Category: Teaching

What Does a Disciple Look Like?

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I was a part of a group of pastors whose passion is developing community and disciples through small groups. In a previous post I pondered the question, How to Spot a Disciple of Jesus, but I recently found this definition of a disciple from Rick Leineweber, founding pastor at Virginia Beach Missional Church. Rick is a small groups expert from whom I have learned much about how to develop, grow, lead, train, and birth small groups.

A Fully Devoted Disciple is Actively:

Depending on the Spirit: A person who is actively depending on the Holy Spirit to transform and empower him/her to walk as Jesus walked (John 14:26).

Interacting in Community: A person who is actively interacting with other believers in a small group for mutual care and spiritual formation (John 13:35)

Submitting to His Lordship: A person who is actively submitting to Christ’s Lordship in every area of his/her life (Luke 6:46).

Communing with the Father: A person who is actively developing intimacy with God through the spiritual disciplines (John 8:31).

Investing His Resources: A person who actively sees himself/herself as a steward of his/her resources (time, treasure & talents) rather than an owner, and invests them to advance God’s work (Matthew 6:20-21).

Participating in Service: A person who is actively participating in acts of service toward those inside and outside the church for the glory of God (Matthew 20:27-28).

Leading People to Christ: A person who is actively seeking opportunities to share his/her faith with lost people through his/her personal style of evangelism (John 4:35).

Expanding the Kingdom: A person who is actively committed to a ministry of multiplication both here at home and abroad (Matthew 6:33).

How to be an Above Average Leader

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I sometimes wonder what it takes to be a truly great leader, and how many people would I fit into that category. I’ll address leaders in a moment, but when it comes to teachers, Josh Hunt uses the word TIGER to make a point, and he tells us that there are the five steps to doubling a group every two years or less:

Teach a halfway decent lesson each and every week; nothing less will do: You do not have to be Chuck Swindoll to grow a class. However, you must produce reasonably good lessons every single week. The better the teaching, the easier it is to grow a class.

Invite every member and every visitor to every fellowship every month: If we love them, they will come. We invite every member because it is good inreach. We invite every visitor, because it is good outreach. We do it every month because it is effective ministry. If we get them to the party, we will not keep them from class. If we get them to the party, they will come to love us, love our church and love our Lord.

Give Friday nights to Jesus: Give Friday nights to Jesus for an informal time of fellowship, games and Diet Coke. People who are opposed to the gospel are not opposed to ice cream. The Bible commands, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9) If we will simply be obedient to this one command, we can double our classes every two years or less and our churches every five years or less.

Encourage the group toward ministry: We do this by providing specific examples of ministry and personally enlisting people to join the team. I encourage people to pick from the following seven examples of ministry opportunities: Class teacher, Outreach leader, Inreach leader, Fellowship leader, Hospitality leader (gives Friday nights to Jesus), Prayer leader, and Class president.

Reproduce: Doubling a class every two years or less is not about going from 10 to 20. It is about going from one group to two. Reproduction is hard on any level. Still, The future of the church is the reproduction of groups. The key to creating a new group is leadership. The price of creating a new group is saying good-bye. We must be willing to say good-bye in order to be obedient to the great commission. Remember that only the mature can reproduce. Only mature disciples are willing to say good-bye. We must reproduce in order to insure the life of the next generation.

I included all this not just because it is a solid strategy for growing groups, but for the first point, teach a half-way decent lesson! We don’t have to be outstanding in order to teach or lead; can we shoot for above average? I recently discovered three tips to becoming above average:

  1. Do what others won’t: Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh I would never do that?” Often this is a sign that we are on the right track. To live and serve in an above average way means you are willing to do what others won’t. Don’t let this bother or intimidate you! Recognize that every leader faces the same challenge, starting with Jesus. He certainly could have settled for an average lifestyle, but He chose to lay down His life to fulfill His purpose.
  2. Create productive habits: Leaders choose what to do with their time, their health, their desires, their appetites, their words and their thoughts. Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of the time.” Our time and energy needs to be fruitful, not frivolous. We all have areas of life that are uncultivated and unfruitful. Often all it takes is for a seed to be planted and we can turn that around.
  3. Refuse to live an average lifestyle: Average leaders don’t stop to examine what they are doing. They live by their emotions and take the path of least resistance. To be above average, you may need to watch less TV, read more books, set goals, take care of your health, eat better, exercise more, forgive, encourage, and take more risks. Of course, this also means you get to see God do more in and through you than the “average” person might.

