Module 2
Die Identiteit van ʼn Dissipel

In hierdie deel van ons dissipelskapreis, gaan ons veral konsentreer op ons nuwe identiteit in Christus, en ons gaan kyk hoe gedragsverandering plaasvind. Ons het reeds in die begin al uitgewys dat ‘n mens se identiteit (jou beskouing van jouself), jou gedrag bepaal. Jy sal sien dat Anderson in sy boek in hoofstukke 2 en 3, veral baie maak van jou nuwe identiteit en soms klink dit asof jy maar net verstandelik tot die regte insig oor jou identiteit moet kom en dan sal alles verander.

Dit is ongelukkig nie so eenvoudig nie. Om te verstaan wat ons erfenis in Christus alles inhou, is natuurlik belangrik, maar daar is meer as net dit by verandering van gedrag betrokke. Dit gaan hier oor gedragspatrone wat moet verander wat oor jare heen aangeleer en ingeoefen is. Om dit werklik te verander, is meer as net die kennisname van ‘n klompie feite nodig. Daarom wil ons in hierdie sessie kortliks kyk na wat alles betrokke is by die proses van gedragsverandering.

Module 4
Die Bediening van ʼn Dissipel

Welkom by die volgende fase van die dissipelskap proses. My gebed is werklik dat jy in hierdie fase nader sal kom aan die punt waar jy duidelikheid kry oor jou spesifieke roeping hier op aarde. Onthou, jy is nie maar sommer net hier nie, jy is met ’n doel hier. God wil jou gebruik in sy koninkryk. Hierdie module is spesifiek daarop afgestem om jou te help om te onderskei waar en hoe God jou wil gebruik. Natuurlik kan ons net riglyne gee. Jy sal dit self moet toepas en in jou verhouding met die Vader moet uitvind wat dit vir jou beteken om jou roeping in die praktyk van elke dag uit te leef.

Veral van belang in die module, is die “Rigtingwyser retraite” wat gehou sal word. Dit gebeur tydens ’n naweek waar ons jou baie meer spesifiek wil help om, onder leiding van die Heilige Gees, te onderskei presies hoe en waar God jou wil gebruik. Tydens die naweek gaan ons kyk na jou visie, jou persoonlikheidstyl en jou gawes. Maar nog meer as dit, ons gaan nie net vir jou help om jouself beter te verstaan nie, ons wil vir jou die geleentheid gee om by God stil te raak om te hoor wat op sy hart vir jou is. Daar is immers ’n rede waarom Hy aan jou ’n visie, ’n bepaalde tipe persoonlikheid en sekere gawes gee.

Hy wil jou as instrument in sy koninkryk gebruik. In voorbereiding vir die retraite, gaan ons jou nou al help om belangrike aspekte van jou roeping en gawes te onderskei. Daarvoor het ons ʼn Rigtingwyser bladsy op bladsy 150 sodat jy elke keer daar kan aantekeninge maak van dit wat vir jou duidelik word. Doen dit asseblief – dit sal jou baie help met die onderskeidingsproses.

Module 6
Die Gebed van ʼn Dissipel

Ek wil graag aan die begin van hierdie voorlaaste module van dissipelskap, net kortliks verduidelik wat ons doel met die module is. In die module wil ek graag twee van die belangrikste aspekte van die lewe van 'n dissipel, soos ek dit sien en beleef, probeer oordra. Beide gaan oor die rol van gebed in die lewe van 'n dissipel.

Die eerste gaan oor hoe om jou gedagtes voortdurend op God gefokus te hou. Vroeg in my eie pad van dissipelskap, het ek ervaar dat God van my vra om voortdurend my gedagtes op Hom te fokus. Ek het gedink dat dit nogal baie kan beteken en my voorgeneem om dit te begin doen. So ʼn paar weke later, het ek weer eendag in my stiltetyd ervaar dat God van my vra om op Hom te fokus. Skielik het die gedagte na vore gekom: “maar ek het dit mos al voorheen gehoor”. Ek het skielik besef dat daar niks gekom het van my vorige voorneme om meer op God te fokus nie.

Hierna het hierdie indruk nog verskeie kere na my gekom in my stiltetyd. Ek het al meer besef hoe belangrik dit is, maar ook hoe moeilik dit is. Mens se lewe is net só vol van allerhande goeters dat mens baie maklik heeltemal fokus op God verloor as jy eers die dag ingaan.

ʼn Klompie jare terug, terwyl ons met vakansie was, stap ek in ʼn geestelike boekwinkel in. Ek sien toe daar is ʼn klompie boeke op uitverkoping en stap nader om te kyk wat daar is. Ek kom toe op die boekie van Brother Lawrence af: “Practising the Presence of God.” Ek het dadelik geweet dat dit op daardie stadium die regte boek op die regte tyd vir my was. Ek wil dus graag met jou van die beginsels deel wat ek by Brother Lawrence geleer het.

