The
Apprentice: You're Fired
by Denis Metrustery
Listening recently to a sermon, the preacher was reminding his
listeners that at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he
called his followers to maintain the life of discipleship that
had grown as he taught and demonstrated the Kingdom to them.
My mind began to wander, and construct its own sermon…
You may have watched the TV series “The Apprentice”.
In the UK, the lead is taken by Lord Alan Sugar, and
the US version sees Donald Trump sifting a group of hopefuls
seeking to be chosen as the new apprentice, with a significant
salary and future prospects as they are mentored in business
success. As well
as watching the progress of these often over-confident
business ‘wannabees’, there are also series featuring
celebrities from a number of fields, which can be equally
entertaining as we engage with the clash of major egos.
As my mind drifted, I recalled that the Greek word used for
disciple (mathetes),
can also be correctly rendered as ‘learner’ or ‘pupil’ – or
‘apprentice’.
In the UK series, the one putting contestants through a range
of strategic tests, is Lord Alan Sugar, a successful business
entrepreneur. In
the Christian life, the One testing our faithfulness is the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The main difference, I suspect, is that while the TV programme
participants almost literally walk over each other and
back-stab in order to be recognised and achieve the goal of
becoming The Apprentice, Christians are called to be
apprentices/disciples from the outset of their relationship
with Jesus.
While we will be called to the test,
‘success’ or ‘failure’ does not rely on our own strength and
abilities, but on Christ’s faithfulness to us.
He will not test us more than we can endure,[1]
nor is his disciplining (‘apprenticing’) of us done out of
anything then than a Father’s love.[2]
At the end of each TV episode, once the winning and losing
teams have been declared, some members of the losing team are
brought back before Lord Sugar (or Donald Trump) and his
advisers in the fictional Board Room.
Here further enquiries produce defences and
self-justification until someone who will be leaving the
process is identified.
This leads to the climax of each episode, where an
accusing finger is pointed at the losing contestant, and the
ominous words “You’re fired!” echo around the room.
A potential career in ruins, potential earning power
reduced, personal and professional embarrassment.
Some will rise above this setback and continue in an
existing successful career, others may wilt at the disgrace,
while others refuse to understand this totally illogical
rejection of their obvious skills and expertise…
It struck me, as I listened to that
sermon, that if we are identified as Jesus’ apprentices, then
we should NOT be afraid to hear the words “You’re fired”.[3]
In fact, as part of the Christian
life and experience we should welcome then.
What do I mean by that?
Well, while the firing of potential apprentices in the TV
shows spells disaster and disappointment, Christian
apprentices can identify a welcome alternative nuance to the
words.
When we think of ‘fire’ in Biblical
terminology, we will often associate this with the ‘fire of
the Holy Spirit’[4]
or the fire of cleansing.
[5]
Fire is often used in the Biblical
narratives to connote the presence and power of God.
[6]
Thus getting ‘fired’ for the Christian apprentice, is not a
route into abandonment or disappointment, but the pathway to
victorious living by way of the empowering fire of the Spirit
and the sanctifying fire which burns the very character of God
into us.
In Old Testament times, the sacrifices of
Israel were at time consumed by a direct holy fire from God
himself
[7]
manifesting both his reality and acceptance of the offering.
Indeed, the priests were charged with maintaining a
perpetual fire on the altar which was not allowed to go out.
[8]
God’s presence manifested as cloud (daytime) and fire
(evening)[9]
as the Israelites journeyed with the Tabernacle, providing
light, guidance and security.
Paul’s letter to the Romans encourages
believers to be a ‘living sacrifice’[10]
– something which is accepted by God and consumed for his
glory. Nowhere is
the presence of God’s Spirit more equated with fire than on
the Day of Pentecost when ‘tongues of fire’[11]
rested on each of the believers gathered in the Upper Room.
Fire, thus, speaks of God’s presence, power, and purity.
The fire of testing purifies and refines
us, in the same way that impurities and flaws are removed from
precious metal through extreme heat.
[12]
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul warns that we
should build our lives wisely on the foundation of Christ:
If
anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly
stones, wood, hay or straw,
their work will be shown for
what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each
person’s work. If what
has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
If it is burned up, the builder
will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one
escaping through the flames.
[13]
Even God’s fire of judgement will allow the believer a means
of escape through Jesus, even though much of what they ‘built’
during their lives may prove not to have eternal value.
Paul’s later warning “Do not quench the
Spirit”[14]
carries the connotation of a Spirit who burns with God’s
power, which could be choked or dampened in the life of a
believer or church.
Through our covenant with Jesus and our sanctification by the
Spirit, our goal is to be Christ-like and “do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”[15]
It is comforting to realise that in Biblical covenants, our
gracious God commits himself to undertake the roles of both
parties. Since in
Jesus Christ, God the Son becomes fully human as well as being
fully divine, he fulfils both the God part and human part of
covenant requirements.
As we are grafted into him in our new birth, he “works
in [us] to will and to act in order to fulfill his good
purpose.”[16]
May we engage with the Spirit daily so that his fire burns
brightly in us.
It is the Gowans/Larsson musical
Spirit, where we
find the words of this prayerful song:
1.
Burning, burning, brightly burning,
Brightly burning Fire divine,
Satisfy my spirit's yearning.
Fill this empty soul of mine.
(Chorus)
Burning, burning, always burning.
Holy Spirit, stay with me;
To your will my will is turning,
What you will I want to be.
2.
Burning, burning, deeply burning,
Deeply burning holy Fire,
Now, your perfect plan discerning,
Your design is my desire.
3.
Burning, burning, gently burning,
Gently burning Fire within,
From your love my love is learning.
Now I feel your work begin.
Revolutionary Salvationists[17]
will often describe themselves as being ‘on fire’ for God.
So, Apprentices – let’s “get fired!”
[3]
In fact, we are more likely to hear the words “Well
done, good and faithful servant!”
-Matt
25:21, cf 2Tim 4:7f
[4]
Matt 3:7b
‘He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire’
[5]
Isaiah 6:6f
‘Then one of the
seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with tongs from the altar, With it
he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched
your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin
atoned for".’
[6]
cf Exod 3:2,
Ezek 1:4,, 2 Kings 1:10,12, Judges 13:20
[17]
Christians of other denominations are also available!
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