Passing down our faith

Hey, sorry to not post last week. I had the flu and was literally in bed for 4 days! I've decided to get the flu shot next time around. Below is a sermon I preached this last fall on mentoring.

Passing down our faith through mentoring

Text: 2 Timothy 2:2

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (NIV)

One of the ways I see our church’s mission/vision statement coming to life and being fulfilled is through one-on-one mentoring (adult/teen mentoring). What I mean by mentoring is simply an adult coming alongside a teenager to help them walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Meeting with them once a week over coffee/coke to talk and listen to them. It is sharing and offering advice/wisdom to them in order to help them along in their salvation journey. It is getting involved in the life of someone else to make their life better.

The Scriptures, from the Old Testament to New Testament, is chock full of mentoring relationships. Moses was mentored by his father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 18). He taught him how to shepherd and give counsel to the one million Israelites he led out of Egypt. Moses also mentored a young man by the name of Joshua (Deuteronomy 31 & 21), who succeeded him in leading the Israelites into the Promise Land. Naomi mentored a young lady named Ruth who played a big role in the Davidic dynasty. Elijah mentored Elisha. Isaiah the prophet had younger disciples he mentored (Isaiah 50). In the New Testament, Jesus, called from the group of disciples following Him twelve to be with Him. They shared life with Him by being with Him (Luke 6:12-13). This is mentoring. Even within the twelve disciples, He had three He was very close with (Peter, James, John). Jesus was involved in mentoring.

The best example of mentoring I see in God’s Word is that between the apostle Paul and a young teenage boy by the name of Timothy. Thanks to Paul’s writings we have a plethora of information on how their mentoring relationship began and worked itself out. Timothy came from a pretty diverse background. His mother was Jewish and his father a Greek. He came to know Christ around the time Paul took his first missionary trip to what is now modern day Turkey. Timothy was a third generation Christian. 2 Timothy 1:5 reads,

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Timothy’s faith impressed Paul so much that Paul asked the young teenager to join him on his second missionary journey (Acts 16). Timothy wasn’t perfect. He was timid, shy, and one who was easily discouraged. But, he found comfort and encouragement in Paul. Paul saw in Timothy what he had trouble seeing in himself. Paul liked Timothy because he was sensitive to the needs of others, loyal in friendship, deeply loved people and had a genuine faith. Paul spent ten years pouring his life out into Timothy and in his last letter to Timothy (2 Timothy), Paul asks him to do the same, to mentor someone else in the faith. Verse 2 reads,

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Entrust to reliable men. What is he entrusting? The faith he has in Jesus. How is he to do it? Through a mentoring relationship. Why is he to do it? Part of the reason Paul asked Timothy to do this was because he was on death row in a Roman prison when he wrote this letter. Shortly after sending this letter out, Paul was beheaded and with the Lord. 2 Timothy was the last letter ever written by Paul. It was to encourage Timothy to pass on the faith/to mentor someone.

Mentoring, as discussed before, is simply an adult coming alongside a teenager to help them walk in the light. It’s getting involved in someone else’s life. How do you do it? You make yourself available. You intentionally seek out the person you are mentoring and try and meet with him/her once a week over coffee/coke to talk with them about their life and their struggles. Believe it or not, somebody at one point or another has mentored all of us. When we started that new job we had to have someone teach us how to do it correctly. When we took up that new hobby we had to turn to someone more experienced to mentor us in how to soup up a car, fish, collect antiques, put together a scrapbook page, cook, and make a quilt. Even with parenting we have had to look to others for help. I can’t help but wonder, if all these other aspects of our lives require mentoring, why not our walk with the Lord? Why do we try and go at things alone? Walking alone is what our enemy, the Devil, wants us to do. It’s why so many Christians suffer defeat.

The first time I played paintball I was around the age of sixteen. I thought I knew it all and thought I could easily just walk onto a paintball field alone and win. As I was getting ready to start my very first game there was an older guy on our team who was trying to tell us all what to do. He wanted us to work together and use teamwork. I thought to myself, this guy doesn’t know that I watched Rambo III last night does he? I don’t need the team. I can do this alone. Five seconds later I was out, hit by a paintball, defeated by the enemy. The same thing happens to Christians who try and go at their salvation walk alone. We need each other. We need another person to help us out. More importantly to needing the help is the need to be concerned about each other. The only thing that is going to quicken our concern for each other is God’s love. We need God’s love.

The kind of love we are to love God with is a giving love. We are to give ourselves up, our desires up, and our wants up for His desires and wants. We are also to love others with this giving love. The truth of the matter is that if you have not received Jesus Christ you can’t do this. You can’t love somebody with a giving love. Giving love is a gift from God. If you don’t have it, you need to ask God for it and seek it. What are you giving to others? Not what are you giving to get something in return, but what are you giving away because you deeply love others.

Paul, in our text, asks Timothy to give his life to others through a mentoring relationship. Paul, being very thorough, goes on to give Timothy examples of what it takes to be a mentor. In 2 Timothy 2:3-6 he writes,

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

The first thing Paul mentions in regards to mentoring is that a mentor is to be like a soldier (v.3). Soldiers were devoted to their task and master. They were not to get distracted by petty things; they were to look at the larger picture.
… A mentor is to be devoted to the larger task of making disciples and following the Master Jesus Christ.

Paul then compares a mentor to an athlete (v.5) in training and self-discipline. Back then, just as now, athletic events had certain rules one had to follow. A rigid training schedule, that took a lot of self-discipline, helped athletes follow the rules.
… A mentor needs training and self-discipline.

And lastly he compares mentoring to a farmer (v.6) waiting and persevering until a crop arrives.
… Mentoring is one of those things where we may not yield a bumper crop, in fact we may never yield a crop, but that doesn’t mean we are to give up or walk away. Devotion (soldier), discipline (athlete), and perseverance (farmer) characterize a mentor.

There was a guy by the name of Andy Lee. Andy, who was a bit of a wild child and redneck, had walked away from the Lord the latter part of his teenage years. By the grace of God he made a re-commitment to Jesus in his late twenties. Shortly after making his re-commitment he began hanging out with a wild teenage boy by the name of Timothy. He met with him weekly, he hung out with him, he took him fishing, he took him swimming, to the driving range, he took him rides in his jeep CJ with 46 inch mud tires, he shared meals with him, and showed this young teenage boy how to live Christ in daily life. That mentoring relationship led this young and immature teenager to start really following Christ and accept a call into ministry.

Andy Lee made a huge difference in my life. Although we met and talked about all kinds of stuff, I don’t really remember what we talked about, but I remember Andy spending time with me and living out his faith in Jesus in front of me. Through our mentoring relationship I came to see genuine faith. I came to see that being a Christian isn’t about following rules and a bunch of do’s and don’ts. It’s about following and walking with Christ (1 John 1:7). It’s about interacting with God and others, and finding real life (John 10:10). That discovery for me came about through a mentoring relationship.

o Are you ready to entrust your faith to someone else?
o Are you ready to involve yourself in someone’s life?
o Are you ready to mentor?

The students here at Bluffton Nazarene have been asked if having a mentor would be helpful to them and if they would participate in a mentoring program if our church had one. Three out of four teens in our church said they would like to be mentored and would benefit from being mentored. They filled out a survey and here is how they answered the question, “Would it be helpful to you spiritually to have an adult (other than your parents or other relatives) meet weekly with you to encourage you in the faith?” Here’s how some of them responded:
- “Yes, because it would help my relationship with God grow.”
- “Yes. I never get one on one time with anyone, so it would be very helpful.”
- “Yes, it would be encouraging and helpful to me.”
- “I don’t open up in Sunday school and youth group, but one on one mentoring would help me with that.”
- “It would help me in my faith.”

How are we going to respond to our students asking for us to get involved in their lives? Will you become a mentor?

If this interests you click here to learn more about signing up to become a mentor.

Attention guys!!!

Hopefully none of you men out there have forgotten about today.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday kicks off the Christian season known as Lent. During Lent Christians (Roman Catholic and Protestant) fast or give up something for 40 days (up until Palm Sunday).

