The Apprenticeship Funnel - Luke 5:9-11; Acts 4:13

Luke’s introduction of the disciples isn’t a flattering one. Jesus tells them to drop the nets, and they’re skeptical. Jesus fills the nets, and they’re terrified. But, still Jesus looks at this skeptical, cowardly fishermen, and says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” He’s inviting them to join him in announcing the Kingdom.

So, it’s stark when in Luke’s sequel in Acts that we find such a different description of the disciples. These once cowardly, faithless men were arrested by the same men who crucified Jesus, and rather than backing down, they stood up, told them they were murderers, and called for them to repent. And, the Sanhedrin was amazed when “they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were uneducated, common men.”

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Here’s what I want to ask: What transpired between these two verses that led these cowardly fishermen to be transformed into such bold witnesses? Of course, we know that in Acts the Holy Spirit has come so that these men were filled with the power of Christ. But, there’s something else that we shouldn’t miss. The Sanhedrin “recognized they had been with Jesus.” Jesus had been training them and preparing them for this moment. And, what I want you to see this morning is that Jesus used an intentional process of apprenticeship to gradually increase exposure, commitment, and responsibility of his disciples to train them for the work He had for them. And, I want us to begin emulating his process of apprenticing through gradual steps for the purpose of implementing and experiencing what we’ve been studying. I call this the Apprenticeship Funnel: (Headline)

(showing by drawing a funnel and labeling the top of the funnel “invitation” and the bottom of the funnel “Build Kingdom and Thrive”. The following steps go from top (where we start) to bottom (where Jesus is moving us.)

“Be” in the “room.” (Luke 5:10-11; Matthew 4:19)

Jesus looks at these fishermen, and He says, “from now on you will be catching men.” Matthew frames it up as: “Follow me, and I will MAKE you fishers of men.” So, the invitation is to be with Jesus so that He can “make” you into someone new.

And, the disciples respond by leaving everything behind to follow him, and their response teaches us something about the nature of Jesus’ invitation. The invitation isn’t to just read a book. It’s to live with him. It’s life-on-life. It’s to be in the room with him as he teaches and faces opposition and deals with suffering and helps others. It’s watching how a man of God deals with life and applies the truth so that his disciples can do the same.

You see, discipleship is more caught than taught. It happens, not just by being exposed to the right truth, but to the right people. That is, decide the type person that you want to be, and then put yourself in the room with those people. This characterizes the early stage of Jesus’ discipling of these fishermen. He brings them close enough so that they can hear and see it. So, they can soak it in.

Then, Jesus progresses them. He has them……

“Test” the “waters.” (Luke 8:22-25; Luke 9:1-6; Luke 9:13)

Jesus recognizes that his disciples need to experience how much harder it is to live out what He’s teaching than it is to agree with it. A good teacher (and disciple-maker) doesn’t just fill your mind with information. They help you to develop the muscles and instincts to actually apply it in real life. So, Jesus does what good teachers and good parents and good disciple-makers do. He lets them experience crisis and failure in a controlled environment. He lets them learn what will lead to failure and what will lead to success by getting their hands dirty.

In Luke 8:22-25, Jesus sends them into a storm on a boat while he sleeps under deck. In their own strength, they fail, and then He calms the sea and asks: “Where is your faith?” In the very next chapter, in Luke 9:13, Jesus is preaching to 20,000 people. The disciples want to send them home so they can eat, but Jesus says: “You give them something to eat.” They can’t do it, and He knows it. But, sandwiched in between these, He sends out the 12 with his authority and blessing, and they’re able to heal the sick.

So, they learn that they can’t do anything worth doing. They’re powerless. But, through Christ and with Christ, they can do whatever He sets before them. They fail in a controlled environment, and a pattern emerges that you see throughout Jesus’ discipleship of his disciples: Send them. Stress them. Teach them. And, do it at rate that keeps them uncomfortable, but that they can withstand.

This is what we we’re working more and more at helping to equip you to do as a church. Once you’ve been in the room and tested the waters, now you can really……

“Learn” the “ropes.” (Luke 10:17)

Now, I want to point out that this is a funnel, not a staircase. Steps are really clear when you take them. A funnel is more fluid and subtle. You’re moving toward the goal, but it’s gradual. So, there’s bleed over.

But, in Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples two by two. He tells them two things. There’s a plentiful harvest, but the fields are filled with wolves. So, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” to reap the harvest. And so, they go out and face opposition and deal with hardship. But, they come back thrilled to death. They “returned with joy” because they were able to command the demons.

