Recently, I had a discussion with a friend in church about strongholds
in the journey of discipleship. I shared how generosity was a personal
stronghold for years and how the guilt and shame seemed to increase by layers
every week during the offering. Once I made the decision to give a tenth
(tithe) of my income to the Lord through my church, my worship suddenly
changed! God taught me about His sufficiency, taught me to trust Him, and
showed me what I could be part of by simply being obedient to the teachings of
Scripture.
Another area that the majority of Christians struggle with
is the Lord’s command to “make disciples.” Many substitute “disciple-making”
with church attendance, serving in a church program, or teaching a church
curriculum; however, there is no way to ignore the command. A “disciple-maker”
(Christian) cannot NOT make disciples. Not every Christian is called to serve
overseas or serve in vocational ministry through a local church, but EVERY
Christian is instructed to make disciples.
Many Christians deal with the same layers of guilt and shame
over making disciples that I did over generosity. What if though…they were one
decision from releasing the guilt and finding joy? …just as I did with the
sin relating to my lack of generosity? How can a person find freedom and joy
and encouragement in this area of the disciple-maker’s life? Please allow me
suggest three things to do in response to your decision to change:
Identify WHO. This isn’t complicated. It
is simply someone you know that you have not shared the gospel with and
have not heard their unique story of how they became a believer. Begin voicing
a prayer to the Lord daily, “Lord, grant me the opportunity to share the gospel
with ____.”
Learn HOW. There are dozens of good ways to share. At Englewood (the church I serve) we promote and use the 3 Circlesapproach. I have used many approaches through the years. I like this one for a number of reasons, among which is the fact that it feels the least awkward when getting started.
Rehearse WHAT. Write out your own story of conversion (testimony). Share it with a friend, your Connect Group leader, a pastor, or your neighbor’s dog. Listen to how the Gospel is rehearsed in weekly worship services. Practice sharing the Gospel using the 3 Circles approach with your spouse, your children, or a friend. Make it so familiar that you can do it in your sleep.
If this is an area that you would love to experience joy in, join me for the upcoming Focus Group on Becoming Conversational with the Gospel, beginning October 9. I would love to be part of your journey to victory.
What a cool (figuratively speaking of course) day with our church family at Englewood Baptist Church yesterday. With Summer coming to a close, we celebrated together with our Second Annual Tailgate Party on September 8, 2019. It was, as you might expect, “Eastern NC” HOTTTT!
One of the highlights of this special gathering is the opportunity to celebrate baptisms outside on the field together. Twenty-one people went “public” with their faith yesterday! I don’t say that to make much of Englewood or to create a comparison trap based on numbers; rather, each “number” had a story. We had young and old, white, black and brown, confident and timid…people from varying backgrounds…all step into the baptismal waters with a singular intent: To Make Much of Jesus!
I love baptisms for two primary reasons.:
First, it is a beautiful picture of the Kingdom and the heart of our King Jesus. No matter one’s background, age, politics, race, or any other cultural identity…all are welcome and all are ONE in the Kingdom.
Second, I love the stories of adversity. We had a man whom I had the privilege to lead to Christ days before brain surgery several months back…who came with his wife to be baptized yesterday. We had another man who only weeks ago had major neck surgery step forward to go public. Another church member who is a passionate evangelist and is extremely active in missions confessed that she had her baptism out of order and God convicted her. With tears, she went into the waters and came up from the waters beaming…knowing that she was now fully obedient! Another child with a terrible fear of water due to a trauma clung to my neck as she was baptized. This day was so important to her she was willing to face a terrible fear for no other reason than to make Jesus famous!
Reflecting on the privileges of the day, I was reminded that not everyone treats this precious ordinance with such significance. Just know though…Jesus did and does. When we obey Him, trust Him, follow Him and honor Him, the Gospel itself shouts from the waters of the baptismal pool… “Jesus Christ is Lord of all!”
I wonder how many others would say that they are absolutely certain that they have honored him in the same way as these precious twenty-one people did yesterday? If you cannot but want to, I would love the privilege to help you GO PUBLIC with your allegiance to the King of kings!
What a cool opportunity that Jodi and I had this weekend. She has shared life with a close group of friends since her school days and we have all shared in one another’s lives…to one degree or another. This weekend, one of her friends was married and two households became one.
The ceremony was quite intimate. In fact, it was pretty much
family and a few select friends. As the couple stood facing one another, the
officiating pastor shared a single truth…love is the key to a successful
marriage. I began to consider that nugget of advice and think about how
true it was. After all, Jodi and I have been together since high school and
thirty-one of those years have been in marriage.
