February 17- Discipling

Picture of Theodore Beza- Calvin's successor in Geneva

“Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.” (Ex. 17:9)
“Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up.” (Ex. 24:13)
“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aid Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (Ex. 33:11)
“Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.” (Numbers 27:22,23)

Calvin: “When it is said that Joshua departed not from the tabernacle, we gather that the dwelling-place of Moses was in the camp; and perhaps the fact of his being a young man is mentioned, f366 in order more highly to illustrate God’s grace, in choosing that he should have the charge of the
sanctuary. It is true that Joshua at this time was of mature age; but God’s special blessing was manifested in him, in that God passed over many old men, and set him who was younger to be the keeper of His tabernacle.”
“By the word glory, not only external splendor, but rather spiritual honor is signified, whereby God
commands reverence towards His servants; not that he was stripped of his own virtues by transferring them to Joshua, but because, without diminution of his own gifts, he made the person who was about to be his successor his associate in their possession. It was fitting that this should be done before all the people, that all might willingly receive him as presented to them by God.
The charge given to him partly tended to confirm the authority of Joshua, and partly to bind him more solemnly to discharge his duties; for, inasmuch as Moses commanded him what he was to do in the name of God, he exempted himself from all suspicion of temerity; and, on the other hand, by the introduction of this duly authorized engagement, Joshua must have been more and more encouraged to faith and diligence.” (Commentary on Numbers 27 Harmony of the Law)

Disciple making is an important process. It is passing the faith on to the next generation. It is NOT the same as education- or even Christian education, though it could be thought of as a kind of Christian education. It is different in that education is teaching material and technique. Disciple-making is going further – letting someone see not just your teaching but your life.
In his commentary Calvin notes that the passing of authority from Moses to Joshua was so very important. Calvin noted that Joshua was young when he was being groomed as a successor. He saw the passing on of his gifts as something to be noted by the people. Calvin was not so concerned with passing things on by ordination and the laying on of hands as much as God’s Spirit passing on our abilities, and calling us to do our duty.
Calvin wrote much against the idea of apostolic succession- that is the idea that it was so important to be able to trace the laying on of hands all the way back to Peter and Jesus. The Roman Catholics were using this as a weapon to say non-Roman ministers were not real and had no authority. Calvin points out the Romans do not recognize the apostolic succession of the Greek Orthodox church (IV.2.2). Calvin said it is not by the outward rites or appearances (like laying on of hands) that the church exists. He quotes Jeremiah’s retort that the people were relying on “the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord” on the outside instead of relying on God inside. Calvin says Ishmael was the firstborn and was circumcised but was rejected. It is not the outward rite and who gives it that is important as much as that the Holy Spirit is alive and at work in the succession itself.
Calvin was conscious of passing on his faith. He started the “company of pastors” in Geneva, and they became in effect, his disciples. He passed the torch in Geneva on to Beza whose first act was to write a biography of Calvin so that his teachings would not be lost, but upheld. Beza was, like Calvin, a scholar and it is clear he came back to Geneva toward the end of Calvin’s life to receive the mantle of Calvin’s leadership.
When I began my ministry, I wanted to make sure I passed what I knew on to others. I have not done such a good job. Perhaps it is because I am no Calvin. Yet, I know I have reproduced faith in some- most clearly in my daughters, and the church has grown not diminished under my watch. If God has taught us anything about Himself and life by the power of the Holy Spirit, I hope we can make sure to pass that on somehow to the next generation.
There is a lady speaking at our church in a couple of weeks about passing on your memories to the next generation. She helps people with genealogies, albums, scrapbooks. Yet while these things are important, they are not enough. The main thing to pass on is not found in such things- it is found in our souls. It is our faith.

Calvin and Spiritual Multiplication

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. II Timothy 2:2
Come follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people. Matthew 5:19

Calvin: “Balduin twits me… that I have no children. God had given me a son. God has taken my little boy…but I have myriads of sons throughout the Christian world.”

The Reformation would not have worked without a passing of the baton. In simple terms (more complex below) Luther passed it to Melanchthon, Zwingli passed it on to Bullinger, Calvin passed it on to Beza. Melanchthon, Bullinger, and Beza all wrote to preserve the teachings of their great leaders. Melanchthon wrote the Concords, Bullinger wrote the Second Helvetic Confession, and Beza wrote his autobiography of John Calvin.
The great movements of history have been most fruitful when the time was ripe for new ideas combined with a desire to pass the baton on to the next generation. Passing the baton has not always been without its problems. Think of Robert Schuller or Charles Stanley and their sons/successors. When someone wants to pass the baton but still control it, there are all sorts of problems.
Jesus saw it as important to call together a group of people in front of whom he could live his faith with integrity. These twelve often called their own disciples. Peter was followed in part by John Mark (who also learned from Barnabas and Paul) and Clement of Rome. John was followed by Papias. Paul had his Timothy, Titus, and Silas. It seemed that the model for the spreading of the gospel from Jesus himself was to have an intimate circle of disciples, then a larger circle, and then a much larger circle. Time, energy, and finitude tend to limit our intimacy with only a few.
Calvin was influenced by Erasmus, Luther, LeFevre, and Farel. Calvin in turn influenced Knox, Beza, Viret (Lausanne), Olevianus (Palatinate of Germany), John Augusta (Czeck/Hussite). Beza lit Peter Cartwright’s torch, and he influenced English and Irish Reformed thinkers. Zwingli (by Martin Santa of Kalancseh) and Bullinger (by John a Lasco), influenced the Reformed church in Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
The other influence and spread of the faith happened by Calvin’s sending out of Reformed Protestant missionaries (in 1561 Geneva’s church sent out 151 missionaries to areas of France), and graduates from his university/seminary in Geneva. Of course Calvin’s writings- dedicated to political leaders all over Europe were influences all over Europe. His Institutes spread his influence without his physical presence. His letters were held in great regard, and he wrote many. Calvin made many friends famous and not famous.
He treated the refugees with special concern, as he himself was a refugee. Refugees flooded Geneva at the rate of a thousand a year. He found homes for them and helped the politicians welcome them and set up work for them. He set up church services in English, Italian, Spanish, and Felmish for them.
Christian discipleship today has been translated into first “apprenticeship” and now “mentoring” in the secular world. The idea is that to multiply your faith take just a few people and reproduce your faith in them. If they continue to reproduce their faith in just two or three others, then the faith continues to grow, prosper, and bear fruit.