DAY 2
Today we we continue our study on Born to Reproduce, a
classic booklet on discipleship, based on a message given by Dawson Trotman in
1955. You can order the booklet from Nav Press NavPress. I buy them in bulk HERE , or view it online.
Please read the section titled “Hindrances”. If you have the book, that can be found on
pages 11-13, if you are using the online document, it is the last part of the first
column and most of the second on page 1 ( here: Born to Reproduce ).
Here, Trotman makes a comparison between physical and
spiritual reproduction. For a couple to
have a child, there must be union, there must be a certain level of health, and
there must be a certain level of maturity.
Bereft of any of these and there can be no reproduction. Likewise in the spiritual realm, in order to
make a new disciple, in order to spiritually reproduce, there must be union,
health, and maturity.
Today we will look at the union. Dawson says:
“Only a few things will ever keep human
beings from multiplying themselves in the physical realm. If a couple is not united,
they will not reproduce. This is a truth which Christians need to grasp with
reference to spiritual reproduction. When
a person becomes a child of God, he should realize that he is to live in union
with Jesus Christ if he is going to win others to the Savior.” *
God designed the physical to teach us about the
spiritual. We completely understand that
a man and woman must join together in order to reproduce, to bring another
human being into the world which is part of both of them.
Men, being a father, being a daddy, is more than a moment of
union producing a pregnancy. Being a
father, a daddy, being a man, means
that the union continues. It is not
simply the sex act; it is forging the unity – the ongoing – unity with your mate.
This ongoing union does not just produce a child, but, as Scripture
says, raises that child in the way he
should go (Proverbs 22:6). It is love that stays; it is love that perseveres.
We ought to as easily understand Dawson’s point here; that
there must be a joining with Christ first, then we (Jesus and each of us), together,
can bring into being a new creature.
So
what does that union look like? It is
not just being saved, it is an ongoing, increasing unity with Him. To start:
If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark
8:34
I have been crucified
with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in
the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me. Galatians 2:20
This is love for God:
to obey his commands. 1 John 5:3
But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy,
because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
There’s more…but these four verses, in a nutshell, say “To
be united with Jesus, follow Him, die and rise spiritually with Him, love and
obey Him, live like Him.”
Questions:
God designed you to reproduce “spiritual children”; do you
want them?
Do you feel as if you are one with Christ?
Have you taken any steps in order to be?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Scripture is taken from the
NIV, 1984 edition, unless otherwise noted.
Quotes marked with an asterisk
(*) are taken from :
Trotman, Dawson. Born to
Reproduce. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2008. Print.Trotman, Dawson. Born
to Reproduce. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2008. Print.
Then your life changes; whatever distracted you before –
cars, sports, whatever -- begin to fall a distant second in your
priorities. You just want to be with
her. Then your thoughts begin to morph
and one day you wake up and the idea of being a Dad seems like a great one, a
little scary maybe, but good.