Let me say that I agree with the advice but add a qualifier:
Love IS the key…but love is a verb, not a noun. I think
sometimes people treat love like a noun. I showed you my love. I fell in
love. Our love disappeared. We used to be in love. You get
the idea…
In reality, love (as given as an ingredient for a successful
marriage) is a verb. It is an action, not an object. “Husbands
LOVE your wife like Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33).” Love is
not something you find or something you possess…it is something you do. Love is
challenging…because not everyone is always loveable. Marriage is not easy,
but it is rewarding when two people work at it. Marriage is about changing. God
uses the attributes of your spouse to change you…to shape you…to grow you…and
to perfect you. You spouse is part of the “all things” that God works together
for good (Romans 8:28).
Here is good news. You may be thinking… “I have missed it. My
chance at love has gone away.” Not so! It is as close as your next
decision to love (verb) one another. You control whether you will love and so
does your mate.
So, if you are looking to step into the arena of marriage and you hope for great happiness in it …don’t look to fall into love; rather, choose to love. Love fiercely. Love tenaciously. Fight for love. Pursue your beloved. If you need a good model…look to God who SO LOVED you that He sent His Son to purchase your redemption (John 3:16-17). Look at His adoptive love with which He loved you and made you a son or daughter (1 John 3:1). Love (verb) like that…and success in marriage is nearly guaranteed.
Thirteen months and we are rounding the corner on the last phase of our build-out. Our home has a number of amazing features and we are truly blessed; however, like most people, we wanted a few changes when we purchased. One of those changes was the addition of a detached garage. When the builder came by to put the sign in the yard and start the ground prep…I will admit…I got a little excited. In fact, I walk out (several times per day) to look at the trenched areas in the yard which serve as the foundation for the garage to come. This leads me to an important, observable truth about life.
Perhaps the most important part of any build is the foundation. It is rarely seen and is often overlooked once the structure is built; however, it is the most important step of the construction if one hopes for the building to last beyond a few years.
The same is true in many areas of our lives. Foundations matter.
As parents, we “build-out” our children with knowledge, experiences, and activities; however, if their foundation is weak…any real storm can cause their lives to crumble.
We pursue a career goal, climbing the ladder as
quickly as possible, but if we neglect foundational elements, we are but one
management change or crisis from it crumbling.
We pursue spiritual goals and embrace an understanding
of God’s purpose for our lives…but if we fail to lay a proper foundation, we
risk disillusionment, defeat, or even defection when difficulties arise.
One doesn’t put in a strong foundation for show. No one will ever see it once the block and brick go in. Foundations serve the purpose of providing stability and support for everything that will be built to rest upon it. A proper foundation requires digging down to the solid ground, removing debris, and installing reinforcements at times to ensure that once the weight of the structure is applied, the foundation will hold. Furthermore, everything built on top of the foundation is anchored to elements directly below it. This ties all of the parts together and ensures that the structure will withstand the winds of change.
What’s often the case in our lives is that more attention is given to what is seen above the surface than what all of that rests upon. We help our children become good students and disciplined athletes, but we compromise on instilling an appreciation of value and purpose as defined by our Creator and King. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul? (Mark 8:36). We serve in a dozen different ministry tasks through our church but lack the discipline of a consistent time of Scripture reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. (See Luke 10:40-42).
What is also true is God’s unchanging grace. If you build a building on a faulty foundation, there is often little recourse other than to tear it down and start over…or live with the imperfect construction. In our spiritual lives, however, God is quick to redeem and restore our failed build-outs. He doesn’t tire of His children’s cries to forgive and start again. So…if you know there are issues with your foundation, may I encourage you to acknowledge that before God, seek His forgiveness and begin again? It is a decision you will never regret.
It happens so often. I speak to someone and ask the question, “How’s it going?” or “How are you doing?” Often times, the response relates to some struggle, pain, discomfort, or trial the person is experiencing. Almost always the struggle and the pain is genuine. What is often also clear…is that the pain is winning.
Struggles in life are always certain. Jesus promised these
pressures (Greek word- thylipsis) would be part and parcel of our daily
lives (John 16:33). The Scriptures bear numerous accounts of these struggles in
the lives of God’s people. Somehow though, many of God’s people seem surprised
by these struggles and many of these seem to be defeated by them.
