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Ascension Podcasts The Jeff Cavins Show

Activated Disciple Series Part 3: Who Is Choosing Whom?

Who chooses whom? In this third part of the Activated Disciple series, Jeff Cavins explains how God chose us first and how we are called to respond.

Snippet from the Show
The vocation of every Christian is to imitate God.

Shownotes

Announcements

“Pop-Up” Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Jeff & Emily Cavins, June 1-12, 2022
Go to: https://www.jeffcavins.com/pop-up-pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land-june-1-12-2022/
or call: Select International at 800-842-4842

Pilgrimage in the Steps of St. Paul to Greece and Turkey – October 11-23, 2022
Go to: https://www.jeffcavins.com/pilgrimage-in-the-steps-of-st-paul-to-greece-and-turkey/

The Activated Disciple 40-Day Challenge

Are you looking for real change this Lent? Are you looking for a structured program to guide you through Lent? Jeff Cavins invites you on a powerful journey to become an activated disciple this Lent. Starting February 25th, Jeff will be guiding you in The Activated Disciple 40-day Challenge through weekly podcast episodes throughout Lent.

As Catholics, we often find ourselves going through the motions. We believe our faith but struggle to put it into practice; we are not the activated disciples we are called to be. An activated disciple is someone who strives every moment of every day to imitate Jesus, someone who desires such a close relationship with God that every area of his or her life is transformed. The Activated Disciple 40-Day Challenge will help you become more like Christ as you cultivate the eight characteristics that are the most important in the life of a disciple:

  • Love
  • Forgiveness
  • Humility
  • Patience
  • Selflessness
  • Kindness
  • Attentiveness
  • Contrition

As you reorient your life toward Jesus, you will notice the profound transformation a close relationship with him brings. The Activated Disciple 40-Day Challenge will help you take your faith to the next level. In addition to the study, Jeff will guide listeners through The Activated Disciple journey in a series of podcast episodes from February 25th to April 29th. In these episodes Jeff will teach you:

  • Biblical foundations of Discipleship
  • Daily Disciplines of a Disciple
  • How to Developing your Saint Possy
  • How to Win Souls 

To prepare for this life-changing Lenten journey, purchase your study set of The Activated Disciple 

Use the code ADLENT to get 15% off your purchase

Becoming a Rabbi’s Disciple

There were three stages to becoming a disciple of a Rabbi. First, around the age of 7, you would enter the Beit Sefer (House of the Book) stage. In this stage, the primary focus was learning the five books of Moses. The Rabbis would occasionally come around to observe and see who was coming up. The second stage began around the age of 10. This stage was called Beit Talmud (House of Instruction). In this stage, they would continue learning Scripture but also begin to learn the oral law. They would also learn the trade of their fathers whether that was fisherman, merchant, carpenter, etc. In this stage they would be questioned by their teachers often. Similar to the first stage, the Rabbis would come and observe and speak with the boys.

Around the age of 15, a boy would either be chosen by a Rabbi or would begin working in the trade of his father. If a Rabbi chose a boy they would say to him “Lech acharai” which meant “Come follow me.” At this point, the boy would leave everything and follow the Rabbi. They would learn the teachings of that Rabbi and over the course of a few years would basically become him.

Jesus Is Our Rabbi

Jesus is our Rabbi and he calls us to be his disciples. Think about that! Jesus chooses you. In order to become like him, we must spend time with him. We must learn his teachings so that you can share those teachings with others. 

Meditation Questions

1. Think about the beginning of your relationship with God. Everyone is a little different. You may have been baptized as a baby, or came to faith as a teenager or adult. How do you now see that God was the initiator in your relationship with Him?

2. How does the idea of Jesus personally choosing you to be with him change your view of what discipleship means?

3. Jesus chose you knowing that you could become like him. What are the areas of your life that immediately come to mind when thinking about needed change and transformation?

Referenced Texts
  • Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as **beloved children**…” This is the vocation of every single Christian to imitate God

  • Jeremiah 1:5—God spoke of Jeremiah’s relationship with him when he said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

  • Galatians 1:15 “But when he who had set me apart before I was born and had called me through his grace.”

  • Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

  • Salvation History reveals that God chose Israel
    • Deuteronomy 7:7-8
    • Deuteronomy 14:2
    • Jeremiah 29:11

  • Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “The Greeks learned in order to comprehend. The Hebrews learned in order to revere. The modern man learns in order to use. To Bacon, (I’m not talking about Kevin Bacon or that famous pig, Chris P. Bacon but Francis Bacon) we owe the formulation, ‘Knowledge is power.’ This is how people are urged to study: knowledge means success.”

  • Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Resources 

Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings.

Meet Your Host: Jeff Cavins

Jeff Cavins is passionate about helping people understand Scripture and become disciples of Jesus Christ. Though he was born Catholic, Jeff went to Bible school and served as a protestant minister for twelve years before reverting to the Catholic Faith. Jeff then received his MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Since then, he has become a leading Catholic evangelist and author.

Jeff created The Bible Timeline learning system, which revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for millions of Catholics. Since its introduction, Jeff has developed The Great Adventure series of Bible studies to help people better understand Sacred Scripture and its meaning for their lives. 

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