Hey everybody. Welcome back to the practitioners podcast where we're applying Jesus style disciple-making to every day life this episode and all of our episodes are. Navigators church ministries which focuses on helping churches make disciples who can make disciples for more information check out navigators church ministries dot or good morning Justin.
Good morning. How are we doing today? I'm two cups of coffee and an energy drink in I'm hyped up and ready to go. Woo. Nice Tony. Hey random question. Get us started. What is the furthest you've ever run? Oh that's an easy one for me. I've done the Disney marathon twice. So 26.2 miles plus it felt like there was a mile to get there to the starting line which I don't know if that counts or not but they say running a marathon at the happiest place on earth is helpful.
I disagree. It was still awful. Awful. I was at mile 20. But I did it again. What? Cause I thought I could do it better. That's the that's the pro that's me in a nutshell. Right? Like I did it once and I was awful at it. I thought I thought I could do this better. The first time I did at mile 26 the Disney race people had a full gospel choir there and they were singing.
They were singing joy to the world at mile 26. So you only had the 0.2 left and I'm running. What I was doing was barely running at that point and they're singing and I literally just start weeping. Like I'm full crying underneath my sunglasses sweat. Christ's not like all of it. It was the grossest most like it was it was a pretty spiritual experience.
Okay. What about you farthest you've ever. Well first of all I'm impressed by that because I didn't know you'd ever run a marathon. That's really cool for me probably. I think it was about six miles for me which was plenty. I'm not a big runner but yeah. So you know which is funny cause you kind of have the body of 20 less than you.
But you've got long lengthy. Let it run fast. Yeah. Well
hate today. we get to finish up our three postures of an effective disciple maker that we've been working on. If you've been following along with us. First of all thank you. And we're we're so excited for these three postures of an effective disciple maker. Justin I was wondering can you read the scripture for us from second Timothy and then recap the two spaces where we.
Yeah. So today's scripture second Timothy two six. It says the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crop. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. couple sessions ago we talked about a soldier and why a soldier is similar to being a disciple and disciple maker.
Right? Then our takeaway that time was that the mission requires our full attention. And so we should not be distracted by other things. And then last time we talked about being an athlete. Again this is all in that same passage. Second Timothy 2 2 3 4. Was that one that day. And our takeaway that day was athletes put into practice.
Put in the practice rather to become something right. It's not just practice for practice sakes or trying to become something rather than just know something. Right. And so yeah today we're talking about the farmer again the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
Tony what comes to mind? as you hear that scripture well I'll tell you that the first thing that comes to mind is that out of all three of these these are the this is the part of the scripture that I least relate to. Obviously I've been a soldier. I aspire to be an athlete. And when we talk about being a farmer well honestly I have a confession to make okay.
Is it is this safe space here Justin? Yeah. so I grew up in downtown Dayton like north Dayton in the urban setting. And so I probably was man. I was probably six eight years old. when for the very first time I went to go visit my aunt and uncle in Sandusky Ohio. And that's how old I was when I saw my first cat.
No. Yeah no in real life. That's how yeah. That's how old I was when I saw my first gal. I honestly I had read about them obviously. I'm not. I'm not I wasn't illiterate. Like I had read about cows but I had just never seen one. I knew there were I'd seen pictures of them and we didn't have the internet back then in the early eighties.
But like I had seen them I think maybe in our encyclopedia or a book but like I had never like actually seen one in real life and that's probably. That's. I mean that's probably the like when I think about farmers that's what I think about like ah well I was just kinda I was late to the game in it.
Right right. Okay. Yeah. So that's a different from me. So my grandpa had quite a bit of land and had I w I don't know if we'd call it a farm as close to that. He raised some crops. and he raised cattle actually. So I don't ever not remember seeing cows around. so yeah very interesting. So farmers Tony neither one of us are farmers.
but we know what they do right? Yeah. What comes to mind for you about farming and how it might relate to disciple-making or being a direct. What I love about the imagery that Paul uses here with Timothy is that the farmer must do the work to to cultivate and sow seeds right? Like he he must. Put in the time and effort.
And I can remember later in life as a matter of fact maybe even that same trip when I went to go see the cows for the first time was hearing the expression that we sometimes use around here in Ohio which is that when it comes to corn it needs to be and you you probably know this knee-high by the 4th of July right.