A traditional Ash Wednesday service involves a pastor/priest making the sign of the cross, “X” (Greek) or “T” (Hebrew), on a person’ forehead. Those receiving this sign are committing to fast or give up something for 40 days. The mark also reminds us of our mortality (we’re made from dirt!) and fallen condition. The ashes are humiliating. In the Old Testament, ashes were used as an act of repentance and sorrow for sin. A great example of this is found in Jonah. After preaching to Nineveh, the king responded by taking off his royal robes, covering himself in sackcloth and sitting down in dust (ashes) Jonah 3:6.

Fasting is a discipline that puts us under God’s grace in hopes that we draw closer to Him. During the fast, we meditate on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. We deny our body something (e.g., sugar, pop, meat, all food) in order to associate with Christ and His sufferings. Jesus denied Himself and took up His cross to follow God. Should it be any different for us? Fasting forces us to rely on God for strength and nourishment. When we fast we feast on the Manna from Heaven. Fasting tells God we are not chained to the things of this world, but to Him.

I challenge you to fast something for Lent. It is time to get over the idea that Lent is somehow bad because it is associated with the Roman Catholic Church. So what! Catholics pray and read Scripture, so should we stop doing that too? Roman Catholics have been around for over a thousand years and it would be arrogant to assume our new Protestant churches are the only and true Body of Christ on earth. You're telling me there aren't Catholics who genuinely know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Lent is a sweet chance for Christians to bring Jesus and His life into their yearly calendars and make a relationship with Him a daily part of their lives.

So, what will you give up and fast for Lent? In the past our students have fasted internet, myspace, pop, specific foods, chocolate, candy. What will you do?

Here’s a link to a great sermon on Ash Wednesday for any of you interested in reading more.

Ash Wed sermon by Ben Witherington III

Laser tag...or something more?

Our youth group played laser tag last night. Despite the fact that this is a fun typical youth group-type event, it served another purpose for us; to kick off our new Wednesday night series on unity among Christians.

The different games we played forced many of our students to communicate and work together with other students different than them. They actually had to talk to and work with someone who cheers for a different sports team then them, likes punk rock instead of country, doesn't like pizza, and so on. There is something powerful that one experiences when people, with differences, work together for a common goal. The Bible calls it unity.

I was thinking about that and came to the conclusion that if we were all the same and agreed on everything all of the time we could not experience real authentic unity. Unity is experienced only when different people come together to collaborate out of love.

Your thoughts?

Something sheepy going on!

We talked last night in youth group about sheep and shepherds. Our discussion came from the John 10 passage about Jesus being the good shepherd and His sheep being the ones who listen to His voice. Here is how God actively shepherded His people (the Israelites) in the Old Testament.


God shepherded the Patriarchs of Genesis (Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph) to new lands and through hard times. Although Moses shepherded the Israelites from Egypt, into the wilderness, and then to the Promise Land, God was shepherding Israel throughout the entire process (Exodus 13:18). He was with them in the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). He was with them when they rebelled, and He dwelt in their tabernacle tent on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25). Even when Israel rebelled against God and ended up in captivity, He was still shepherding them through the voice of the Prophets. Throughout the entire Old Testament we see God’s presence, though sometimes subtle, and hear of God watching over Israel like a shepherd watching over sheep.



How has God shepherded you?

iBread 1.0

"God's Word is food for the mind." - Cyril of Alexandria

Looking at the “if/then” statements in John 8 can be exciting. There are a lot of great promises here to encourage us in our faith. Opposite that, it can be challenging if we haven’t yet made the decision to believe in Jesus. This is because we encounter Jesus for who He really is (God, “I AM”) and He tells us things about ourselves that reveal who we really are (e.g., from earth and will die in our sins if we don’t believe in who He says He is). These claims may make some of us squirm a little in discomfort. Jesus is good at doing that!

Here’s a breakdown of “if/then” statements from John 8. Look them up, chew on them for a while, wrestle with them, and then try and let these words replace your hunger for the things of this world.

The Meal
+ 8:12 – Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” and promises those who follow Him that they will never walk in darkness and have the light of life.

+ 8:24 – Jesus tells those who are not willing to believe in who He says He is that they will die in their sins.

+ 8:28 – When Jesus is lifted up (referring to the series of events leading up to His crucifixion and following it, such as the resurrection and ascension into heaven) we will know who He is.

+ 8:31-32 – If we hold to His teaching we are His disciples. On top of that, we know truth and this truth sets us free.

+ 8:51 – If we keep His word we will never see death (my fav!).

Table Talk

- Which of these statements do you find most challenging?
- Why is it so challenging?
- What would it take to change your view on it?

Gotta love outlet stores!

One of the great things about staying down here is the outlet stores. There are tons of them! Anything from Coleman to Nike, they have it. My personal fav is the Book Warehouse (kind of a pseudo-Christian bookstore with books 50-75% off regular price). They have a lot of clearance Christian books mixed in with secular books. I think they have more Christian books than anything. Sort of weird, but the good deals distract you from thinking about it too long. Needless to say I always take advantage of the low prices and find something worth buying. Thankfully, my wife loves reading too and enjoys spending time in the stores (there are 4 of them here!) with me. My daughter didn't seem to mind it either.

Relaxing

Down south things move a little slower and the air feels a little warmer (at least it's supposed to!).

Just a snapshot of what's going on our family vacation. We're staying at a cabin in the Smokey Mountains called "Amazing View".

Coming down to Pigeon Forge, TN has been a tradition our family has kept for about a dozen years. As the family has grown, so have the cabins. We used to get away with staying in a 2 bedroom. Then people got married and had children and now we need a 4 bedroom. The view is amazing and we're having a good time.

This is also the last time we'll get to spend some quality time with Shelly and Eric. They leave next Wed for Poznan, Poland. They have been called to be missionaries and this is their first assignment. They have to stay in the field for a year. as part of their training. We'll miss them. :-(

Why teach?

Hope you had a merry Christmas. I wish you all a happy New Year! Here's the conclusion to the making disciples series. Hope you enjoyed it.

5. Discipleship involves teaching God’s Word for the purpose of obedience out of love

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10:27

The teaching of God’s Word was for the purpose of obedience which is to be motivated and driven by love for God. What good is sound doctrine if it is not acted out? God wanted His people (Hebrews in the Old Testament and Christians in the New Testament) to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and love their neighbor as themselves. This guided everything Jesus did and taught. Loving God and others is at the center of what the Bible teaches. Everything hinges on this command. The principles Jesus used for making disciples focused on getting others to love God and neighbor. This love for God and neighbor led to obedience.

How do we implement this principle in our churches? A proper understanding of what the motivation behind our obedience to God should be is required. Here are several passages that could help with this.

§ Studying the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is a great starting point for understanding why God wants us to love Him with our hearts. This sermon of Jesus focuses on the heart (which is where action comes from).

§ Studying the Greek word for love (Agape) is another tool that can teach us about how God wants us to love Him. Tracing the use of this word through the Scriptures gives a great picture of how our love for God should look.

Another great way to implement this principle is by making sure our teaching in the church focuses on action and practical application. If we are just learning cognitively about God’s Word and not putting any of it into practice our faith is dead (James 2:17). The teachings and curriculums used in our churches might need to be evaluated for content and application. Do we offer ways to put into practice God’s Word? If not, we are not teaching in the way the Great Commission asks us to.

By studying Scripture to uncover principles rather than methodology we can successfully continue making disciples. The principles for disciple-making teach us there is no “cookie cutter” pattern for making disciples. God uses various ways to disciple us all. We must be careful not to make discipleship practices so dogmatic that we box ourselves in. Discipleship is not limited to the five principles I have highlighted from the Great Commission. Scripture offers many more principles to be found beyond what we have discovered in the Great Commission, but all contribute to its fulfillment.

Here He comes!

The final Sunday of Advent approaches. The Psalm for this coming Sunday reads:

1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it,
God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
laid it out on River girders.

3-4 Who can climb Mount God?
Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
only the pure-hearted;
Men who won't cheat,
women who won't seduce.

5-6 God is at their side;
with God's help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
to God-seekers, God-questers.

7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory?
God, armed
and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
he is King-Glory.
(The Message)

It’s a very appropriate Psalm for Christmas. The Psalm concludes (vv. 7-10) with Yahweh entering the Temple to be with His people. Christmas concludes with Yahweh entering a stable, taking on human flesh, to be with His people.

Merry Christmas!

Relationships and why they are so important (part 14)

The next principle for making disciples from the Great Commission is...