Module 2
The Identity of a Disciple

In this part of our discipleship journey, we are going to pay particular attention to our new identity in Christ and we are going to focus on how change in our behaviour takes place. We have already pointed out that a person’s identity (your view of yourself) has a direct effect on how you behave. You will see that in chapters 2 and 3 of his book, Anderson emphasises your new identity to the extent that it seems that you just have to come to a correct understanding of your identity and everything else will change. Unfortunately, it’s not so simple. Understanding what our inheritance in Christ is all about is important but there is more involved in changing our behaviour. We are talking about behavioural patterns that have been acquired and reinforced over the years. To truly change one needs more than just knowledge of a few facts. Therefore, in this session we will briefly look at what the process of changed behaviour entails.

THE PROCESS OF CHANGE:
Up to this point we have learnt much about our desires, our masks, our behaviour and ourselves. One thing that should be clear is that our behaviour needs to change if we are to become more Christ-like. Many of us often try hard to change ourselves, but we don’t succeed. It is however not surprising! Our own attempts at changing ourselves, generally result in us wearing masks. In other words, it is merely pretence without any real inner change. This shouldn’t surprise us because it’s only the Spirit of God that can change and renew us inwardly. This is precisely what is needed – a change from the inside. Read 2 Cor. 3:18 to confirm this.

You may be asking yourself whether you have any responsibility with regard to the needed change. Yes, you do have a responsibility. Earlier we pointed out that our responsibility is taking time to spend in God’s presence because it is his presence that changes us. It is when we spend time with God that his Spirit has the opportunity to change us from within.

The greatest damage to our personhood is caused to our inner world; deep within our inner being. It is here where the enemy succeeds in robbing us of our identity in Christ. He causes us to doubt our value as people; questioning the image that others have of us; whether we are acceptable or not; whether we can truly be forgiven for all our wrong doing; whether or not we are good enough as human beings. A person such as this, in effect, is actually then doubting their true identity.

Module 4
The Ministry of a
Disciple

Welcome to the next phase of the Discipleship process. My prayer is that through this you will come closer to getting clarity on what your specific calling is here on earth. Remember, you don’t just happen to be here; you are here for a purpose. God wants to involve you in His kingdom. This module has been structured specifically to help you discern where and how God wants to involve and use you. We can naturally only give guidelines. You will need to apply them and in your relating to the Father, establish what this calling entails specifically for you.

Of importance in this module is the “Direction Indicator Retreat” that will be presented. It takes place over a weekend where, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, we want to assist you to discern and discover more specifically, where and how God wants to involve and use you. During this weekend we look at your vision, your personality style and your gifts. Moreover, we are not only going to help you to better understand these things, we want to give you the opportunity to become quiet before God to hear what is on His heart for you. After all, there is a reason why He has given you a vision, a particular personality and specific gifts. He wants to use you as an instrument in His kingdom.

In essence Discipleship is about us following Christ, listening to His voice so that we eventually get to the place where He can also actively send us out into His kingdom and use and involve us according to His intention and purposes. For every person that discovers this and who lives his life accordingly, a complete new way of living opens up here on earth; a very exciting way of living; a way of living that is full of surprises, full of hope, full of new life where he is able to become fully part of the working and plan of the incredible, creative and loving God that we serve.

Module 6
The Prayer of a
Disciple

I would like to start this penultimate module of discipleship with a brief explanation of the aim of this module. Here I want to convey two of the most important aspects of the life of a disciple as I see and experience it. Both are dealing with the role of prayer in the life of a disciple.

The first is about how to constantly keep your thoughts focussed on God. Already early in my journey of discipleship, I experienced that God was nudging me to constantly direct my thoughts on Him. I thought that it could be meaningful and resolved to begin doing it. A few weeks later I once again felt that God was prompting me to focus on Him. It suddenly dawned on me: “But haven’t I heard this before?”. I suddenly realized that nothing had come of my previous intention to be more focussed on God.

After this, the impression repeatedly came to me on different occasions in my quiet time. I increasingly realized how important it is but also how difficult it can be. One’s life is simply so full of all sorts of things that it is very, very easy to lose one’s focus on God once you enter the day.

A few years back while we were on vacation, I walked into a spiritual bookstore. I saw there were a few books on sale. Upon taking a closer look I came across a book of Brother Lawrence: “Practising the Presence of God.” I instantly knew that it was meant for me, the right book at the right time. I would therefore like to share with you some of the principles that I learnt from Brother Lawrence.

The second aspect concerns the practice of “the prayer of the heart”. Over the past few years in my reading and through my contact with the Coptic Orthodox Church, I came across more and more of the writings of the so-called desert Fathers, as well as people who wrote about this tradition. I came to realise just how important the aspect of living in obedience to the call to “pray without ceasing” was to them (1 Thess 5:17). I also gradually realized that the manner in which they learnt to express their obedience to this call, in the way they lived, directly resulted in their living lives that were more focussed on God.

In due course these men and women of God developed important disciplines that helped them to truly live in the presence of God. We will therefore also look at these disciplines in detail with particular reference to the “Jesus Prayer” and “The Prayer of the Heart”.