They’re learning the ropes. Jesus is giving them a foretaste of their future ministries. They’re learning how ministry is done (methods and means) and they’re learning why ministry is worth it. Jesus is going to send them out among the wolves to build his church. And, they will suffer. But, they will also win. They will find greater joy in suffering with Jesus than the emperor will know in the opulence of the palace.

So, Jesus teaches them how to do ministry. He sets their expectations. And, he paints the vision for why it’s worth it.

So, when we get to Acts. They’re ready to……

“Get” in the “game.” (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:41)

We can think of Luke’s gospel as the boot camp and training ground, and we can think of Luke’s sequel in Acts as the battlefield. It’s time to put into practice what they’ve learned. So, what we see in Acts 1-2 is that the disciples receive their mission “to be (his witnesses) in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And, they receive their gift of the Holy Spirit who equips and empowers them to carry forward their mission according to their training.

You see, the goal of the funnel is for you to discover to what God has drafted you and how God has crafted you. It’s to learn your place in his mission. It’s to figure out how and where you can make a significant contribution to the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Most Christians I know are sitting around waiting on the discovery of their gifts. They want God to show them what they’re supposed to do. But, you see, it’s when you fail in a controlled environment and learn the nature of the mission and get in the game that you begin to discover how God has equipped you through his Spirit.

You don’t learn the gifts of the Spirit on the pew. You learn them on the playing field. I didn’t think I could preach. Andrew didn’t think he could lead. Logan didn’t think he could teach. And, this fishermen named Peter would’ve never believed He could be the building block of the Messianic Kingdom. But, these things were discovered by walking with Christ and serving in the church.

And, once you begin discovering to what you’ve been drafted and how you’ve been crafted, you can help……

“Shepherd” the “flock.” (Acts 4-6)

I don’t mean this in the pastor/elder sense, but in the general leadership sense. Acts begins with the disciples preaching and spreading the Gospel, but by the time you get to chapters 4-6 they’ve become leaders of thousands. They’re troubleshooting, equipping, and empowering others.

That is, what you begin to see, and Acts 6 with the appointment of deacons is a good example, is that the apostles begin leading others down the same funnel which Jesus had taken them.

And, this is what I want to turn loose in our church. And, that’s what today is all about. That’s why you see all of these booths around the sanctuary. We’ve recognized that basically we’ve said you can either teach or change diapers, or we can’t use you. We’ve not done a good job of extending Jesus’ invitation into the funnel with a sensible on-ramp and jumping off point. We’ve tried to start you on tier 4 a lot of times without helping you grow into it.

(Show by drawing on the other side of the funnel comparable kid’s min spots.) So, we’ve went back to the drawing board to figure out what this would look like in our church. I’ve asked our team to create a series of positions on the first three tiers of this funnel to help you discover to what God has drafted you and how God has crafted you. So, here’s what this would look like in Kid’s ministry. Maybe you’re really nervous. You’re not positive you even like kids yet. We just want to get you in the room in a low prep, low commitment position on the Check-in Team. Then, maybe you’re in the room, or you already know you’d like something with more opportunity for to minister to others. Then, we could use you on our Kid’s follow-up team. There’s no lesson to prepare. You’re just dropping a card in the mail to a kid that’s visited or checking in on a kid that’s sick. Then, you’re around. You’ve gotten to know how awesome Tracy is. Just being in the room, you’ve developed some relationships with some of the kids. You’re not as intimidated. Now, maybe you’d be willing to join a Kid’s Praise Team as a team member. You’re just helping prep. Crowd control. Loving kids. A little more prep, a little more commitment. Then, you do that for a while, and you fill-in here and there. And, you realize that you actually could be a Kid’s Praise Teacher. You see how it impacts kids, and you want to help other teachers teach more effectively. So, you become a Wednesday PM coordinator or KP Trainer.

And, our church is healthier, and your joy is greater. I asked our staff how they felt led to take the positions they’re in now, and every one of them outlined a process like this. I asked Brittany: Would you have been willing to take the preschool minister position five years ago? She said, “Absolutely not.” I asked her what happened. She said, “Well, I made friends in my connection group. They asked me to serve in the nursery. I did that for a while, and I loved the relationships I built. Then, they asked me if I would be a nursery lead, and I was nervous but said yes. I did that for a couple of years, and I realized how much I loved helping. So, when the preschool minister position came open, it felt like a natural step. Today, she’s impacting families like mine and yours.

What will your story be? That’s what today is about. We want to help you move down the funnel. I’m excited to see.

Instructions after prayer. So, around the walls this morning, you will find opportunities to find your place in the funnel. I’ve asked our leaders to limit the sign-ups to only the first three tiers. All of these are low prep, low commitment opportunities to help you discover your spot. And, it makes me wonder what your story will be. I can’t wait to see.

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