When Jesus Draws Near

“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.” (Luke 24:15)

Pastor Tyler encouraged all of us at Fellowship to practice discipling one another and he equipped us with several tools to do so. I am excited to share how one of those methods, One-to-One discipleship, has strengthened my walk with God.  Though it seems small and simple, the results are huge. Consistent meeting for a short Bible study resulted in encouragement, accountability, sharing of insights, and growing passion for God’s word!

What does it look like to study a passage of Scripture using the One-to-One format?  Just as Pastor Tyler said, there is no homework or preparation needed. Show up, read whichever passage one of us has selected, say a brief prayer, and then write down four things: Observations, Questions, Main Point, and Application.  Conclude by sharing your answers. That last part is tremendously fruitful and encouraging.  One-to-One discipleship is so easy that my wife and I started using it with another couple in church over lunches after church. I even find myself doing it in my personal quiet times because it is a powerful tool for getting more out of every Bible passage.  For example, I happened to be in Luke 24:28 for my daily reading and noticed Jesus “acted as if he were going farther.”  I wrote down a single question: Why did He act as if he were going further?  This in turn prompted another question: what if the disciples had not “urged him strongly” (v 29) to stay with them?

Next, I wrote down an observation: “it was toward evening and the day is now far spent” (v 29). Ah! Maybe that is why Jesus acted as if he would go on: He didn’t want to presume upon the hospitality of these men who had finally arrived at their destination after a seven mile walk.  But as he turned to go, they earnestly urged him to stay with them.

Suddenly, I began noticing the many ways Jesus gently revealed himself in this passage.  He drew near (v. 15).  Rather than blast them with the full and terrifying revelation of himself, he mercifully concealed his identity at first (v. 16).  He probed with gentle questions (vv 17,19).  He calmly took everything they thought they understood (Moses and the Prophets, v. 27) and interpreted it for the disciples.  It culminated in Jesus taking bread, blessing it, breaking it, giving it to them…and opening their eyes to recognize him (vv. 30,31).  A theme emerged: Jesus intentionally worked to bless these dejected men with the one thing they needed: himself.  That helped me with the next step of One to One discipleship: summarizing the passage into a main point.  God gently reveals himself to us, so take advantage of every opportunity he gives us to know him more.  If the disciples hadn’t allowed him to interrupt their conversation, or  hadn’t responded to Jesus’s gentle questions, or ignored his explanation of the Scriptures, or hadn’t urged him strongly to stay with them, they would have missed him!

That brought me to the final step of One to One Discipleship: application. My application for this passage flows out of the the Main Point: take advantage of every opportunity God gives us to know him more.  Specifically, I will get my nose into the Book every day and get my seat into the pew every time the Word is being opened.  I don’t want to miss Jesus’ gracious offer of himself!

The simple acts of reading, praying and sitting under Gospel preaching seem minor, but when they are done with faithfulness and intentionality these humble means become the doorway to receiving God himself! So I encourage you to invite a fellow believer to engage in One-to-One discipleship together and experience this joy for yourself.