Discipleship Along the Way

What is church? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ and a part of His church? I wrestled with these questions and others last year as I pondered my role in the local church as well as my role in the global church. I ran across a very interesting article that continued this path of pondering in a magazine called Mission Frontiers (we got a free year subscription for taking Perspectives, how cool is that!). The whole January/February issue was focused on the topic of discipleship. I want to start out with a quote from the editorial article by Rick Wood.

"Our churches in the West seem to be succeeding at lesser things while failing at Jesus' core strategy for world evangelization. We are succeeding in collecting tens of billions of dollars each year to gather large crowds into beautiful and expensive church buildings on Sunday. We have succeeded in putting on a great show and developing programs that attract people to our churches. In the process we have put an unbearable burden on our pastors to do nearly all the ministry while failing to activate the laity. As a result many pastors are skating on the edge of burnout, while the majority of church members do not see that God has any other role for them except as spectators. In short, we are largely failing to develop mature followers of Jesus who are able to make disciples who can make disciples" (p. 4).

I am sometimes too critical of the church and I don't want this to be a complaining session. But I do very much agree with what Wood is saying. Pastors are put on a pedestal as the only ones who can present the Gospel, baptize, give communion and teach others about the Bible. As far as I know, the Bible doesn't say we need a seminary degree or to be ordained in order to help coach someone in their spiritual journey. This has become the precedent, however, in many of our churches.

Do I think that churches should do away with the role of the pastor? No, of course not. The pastor is to be the "shepherd of the flock". Every group needs a leader, and churches need a guide as well. Yet, all of the work should not be left to one person. We can each teach each other, helping younger believers to grow in their faith and in obedience, and then teaching them to do the same. In this way, the movement is not held to one person, but keeps growing.

Rick Wood finished his article with this thought:
"We will never bring the gospel to every tribe and tongue if we continue to rely on professional clergy to do 'discipling' as a transfer of knowledge. As followers of Jesus, we must all aim to become disciples who can follow Jesus' example in making disciples. None of us is excused from active duty in the service of our King" (p.5).

I think my point is that as a part of the church, both the local and global, we need to be active as individuals and as part of the group in sharing our faith, taking care of the widows and orphans, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, and helping others to grow in their faith. This should not be left to the pastor, but we can each contribute by sharing what God has taught us and the wisdom He has given each of us.

On My Side

I have been doing a Bible Study on the Psalms of Ascent, which are based on the journey up the mountain to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. These psalms begin with 120 and go through 134.

A common theme of the psalms I have been reading so far is that God was on the side of the pilgrim. Psalm 124 begins with: "If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say- if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us", and goes on to describe all that would have prevailed against them. I had read this phrasing before, but was really struck by it this time. I thought of a good game of football (or any team sport). You always want the really athletic or smart person to be on your side in order to win. We have this wonderful amazing God who is on our team, on our side. He is working on our behalf to take care of us, protect us and give us the ultimate victory. How cool is that?

Saturday I was reading Psalm 18 and found some similar ideas in the verses. Soak up the awesome promises found in these verses!

Psalm 18:2, 6-9, 16, 19, 28-30
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

He brought me into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.

Could I?

I love missionary stories! That's probably a good thing, since I will be reading a lot of them this semester.

In our reading for the next class of Biographies we are focusing on "The Early Centuries", and some of the first missionaries and martyrs. One story stuck out to me, and I want to share it with you.

In the early 200s AD, there was a young woman who became a believer in the city of Carthage. Her name was Perpetua, and she and her servant girl were imprisoned because of their new faith. Perpetua's family did their best to get her to renounce her faith and come home. The young 22-year old left behind her infant son, and refused to give in even though her father attempted to get her to escape.

She said, "This will be done on the scaffold which God has willed; for I know that we have not been placed in our own power but in God's". She did not renounce her faith in the Father, but continued to praise and grow in her faith up until she was tortured in the arena by wild animals and finally beheaded. She was a wonderful witness to all those around her and those who came after her.

