Making Disciples is Not Just for Super Christians
Not everyone is a "Super Christian." We don’t all have stories of how we glanced at the stranger seated next to us on the plane and led them to Jesus right there on the spot. Most of us are probably missing about 9 out of every 10 opportunities we have to share the Truth. (Wait! What opportunities?!)
Worse, in the unlikely event that we ever did lead someone to Jesus, we wouldn’t have the first clue what to do next. Maybe the pastor knows what to do? Sadly, maybe not.
Or, maybe you know how to “lead people to Christ” but you have never considered that the ultimate goal is actually to lead people toward Christ-likeness.
We may not all be Super Christians, but every Christian has been tasked with making disciples of all nations.
The New Normal: Every Disciple Making Disciples But is the mission even possible? Is it really true that every follower of Jesus is meant to make and multiply other followers of Jesus? Is it crazy to think you might make a disciple this year who will make a disciple next year?
I believe that if Jesus has given us a mission to make disciples of all nations, then he will give us the means to fulfill that mission.
Jesus did not give us an impossible mission. Well, according to Jesus it is impossible in our own strength. He reminds us of this when He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5)
It’s an impossible mission for a dead branch to make fruit, but when a healthy branch is connected to the vine, Jesus actually thinks that much fruit will be the result. Bearing fruit is normal for a vine with healthy branches.
Characteristics of a Dead Branch There are several reasons why a Christian might not be bearing fruit (Hint: It’s never a vine problem. It’s always a branch problem).
Here are a few characteristics of a dead or dying branch:
No Purpose - Jesus made the mission very clear in Matthew 28:18-20: “Go...make disciples of all nations.” Evaluate your life and determine how much of your time is spent pursuing that mission and how much is spent on other pursuits.
No Prayer – Are you devoted to prayer? Are you intentionally praying for your neighbor who is far from God? Look up Paul’s words in Colossians 4:2-5 and ask God to give you the same kind of desperation for “outsiders.” Dead branch Christians often have a dead prayer life.
No Preparation – Quick! Answer this question: “What is the reason for the Hope that is in you?” Peter tells us we always need to be ready to answer that question (1 Peter 3:15-16). Are you prepared to defend the faith? Are you prepared to answer questions? Are you prepared to articulate the Gospel in one minute? Three minutes? Thirty minutes? Start preparing now!
No Preaching – If you’ve never talked about Jesus, your friends will never know about Jesus. It’s simple: the Gospel is a message. Messages need to be communicated. Let stories about Jesus permeate your conversations every day (just don’t force it).
No Purity – It may be that you are caught up in sin and aren’t experiencing victory in your life. If your lifestyle conflicts with your message then no one will believe you. Ghandi said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Is this what Ghandi would say if he looked at your life?
No Perseverance – Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”
If we are going to pursue the mission it will take work, sacrifice, commitment, endurance, passion, and focus.
No Partnerships – None of the above will happen apart from community. When we’ve got a band of brothers (or sisters) who are on a journey together it’s easier to hold each other accountable. Superheroes often accomplish things on their own, but this isn’t a comic book - this is real life. In fact, it’s the abundant life that Jesus promised us. A dead branch lies there cold and alone on the ground. A living, healthy branch is connected to other branches through the vine.
If any of these characteristics describe your spiritual life, you will not bear fruit. You are a disconnected and dying branch. Jesus’ desire is that every branch would remain in Him and bear much fruit.
You may not be a "Super Christian" (whatever that is), but there might just be someone in your family or on your block that is far from God. Maybe, just maybe, God wants to use you to reach that one person. Making disciples is an impossible mission, should you choose to accept it. But don’t worry, Jesus knows you can do it with His help! Just stay connected to Him.
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Nathan Creitz (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is passionate about making disciples in a post-Christian context. He and his wife Kim and two children, Zoe and Zac, live in Queens, NY where about 2% of the people are followers of Jesus. They are planting churches in Queens that are within reach of at least 64 unreached people groups. Nathan often records his observations about making disciples in a post-Christian context at nathancreitz.net. Twitter: @nathancreitz
Seeking God's Vision for Marriage
Many of my friends walked down the wedding aisle to the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” The melody has an ethereal quality about it. And the lyrics— to say that the lyrics are meaningful would be a gross understatement. I want to walk through every day of my married life embracing the truths of this song in my heart.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art...
So many things clamor for my attention when I wake up every morning. Regardless of the busyness or dullness of the day, I want the greatest reality to hit me—that the God whose name is I AM is worthy of my praise, my thoughts, and my obedience.
Will the damp towels and clothes left strewn about the room from my husband’s morning routine matter to me when the atoning work of Christ on the cross is my vision for the day? In my husband’s case, leaving towels and clothes draped around the room is not an affront meant to hurt me. But, what if it was? Is God so clearly my vision that I could persist in clinging to His grace in Christ even when my marriage relationship is strained?
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light…
When the tragedies and discouragements of life threaten to overtake our marriage then I want to think on God’s faithfulness by day and by night. Will the urgency of the day’s demands weigh so heavily on my heart and bring out the nag in me when the indwelling Holy Spirit is my comfort and peace?
Waking or sleeping, God’s presence sheds light on how He does all things for His glory. We have no cause to fear the darkness. Today—right now—we can relate to one another by grace, hoping in the future grace to be shown to us in the last day when Christ returns.