4. Discipleship involves a growing relationship with Jesus
The fact that we are baptized into the Father, Son, and Spirit teaches us the importance of relationships. Real belief in God draws us into a relationship with the three Persons of the trinity that boggles my mind. The picture of this relationship with God is compared to family, husband and wife, and friend. These earthly relationships all require growth and commitment to stay healthy. Should our relationship with God be any different?

Jesus’ relationship with those following Him as a disciple reveals several things. Jesus wanted His disciples to:

Follow Him – When Jesus called others to discipleship He called them to follow Him (Luke 9:23). Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The priority of a disciple is to follow and seek after Jesus. He is God’s revelation of Himself to us. Every person follows and seeks after something. Whether it is selfish desires, material things, false gods, people, or relationships, people follow something. Jesus asks us to seek and follow after Him. We must be mindful in pointing out to others who we follow.

Learn from Him – Jesus asks us to take His yoke upon ourselves and learn from Him. Jesus was always teaching. He taught most about the kingdom of God. He taught in parables and through real life examples. He made the kingdom of God a concrete concept that could be grasped by all willing to listen. Jesus’ followers had to place themselves under His teachings. Learning requires a submissive attitude.

Obey Him – Jesus commands obedience out of love. He stated, “If you love me you will do what I command.” He was constantly asking for obedience from His followers. He made this one of the distinguishing marks of His disciples.

Love Him – Loving God drives us to obey Him. Romans 5:8 says God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We know how to love God and others because He first loved us.

Abide in Him – Abiding in Jesus means we walk with Him daily (1 John 1:7). Jesus reminds us in John 15:15 that if we abide in Him we will bear fruit, but apart from Him we can do nothing.

We cannot have a relationship with God until we repent and believe in His Son. The Scriptures make it clear that we are sinners who choose selfishly. The Jews defined a sinner as one who disregards or breaks the law. The law was what made them who they were; it gave them their identity as a nation. The law helped them understand how God expected them to live. God’s chosen people (the Jews) lived as God’s people by obedience to the law. However, the law through tradition and cold hearts, transpired into outward dos and don’ts. Because of this, the law became all about externals (e.g., what you do and don’t do), which caused a lot of people to fall into the classification of sinners. Thank goodness Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us. He showed up to set things right and give all sinners hope. What was their hope? That they could have a relationship with the God of the universe. Another glorious reason to celebrate Christmas.

A cup of cheer to you!

The deeds of Jesus

This coming Sunday will be the third Sunday of Advent. One of the Gospel readings for this Sunday comes to us from Matthew 11:1-10. Jesus’ cousin John has been thrown in prison. However, John is still able to hear about Jesus’ activities. John, curious about what is going on, sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him if He is the expected Messiah. N.T. Wright in his Matthew for Everyone commentary makes some interesting suggestions about why John would ask such a question.

Wright suggests:
- That John expected the Messiah to be like Elijah. More specifically, he expected Jesus to confront the powers of His day with shock and awe. If people didn’t believe or receive Him as king, they would be destroyed like the Baal worshippers in Elijah’s day when he called down fire from heaven.
- That Jesus would confront Herod and put an end to his kingship and rule. Then Jesus would take over as the true king with John close by His side.

Wright goes on to say that Jesus is one step ahead of John’s preconceived story line. John thinks Jesus should be ushering in judgment, but instead all he hears about is mercy.

What do you think?
­ Why was John so confused?
­ Did he have a right to be confused?
­ How might we, like John the Baptist, confuse the church’s mission?
­ Should Jesus’ ministry be reflected in how the church ministers?
­ How does this relate to what the church should be doing today?

Making Disciple (Part 13)

I attended the funeral of my great grandma yesterday. She was a wonderful grandma and I'm going to miss her. Christmas just won't be the same. She was a great example of how to love God and others with all your heart.

The next principle for making disciples from the Great Commission is...

3. Discipleship involves God’s people going to others

One of the first participles we encounter in the Great Commission is the verb “go”. Churches across the world have been charged by God to take His message to the world/others/sinners. How good is your church at going to the lost? There are many ways to implement this ministry in your local church. Here are several to spark your own ideas and get you thinking creatively.

§ Ministry to others – Talk to members of your church and see if they know of someone in the community who has needs that need met. For example, someone in your church may have an elderly friend in need of having their house repainted. Organize a team and go and do this. Don’t go at this half-hearted, buy the best materials and make sure the job is done properly. Work as if God is watching. Again, there are probably people just waiting to be asked to do some type of ministry like this. You may have a church full of gifted painters, carpenters, roofers, landscapers, welders, electricians, construction workers, or other types of workers willing to lend a hand to the needy. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

§ Blessing ministries – This is a chance for your church to do something good to others without expecting anything in return. A youth group could pass out water at a local park to those playing basketball. Cups of hot coffee could be handed out downtown during the winter season to those traveling by foot. The blessing ministry is limited to how much money your church or people want to spend. You could offer to buy $20.00 worth of groceries to several people outside of Wal-Mart or the local grocery store. You could secretly pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant. The blessing ministry is bound only to imagination and amount of money one or the church is willing to spend.

§ Servant ministries – This is a simple ministry that asks God’s sons and daughters to serve others. Shovel snow from your neighbor’s drive. Rake leaves in the fall. Another idea is to take a group from church to someone’s house to clean it. Just make sure you have adequate supplies and servants with the right attitudes for whatever you do.

§ Prayer ministries – This ministry might be somewhat aggressive and awkward, but if we believe in the power of prayer we have nothing to fear because we know God answers. This ministry asks members of the church to go and ask people in the community if they can pray for them. It would be a good idea for members to keep track of prayers and answers to them.
Again, I believe the ministry of going to others is of primary importance. This is a part of the discipleship process we cannot neglect. The fact of the matter is, people are not coming in droves to our churches. We must go to them. Whatever we can do as a church to bring Jesus to others, in hopes of making them disciples, should be done. This may lead to some uncomfortable changes and less time in our pretty stain-glassed buildings, but the results are worth it. God has a heart for the lost and they matter to Him. The parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and the prodigal son give us a glimpse into the Father’s heart. He deeply loves His creation. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God. Is this motivation enough for us to go to others?

Something to look forward to...

We now begin the second week of Advent. This week’s Old Testament scripture reading comes to us from Isaiah 11:1-10. Verses 2-5 offer a comforting picture of the coming Messiah who will take away the sins of the world. Isaiah describes Him as,

- One who lives in the Spirit (God’s Spirit resting upon Him)
- One who knows what to do in any given circumstance (wise)
- One who can show sympathy as well as empathy (understanding)
- One who can advise (counsel)
- One who can rule above all others (power)
- One who knows intimately and accurately what God the Father is like (knowledge and fear of God)
- One who looks at the heart (doesn’t judge or decide by appearance)
- One who is completely right in everything He does (righteous)
- One who sets wrongs right (justice)
- One who is committed to those He loves (faithful)

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to celebrate the birth of such a wonderful Person!

Making Disciples (Part 12)

Another practical way the church can work together to make disciples is through the spiritual gifts. Why does God gift us? What is the purpose for the gifts? Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts is within the context of the church. Paul implies the gifts were given to God’s people by the Spirit for the building up of the church (Ephesians 4:12). In other words, God’s people are equipped so they can in turn equip others. Through the diversity of people and their gifts God can fully disciple His people.

Spiritual gifts tests can make people aware of how God has gifted them. If used properly they can become a means to making disciples. Just beware they do not become an excuse for laziness (e.g., “I’m not gifted in the area of evangelism so I don’t have to do it.”). Spiritual gifts tests could be given as an entire church event. This would allow the body of Christ to recognize in each other the uniqueness and diversity of God’s gifts. It also teaches that spiritual gifts are best discovered within the community of saints. Following the test, it would be wise to find ways together to use each other’s gift. This is how they are most effective. How can people with different gifts work together? How can they compliment one another? You will find answers to these questions as God’s people synthesize their diversity through coming together to form the body of Christ.

Your thoughts?

First Sunday of Advent

This coming Sunday will be the first Sunday of advent. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to comment. This is a time for Christians around the world to celebrate together the coming of the Christ. The Old Testament lectionary reading for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 2:1-5. This portion of Scripture is a prophecy about Judah and Jerusalem.

In verse 5 Isaiah says,

“Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.