And he's saying yeah we use that saying every year to do two things right. To measure where the. Where the crop is supposed to be and to measure it in time. Right. So it's it's growth in time and it's kind of which for me is a beautiful parallel to what it means to be a disciple. Right. Growth in time.
What what comes to your mind as we think about this idea? Yeah. I mean I really liked that image and I remember. Hearing that over and over again as we drive past cornfields my dad would always talk about that. Right. Knee-high by the 4th of July. And the other thing that brings to mind for me is that sets a norm.
Right. And it's a norm. Farmers don't control. Right. They can get it to grow a certain height by a certain date or what it does do is it it allows them to track normal progress for where they are. but it also you know I remember there were seasons when. There was tons of rain in the in the early spring.
And so farmers couldn't get the corn in until a little later and I would we'd be going by you know again cornfields and you know it was not yet up to knee-high and it was 4th of July. And I would think oh man you know the crops are behind right now. And so you know as I think about that there is that parallel to being a disciple right.
The expectation is that we should be growing right. That's normal. And it's normal to that that we should be growing at you know somewhat of a a standard or a steady rate. There shouldn't be a lot of stopping or there shouldn't be a lot of backwards. you know what's the word re something regression.
Regression. Thank you. Yeah there shouldn't be a lot of regression in a disciple's life. And so but thinking about it from a farmer's perspective that knee-high by a 4th of July like you said it provides a measure against time. you know the other thing that's really good is that when you look at the ministry that Jesus did he uses the imagery of the farmer quite a bit.
Right? It's it's a fairly common I mean obviously Jesus taught in parables parables because it was relatable. And so I I'm thinking of a mark 4 26. It says that he also said this is what the kingdom of God is like a man scatters seed on the ground night and day whether he sleeps or gets up the seed sprouts and grows though he does not know how all by itself the soil produces grain first stock.
Then the head then the full Colonel in the head as soon as the grain is ripe he puts the sickle. So it so that it because the harvest has come and. And what I love about this parable as it relates to what we're talking about is is it it it really does point out the partnership between man and God in the dis disciple-making idea right?
Is that as a disciple maker I pour out seeds you know and that's what I do. I work with people and I I pour into them and I scattered the seed night and day whether he sleeps or gets up there it's relational it's relational with me and with the person. But then it's also relational with me and with God because I'm not going to be.
you know it requires God's work in the disciple's life in order to grow good fruit. Right? Like I love the imagery that Jesus uses there when he talks about it as the kingdom of God. And I think it really does a lot to reinforce what Paul is talking about here in Timothy. I think it's a good reminder that what we're doing here is very relational.
Yeah. Oh I really liked that Tony because even though the even the verse says the hardworking farmer right? So the farmers just not sitting around waiting on God to do it all right. He's active and intentional about what he's doing but at the same time there's this recognition of dependence that he's not doing something for God.
He's not doing something you know that. He can do by himself. There's this element of relationships that you know if God's not in it if God's not doing the part of growing that that crop it's not going to work no matter what the farmer does. And I think that's true no matter your age if you're thinking about your life as a disciple and your own growth because we all see areas in our life where we wish we were more mature we wish.
more like Jesus. we can do disciplines we can practice certain things but those things in themselves won't provide any growth. Right? It's God who's even going to provide the growth in our life as disciples. But then as disciple makers what you're saying is that even in the midst of our faithfulness Tilling the soil sowing the seed tending the new new growth the new plant you know and it doesn't get to maturity.
It doesn't get to that place where it's ready to reproduce without God doing. most of the work really. I mean the hardest part of the work right. Yeah I I'm often reminded of when when you're working with a new disciple maker or when you're discipling someone or when you start when you get to that point where someone's ready to start a scattering seed for the first time and really start to reproduce themselves.
one of the one of the questions that I always hear and I'm sure you do too is who should I decide? And and you and I will both give the same answer. Well you should start to pray about it. You should start to pray about it pray about pray and ask it. You know I learned this from you right? Pray and ask God who will you send to me to disciple?
And I love that imagery of like Hey this is the this is the work that we're doing in the soil. We're going to start with God. We're going to start with God and me and Lord make my heart a new for you. Start to start to open my eyes so that I can see the world with your eyes these farmer eyes right. And then start to pray that God would send somebody to you to disciple so that you can begin to scatter the seed.