Could I stay true to my faith under such intense persecution? I love the Lord and have said I will follow Him no matter what. Yet, I still like to stay comfortable. Sometimes I catch myself adding qualifiers to my yes: "Yes, I will go anywhere, but so long as it has running water and the city isn't TOO big", or "I promise, Lord, I will go anywhere, just please not China". "I will use my gifts and knowledge, but there are certain things I just can't do". God wants me to let go of these "buts" and simply say, "Yes". He wants me to surrender my entire life to His plan, even if that means being uncomfortable, suffering and maybe even giving my life. God honored Perpetua's great faith and her life was a testimony to His strength and grace. I want my life to be that way too. I don't know if I could give up my child and family and life for Christ, but I hope my faith can grow to be able to say, "Yes, Lord, no matter what".

Jesus the Missionary

My on-campus class this semester is called "Biographies of Outstanding Missionaries" and we kicked off the class today talking about one of the greatest missionaries of all time: Jesus! We think of Jesus in many different ways and in many different roles but the label "missionary" is not often used. But there are several ways that Jesus lived out a model for us.

First, in His incarnation Jesus modeled the importance of presence among the people we are serving. As the Message puts it in John 1, Jesus "moved into the neighborhood". When we go and serve another culture, we must really live among the people and learn about the culture and traditions. This does not mean taking on every aspect of a culture, we are to remain true to our Biblical foundation, but we must be present and learn as much as we can.

Jesus was God's apostle, which means He was the one "sent out" from the Father to share the way of salvation made possible by His death and resurrection. Just as Jesus was sent by the Father, He also sent out the disciples and also sends us out (John 20:21). This is an important discipleship and church planting principle for missionaries today. God sends us to our neighbors, those in our town and sometimes to other parts of the world. As we teach people to obey all that Christ commanded, we must also send them to share the same teaching with others.

Lastly, Jesus focused on the outcasts, sinners and the hurting. He didn't go to those who had it all together religiously (often they would not listen) but he shared hope and love to those on the fringes of society, those no one else loved. There are people around the world who have no opportunity to hear right now about the love of Christ. These are the people we need to go to. There are people in our own country and in our own towns who cannot feel the love of Christ because they have been shunned by others. These are the people we need to love.

Jesus lived out missionary principles that we can put into practice. As we look to Him as our Savior and Shepherd, we can also look to him as our great missionary model.

P.S.- A random fact: do you now where the word "pagan" comes from? Another great missionary was Paul, and his strategy for missions was to start with the cities and urban areas. He planted churches there and commissioned the believers to spread the Gospel throughout the other cities and on into the rural areas. The word "pagan" from the Latin means farmer, or rural-dweller, because they were the last area evangelized in this strategy. These people were also resistant to the Gospel at first because of their strongholds of tradition and other gods.

Happy New Year!

2011 is upon us! I rang in the new year with my family in Nebraska; no parties or hoopla, just a quiet celebration of our together-ness. I wasn't planning to be in Nebraska for all of New Year's weekend, but because of illness have been delayed a few extra days at home.

Because I was home, I got to worship with my family at our church on Sunday. I heard an interesting verse that I have been pondering and want to share.

2 Timothy 1:12 I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

I am a worrier and often even after I have prayed and said, "Lord, I am trusting this to You", I continue to stew over the problem until I feel like I have it under my control. In this passage and the verses before it, Paul speaks about his belief in God and the certainty that is found in Him. Even though Paul suffered many trials and had perfect reason to doubt or worry, he had committed his life and his ministry and the results of that to God. Sometimes I wonder about my own future, my own ministry and the little daily things in my life. Yet, I serve a God who is faithful to take care of what I put into His hands. By letting go of my own control, I am free to rejoice in His plan rather than trying to make things go my way. This is the very best way to live and to grow closer to God in the process.

