Thursday, May 19, 2011

We have a discipleship problem.

Jo Saxton says it well. "Church, we have a discipleship problem, and its costing us dearly."

 

http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/MAY11--we_have_a_discipleship_problem/#

 

Jo Saxton is a director of 3DM, a movement/organization helping churches develop a discipling and missional way of being the church. Since moving to the U.S. six years ago, Jo has served on church teams discipling young leaders and planting missional communities ranging from the suburbs to the inner city. Jo is the author of Real God, Real Life.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dan, I’m super depressed….

Here is some good advice for any of you who are still looking for a job.

Dan, I’m super depressed….

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Community - sharing the "witness".

"Whether or not your tribe recognizes every baptized Christian as an evangelist, there is no tradition that does not call every Chrtistian to be a witness. We are called to be as much a witness to the resurrection as the first disciples were witnesses to the resurrection. The central statement of the church's earliest affirmation were these words of Acts 2:32, 'God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact'." Leonard Sweet, Nudge

What have I witnessed today as evidence of Jesus being alive? Is this not the real basis of Christian community? More than dusty Bible study, rehearsing personal needs, or reviewing propositions and doctrines, community is a time to share where we have "witnessed" the resurrected Jesus. He is alive in each of us and in the world and tracking His presence should be the topic of every spirit led gathering.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

"Getting saved" or becoming a Jesus follower?


"Getting saved" or becoming a Jesus follower?

After the last post I wrote on the Roman Road pattern of leading someone to Christ, Jared commented:


"I wonder if we should be encouraging people to confess the "Romans Road", or focus more on following Jesus. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but which ever we lead with will (purposefully on inadvertently) be the end goal. This leads me to a second thought. I don't believe at all that following Jesus and a salvation experience are separate, but I'm concerned that if we focus first on the salvation experience and second on following, we inadvertently communicate that salvation is an end. I've seen a person's choice to accept Christ celebrated in such a way that one might wonder if a person had crossed the finish line rather than jumped at the starter's gun. I guess I'm asking: How do we make sure to emphasize discipleship and following Jesus so as to make sure that salvation is the key part of discipleship but not the sum total?"


I totally agree with what Jared says.


Several years ago, a friend of our daughter, Becky, attempted suicide. A group of about 10 from the public school she attended visited her in hospital, and it became apparent that of this group, only two of them, both from Christian families, had never made some kind of suicide attempt--or at least seriously contemplated it. As a result, Becky pulled together a group of kids at our home to discuss this.


This evolved into a group of around 15 kids who came together weekly. Each week we had one of them tell the story of their spiritual journey, and then we would spend time in the word and prayer. We played games with them or sat in our hot tub putting the world to rights until midnight or so.


Gradually we noticed changes in their lives. The kids would tell us they had stopped doing drugs, cussing, sleeping around. When they asked if they could get baptized, we would make sure they really understood the implications of following Jesus and if necessary, lead them through to an understanding of salvation and the Lordship of Christ using something like the Roman Road.


A "prayer of salvation" may be a beginning step in someone's spiritual journey, as it was in mine. But I would have been spared years of challenge if I had understood the implications of Jesus as Lord right from the start.


Becoming a disciple of Jesus is far more than raising a hand in a meeting or praying the sinner's prayer. The gospel of the Kingdom involves surrendering to the King.


 


Sent from my iPhone

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Who am I really?

Who am I really?

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“At some point you’ve just got to grow up and become who you really are. It’s not a matter of figuring out ‘what would Jesus do?’ but living your identity in and as Christ.” (Jim Palmer, Wide Open Spaces, p.78) Paul tells us in Col. 3:4 that it is Jesus who is our “real life” and again in Gal. 2:20, “ I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” It would appear then that I have two identities, my old self, known for its sin and shame, and another that is perfect and full of love. Which one do others see in me? Which one really identifies me more?
As I face life daily I must constantly ask myself, are my actions or decisions indicative of the real me? If I accept the truth of scripture I must acknowledge that Jesus has become my “real life”. I have let Him into my heart and He exists in me as a “new creation” that God has always intended me to be. But will I allow that “real and intended me” to live Himself out or will I “default” back to the old me?
My intention then, is to discover more everyday who I really am and live accordingly. As Palmer also says, “I used to think the key for living the Christian life was transferring what I knew in my head down to my heart. Now I see it’s the reverse: getting what has been deposited into my heart up into my head.” (p.74)
Who are you, really?