In the Old Testament the word “walk” was commonly used to describe one’s life. It spoke of how one was living. Peppered throughout the Old Testament Israel is asked to walk with God; to make Him a part of their daily life. In 1 John 1:7 we are encouraged to walk in Christ,

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin.

The invasion that happened two thousand years ago on planet Earth allows every person on the face of this green and blue planet the opportunity to walk with God. It truly is a time to celebrate and rejoice!

Making Disciples (part 11)

2. Discipleship involves the entire church working together

First, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy the turkey.

Before writing and studying discipleship, I had inadvertently narrowed discipleship down to one-on-one Bible studies. By doing this I left out one of the most important components in making disciples, the community of believers. In the Great Commission Jesus addresses His people collectively. My journey through Scripture opened my eyes to this truth. The constant in Scripture, from Old Testament to New Testament, is that the community is the place where disciples are made. Why? Because each individual is gifted differently and these gifts come together and work best when the community is working together. Paul constantly urges his churches to work together to build one another up in love. Hebrews reminds us to not neglect meeting together, but to encourage one another in the faith.

Our faith is about community. God is about community. In the Old Testament God made disciples through the community of Israel. God used such things as the Temple, Law, rules, sacrifices, festivals and feasts within the community to teach and disciple His people. If a person neglected God’s community He neglected God’s faith. It was nearly impossible for a person to have faith in God and not be a part of Israel. In the New Testament the church was God’s community and people. To be a disciple meant you belonged to a local church. Together, the churches made up the body of Christ. The body wasn’t complete in just one person, it involved persons. In There Is No i In Church Keith Drury reminds us, “From families to extended families to future generations to nations to the entire world, God is always working with a people, not just with persons.”[1] So, how do we implement this principle in our churches today?

A good beginning point for implementing this principle is to effectively communicate (through sermons, teachings, church activities, etc.) the value of relationships and community within the Bible. Here is an outline showing the development of community in the Old Testament. This might be a valuable resource tool for pastors/Sunday school teachers/small group leaders to use in preaching/teaching community:

0 In Genesis 1-2 God creates Adam and says it is not good for him to be alone. Right off the bat we have the establishment of the family and community. Where does this come from? There is community within God. God is three persons who harmoniously exist with each other. Being made in His image and likeness means we are made for community.

0 Genesis 1-11 focuses on the family of Adam up until Noah. Chapter 4 focused briefly on the other half of Adam’s family (Cain’s side) who walks away from God to do life on their own apart from God. This is the last we hear of them.

0 The rest of Genesis, chapter 12-50, focuses on Abraham and his descendents (the Hebrews), who were chosen to bless the other nations. Through bad relationships within the community the nation of Israel ends up enslaved in Egypt.

0 In Exodus God delivers, protects, provides, and leads His people to the Promised Land.

0 The rest of the Old Testament focuses on God’s care, discipline, and provisions for His people. Even though the Israelites were unfaithful to God, He remembered His covenant and stayed faithful to them.

Looking at the way God worked with His people in the Old Testament is an eye-opening experience. What God does He does for the community.

[1] Keith Drury, There Is No i In Church, (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), pg. 15.

Making Disciples (part 10)

How do we teach God the Father’s, Son’s, and Spirit’s involvement in the discipleship process? Unbelievers and new Christians need to know about God’s involvement in our world and lives. This is a very real and tangible thing. Of course they can be taught about this in a Sunday school classroom, but the best teaching will come from real life examples. Those in the church who are mature believers need to be active in sharing God’s work in their lives. The most effective way others can hear about this is through testimonies. Here are several ideas for how testimonies can be done in our churches today.

§ They can be video taped. Ask for volunteers to be recorded giving their testimonies. You could play these as part of the morning worship service or as a prelude to the service. There might be someone in your church who is handy with video editing software that might love to work on something like this. This could be a great opportunity to get the shy and quiet personalities who would rather help out behind the scenes involved in the church. You never know unless you ask.

§ They can be written out and put on a church website or in a monthly newsletter. Our church has a website and every couple of months we have someone submit their testimony to be highlighted on the home page. Many churches distribute monthly newsletters that could include a member’s testimony. A good idea might be to put a picture of the person giving the testimony so people who aren’t good with names could put a face with the story. As a pastor you might want to edit and look over the testimonies first. If you are not good with editing ask someone else to do it. You could also take written testimonies and pass them out Sunday morning, mass mail them to the community, or ask the local newspaper to feature one (you never know!).

§ They could be given live during worship service. Not everyone will be comfortable with this idea, but you may be able to make things easier by giving them time to practice and helping them deliver it. Sometimes if you give a short time limit (e.g., 2-3 minutes) for the testimonies, people will more likely step up to the challenge. The main objective is to ask people to share and give them the opportunity to do it. You could also use poster board and have them tell their testimony with written words while a song plays in the background. This is a great way to get people who fear public speaking to share their testimony with others. A person could use very simple phrases on the poster board to tell their story (e.g., I was an alcoholic/1st poster board, then I met Jesus/2nd poster board, He saved me from myself/3rd poster board).

§ They can be given during small group times. Sunday school classes or small groups can be a great place for believers to share their testimony. Just be sure to plan ahead and invite unbelievers and new Christians.

§ They can be given through the sacrament of Baptism. Baptisms are a wonderful opportunity for people to hear testimonies. Any of the above means will work. Baptisms bring family members out of the woodwork and into church. If you make this a big deal and ask the person getting baptized to send out invitations you could easily wind up with twenty five or more people in the service. Pastors should strive to take advantage of this special opportunity. A special salvation message could be given at the end of the service to allow and call for new commitments.

Testimonies are the best way to teach others about God’s involvement in our world. A testimony is not limited to the story of how a person came to Christ. God is always at work in our world and we should announce this weekly to encourage one another and testify to the involvement of God in our lives.

Any thoughts?

Making Disciples (part 9)

Principles for making disciples
Now we will seek to elaborate further on these principles. The goal is to come up with practical ways these principles can be used to make our church effective in making disciples. Here again are the five principles for discipleship from the Great Commission.

­ - Discipleship involves God the Father, Son, and Spirit
­ - Discipleship involves the entire church working together
­ - Discipleship involves God’s people going to others
­ - Discipleship involves a growing relationship with Jesus
­ - Discipleship involves teaching God’s Word for the purpose of obedience out of love

1. Discipleship involves God the Father, Son, and Spirit
One cannot deny or forsake the role of God in the discipling process. After all, we are making disciples of Him. If it were not for the Father sending His Son to die for our sins we would be estranged from God. But God reconciled Himself to us so that we may know Him and walk with Him. God has sought to involve Himself in our lives (John 1:14). As His creation, we have the freedom to either reject or accept Him. Rejecting Him cuts us off from reality and hinders true freedom (John 6:53).
What does God do in our lives? God, through the Spirit working in our lives does several things:
­ - He gives us power to witness. This is evident in Acts 1 where the disciples are told to wait for the Spirit so they can receive power to be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
­ - He makes us into new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Sins are wiped away and believers are given a fresh start.
­ - He guides us into all truth. Jesus reminded His disciples in the Gospel of John that the Counselor (Holy Spirit) would guide and teach them. The Spirit is at work in the life of the new believer and their optimism is contagious. New Christians sometimes seem more open to God’s leading than older Christians.
- He gives us strength to resist evil. God’s Spirit enables us to say no to temptation and sin. His Spirit also does a deeper work too if we let Him. He eradicates our sinful nature allowing us to have a pure heart.

Your thoughts?

Making Disciples (part 8)

Verse 20 – “Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” Discipleship through cognitive teaching of God’s Word and obedience to it is commanded here. Teaching (didasko) is done through the actions of the church (baptisms, communion, worship in song, preaching, prayer, special services, pastoral visits, laity visits, service order, Sunday school, small groups, evangelism). Churches and individuals must be careful not to narrow down teaching to just classroom sessions and/or Sunday school. The discipleship principle here is nothing new.

­ - Discipleship involves teaching God’s Word

The goal of teaching is obedience to God’s Word. Matthew 28:20 reads, “Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” “Observe” is the Greek verb tereo and means to keep, to observe, and to be obedient to Jesus’ teachings.[1] This is more than just a heady knowledge of God’s Word, but a hearty knowledge affecting decisions and will. Our obedience to God should come from our love for Him. Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” Love and obedience go hand in hand for Christians. This adds another aspect to our principle teaching God’s Word. We must teach God’s Word for the purpose of obedience to Him out of love. The complete discipleship principle is:

­ - Discipleship involves teaching God’s Word for the purpose of obedience out of love.

