Inward and Outward

 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them,

whom he also named apostles…  Luke 6:13

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday, I preached on this text from Luke where Jesus chooses twelve of his disciples whom he also named apostles… After worship, someone asked me, What is the difference between a “disciple” and an “apostle.” The answer is rather straightforward. A disciple is someone who takes on being a student of a master in order to learn how to live the way the master lives and teaches. An apostle is one who is sent out to live in that way and to invite others to do so.

Like so many things in life, this distinction between a disciple and an apostle points to an inward/outward dynamic.

One breathes in… and then breathes out… and then breathes in again.

In sports, teams practice to develop their skills and strategies… then go out and play other teams in games… and then regroup to debrief what they learned and practice some more.

From this perspective, our lives are a constant movement from inward to outward and on and on. So also was Jesus teaching. To those who were open and could hear it, Jesus invited people to look inward and to do the heart work of getting clear on their values and commitments. Then what comes up are all the ways that one’s actions fall short of that. This is the life of a disciple. To learn, ponder, try on, and then practice living the kingdom life… Going inward and then living outward.

Jesus’ main frustration with the Pharisees and other religious leaders is that they were so focused on the outward works and seemed unwilling to do the inward work of getting their hearts right.

In choosing twelve of his disciples to also be apostles, Jesus identified them as ones who were ready to begin being sent out. They had demonstrated that they had done the inward work of discipleship and now were ready to be sent out in Jesus’ name to show others the kingdom life. Later on in Luke, Jesus tells us that he sent many out to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. When they came back, he debriefed them by asking them what happened… then he continued teaching them.

This cycle of inward and outward is never done… if we are willing to keep living and growing. We move from inward to outward and then back again. One of the concepts that I’ve learned (or am still learning) is the idea of an experiment. It seems like it is so easy for me to fall into the trap of “getting it right” and feeling like a new ministry or event or activity has to get it right! When I see new ministries, events or activities as experiments then it frees me up to expect that they won’t be perfect! Instead, we give something our best shot, debrief what worked and what didn’t, and then try again with what we’ve learned. We plan (inward), we do (outward), we debrief (inward), and do again (outward). With experiments, there is no failure unless one doesn’t learn from the experiment!

In you own efforts to grow as disciples and practice apostleship, may you experience the freedom and grace that comes from this recognition that life is an ongoing process of inward and outward!

Peace,

Pastor Phil