And and sometimes. This has been my own experience here. When I try to do it on my own apart from God right. When I'm not faithful in scattering seed what ends up happening is I rush into a relationship for a person that's not ready to be discipled. And I end up wanting to beat my head against the wall.
You know you know what I mean? Like it's the worst when you when you move without God it's the absolute worst. Yeah. Yeah. You know that. That reminds me or it just helps me to to see that being a disciple is a walk of faith right? Your relationship with God is a walk of faith that you know in that way you are trying to become something.
We talked about that a lot last time with athlete but as you're looking at discipling somebody it is a journey of faith too. All right God let's do this together. Cause I know I can't do it on my own but as you're trusting him to work with you right it really makes a relational dynamic. It adds something to a relationship with God that I think most Christians don't have.
And that is that me and God are working on something together and I'm doing part of it and he's doing part of it and he doesn't need me to do any of it but he allows me and invites me. To do some of this really important work. And that is so exciting to me as a disciple maker because then kind of like the farmer right?
It says the hardworking farmers should receive be the first to receive a share of the crops. And so it's like all right you you and God have done this work. And now you get to enjoy some of the fruits of the labor that you had. But also that God had. You know there's a lot of banquet imagery in the gospels to sitting down with God and enjoying the produce that that comes from farmers.
And I almost look at discipling like that sometimes. Right? It's like all right. If the crops aren't doing well if you're a farmer and there's been lots of rain there's lots of whatever you know that that farmer is on his knees praying to God God would you stop the rain or God would you send the rain?
Cause it's been drought. God helped me get this crop where it needs to be so that we can enjoy the harvest together. And a disciple makers should be doing that same thing as he thinks about or she thinks about the person they're discipling and they see certain things that that disciple maybe doesn't see yet.
And so they're thinking God please would you help me to express this in a way that gets through? Would you open their hearts? Would you give me patience? You know all those sorts of things that a farmer might be wrestling with with a crop that's maybe not knee-high by the 4th of July. And they are doing those same things with their disciple but I think the other part to that too it's a good reminder for me and you and I were kind of talking about this a little bit before we hit record is that you know the mark of of tested faithfulness right?
Prolonged faithfulness the mark of faithfulness is. The fruit. So it's it's it's and I love the way they've kind of Paul has partnered us together. The hard work of the farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops meaning that kind of the mark of faithfulness is the fruit. And you know when I was going through our interviews to become a pastor.
You know every year I have to go in front of this board. And one of the things that they always ask you is what is your fruit? Because you know we know we know that the scripture reminds us that you know we will be you know a good tree produces good fruit and that's a mark of the ministry. And it's you know it's it's kind of a a test.
you know am I being faithful to what God has called us to because prolonged faithfulness will always lead to good fruit and AKA receive a share of the crops. Yeah. Yeah absolutely. And you know one of the things that I'm reminded in John 15 when we talk about just talks about fruit a lot in there right?
Is it goes from fruit more fruit to much fruit. And so our prolonged faithfulness. brings more and more fruit. I kind of built on itself and that's what disciple-making does too. Right? Because we begin to multiply disciple makers. And so there's more farmers working the field more farmers with their own fields et cetera et cetera.
And we just end up with a lot more of the crops to enjoy with God. Right. And and that's super exciting to me Tony. I don't know about you but I know there's a lot of Christians out there who. their their journey their faith journey is a lot about what they know or what they believe and what God invites us into as disciples and disciple makers is really a journey of faith with him.
And we can work on something with him and make a real difference in the kingdom and in the lives of others. And that just gives our lives so much more fullness and purpose and fruitfulness. And honestly it it keeps me going because I love to do it. And I love to just think about how God is using me to build this eternal kingdom that he is building.
Amen. Amen. And that's really as a great transition for our takeaway for today's episode and our takeaways this guys disciples work with God and enjoy fruit with him. Disciples work with God and enjoy fruit with him. Our action step. Be faithful. Right. Be faithful stop worrying and trust God to provide the growth about your growth or about the growth of someone you're discipling.
Right. Just be faithful so that you can enjoy the fruits. And we're we're so thankful that you joined us here. We're so thankful to be on this journey with you. We really hope and pray that you've enjoyed that three postures of of disciple-making from second Timothy two. if you do like it make sure you hit that subscribe button.
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and we'll talk to you guys real soon