The task of the church is to work together in accomplishing disciple-making. As we noted earlier the Great Commission was first given to Jesus’ disciples for the purpose of rearing a family of believers known as the church. Through the continuation of this process over the past two thousand years, disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ have continued to be made from generation to generation. The discipleship principles behind Jesus’ instructions in the Great Commission are why we have believers today. Now it is time to turn our attention to those principles behind the Great Commission.

[1] Verlyn D. Verbrugge, NIDNTT, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) pg. 562, 563.

Making Disciples (Part 7)

Verse 19b – “Baptizing” This is a public declaration of commitment to follow Christ. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward act. Our old self is buried with Christ and the new self is raised with Christ. John the Baptist called for repentance when he baptized in the wilderness. Repentance was a change of mind and action toward God. By authorizing the church to baptize, Jesus makes the sacrament of baptism something to be done within the community of believers.

Matthew writes that we “baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Baptism gives believers the chance to make a public declaration of their relationship with God. The Trinitarian formula used (i.e., Father, Son, Spirit) shows the depth of our relationship with God. Believing in the Father’s Son leads to acceptance of His Spirit. This allows us to participate in an intimate relationship with the three Persons of the Godhead. This relationship starts and begins with belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son. Jesus said if we know Him we know the One who sent Him (John 8:19). Like human relationships, our relationship with God requires constant communication from both parties. Primarily we hear God through His Word and He hears us through prayer. Another principle for discipleship emerges here.

­ - Discipleship involves a growing relationship with Jesus.

Any thoughts?

Making Disciples (Part 6)

part 6 is short and sweet.

Verse 19 – “Make disciples” is the verb matheteuo. It is the main verb of this passage. This verb reveals the primary responsibility and action of the church. We are not striving to just get people saved. We are striving to make disciples. More specifically, we make disciples of Jesus Christ. Individual members of the church must guard against copycat discipling. If we try and make disciples in the exact same way Jesus did we run the risk of making disciples who act just like us. People are diverse and different by God’s design and the church is the only place equipped to fully disciple them. This is why Jesus gave this command to the church. One-on-one mentoring/discipling has its place and is a part of the discipleship process, but it is not the primary means for discipleship. We want disciples of Jesus Christ and they can only come about through the work of the church and God’s Spirit.

In the following verses we have a series of participles (e.g., go, baptize, and teach), describing how the main verb (matheteuo) is to be done. Who is responsible for carrying this out? The church is. The participles help establish actions the church can perform in making disciples. Going, baptizing, and teaching characterize the discipleship process.

Verse 19a – “Go” The church must take the initiative to bring Jesus to the people. Here we see making disciples is intentional and somewhat aggressive. A church cannot effectively reach sinners if it does not go to them. Jesus does not have a bleacher section for His followers to sit and enjoy the game. We are in the game. We are the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13, 14). Evangelism depends on churches going. It is between our going and baptizing that people receive Jesus. Another principle for discipleship emerges here.

­ - Discipleship involves God’s people going to others.

Your thoughts?

Making Disciples (part 5)

The Great Commission
Studying the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is the beginning of our journey to find principles of discipleship. Looking inductively at the Great Commission reveals several things in regards to making disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Verse 18 – “All Authority” Here Jesus addresses His disciples gathered to see Him after the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus has revealed His authority and power in both heaven and earth. Death no longer has a hold on Him and forgiveness is available to all willing to receive it. Nothing is off limits to Jesus now. D.A. Carson in his commentary on Matthew states, “The dawning of the new age of messianic authority changes the circumstances and impels his disciples forward to a universal ministry he himself never engaged in during the days of his flesh.”[1] Because Jesus has been given all authority by the Father He commands His disciples to make disciples. This authority gives Jesus the right to ask this of His disciples.

In Greek the word for “authority” is exousia and it means freedom, power, authority, and right to do something.[2] In the Old Testament and classical Greek this word was used to refer to the enacting rule of a king, father, or tenant in authorizing officials and messengers to carry out his orders.[3] Here Jesus Christ is authorizing, with power from the Father, the church to carry out the order of making disciples of all nations. Jesus is not charging specific individuals with this task, but the entire group. His ministry will expand to new places and people as the Spirit moves through the church. However, some waiting will be required before the disciples can fulfill the Great Commission.

Acts 1 teaches us that Jesus’ disciples were asked to wait for the Spirit (Acts 1:8). The people of God received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost while gathered in the upper room praying (i.e., Acts 2). A few moments later Peter preached his first sermon which led to thousands of new converts. The book of Acts teaches us that God wanted a community of disciples. God equipped His church to make disciples and live for Him. If we explore this issue further we discover in Paul’s writings (e.g., Romans 1:11, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-13) that God the Spirit gifts His people with spiritual gifts for the purpose of making disciples and building up the church.

Two key principles (to be elaborated on later) emerge from verse 18 for making disciples.
­ 1. Discipleship involves God the Father, Son, and Spirit
­ 2. Discipleship involves the entire church working together

[1] D.A. Carson, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Matthew, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984) pg. 595.
[2] William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) pg. 47, 48.
[3] Verlyn D. Verbrugge, NIDNTT, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) pg. 191.

Any thoughts?

Making Disciples (part 4)

Why are principles of discipleship necessary?

God graciously gifted us each with brains and He expects us to use them. One of the ways we can use this 3lb mass of gray matter is by finding principles to live by from His Word. God does not merely expect us to copy His actions, but to have His heart. He expects us to become like Him (Matthew 5:48). When we become like Him we have His heart and are living by the principles in His Word. The matter of discipleship requires the same type of thinking. Jesus came to earth in a particular time and culture. Because of this, He used methods (ways of doing things) of discipleship that were most effective for the culture and people of His time. It is essential for us to remember that methodology changes with culture and time, but principles remain the same.

For example, in Luke 9:23 Jesus asked those wanting to follow Him to take up their cross. In Jesus’ time this would have been understood in terms of punishment and death. Crucifixion, a form of capital punishment done by the Romans, was grisly and victims endured hours of painful suffering. We do not crucify or use this form of punishment in our world today. Telling potential believers today to take up their cross might confuse them if they do not know about crucifixion or Jesus’ death on the cross. Why? Because Jesus was using something relevant and real for the culture and people of His time. However, there is a principle here in Jesus’ call to discipleship that asks potential followers to be willing to die and/or be persecuted for following Him. This is what Jesus wants listeners and readers today to take from this passage. The principle is what Jesus wanted His listeners to hear with their hearts.
It is essential for us to remember methodology changes with culture and time, but principles remain the same.

The same applies to the early church of the New Testament. It was birthed into a particular time and culture. When the Spirit was poured out on God’s people during Pentecost in Jerusalem, it was in front of a Jewish audience. The first Church in Jerusalem was a Jewish church. The Christians were Jews and they used practices from Judaism (e.g., gathering in the synagogue, listening to the Torah, singing Psalms, daily prayer times, and Sabbath observance). The Jerusalem church’s methods in making disciples were effective for their time and culture. They did what worked best for Jewish believers. But, they had to adapt and change methodology as the Spirit moved into different cultures to reach different people (i.e., Gentiles).
The book of Acts gives us a chance to see how the early church kept principles for making disciples, but changed methodology. A prime example of this can be found in Acts 15:1-35. Gentiles believed in Jesus Christ and because they were not circumcised tension arose between their Jewish Christian brothers who were. Lucky for the Gentiles circumcision was viewed as a methodology and not a principle for being a disciple of Jesus. The church at Jerusalem collectively chose to not make circumcision a principle of discipleship. Instead, the Gentile believers were told to stay away from things sacrificed to idols, the blood of things strangled, and fornication (15:29). The principles enacted here are disassociation with idolatry and purity of heart.

Looking at the Bible as a whole reveals specific methods with principles behind them. A big example of this would be the methods God used to make the Hebrew people His disciples. Here are several of those methods from the Old Testament.