The reality is average, status-quo, ordinary living doesn’t inspire others to follow Christ more closely. Radical, above-average, extraordinary living does! This can be a challenge. Average seems so comfortable, appealing, safe. Not to mention, it’s what everyone else is doing, so it makes life easier (or so it seems).

Are you ready to be above average? I hope the answer is yes, because that means you will be able to reach more people with the love and encouragement of Christ, and lead them to grow and mature into His image. That is worth the inconvenience of letting go of the status quo.

Act on Your Thankfulness

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Years ago in college I was a part of a musical called Bright New Wings, and was able to play the character of the healed leper. The story is in Luke 17, where Jesus heals 10 lepers, yet only one returns to thank Him:

As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” (Luke 17:11-19)

This story illustrates the importance of being thankful for things that others may take for granted. To me, it also speaks of the importance of living in the moment. How many times do we carry on about our business, neglecting the wonder of the moment we are in? Perhaps that is what happened to the other nine lepers. Selfishness and a casual attitude toward Christ kept them from returning to give thanks.

I believe that during this time of Thanksgiving, we need to put into practice what we have learn learned. Act on it. How about today, each of us finding five people and thanking them for something specific. Not around the thanksgiving table, but now. Will you pick up the phone, get on Facebook, or write a note to someone you are truly thankful for? Tell them specifically why you are thankful for them (and no, just for “being you” isn’t specific enough). Your Thanksgiving weekend will get off to a fantastic start, and maybe have more to talk about around the table.

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Early Christian Heresies

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My Bible study group on Sundays has been going through Second Peter for the past several weeks. In chapter two we get a pretty good description of the false teachers that crept into the church (2 Peter 2:1). I believe that people are easily led astray by persuasive arguments when they fail to develop a first hand faith (Colossians 2:4, 5, Acts 18:4, 19:8, 26:28, 28:24, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Galatians 5:7-9). Faith that is built upon convictions will not be moved, whereas a second hand faith can be tossed around by the waves (James 1:6).

Second hand faith looks like this: I believe that Jesus is the Savior because my preacher says so. My parents taught me that the Bible is the Word of God. My Sunday School teacher told me to stay away from this sin or that belief.

First hand faith develops a conviction that will not be persuaded when we get a knock on the door and are told that there is another testament of Jesus Christ in North America. First hand faith will not fall when someone reads books from authors like Richard Dawkins, who teach that God is only a delusion.

So, let’s take a look at some of the heresies that threatened the early church:

Most of the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry had died by the time John composed this letter. Some of the second- or third-generation Christians began to have doubts about what they had been taught about Jesus. Some Christians with a Greek background had a hard time believing that Jesus was human as well as divine, because in Platonic thought the spirit was all-important. The body was only a prison from which one desired to escape. Heresies developed from a uniting of this kind of Platonic thought and Christianity.

A particularly widespread false teaching, later called Docetism (from a Greek work meaning “to seem”) held that Jesus was actually a spirit who only appeared to have a body. In reality he cast no shadow and left no footprints; he was God, but not man.

Another heretical teaching, related to Gnosticism (from a Greek word meaning “knowledge”) held that all physical matter was evil, the spirit was good, and only the intellectually enlightened could enjoy the benefits of religion. Both groups found it hard to believe in a Savior who was fully human.

John answers these false teachers as an eyewitness to Jesus’ life on earth. He saw Jesus, talked with him, touched him, he knew that Jesus was more than a mere spirit (1 John 1:1, 2, 3). In the very first sentence of his gospel, John establishes that Jesus had been alive before the world began (John 1:1) and also that he lived as a man among men and women (John 1:14). In other words, he was both divine and human. That’s the incarnation; that’s what Christmas is all about.

Through the centuries, many heretics have denied that Jesus was both God and man. In John’s day people had trouble believing he was human; today more people have problems seeing him as God. But Jesus’ divine-human nature is the pivotal issue of Christianity; 100 percent God, 100 percent man, not half and half. Before you accept what religious teachers say about any topic listen carefully to what they believe about Jesus. To deny either his divinity or his humanity is to consider him less than Christ, the Savior (1 John 4:2, 2 John 1:7).

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Jesus and Alcohol

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Since we are looking at the first sign in John’s gospel this Wednesday (the wedding at Cana – John 2:1-11), I know the topic of Christians and alcohol is going to come up.

Christians who abstain from alcohol have often tried to insist that total abstention was the practice of Jesus and the disciples. Obviously the miracle at Cana poses a bit of a problem-after all, would Jesus have turned water into wine if he thought it was wrong to drink it? Add to that the fact that no one at a wedding in those days would have drunk anything except wine, so we must assume Jesus himself drank, (not to mention the elements at the Last Supper).

