The Music And The Dance

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”- John 21:20-22

For many years we at Christ Community Church have done sunrise baptisms at the beach and it has always been beautiful. The sunrise itself is like brilliant symbol of God’s grace bringing new life and light into our lives. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:6, which says; For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. When people come to be baptized we always stress that the living of that new life requires us, not only to believe in Jesus but to follow him. When the people come to be baptized we ask them two questions. First, are you confessing that your faith for your salvation is not in your goodness but in Jesus as your Savior? Second, “Do you renounce the devil and his works and promise as a disciple of Jesus to follow Him as your Lord for the rest of your life?”

When we ask people not only to confess belief in Jesus as Savior but commitment to follow him we are reflecting what Jesus himself taught us. Twice in the passage we have read from John 21, Jesus says, “follow me”. First, at the end of verse 19 and then again at the end of verse 22, Jesus says, “Follow me”.

This Wednesday we begin a new class: The Walk”, focused on what it means to follow Jesus in our lives today. This class is offered for twelve weeks on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 pm beginning January 18th and ending April 4th (just before Easter Sunday). It will look at both the underlying dynamics and the practical disciplines of following Jesus. It will cover what it means to live life with Jesus, find life in Jesus, live life for Jesus, and live life like Jesus. It will also offer practical help developing practices of spiritual growth that are centered on the Word of God, prayer, living in community with other Christians and serving in ministry and on mission. The goal of this course is not only to deepen the spiritual life of the participants but also to equip them to help others to walk the walk and follow Jesus.

In addition to the classroom teaching, we will be posting weekly assignments here on “The Music and the Dance”. We are going to invite folks doing “The Walk” with us to join us online, to raise questions, make comments or just check out the weekly assignments.

~ by Larry Kirk on January 18, 2012.

Posted in Uncategorized