- Covenants – Divine promises requiring participation from God and humans.
- Divine deliverance – Rescuing the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery.
- The Law – The 10 Commandments and laws and regulations of Deuteronomy.
- The Temple – A place of worship mirroring the throne room of God.
The place where God dwelt.
- Sacrifices – Reminders of the seriousness of sin and atonement.
- Priests – Teachers of the law and precepts of God.
- Feasts & Festivals – Times of celebration remembering God and His work.
One can easily see that rituals (e.g., temple worship, sacrifices, and feasts) had a place in the lives of God’s people. The rituals were not meaningless and empty. They were used by God to teach principles to His people. Overall we see God used various means for making disciples in the Old Testament. There is no set pattern or one thing that discipled a person. God made disciples through community and various actions.

In The New Testament Jesus used various methods for making disciples. These methods of course come to us within Judaism (the religion Jesus was born into). Jesus did employ some new methods (in contrast to what was done in the Old Testament) for making disciples. However, it must be noted that the majority of Jesus’ methods were already in practice and common to rabbinic Judaism. As mentioned earlier, Jesus used something relevant and real for the culture and people of His time. Here are several of Jesus’ methods.

Methods Jesus used for making disciples

- Preaching repentance and the kingdom of God – Somewhat of a novel idea in that this caused people to perk up and listen.

- Teaching in parables – Believed to be a common practice by rabbis in Jesus’ day. Parables were used a couple times in the Old Testament. Jesus seems to be the master at using parables. Almost all of His teaching in the Gospels comes to us in parables.

- Teaching in the synagogue – During the Israelites captivity in Babylon the Hebrew people used synagogues as a place to gather for the teaching of God’s Word. Jesus used the synagogue for worship and teaching.

- Calling a small group of men to follow Him and appointing them as apostles/sent ones –Rabbis would have students follow them around, but Jesus is a little more aggressive in the fact that He sent out His disciples to do His work. Jesus shared a lot of His life with His small group.

- Baptism and the Lord’s Supper – Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to identify with sinners and confirm John’s identity. God gave the Israelites the Passover meal to commemorate their freedom from Egypt. Jesus used Passover to institute the new covenant of His broken body and shed blood.


If you dig through the culture, religion, customs, and traditions you see why Jesus’ methods were so effective in making disciples. The principles behind them are the key to their success. Throughout the Bible the principles for discipleship remain the same. This is why principles of discipleship are necessary. Methods come and go like Hollywood movie stars. Principles do not. The remaining research contains principles for making disciples from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). I do not claim this list as complete. I believe there are more principles to be discovered for making disciples in Scripture, but this is my starting point.

Making Disciples (part 3)

1. What is a disciple?
2. What is discipleship?
3. Where does discipleship begin?

We will look at the remaining two questions today.

What is discipleship?
Looking over the New Testament we see growth in the disciples’ lives. Peter goes from denying the Lord to dying for Him. James goes from skeptic to church leader. They are constantly facing new challenges while walking in the light. They are told in 1 John 1:7 to remain in fellowship and live with Jesus. They are challenged in their perception of God's plan (i.e., God offering salvation to the Gentiles). What does this teach us? Discipleship is a process. What does this process accomplish? The goal of the process of discipleship is to become Christ-like in all that we do. Paul encourages believers to run the race to win the prize. Bill Hull, in his book The Disciple-Making Church describes discipleship as “a process that involves the intentional training of disciples, with accountability, on the basis of loving relationships.”[1] Discipleship is a journey with God and others.

Where does discipleship begin?
Does discipleship begin when we accept Christ or does the process begin sooner? If a church van were picking up teenagers for church (who do not know Christ), would this be discipleship? The teenagers may not consider this discipleship, but what about the van driver? By picking up teenagers for church the van driver is taking part in discipling them (as long as he/she is setting a good example). So, in essence the teens and the driver are engaged in the discipleship process. There is now a high level of responsibility placed on believers from the church who come into contact with nonbelievers because they are a part of the discipleship process (for themselves and others).
All of this is part of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. Viewing small activities such as driving a church van as a part of the discipleship process puts a whole new spin on church activities. Discipleship does not begin when someone joins/attends a Sunday school class. Don't get me wrong this is a part of the discipleship process, but only a part. Anything the church can do to get someone to grow in their faith is discipleship. We should not limit this to Sunday school or small groups. Singing praise songs can help a believer grow, taking communion is a special means of grace, hearing the Word preached spurs growth, joining with the body of Christ to worship helps a Christian grow, going down to pray at a church altar brings growth. All of this shows that the church has the ability to initiate the discipleship process at an early time in the life of others. Does the church recognize and do this or is discipleship seen only as a class? If it is, we might need to reconsider how a person is discipled. We might need to look for the principles behind Scriptures for making disciples.

We'll try that next week.

[1] Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Church, (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1990) pg. 32.

Making Disciples (Part 2)

Here's part 2...

Three questions need to be answered in regards to making disciples before we proceed.

1. What is a disciple?
2. What is discipleship?
3. Where does discipleship begin?

We will look at the first question today?

What is a disciple?
Michael Wilkins, in his book Following The Master, A Biblical Theology of Discipleship, addresses this issue from the perspective of the ancient world, Old Testament and New Testament. He lists several ways the word “disciple” was used in each of these time periods. Tracing the development of the word disciple will give us an idea of what a disciple is.

- Someone learning or under a leader of any kind. In a religious sense, this could refer to a disciple of a certain Pharisee, John the Baptist, Moses, or a certain Rabbi. In a secular sense the word could be used to describe a disciple of a certain philosopher in the Greek culture (e.g., Socrates, Plato) or a disciple of a trade of some kind (e.g., woodworker, mason, farmer, shepherd).

- Disciple is used in the Gospels to denote general followers of Jesus.

- Disciple is used to refer to the twelve disciples Jesus chose. The twelve disciples were called to be Apostles (sent ones) in Luke 6:13. The Apostles were Christ’s handpicked leaders.

- In some of the Gospels (e.g., Luke & John) we see disciple being used to describe superficial followers of Jesus. These disciples left Jesus when His teaching became too hard for them to understand.

- Judas was a disciple of Jesus. He was a known traitor who was called a disciple.

- We see Peter, a disciple who denied Jesus, called a disciple.

- Jesus puts the possessive pronoun (“my”) before disciple to distinguish his marks of true discipleship. Jesus requires belief in Him, love of Him, obedience to Him, and asks us to abide in Him daily. Wilkins defines a disciple of Jesus as one who has come to Jesus for eternal life, has claimed Jesus as Savior and God, and has embarked upon the life of following Him. Wilkins states that this is the primary way the word disciple is used in the New Testament.[1]

This list shows us a vast array of possible meanings for what a disciple could be. Thankfully, the last definition spelled out by Jesus narrows our search down to what He had in mind for a disciple. This is the definition we are seeking to build discipleship principles upon. Once again, when we talk about a disciple we mean someone who has placed their trust in Christ, believes in Him, loves Him, obeys Him, and is abiding (living) in Him daily. This captures what Jesus said in Luke 9:23,

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."


[1] Michael J. Wilkins, Following The Master; A Biblical Theology of Discipleship, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) pg. 40.

Your thoughts?

Making Disciples (part 1)

This is the beginning of a new series on discipleship.

The great military leader of Israel, Joshua, had just destroyed the walls surrounding the Canaanite city of Jericho. God then commanded the Israelites to destroy and burn every man, woman, child, and animal in the city and bring to Him the gold, silver, bronze, and iron for His treasury. Achan, a member of the army disobeyed God’s command and took for himself a beautiful piece of clothing, some silver and a bar of gold. As a result, the Israelites were embarrassingly defeated in their next battle against the people of Ai. This defeat caused the people of Israel to lose hope. Finally, God pointed out to Joshua that someone in Israel had been unfaithful to His command. God gave Joshua the command to burn the one responsible for this. Eventually, Achan and his entire family were stoned and burned for their act of disobedience to God’s command. Afterwards the Israelites were able to continue their conquest and successfully defeat the people of Ai.

Obedience to God’s commands is essential. The story of Achan teaches this truth in an unforgettable way. However, was this degree of obedience to God expected only from those in the Old Testament? Didn’t Jesus expect His followers to obey Him in this way? His followers, known as the church, were given specific commands. One of those commands was to “make disciples” of all the nations (Matthew 28:19). Has the church acted like Achan or Joshua with this command? If we have acted like Achan, our disobedience will lead to God’s people suffering defeat at the hands of Satan. If we hold fast to God’s commands like Joshua, God’s people will be equipped to defeat Satan. This is what we must strive for as a church.