Picking Up Your Towel

John 13:1b, 4-5 Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love….So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus is our ultimate model of a servant, and the story of his washing of the disciples’ feet is a prime example. Taking on a task typically assigned to the lowliest slave in the home, Jesus humbly bowed before each of his followers. He was the leader of these men, he was to become the Savior of the world, and he was God in the flesh, but he put these things aside to get down on his hands and knees and wash the dirty feet of his disciples.

This semester in my class called Biblical Servant Leadership we learned from Jesus’ example of what a true servant leader looks like. In our online sessions, each student had the opportunity to share a “Towel Experience”, a story of how we had the opportunity to practice humility and wash someone’s feet. This was very eye-opening for me to look at each day from the perspective of serving those around me. Most often the opportunities were very simple acts that required an attitude change on my part in order to meet the needs of those around me. I particularly had opportunities to serve in my office, as I looked for ways to go beyond the typical chores of my job and love the people God put in my path each day.

Recently I read another verse that goes along with the idea of using our “towel” as Jesus did and loving people. May this verse be an encouragement to you as you seek to serve and love the people God brings your way.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (The Message) Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

The Church in Action

Please allow me to vent for a moment. Last night in my Local Church on Mission class we presented our missional strategy papers. For my paper, I took the position of the missions pastor at my home church in Nebraska, describing the plan of action for my first 6 months on the job. My heart is to help people walk in obedience to Christ's commands including loving the people down the street as well as around the world.

One of the ideas I had for getting involved in the local community was a Sunday of Service, where instead of the regular worship service everyone was involved in some sort of work around the community. This might be raking leaves, shoveling snow, picking up trash or cleaning up a park area, or doing repairs. One, this builds unity within the church as people work alongside one another. Also, the community benefits by the work that is being done.

After my presentation, my professor made a comment to the class, cautioning everyone on the idea of a service project instead of the Sunday service. He said that if a church has called a pastor who is passionate about sharing God's word, this pastor should not be denied his preaching time on Sunday morning. If a pastor doesn't love to preach, this really isn't the kind of pastor a church should have.

Because of time (and being put on the spot) I wasn't able to offer much of a response. I did say that sometimes we can become legalistic about the way that we do church, and by doing something different this helps us keep a healthy perspective on what church is really about.

My professor didn't respond to this, and I haven't decided if I need to pursue the conversation further, but here are a few additional thoughts, now that I have had a little while to think it through. My question is, what is church really? Is it what happens on Sunday morning: 20 minutes of singing, passing the offering plate, and a 30 minute sermon? Or is the church the body of believers who meet together and live out Christ's commands to reach the lost? We are meant to be Christ's hands and feet in the world. Does this service project have to happen on Sunday morning? No, probably not. But I think it is helpful to see that worship is so much more than sitting in a pew with a hymnal. Preaching is great and essential for learning, but are we living out what is preached? Perhaps by working on Sunday morning we will run into people we wouldn't on another day. There are many people who would not feel comfortable darkening the door of a church, but might engage in conversation with us as we are picking up trash. Maybe showing people that Christianity is more about being than simply showing up at a building every Sunday morning will be a more effective testimony of our faith. Certainly a pastor could give up one of fifty-two Sundays in order to be a light in the community.

I am not advocating for canceling services all of the time or trying to take away the value of the pastor, however I think we need to open up the box and expand our idea of what church is all about. I'm not sure if I will get the chance to have this conversation with my professor, but it is something I care a lot about and will continue to ponder as I move forward.

Going Too Fast

It's a busy time of the semester when professors decide that every paper is due and every test should be taken. Grad school (I thought) is supposed to be about going deeper and thinking deeper about different issues and how they apply to our lives. I have the opportunity to write several "thinking" papers coming up, but I was realizing today that as I'm just trying to stay above water in the sea of the end of the semester, I'm probably just going through the motions and putting the effort into the papers only to get them done.