In the past some teetotalers came up with the “two-wine theory,” claiming that some of the biblical words translated “wine” in fact referred to non-fermented grape juice. It is an interesting idea, but not a true one. In ancient times, with no refrigeration, grape juice had a way of turning into wine rather quickly, and when the Bible says “wine,” it really does refer to alcoholic wine.

The Bible does have some harsh words to say about drunkenness, notably in Proverbs, but then again Proverbs also advises, “Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that are of heavy hearts” (Proverbs 31:6-7). In the age before pain relievers and anesthetics, alcoholic beverages really did have medicinal value. Wine was also the only real disinfectant available for cleansing wounds, as we see in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

It is worth noting, however, that people in ancient times, not only Jews but the Greeks and Romans as well-generally drank their wine diluted with water, so ordinary table wine was about half the strength of wines today. Even the pleasure-loving Romans mocked heavy drinkers who insisted on having their wine undiluted.

Today there is also a distillation process that is different from natural fermentation. I discovered that in fermentation, you’re allowing the natural processes of living things (like yeasts) to produce alcohol. There’s a limit on how high a concentration you can produce this way. Alcohol is a metabolic poison, so increasing concentration tends to kill off the micro-organisms producing it. I read that you can’t get much more that 15 proof (7.5%) from natural fermentation.

In distillation, you’re using heat to increase the concentration of alcohol by driving out the water. I am not aware of any alcohol limit on that method, except patience. Even if there is a limit, it must be higher than the limit on fermentation. So, distillation can produce a more potent wine.

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Becoming Holy

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One of my passions is to encourage people toward higher levels of commitment to Christ and His church. The Bible says we are to become holy, as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15). But what does that really mean?

The holiness we are to exhibit is not our own, but the holiness of Christ in us. We are not holy, not will we become holy humans. Christ in us can manifest His holiness only if we will yield our flesh to Him. This is not a human operation; it is a spiritual one. Jesus lives out His holiness in us by grace. It is not a once-for-all-time transaction; it is a daily, moment-by-moment striving to live more by the Spirit and less by the flesh.

Becoming holy is a process that includes God’s part and our part. On one hand, our part is to stay out of God’s part—to yield, to surrender, to stop seeking God on our own terms. But our part also is to obey. It is to enter His rehabilitation program.

When you put yourself under a doctor’s care, he cannot help you if you don’t follow his instructions. As the patient surrenders his own good ideas and obeys the doctor’s prescription, he becomes well. The same is true in sanctification. If you and I want to be made holy, then we must willingly surrender ourselves to His care, and we must also actively obey His instructions.

We have no more power to make ourselves holy than a dying man has to save himself. We are weak and tired, and we cannot offer much help. However, we can submit to His rehabilitation program—sanctification. The key to our part is faith—to seek Him in obedience.

(From Walking with Christ in the Details of Life by Patrick Morley)

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The Seven Checkpoints

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The Seven Checkpoints: Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know
(Stanley and Hall)

What I have found is that although this book is aimed at guiding teenagers, these principles allow people of all ages to progress toward faithfulness in the task of becoming authentic followers of Christ. Take a quick look…

1. Authentic Faith. This principle helps us to understand the difference between a second-hand and a first-hand faith. This is a primary reason many people abandon Christianity later in life. True faith has confidence in who God is; that He can be trusted and will do as He promised.

2. Spiritual Disciplines. How is your devotional life? How do you get to know God? How much time is spent desiring God? Spiritual transformation begins with a renewed mind. When you see God for who He is, you will do as He says.

3. Moral Boundaries. Clear moral limits are essential in any life stage. We must learn to protect our bodies and emotions by honoring God’s plan for morality (in relationships, movie choices, personal reading). The depth of intimacy with God and others is dependent on this principle. Purity paves the way.

4. Healthy Friendships. Our associations have a direct impact on our decisions and the standards we choose. Do friends build us up or drag us down?

5. Wise Choices. This principle will help apply godly wisdom to everyday choices between right and wrong. This principle will affect our goals and future dreams.

6. Ultimate Authority. There is often a disconnection between freedom and authority, but the Bible teaches that true freedom is found under authority. Freedom is not always doing what you please (saying “yes”) but having the strength and character to wisely choose “no.”

7. Others First. Selfishness comes naturally to all people, but selflessness has to be learned. This principle focuses on the nature of humility and service. So, how do you see yourself aligning with these principles in your own life? How will you impact eternity for those around you? At the gym? The people in our church and community? Or those with whom we have a business relationship?