Your thoughts?

Real Religion

James 1:19-27

First, let me welcome home Jenny, Chuck, and their new son, Joshua Curtis. They just got back from Africa Tuesday. Welcome home! Also, congrats to Janella and Aaron Stronczek on their new girl Jarie Stronczek. A lot of babies born this year!

Chapter 1 of James can be broken into two sections. The first section (1:1-18) focuses on trials, temptations, maturity, God’s wisdom (which is kind of a running theme throughout the entire book of James), and God’s generosity. We serve a very good God. The second section (1:19-27) focuses on doing God’s Word. James gives a clear definition of what true religion is in verse 27. He writes,

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

In this we see the principle of love for God (keeping oneself pure and unstained by the world) and neighbor (providing for orphans and widows who can’t help themselves). Here are some other tidbits of practical advice from verses 19-27:
Believers should…
­ Be quick to listen to others
­ Be slow to speak
­ Be slow to get angry
­ Put aside all filthiness and what remains of wickedness
­ Receive the word in humility
­ Prove themselves doers of the word.
­ Put the word into practice
­ Abide in the perfect law
­ Have a tame tongue
­ Visit orphans and widows
­ Keep themselves unstained by the world

I think verse 22 is the key verse of this section. It reads

Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

This verse holds us accountable for what we do with God’s Word. To be a “hearer” only is to deceive ourselves and forget what we look like. If we only hear we miss out on God’s blessings. There is a reward for obedience to God’s Word. Verse 25 says we are blessed (Makarios). To be blessed in this way means we have the favor of God upon us. Jesus told His disciples that the poor and poor in spirit were blessed (Matthew 5:3). Wouldn’t it be nice to know God is pleases with you? If yes, be a doer of the word. Obey God because you love Him.

Faith and Works

James 2:14-26

This section of James gives us his stance on faith and works. Real faith, according to James, will be accompanied by action. In verses 15 and 16 James presents us a scenario in which real faith and dead faith are contrasted. The scene is someone in need. More specifically, that someone needs clothes and food. Real faith would clothe the brother or sister in need of clothes and give them food. Dead faith would give them lip service accompanied by no action. When I think of someone with dead faith, the picture of a person getting “knocked off” in a mafia movie comes to mind. Their feet have been put in concrete and they can’t move. I like James’ poignant remark towards dead faith at the end of verse 16, “what use is that?”

James gives a couple of real life examples as we read along. In verses 21 through 23 he talks about Abraham offering Isaac to the Lord as a sacrifice. In verse 25 Rahab the prostitute is praised for lending a hand and helping the messengers of Israel take the city of Jericho. Apparently some in the early church (Jews and Gentiles?) believed faith could be alive without works. These real life examples (Abraham and Rahab) remind Christians of the thread between faith and works.

James teaches us that faith and works go hand in hand. If we leave faith alone it will die. If we nurture it with works it will thrive. Just like watering a plant or feeding a dog, faith is kept alive by action. I do not believe our works save us, but our works come as a result of us being saved. Verse 22 says, in regards to Abraham offering Isaac to the Lord as a sacrifice,

Faith was working with his works,
and as a result of the works,
faith was perfected.

James gives us the impression that our works perfect our faith. They make it the real deal. Faith is God working in us. Works are about us working with and for God. We team up with God when we receive Jesus. Christians must be careful to avoid the extremes of thinking they have to do absolutely nothing because they are saved for life and trying to do everything because they think salvation depends upon what they do. There is a balance between faith and works every Christian must strive for. Jesus was clear that we can’t save ourselves, but He was also clear when He said a Christian should bear fruit.

Interested in studying James 2:14-26 further? Here are some words to do word studies on from this section (I wrote only brief definitions for each).

- Faith (pistis) – Confidence and trust in God.
- Works (ergon) – Employment and working.
- Dead (nekros) – Dead, dead to sin, separated from God’s grace.
- Righteousness (dikaiosune) – Being declared right by God.

Ramblings on NYC 2007

Ramblings about Nazarene Youth Conference 2007 in St. Louis, MO

What a typical day looked like:
Wake up at 8-8:30am and grab breakfast
General session from 10am à 12pm
Lunch
1 - 5pm Tracks (Football, painting schools, topical, film, music, sports)
2 - 3pm small group time within tracks
5 - 6:30pm dinner
7 - 9:30pm general session
10 - 11:30pm free time (Jimmy Johns)
11:30pm District meeting
12 - 2am Bedtime (hang time with Kory and Dylan in hotel room)
Sleep was very welcome at this event because you were exhausted by the end of the day!

The messages:
First message was the best. It was Greg Stier talking about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He made several good points about Jesus and what it means to really know Him. Toward the end he asked if anyone wanted to know Jesus in a personal way. Those interested he asked to stand up (one of our students stood proudly too her feet).
Friday morning’s message with Reggie Dabbs was second best. He focused on letting go of our past and not letting it dictate our future. He had a powerful testimony to this. He was created when his mother slept with a man for $20. He was honest with us and serious.

The theme for the week was Water, Fire, Wind
Water = God’s grace (baptism) poured out on us (we literally felt this!)
Simulated by snapping of fingers
Fire = God’s power (burning bush) at work within us making us holy
Simulated by shaking our NYC books
Wind = God’s Spirit leading us to serve others and put our faith into action
Simulated by rubbing hands together

The last service we took communion together (10,000 students). Services were well balanced with audience participation and the hearing of God’s Word. The last service was similar to a Catholic or High Church service order. We were constantly on the move. We would stand to sing, sit to listen to a short homily, and then stand to read God’s Word. There were a few times during the week when the service order made things really hard to follow, but overall it came together nicely in the end.

Saturday morning’s message by Princess Zulu opened our student’s eyes to the hunger problem around the world. The real icing on the cake moment came when they announced that all 10,000 students would be eating pourage (ground corn similar to grits) for lunch. Our students were pretty surprised and a bit upset. That was there meal for the day. During this time everyone was given a story (we had Ruth from Africa) about a person suffering in a 3rd world country from malnutrition and their struggle to survive. Ruth had been diagnosed with HIV. It was a sobering experience. Our experience made us eager to do something, so we signed up for 30 hr famine as a youth group activity. We put our faith into action.


How NYC challenged us:
It forced us out of our comfort zone. I kept reminding our students that NYC is about breaking barriers and getting a person out of their comfort zone. What are some of the ways this happened? Everyone from our District was split up and paired with others from around our District they didn’t know. They were also in rooms with others from our District they didn’t know. They were also in different tracks with others students from all over North America they didn’t know

The results of this were amazing! I witnessed leadership from our students that I have never seen before because they were forced out of their comfort zone.
We all made some great new friends because of this. Which is one of the things NYC is about. Meeting new people, making new friends, and doing new things.
We also had the awesome experience of sharing our faith with others and worshipping God with 10,000 students. That was powerful!

NYC asked us to do something about our faith. To put our faith into action. Several of our students did this. Beth brainstormed ways to help the homeless. Dylan felt God calling him to start a worship band. Kory, Brooke, Sarah, Becca, Beth want to put on a retreat for the junior high students of our church.

Our student’s responses and actions:
Worship time was awesome! All teens in the Edward Jones Dome (where the St. Louis Rams play) and adults got into and it and were worshipping God with all their hearts and minds. It was an incredible experience to worship God with so many people.
All students (especially ours) adapted nicely to the challenges (e.g., being grouped with others teenagers they didn’t know) presented by NYC.
Students enjoyed small groups with people from around the country. Small group time was during tracks, which took place in the afternoon. Our students opened up and shared with others struggles and how God was working in their lives.

Our students were eager to lead in prayer (normally I have a hard time getting them to pray out loud in front of others) but I noticed towards the middle of NYC they were all about praying in front of others. Several times I hadn’t even closed my eyes before they started praying. They prayed for meals out loud. They prayed for children growing up in Africa with AIDS and little food out loud. They prayed for communion out loud. They prayed during the services out loud
We did a lot of praying!