Life is like that sometimes too, don't you think? We are rushing forward and don't stop to ponder and reflect. Here we are, almost to Thanksgiving in 2010. What has all happened this year? Have you taken time to reflect on what God has done, how He has changed you and through what challenges He has brought you? I don't often take the time to see His hand at work, and just as I need to slow down and really digest my classes and what I need to put in my papers, I need to put everything on pause for a moment and see God's design in my life.

Field Trip to the Mosque

My Understanding Islam online class joined the traditional on-campus class last week for supper at a Middle Eastern restaurant and a tour of the Islamic Association of North Texas building, including the prayer area where Muslims conduct their ritual daily prayers.

Mosques are generally decorated simply especially in the US. Everyone took their shoes off at the entrance, and then we looked at the area where the Muslims perform their cleansing before they enter the prayer rooms.

The prayer room itself is simply a large, open room with lines on the floor. Following the call to prayer, the men all gather in the main room, lining up next to each other. A section of the Qur'an is read as the followers prepare their hearts for prayer. They go through a series of movements including kneeling down with their forehead to the floor as the Scripture is repeated.

I had been inside a mosque before but I had never seen the actual prayer time. It was interesting and really helped deepen my understanding of this part of Islam. I couldn't help wondering what the people were thinking as they went through the prayer sets. Were they just going through the motions, since they do them everyday? What were they thinking about, or what requests were they lifting up to God? We have learned in our class that Muslims and Christians do worship the same God, yet Muslims do not have the full understanding of who God really is. Because they don't accept Jesus as the Savior and Son of God, they don't see the whole picture. But I couldn't help wondering as I was watching if God heard their prayers just like I believe he hears mine.

I read this quote in a newsletter about the Turkish world, and it really fits with the heart of my class and what is becoming my understanding of Muslims.
Here it is:
It is gratifying that more people are waking up to the reality of Islam in our midst. Unfortunately, too often they are waking up with a bad attitude! Muslims are not the enemy. Jesus died for them, just like he died for you and me. Our response to them should be Christ-likeness, with a well-informed understanding of who Muslims are, the needs of their hearts, and strategic vision for reaching them with the Gospel.

I think my time at the mosque was helpful in gaining understanding and I hope that I can continue to look for how to reach the Muslims around me and around the world.

Go Big Red!

I have a lot of pride in my home state. I have noticed lately that I can get defensive when people from other parts of the US speak negatively about Nebraska or have misconceptions about the way of life there. This came to my attention in a big way as the Nebraska Cornhuskers prepared for the game against the Texas Longhorns. I follow football more because it is something of interest to my brother, and out of support for my home team, but I don’t normally get too excited about it. But because I live in Longhorn country now, I had a little more interest in this game.

As you may know, Nebraska played terribly in the game yesterday. It seemed like they could do nothing right. I was embarrassed for my state, and frustrated with how things were going. Finally, I turned off the game because I was getting too intense and anxious about the whole thing. I told myself, seriously, why is this a big deal? It’s just a game!

Well, here’s what I discovered. It had a become more than just a football game to me. For some reason, I guess because I live in Texas, this game was a chance for me to prove to the world that Nebraska is just as good of a state as any other. People do actually live there, they are actually educated and the whole state is not flat (you’d be amazed at some of the things people come up with!). I wanted to humble some of the folks down here who proclaim that they live in the best place on earth. But you know what, I was the one that was humbled. For one, my team was the one that took the beating! But I also realized that I can be proud of where I live without having to prove anything to anyone else. I will always love Nebraska because it’s my home. I have roamed those cornfields and fallen in love with those open spaces. I have gazed across the flatlands and driven through the many hills. I always breathe a sigh of relief when we cross the river and my plane lands in the little airport in Omaha. Maybe my football team didn’t win, and I had to bear the brunt of some teasing down here. But in the long run, it’s okay. Life will go on and I have learned a lesson through it all.