Becoming a Disciple - Week 3, Day 2

Dignified Dead Dorks (Dignified Disciple)

During Day 1 of this week, we talked about a dilapidated dude named Demas. He wasn’t what he appeared to be. Outwardly and inwardly, he was rusting out and wasting away. Today we are going to look at another type of disciple. I call this type the dignified disciple. We all have seen this guy in the church. On the outside, they look like they have it all together. They know the right answers in Sunday School, they have their Bibles with them every time they are in church; they even take notes in church, writing down insights that will help the masses. The problem with the dignified disciple is they claim to have given their all to Jesus, but in reality, they have only given half.

When the early church was just starting out, money was tight. (Acts 5:1-11) Some of the people in the church sold their personal property to help out. Two such people were Ananias and Sapphira. This lovely couple looked like they had their life and relationship with God in order. They decided as a couple to sell some property and give the money to the church. The only problem was after they sold the property, they decided to keep some of the money for themselves. Ananias then took the remaining money and gave it to the disciples. One of the disciples, Peter, knew in his spirit that something wasn’t right, so he asked Ananias if that was all the money they had received for the property. Ananias lied and said, “Yes.” Peter then said, and I quote, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money from the land? What made you think of such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God!” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died immediately.

Sapphira, a few hours later, came in, and Peter asked her if that was the amount they had received for the property and she also lied, and then she died as well. Wow! What was Ananias and Sapphira’s problem? Simple, they lied to God. They said they had given their all to Him, but in reality, they had only given Him half.

Dignified Disciples are the kind of people who say one thing and then do another.

They have all the right appearances in public, but privately they are wasting away. They say publicly that everyone should read their Bibles, but personally, they never do. They say publicly that everyone should pray, but privately they never find the time. They say publicly that everyone should share Jesus with their friends, but they personally have never shared Christ with anyone. They know all the right answers; they just personally don’t apply them to their own lives. They say they have given their all, but in reality, they have given only half.

"I’ve been in Student Ministry for 8 years, and I have seen a bunch of dignified disciples along the way." We would take students off to camp, and they would make these dramatic decisions for the Lord, saying they were going to follow Jesus no matter what, but two weeks later, they were back to their old way of life. They looked God in the face and had the audacity to lie to Him point-blank. If God dealt with dignified disciples today as He did back in the New Testament, there would be a lot of drop-dead folks.

LET’S BREAK OUT OF THE RUT AND GET RIGHT WITH THE LORD. HERE IS HOW.

1. Repent. Turn away from your phony appearances and get honest. First to God, second to yourself, and finally to your family and friends. It’s OK not to have it all together. In fact, you never will, so drop the mask and be honest about your relationship with God.

2. Get in the Word of God. A great study you could do would be on the Pharisees. These were the dignified religious guys in Jesus’ day. Jesus wasn’t impressed with them back then, and He is not impressed with dignified disciples today. Look in the back of your Bible and look up the word Pharisee and you will see what I am talking about.

3. Pray honestly. Tell God the truth even if it hurts. He can handle it. If you are unsure of trusting Him totally, tell Him. It is always better to tell God the truth because He already knows the truth about you, anyway.

4. Realize God loves you. You don’t have to act a certain way to impress God. In fact, God is in the business of taking people honestly where they are and leading them to where He wants them to go. He can’t take you to the greatest heights if you act as you have already arrived.

5. Finally, serve somebody. Get your eyes off yourself and onto someone else. Dignified disciples talk about service and putting the needs of other people first, but they always find a way for someone else to do it. Get in there, meet a need, and be used by God to see a life touched and changed.

There it is. Are you dignified? Have you truly given your all to God? Have you been putting up a big religious front, but inside you know you are wasting away? Why not right now find a quiet place and do some business with God. God does not need dignified disciples. He needs the real deal.

Time Out

1. Are you dignified?

2. Have you truly given your all to God, or are you holding something back from Him?

3. Have you been putting up a big religious front but inside, you know you are wasting away?

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were classic examples of dignified disciples.
Look up the following verses in Matthew 23. Write down the characteristics of a dignified disciple.
Matthew 23:3
Matthew 23:25-26
Matthew 23:5
Matthew 23:27-28

WHY NOT RIGHT NOW FIND A QUIET PLACE AND DO SOME BUSINESS WITH GOD. DON’T BE DIGNIFIED!