God was really working in our hearts collectively. The Nazarene church, as a whole, gave so much food we had enough to feed double what we expected! Our students participated in the feeding of 10,000 families. How did we help with this? We gathered in a very large line, grabbed a box, filled it with cans of fruit, vegetables, pastas, bread, meat, and some snacks. Each student was asked to write a special message to put in the box of food for the family. I was impressed at how serious they took this and the messages of encouragement they wrote down.
One of the things I noticed in our students was a change from focus on self to focus on others (the group that went is eager to serve and do something for God)

Their minds were opened and challenged and they responded. Our students agreed to commit to a 30 hr famine for World Vision and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (which for the 1st time ever teamed up and now work together. This happened at NYC 2007!)
NYC helped us get closer as a youth group

Fun activities:
Exhibit Hall
RC cars
Concerts
Jimmy Johns
Horse and buggy ride downtown St. Louis
Visiting the park and walking around
Meeting new people
Acting silly and hillbilly
Sitting in the hot tub together for one night
Going to a mall as a District to hang out and shop
Bus ride (fun for some!)
Sleeping
Going home (missed my wife and daughter)

An Eerie Moment

I decided to take the dog for walk last night around 9:30/10pm. We walked through downtown Bluffton to the Wabash River. This is only about a half mile from my house. There’s a part of the Wabash River off to the east of Main Street (Highway 1) that people fish and sometimes camp out at. There’s an old trail, big enough for a car to get through, which leads back to this area. So, I decided to take my dog (Boston Terrier) and hike back it a little. I found an old fire ring where somebody had camped out. I stopped to check it out and then started looking at the Wabash River (a natural thing for a fisherman to do). I took a few steps toward the river when something caught the corner of my eye.

Turning around I cringed as my eyes made contact with the outline of what I thought to be a big mountain lion. I saw a big round head and pointy ears with hair on them looking right at me. The beast was about 15-20 ft away from me and when it noticed I had looked towards it, it crouched behind some dead trees like it was trying to hide from me. It appeared the creature was moving towards my dog and I and my look had upset its stalking (if that’s what it was doing). I immediately thought to myself that I needed to get out of here and fast.

My first instinct was to tighten my dogs leash and walk briskly back to the trail. I did just that, but when I got to the trail I literally ran for my life (I didn’t scream). It probably looked funny, but I didn’t care. I ran up the hill I had walked down and up to a lady reading a book in her car. I probably scared her a little. I told her about what I had seen and she let me use her phone to call the cops. The cops arrived and asked me some questions and used their big car spotlights to shine down the trail. They didn’t see anything (I’m sure my call will be in the police notebook in today’s paper if you’re interested).

This morning I woke up and wanting to be sure I wasn’t a crazy lunatic or seeing thing, I drove back down to the area to look for tracks. After looking around for several minutes I came across some bizarre tracks. I sent a picture of them to my cousin (Silas) who has hunted mountain lion to see what he thought. He said he had seen some mountain lion tracks and this looked just like what he had saw out in Idaho when he was hunting for them. I looked up some cougar tracks online and sure enough they matched the tracks I found. It was an eerie moment to think a mountain lion/cougar/puma was possible stalking my dog (which had no idea what was going on the entire time) and me. I’ve never been this creeped out before. I’ll try and post the pics of the tracks I took pictures of sometime soon. So, if you live around Bluffton be careful!

Creator-Provider (Psalm 121)

Psalm 121 is a must read for anyone doubting God’s provisions and faithfulness. I stumbled across this Psalm the other day while searching for a prayer. I was having a bad day and needed encouragement. I’ve found it helpful in times of distress to pray the Psalms. They say what I’m trying but so much more beautifully and poetically. While reading this Psalm I discovered a connection between acknowledging God as maker of heaven and earth and God as provider.

This Psalm (written post-exile) would have been recited/sang by weary travelers making their way to the holy city of Jerusalem to worship. Verse 1 reads,

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

Common threats to any person traveling through mountainous regions to Jerusalem would be bands of thieves and robbers (along with adverse conditions such as extreme heat, and wild animals). The mountains/hills mentioned in verse 1 would be a cesspool for such trouble. They provided easy cover for thieves wanting to pull a quick ambush. Robbers and thieves could easily hide in the hills and sabotage unsuspecting travelers. Help was needed for anyone traversing through the mountains. Help was sought and asked for,

Where does my help come from?

The Psalmist doesn’t beat around the bush in answering his own question. He boldly declares,

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

The Psalmist acknowledges God as Creator. Knowing God’s identity as Creator of the universe leads the Psalmist to pronounce trust in God’s character. God’s character is revealed through the use of the Hebrew word samar (keep). Samar (pronounced shaw-mar) in Hebrew means to watch, to guard, to hedge around, to protect, to preserve, used to describe God’s watch and care over Israel. This verb is used six times in reference to God’s actions in this Psalm. Here is how samar is used in Psalm 121:

§ V3 – God keeps us and doesn’t slumber

He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

§ V4 – God keeps Israel and doesn’t slumber or sleep

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

§ V5 – The Lord is our keeper, our shade

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

§ V7 – The Lord keeps (protects) our soul from evil

The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.

§ V8 – The Lord keeps (guards) us

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

This verb, describing God’s actions towards the Psalmist who has just confessed Him as Creator, gives us a taste of God’s character. Our actions reveal our character. God protects because God is a protector. God provides for us because God is a provider. This is more than just a revelation of God’s actions, but a revelation of who God is. The Psalmist points to God’s provisions for Israel (the nation) and individuals. Verse eight’s use of “your” is singular and points to the fact that God cares for individuals. If we believe God to be creator of our universe how can we not trust in His provisions? I challenge you to commit this Psalm to memory. It’s short and easy to memorize.

Thoughts on discipleship revisited

Disciple (in the secular sense) = Pupil, student, learner

Disciple (according to Luke/Acts) = One who has put their faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son.

Studying Luke and Acts has challenged the way I see discipleship. Luke is clear (there are some exceptions) in that when he uses the word disciple/disciples he is talking about believers, Christians, saints (used by Paul), brothers/sisters (used by Paul and other New Testament writers) who have put their faith in Christ as Lord (Acts 3:16-19). Becoming a disciple is not taking Christianity to a new level. It’s not like in Karate where you move from a white belt to a yellow belt. Discipleship is Christianity. Discipleship is a process all Christians undertake when they believe in Jesus.

What does a disciple of Christ look like? If you look through pages of the Bible you get a good picture of what a disciple looks like. They are normal people who have put their faith in Jesus. Some of Jesus’ disciples were roughneck fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, demon possessed, adulterers, lepers, sick, lame, blind, and many others. There seems to be nothing special about these people. God doesn’t show favoritism. They each had their own problems: some were doubters, some denied knowing Jesus, and others deserted Jesus. But, they continued to follow Him. They had plenty of reasons to give up, but they didn’t.

As a result of their perseverance, they received the promised Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. What difference did it make in their lives? Well, Peter stood up to opposition and proclaimed boldly the Good News about Jesus Christ. Tradition says Peter was crucified and killed because of his beliefs. Do you want to be like that?

Where are we today with discipleship? Are Wesleyan/Armenian Christians (who reject the idea of eternal security) becoming lax in the process of discipleship? I won’t make it if we do because I need the help of others and the church to fully mature in this discipleship process. I can’t walk alone. No one can walk alone. We weren’t made to walk alone. We need our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to uphold (sometimes carry) us. We need our fellow Christians to be in our face about our walk with God. We need them to be asking us the tough questions:

- What known sins have you committed this week?
- What temptations have you faced?
- Were you delivered?
- What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?
*Thank you John Wesley for these questions

We need help. Why? It goes back to the Fall in Genesis 3. Since then, we humans have all been born into sin. Sin separates us from God and each other. We’re born with sinful natures that make it easy for us to choose evil and do wrong to God and others. It comes natural to want to run away from God. That’s not what God wants from us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants discipleship. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19,

“Go and make disciples of all nations.”

The main verb here is “make disciples”. Luke paints a pretty clear picture of what a disciple is, one who has counted the cost in regards to following Jesus (Luke 14), denied themselves, taken up their cross, and following Jesus on a day to day basis (Luke 9:23). Such obedience causes one not only to learn from Christ, but also to become so attached to Him (through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) he/she actually becomes like Him to others. That’s powerful! That my friend is what it means to be a disciple, Christian, believer, saint, brother/sister of Christ.