Roots: Growing Deeper in Jesus

Roots

growing deeper in jesus

Larry D. Metz, MA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Roots: Growing Deeper in Jesus

Copyright © 2021 by Larry D. Metz, MA

Cover design by Jeff Summers

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-63769-096-3

ISBN 978-1-63769-097-0 (ebook)

Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

Contents

Preface vii

Section One: Discipleship Overview 1

Introduction to Discipleship 2

The Three-Legged Stool 14

Developing the Inner Person 24

Me and My Neighbor 37

Doing Discipleship Differently 44

Section Two: Reading Your Bible Devotionally 59

Why Read the Bible? 60

What is the Bible? 68

Plan and Execute 79

What a Difference Culture Makes 93

Your Culture Versus God’s Authority 145

Section Three: Relational Prayer 155

Catching Jesus Praying 156

Kingdom Relationship Brings Kingdom

Direction 168

Models of Prayer for Every Need 177

God’s Will Versus My Wants 185

Section Four: Not Without My Neigbor 193

Love and Solidarity 194

It is a Trinity 207

Roadside Repair When the Wheels Fall Off 225

Getting Across the Finish Line 235

Endnotes 242

Bibliography 243

Author Bio 250

Preface

You have waited all year for this. You scheduled your vacation with your boss. You’ve counted down the days. You have booked the hotels and your vacation destination. Today is Friday, and it is almost five o’clock. You look around. Your coworkers are clearing their desks for the weekend. Not you. You are clearing your desk for the week. You are leaving tomorrow for a one-week vacation. Tonight, you will finish packing so you can get an early start driving tomorrow. You can’t wait to be a road warrior again!

It is Saturday evening when you pull into the hotel you booked. You are halfway to your destination. You will reach that Sunday afternoon. After checking in, you take your luggage to your room. The room is as spacious and clean as advertised. Before you leave the hotel to get a bite to eat, you decide to arrange your belongings. Upon taking inventory of your toiletries, you discover that you left your toothpaste at home. The hotel anticipated this. There, by the sink, is a small sign that reads, Welcome to our hotel. If you forgot something, please visit the front desk. We will be glad to assist you with a free sample. Your heart rate slows as your anxiety vanishes. All is not lost. This is going to be a good trip after all!

There are times in life when we realize we are missing something. We don’t have everything we are used to having. In these situations, it is important that we get everything we need. When push comes to shove, we might be able to do without a few things and still enjoy the journey. There are other things, however, that are a necessity. This is especially true when it comes to the Christian journey we call discipleship.

For many Christians outside the United States, being a Jesus-follower is a matter of life and death. Many countries around the world make it illegal to have open Christian gatherings. How can Christians grow their faith in these countries where they are prevented from openly worshiping God and expressing their faith?

The global pandemic of COVID-19 forced many churches across America to limit church attendance or close their doors for public health reasons. Suddenly, for American Christians, the main source of their Christian growth was absent. How can an American Christian grow their faith when they can’t attend church?

As you read this book, think of it as the hotel welcome sign beside the bathroom sink. You may not have everything you want, but you can get everything you need. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus referenced the two greatest commandments. Jesus spoke of loving God and loving our neighbor. What did He mean by that? This question will be answered in the book.

This book will explain the three essential elements of discipleship. You cannot do without these if you want to experience a successful Christian journey. First, we will examine how to read the Bible. Hearing God’s perspective on life is an integral part of loving God. Second, we will talk about prayer. Prayer is our side of this dialog with God. God speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to God through prayer. Third, we will consider what it means to love our neighbor. Love is more than a feeling.

While you read this book, we want you to enjoy your stay. More importantly, we want to help you get on the road of your Christian journey. You will be in this book for a short visit. Your objective will be to use what you get here for the rest of your journey. These essentials are designed to keep you growing through every season of your life. They are the bedrock of your Christian faith. This is the stuff that will help you reach your destination in grand style!

Section One:

Discipleship Overview

Introduction to Discipleship

Welcome to the family! You are not here by accident. You are here by design, God’s design. From the creation of the world, God began using what He created to teach us what our spiritual life is supposed to look like.

Romans 1:20: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Here is a review of our Christian journey up to this point.

We cannot join God’s family. We must be born into it.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him. Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

John 3:1-3

When God brings us into His family, He does not do a remodel job. God does not merely patch and paint! We are a brand new building from the ground up with a new foundation.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11: By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

When we come into God’s family, we come to the starting point from which our Christian life grows. Salvation is not our destination. The planting of the Lord now needs careful attention. This is where Discipleship joins the party!

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:3

Notice in this verse that the whole intent of God’s planting is not to make us great but rather to increase God’s honor and reputation! God is great because of His work in us.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:1-4

The transmission of family values helps create a sense of personal identity. When I was a boy, my father told me one day about my ancestry and how that influenced our family dynamic. I was told we came from German heritage. Germans were not slackers. They had a good work ethic and took pride in their work. My father’s instruction pointed me toward diligence and excellence.

In the same way, the Bible points us in the direction we are to go. We have not been saved to coast through life aimlessly. We have been saved to put our shoulders to the wheel, to apply the discipline learned through discipleship so that Jesus and the Father can be glorified.

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.

Are you aware that salvation (what many Christians refer to as being born again) is not our destiny? Salvation is not the finish line. There is another destination to which we are traveling.

We are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Our good behavior does not bring us into God’s kingdom. We have nothing to do with our birth into God’s kingdom. Only God has control of that. Good behavior (good works) is the direct result of the nature of a good God who lives in us after we are born into God’s kingdom.

There is a destiny that God points all His children to. The destiny to which we are traveling is transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2

2 Corinthians 3:18: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

There are no slackers in God’s family. In God’s family, everybody pitches in. Unfortunately for me, during my growing-up years, my parents had hired help in the house. Other than learning to bake bread for the family, I did not have any assigned chores. Since I never really learned to pull my weight in the family, this attitude toward discipleship was difficult for me to grasp.

The economic engine of a large family runs well because everyone is expected to contribute to the well-being of the family. Every individual has a duty in keeping with his or her age and ability. This is the way it is in God’s family (the Family of Christians). As an aside, this is also the way it is in the gathering of like-minded believers in a local church.

The apostle Paul likened the worldwide community of believers to a body (1 Corinthians 12:12-30). A human body is an integrated and interdependent sum of many parts. All these parts, both seen and unseen, derive their reason for being and independent direction from the head. Not all members function at the same rate of intensity or carry the same job description. But each member is vitally important to the health of the whole body. If the head is ever separated from the body, the body dies. If one member of the body is wounded, aid and healing are rushed to that member. If one member stops working up to factory specifications, the body becomes ill and needs downtime until that member recovers. If a member is separated from the body through surgery, that member is considered dead as far as that body is concerned.

The theme of the body in the New Testament underscores the importance of the theme of one’s neighbor found in the Old Testament. From the early pages of the Old Testament to the final chapter of the New Testament, this recurring emphasis continually bubbles to the surface like water in an Artesian well. In our modern setting, we might express this priority emphatically. When asked, Are you ready to proceed? we would exclaim, Not without my neighbor!

When the going gets tough, it helps to have a traveling companion. Discipleship is more about the community than it