With Jesus, One on One

The first people chose to not trust god, to not follow God. Since, then, people do not live as God intended. The world does not function as God intended. We could say the world is broke.

And we could say that Jesus came into the world to fix what was broke. And we enter into God making the world whole by giving him our allegiance, by becoming his disciple.

A disciple was a type of student in Jesus’ day, similar to the term apprentice. An apprentice becomes attached to a master to learn a trade. The master explains a skill, then the apprentice practices the skill. Usually, in a real project. When the first skill is learned to the master’s satisfaction, the master explains the next skill. And the apprentice practices the next skill. And so on.

So, we have become Jesus’ apprentices. The Bible becomes our text book. It is God’s words. And it is the best tool to show God’s people how to improve their relationship with God, and how to live as he designed.

And the Holy Spirit becomes our teacher. He applies Scripture to our thoughts, words, deeds, relationships, and practices. He shows us what we need to pursue, and what we need to change.

The difference between God’s design, God’s intention, and reality is so great, that when we choose to give our allegiance to Jesus, it is like becoming a baby again, and learning life all over. The Bible says we are new creations.

One of the most important things for newborns is proper nutrition. Proper nutrition for god’s family are God’s words. This is most directly associated with reading the Bible. (And memorization, meditation, study, etc.) But it can come from other books, and other people. The computer term “garbage in, garbage out” applies here/ If we want good results, we need to be sure we have good raw materials.

People are born physically as individuals, one at a time. People become part of a family as individuals, one at a time. This is true of God’s family. Each one chooses to follow Jesus. Each one becomes a member of his family. Each one has responsibility to be available for proper nutrition. Each one chooses to have fellowship with the Father.

There is an individual component to following God. There is a family component to following God. We engage in both. Both are important.