MNASON: A FAITHFUL DISCIPLE Acts 21:16 If I were to ask what you know "is immortalized in eight words." Only about the Apostle Paul, most of you could eight words in the original Greek are respond in some way. You would say he written about this man. Yet, what an was a Pharisee, that he took some intriguing picture is painted. missionary journeys, that he wrote some The text is a little confusing about of the books of the New Testament, that where he lived , but apparently he lived in he had a dram~tic conversion experience Jerusalem. When Paul returned from his on the Damascus road . All of us know Gentile mission to Jerusalem, where something about Paul. anything that threatened the Jewish The same goes for Simon Peter. exclusiveness was looked on with Mention his name and we picture a rough suspicion, Mnason opened his home to fisherman called by Jesus to be a Paul. His willingness to be Paul's host disciple. Peter was loud and aggressive. shows Mnason's gracjous hea.o and He always had something to say. He tried hos itable s iri and also coosidecahle to walk on water once. He preached at qourage_in light of the situation. Pentecost and 3,000 were saved. His Notice the phrase used to describe nickname was "Rock." We all know Mnason in verse 16 The KJV calls him something about Simon Peter. "an old disciple." The RSV refers to him To a lesser degree we could all as "an early disciple." The TEV says that come up with some information about Mnason was one "who had been a James and John and Andrew and John believer since the early days." In the New the Baptist and Zacchaeus. But what American Standard Version Mnason is would you say if I asked you about the described as "a disciple of long standing." New Testament character named As I contemplated on that phrase: Mnason? Most of you would say, ''Who?" "a disciple of long standing," it reminded Nevertheless, here he is in ou r text for me of several sterling truths about the today, a man who one commentator says Christian life. Brian's Lines >July/August, 1996 Page 3 The Value of Maturity Some say they're over-the-hill. I say, "If so, then tell us what you have First of all, this phrase reminds us learned in your confrontation with the of the value of maturity. arithmetic of life so that we can make The King James Version says things add up better in our lives." Mnason was "an old disciple." The Greek Some say they're has-beens. I word, however, can more accurately be say, "If so, then remind us what -wi:o'!Wll~w. translated "original," rather than "old." so we can be better prepared for whatJ1:ill. Mnason had been a disciple from the be." beginning. He had been a believer since Some say all they can do anymore the early days of the church . He was, as is to pray. I say, "If that is true, then pray one translator suggests, a foundation for me and for our church and for the member of the church who had a broad challenges before us." base of experience from which to speak To the disciples of long standing in concerning the Christian faith . this congregation I have this challenge Today, we would probably say, this morning: Don't •r etjre from God's "Mnason is a mature believer." How we work. Don't w thdraw ,.from positions of need that kind of spiritual maturity in responsibility. Don't bide your ligbt under today's church. a bushel. Let it shine! We need what you I am thankful for have to offer. the blessed children of To the ais;pies of long standing in this i There is our church, for their congregation\1I11 have this challenge this ', nothing more s and onc.1nn~:,,c,c, mornlng:2Donlretire from God's work. Don't,; valuable in the withdraw fr?'R.H.ositions of responsibility. Don't is a constant challenge hide your light under a bushel. let it shine! We church than to the rest of us. need what you have to offer. spiritual maturity.:: .5-t1hi/,ly I am thankful for '" •r'' the dynamic young people of our church , for thellll· ~~~~ The Meaning of Discipleship .w.a,~!;11,!:1~ ~ - is contagious in its effect. I am thankful for the young adults There is a second truth wrapped of our church because their id.ealis~ :.w"'i1:w up in that phrase used to describe .jpteo sii¥, summons us to new heights. Mnason. It not only reminds us of the I am thankful for the middle-aged value of maturity. It also reminds us of the adults of our churches because their meaning of discipleship. t ·natio provide the Notice two key facts about this dynamism for our family of faith. man Mnason. He.WQl,,,L,J.,~ Wil;c:l disciple for Most of all, I am thankful for our a long time, and he ¥MJ,!aa!J!~· It was not older adults who are \'disciples of long­ just his long-term standing in the church standing, ' because they are the ,..._· - ­ that is called attention to in our text. It is who ive stabili!Y and stren th to our the fact that he was ~mactive. still in church . gggg standing, still involved after all those p~ p~ I} years. fJ/IM "'"my 51,"11l"1~; To Sf,111/ a,,, VJ-j ~ 0'\4_ fM/)(J ~ Brian's Lines >July/August, 1996 Page4 Mnason realized that discipleship We do not drift into maturity in the is not just a onetime decision, but a Christian life. We discipline ourselves into gontjnujng process. Being a Christian is maturity as we study diligently, ~orshjp not just a ~ . but a ~ - Discipleship regularly, ~ daily, give systematically, does not end when we walk down the and witness continuously. aisle and profess our faith in Christ and When we, through commitment to join a church. That's where it .b,egj n.5 . these patterns, become like Mnasonr a The greatest challenge facing most disci le of Ion - ndin !> then we will of us in today's church is to move past the have discovered . the true meaning of decision for Christ and become disciples discipleship. of Christ.- - All of the pictures of the Christian The Importance of Faithfulness life in the New Testament support this concept. There is a third truth about the The Christian life is like running a Christian life which evolves from this B.lrC,£, and the Bible admonishes us to phrase used to describe Mnason. It not press on toward the mark '(Phil. 3:14). only reminds us of the value of maturity The Christian life is like fighting a and the meaning of discipleship, it also BIA TTLE, and the Bible urges us to put on reminds us of the importance of the whole armor of God (Eph. 6: 13). faithfulness. The Christian We don't life is like the know much about P VS/CAL Mnason from our DEVELOPMENT of a text. We don't know if person from childhood he was a deacon in to adulthood, and the his church. We don't Bible challenges us to know if he was a. feed ourselves on the strong meat of Sunday School teacher. We don't know if God's Word so we can grow up spiritually he ever served on a committee. We don't (1 Pet. 2:2). know if he could preach or sing. His name The Christian life is like building a is immortalized in Holy Scripture for one HOUSE, and the Bible calls on us to build reason and one reason only: he was on the foundation which Christ has given faithful to his Lord. With the passing us a spiritual house that will bring honor years, over a long period of time, in good to God (1 Cor. 3:1(»J/J times and in bad, he was faithful. Every picture of the Christian life in Let me tell you what that means for the New Testament reminds us that it is a us today. It is simply a reminder that the __erocess. that demands contjny~d one thing God ~xpects from us, the one _degjcatioa and '-oostant djsciplioe on our thing that God demands of us, is that we part. be faithful. Whether we have five talents Brian's Lines >July/August, 1996 Pages or two talents or one talent, He wants us race, one of the judges shouted, "Get to do the best we can with what we have. those hurdles out of the way. This race is He wants us to be faithful, nothing more not over. Look!" or nothing less than that. Around the turn came that little At a track meet in Alabama a few boy, panting and staggering to keep years ago, the attention was focused on going. Everybody in the audience stood the mile run because one of the schools silently and watched as he dragged up had a promising miler who had missed that last hundred yards and literally fell the state record in the mile by only one across the finish line. His face ground into second the previous week. He the cinder was out to break the record in track. One of this meet. As the boys came the judges to the starting mark, every eye ran and was riveted on him. He was a turned him tall, good-looking, well built over on his kid.