ) ________________________________________________
           _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________
Today _______________________________________________

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In the (   ) , indicate whether this dynamic is still the same today? Y or N
On the Today _ line, indicate any ways that God does this differently today.
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BIG IDEA:  The calling to be a disciple goes beyond just believing; it also involves willingly leaving some of what you have been doing, following God's leading, being trained, and then doing ministry work.

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Copyright © 2016 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File name: HowJesusInteractedWithHisDisciples01-SermonOrLesson.___ (.htm, .doc, .pdf)
Source: www.BelieverAssist.com