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Sunday School Growth

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Josh Hunt is a church and Sunday School growth consultant based in New Mexico (www.joshhunt.com). He recently wrote an article in which he asked whether there is a place for the “normal” church. In a landscape populated by the purpose driven, missional, seeker-driven, or church du jour, can the “normal” church still be used by God? His conclusion, “Yes, if …..” church leaders give attention to some of the basics.

Here is the gist of the ten items Josh listed:

  1. Study your church. Know your people.
  2. Improve the music. More than the style of the music, the question is, “Is it any good?”
  3. Improve the preaching and teaching. Josh notes, “The number one predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the pastor.” He goes on to suggest, “The best way for a pastor to improve his preaching is for him to teach his Sunday school teachers how to communicate. You work on improving their communication skills and everyone improves.”
  4. Train the workers. People make growth strategies work! Train them and give them experience in teaching skills, leadership skills, people skills, evangelism and growth skills, and spiritual development.
  5. Preach a gospel of joy and grace. I love the way Josh put it: “The gospel is a gospel of good news. It is a message of joy and grace that God loves us and will forgive us of all of our sins. He will give us a life of meaning and purpose. He will show us, through His word, how to live the best life possible in an often inhospitable world. Being in several hundred churches has taught me that the theology in growing churches is often different from the theology in non-growing churches. Growing churches preach grace with a smile. Declining churches teach grace with a scowl. There is a difference.
  6. Model and vision cast of growth. Want to grow your Bible study groups? Then do more than just encourage others; get personally involved.
  7. Take care of the visitors. Beyond the simple matter of a good first impression when they arrive at your church, see that they’re invited to lunch or a Sunday School class gathering. Invest in the relationship.
  8. Take care of the details. Again, Josh puts it so succinctly: “It matters that your nursery doesn’t smell like a dirty diaper. It matters that the words are speled wright in teh buliten. It matters that the soloist sings on key.”
  9. Go after kids. God still works salvation miracles with adults. But, the number of people who come to Christ after their teenage years is small when compared with those reached when they are younger.
  10. Love God; love people. “Don’t get so focused on getting church right that you fail to keep your relationship with God right.”

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Ways to Worship Daily

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Worship is a priority in the life of a believer, and Jesus tells us that the Father seeks worshipers (John 4:23). It is really our only priority, because when we get this right, discipleship, missions and evangelism burst forth. If we don’t have a clue about His greatness and worthiness to be worshiped, we will relax in these other critical areas.

Quotes:

A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling “darkness” on the wall of his cell. — C. S. Lewis

All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His Son among all people of the earth. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. — John Piper

Top 10 Ways to Rebel Against Idols:

  1. Give God the best part of your day, not your leftovers.
  2. Volunteer one Saturday this month at the homeless shelter.
  3. Pass up the $100 Converse for something comfortable and affordable.
  4. Pray each day, specifically for those in your sphere of influence.
  5. Feed your soul with kingdom-affirming images from television, music and movies.
  6. Take an international missions trip this year.
  7. Enjoy sports, but don’t overdose.
  8. Build a healthy body instead of a glamorous image.
  9. Develop your spiritual gifts as intentionally as your career.
  10. Make it your lifelong quest to know God and yourself.

The Importance of Scripture

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The Bible is our only source for faith and practice. While we may have personal experiences that are meaningful in our lives, the subjective nature of personal experience opens the door to doctrinal error if we put that on the same level as God revelation of objective truth. This is not discounting the Holy Spirit active in our lives, but God has given us everything we need for life and godliness(2 Peter 1:3) and will not provide new revelation (new truth). If He does does, perhaps the Mormons, Muhammad or the Jehovah’s Witnesses are right.

Quotes:

The word of God is like a mirror in that it shows us who we really are. It is like a map because it shows us where we need to go. It is like a portrait for it paints for us a picture of who God is. — David Wallace

Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well, not from streams that flow into the Well. — Amy Carmichael

If the reader understands very little of the word of God, he ought to read it very much; for the Spirit explains the word by the word… The frequent reading of the Scriptures creates a delight in them, so that the more we read them, the more we desire to do so. — George Muller

Top 10 Reasons to Memorize Scripture:

  1. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. (Ephesians 3:20).
  2. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).
  3. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8).
  4. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. (Psalm 119:11).
  5. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3).
  6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6).
  7. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7).
  8. …but those who hope in the LORD, will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31).
  9. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).
  10. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).