What is the answer? Does God intend for our lives to be
miserable, painful existences here for 70, 80, or 90 years until we finally get
to heaven? Are the troubles too big for God? If God really loves us… then why
does He permit our suffering?
Here are two truths:
Struggles are a non-negotiable part of life.
[Full Stop]
Jesus came that we would [present tense] have
life and have it to the full! (John 10:10b) [Full Stop]
Somehow, these two
truths must be reconcilable (no matter how difficult to do so).
The Apostle Paul indicates that these truths are reconciled in our attitude and approach…our focus:
5For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus
as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of
darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the
surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8we are afflicted
in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed; 10always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for
Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal
flesh. 12So death works in us, but life in you.
13But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is
written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,” we also believe,
therefore we also speak, 14knowing that He who raised the
Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. 15For all things are for your sakes, so that the
grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks
to abound to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is
decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal
weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the
things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:5-18, NASB)
Paul’s
suffering (a suffering for the gospel by the way…and not the consequence of
unwise or sinful choices on his part) was extreme…yet He considered it “momentary
and light affliction” that produces a “weighty glory beyond comparison” (v.17).
Paul’s
focus was on the future days in His eternal reality. He looked to heaven and to
eternity. In comparison with these realities and in light of the expansive
Kingdom of God…His sufferings seemed light and temporary.
Furthermore,
Paul’s motivation was eternity but His purpose (as He seems to understand it) is
to produce life in others (v.12). Follow the flow of thought if you will: The
glory of God (light) shines out of darkness (Paul’s sufferings) and produces
life in others even as it produces death in him. And that is ok…even desired by
Paul.
My
reflections on this today are multi-faceted:
First…I focus more on my own
sufferings that I should. This is a product of my fallen nature and an area of
my life that must be mastered. How about you?
Second…my focus must be on
eternity. “No one gets out alive,” and no one stays here forever. This world
and the sufferings of it are a temporary state.
Third…my suffering, if approached
with the right focus may result in death in me but also life in others. I am
convinced that the “cotton candy and unicorns” image of life as a Christian
that many try to sell is damaging to the witness of His people, since it is
disconnected from reality. The world we are purposefully desiring to win for
Christ cannot relate to this “pie in the sky” fantasy that if you believe
enough and sow enough faith seed then you’ll have only good things in your
life! Why should they believe it? After all, our King was crucified! Yes…but He
was raised from the dead you may say…which is true…but the resurrection
followed the crucifixion.
So,
choose.
Choose today to focus on reality…on the existence that transcends…then
purposefully yield to whatever it takes for light to shine in darkness through
you today.
News flash: I was not known for my athleticism in my younger years. That said, my dad lettered in everything so he also enrolled me in sports. I played little league baseball (for the Royals by the way) …perhaps because they were required to play every player at least for an inning each game…even the guy they put in right field.
I remember a single phrase from my time playing coach’s pitch baseball: Keep your eye on the ball. This admonition, repeated often by the coach, was a reminder to ignore the catcher trying to distract me, the chants from the opposing team dugout, and the well-meaning tips from “almost” major league ball playing dads in the stands.
What my coach knew was that the key to a base hit was staying intently focused on the ball and simply swinging the bat to meet it. That’s it! Super simple and incredibly difficult at the same time. That piece of coaching advice was true not only of baseball but in other areas of life, including the life of the church. Every church (and every individual believer consequently) is subject to distractions and drifts toward complexity in life. Our calendars fill up and our activity schedules grow. Every good idea has a champion and every champion wants their idea to succeed. However, every leader knows that when a church becomes too complex, it sometimes loses sight of “the ball.”
Jesus identified “the ball” when He directed His disciples to “make disciples.” (Matthew 28:18-20). While many churches are good at many things, we still must ask, “Is their eye on the ball?” At Englewood (the church I serve), we say that our mission (the ball) is to “glorify God, by leading all people into a growing, reproducing relationship with Jesus Christ.” To do that, each one of us must embrace the Lord’s commission as if we alone are responsible for carrying it out. It is good when our team gets a “base hit,” but our responsibility when we step to the plate is to keep OUR EYE on THE BALL and swing the bat to meet it.
I believe that many adoring Christians with proper motives
seek to please Jesus with so many things; however, sometimes we do them to the
exclusion of the main thing…we fail to keep our eye on the ball.
As you walk your neighborhood, shop at the market, converse
with neighbors, go on vacation, carry out your duties at work and peruse social
media—let me ask you to keep your eye on the ball. How are you making
disciples?
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