Imitation in Discipleship

April 23, 2017

The Q Before the A

Imitation in Discipleship,
Feminism in the Bible,
Praying Before Meals

This sermon series is based on questions submitted by you!  To submit a question or topic you would like to hear covered, go to livingfaithindy.com/qa.

1. What does it look like to learn from the faith of someone who disciples you without imitating them?

Is there a simple way to tell if our faith is genuine or if we are only spending time with God because "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"?
Conversely, is there a simple way to tell if a person we are impacting has genuine faith or is imitating us?

Disciple -
A follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.

So ultimately, we are disciples of Jesus.  First and foremost, you are not a disciple of anyone in this church... You are primarily a follower of Jesus.

1 John 2:6
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Galations 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.

Leviticus 11:44
I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

As a disciple, if you are trying to be JUST LIKE the person who disciples you, you are missing the point.

As a discipler, if you are trying to help the person you disciple be JUST LIKE you, you are missing the point.

As a disciple of Jesus, you should seek to be like Jesus.

2. What does feminism look like in the Bible and what does a strong Biblical woman look like?

God created you to be a strong woman.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Strong women from the Bible:
- Sarah: in her faith, God chose her to be the matriarch of Israel
- Miriam: helped lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt with her younger brother Moses
- Rahab: spy for Joshua leading up to the events at Jericho
- Esther: saved the nation of Israel from certain death as queen
- Ruth: became a symbol of God’s love and grace through her conversion
- Mary: chosen by God to carry His son, continued to support him throughout his ministry
- Mary Magdalene: friend of Jesus, was at the tomb when the angels revealed His resurrection
- Lydia: close friend and early church leader with Paul

Strong modern women:
- Lottie Moon: early missionary to China
- Annie Armstrong: founder of the WMU, which empowered women for generations in global missions
- Cassie Bernal: teen girl during the tragedy at Columbine High School, she said yes when the gunman asked if she believed in Jesus, knowing he would shoot her

The work that you should desire should align with Christ’s purposes.

We know that God created powerful women, He created you to do good works, and lastly, He prepared in advance the work that you should do.

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

3. Is praying before meals a Biblical rule or just a cultural practice?

God loves food, and he loves when we enjoy food. God could have created the world in such a way where eating was only a necessity, but instead he made it a pleasure for us to eat as well.

In Acts 27:35 Paul takes bread and gives thanks to God
35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.

In 1 Timothy 4:1-5 Paul lets us know that God created food to be received with thanksgiving!
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Just like any other tradition in the church, when praying for food becomes just that, a tradition, and not genuine, it is no longer biblical or pleasing to God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

So yes, we should pray before we eat, but not for the wrong reasons:
- Are we praying to get another hurdle out of the way before we eat?
- Are we praying in front of others to show them how great of a follow of God we are?
- Are we praying just because it’s what we have always done?

Or are we thanking God for the provision of the food in front of us?

Communication Card
- I will evaluate how genuine my prayer is.
- I will focus on the Bible’s definition of a strong woman, not the world’s.
- I will work to look like Jesus, not the person discipling me.