In Ephesians Paul describes the marriage relationship as a reflection of the heavenly reality of Christ’s marriage to the church.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Ephesians 5:24-25
Paul goes on to quote Genesis 2:24 to underscore the significance of this mysterious relationship:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
No wonder the second stanza of “Be Thou My Vision” strikes such a chord with couples about to be united as one flesh:
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord…
I wonder if I could dub this song over the soundtrack on the VHS tape of our wedding. Or better yet, what if grace covered over the soundtrack of every petty argument, stray word, and rude remark I’ve ever made to my husband?
The great news is that Jesus has already done that. And He doesn’t just dub over the soundtrack of such things. He removes our sins from us as far away as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). By the shed blood of Christ, we are forgiven. The price for my peace-filled, joy-enjoying, grace-exchanging marriage is the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Who am I to scorn the sacrifice that Jesus made?--so I can hold onto my scoffing pride, self-righteous anger, and arrogant impatience toward my husband?
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one….
What a poetic reminder of the priority of fellowship with God and the preeminence of our relationships with Him as the foundation for our relationships with our spouses. The power that we need to love our spouses is supplied by God according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). In Christ, we can serve our partner with the strength that God supplies so that God gets the glory (1 Pet. 4:11).
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight; be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might…
My power for holiness is from God, and I see Him most clearly in His word, the Bible. The Bible says that God’s grace, not fear or regret, is the song of my life. It sounds like a Christian cliché to say, “We’re together at the foot of the cross.” But when we understand that what puts us at the mercy of God at the foot of the cross is our pervasive inability to love God and each other as we ought, then all of a sudden our sin isn’t so trite anymore.
My husband’s sin isn’t so harmless, either. We’re sinners married to sinners. We sin against each other, sometimes we’re in sin together, and we even leave our sin lying around for our spouse to stumble over. We must see ourselves together at the foot of the cross. Both of us need God to look favorably upon us through Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The blood that covers my sins is the same blood that covers my husband’s sins.
Even if I were not married to a Christian man… God has freely given His Son and offers to all the body and blood of His Son Jesus if we will repent and believe. Who am I, a sinner saved by grace, to look on anyone as more desperate for that grace than I am? If I have Jesus then all I know is grace and God’s future for me is grace upon grace. By that grace, we can love our spouses as God has instructed us.
Be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower: O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power…
And what of the millions of little, mundane things that occur each day? What about my sharp tongue, for example? If God did not withhold His only Son giving us all His riches in Christ Jesus, who am I to withhold words of kindness from my husband? Through Christ in me I can speak the truth in love as He commands and compels me. Instead of merely biting my tongue and avoiding hurtful words, by God's grace my tongue is loosed to edify and build up my husband instead.
When Jesus died on the cross He reconciled us to God and He wrote His song of reconciliation by grace across our entire lives. God has shown us grace and we can be conduits of grace to others.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise: be thou mine inheritance now and always…
The reward I am looking for in loving my husband is not bound up in how my husband responds to me. How our souls can be refreshed and our marriages strengthened when we believe: “Thou mine Inheritance, now and always; Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.” A godly husband is a gift from the Lord, and I do enjoy the gift God has given me. But the gift of my husband is meant to draw me to worship the Giver.
Because we are all so prone to worship our gifts, this hymn reminds us to pray, “Be thou and thou only the first in my heart; O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.”
“Be Thou My Vision” is an epic song to walk down the aisle to. The triumph of God’s grace in Christ is an even greater song to dance to by faith.
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Gloria Furman is a member of Redeemer Church of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where her husband Dave is the pastor. They have three children - Aliza, Norah, and Judson. Gloria blogs regularly at Domestic Kingdom.
Against Transactional Sanctification
I meet with a lot of people – that comes with the calling to be a pastor. So I spend a good amount of time in coffee shops and restaurants, talking about the gospel and how it interfaces with our lives. As I meet with folks, I tend to find myself having the same conversation a lot. Multiple times a week. It’s not the exact same conversation - the names and details are different - but the bottom line doesn't change. The thing they struggle with is really familiar because it’s the same thing I struggle with every single day. (And I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe you do too…) Here it is: I tend to view my relationship with God as a series of transactions. We could call this “Transactional Sanctification.”
Think about the last time you went shopping - for groceries, batteries for the remote, a sweet iPhone that just got replaced with an even sweeter one… whatever. It probably went down something like this: You drove to the store, found the items you wanted, walked up to the counter, and the salesperson rang them up. After getting your total, you pulled out your card/cash/checkbook, transferred money from your account to theirs, they gave you part of their inventory, and you went home. (Unless you didn’t have enough cash or your card was declined - in which case you went home empty-handed and embarrassed.) Repeat as needed.
It’s amazing how much we tend to view God like that. I do things for God, God does things for me. I don’t do the right things for God, God doesn’t do things for me. Now, most of us wouldn’t say it anything like that – but it’s at the core of how we think. If we’ve been around church long enough, we’ve learned to use the language of grace, but most of us are still trying to figure out how to dance to its rhythm.
Let me give you an example. Awhile back, I was meeting with a guy from our church over breakfast. We talked about how he was feeling distant from his wife and how things have been pretty chaotic in his business. Immediately, he follows up by explaining he hasn’t been praying very much, not to mention the fact that he drank a little too much on a fishing trip last weekend. After thinking for a minute, he looks at me and says, “I guess it makes sense.”
You see the formula there, right? Life – consistent prayer + getting drunk = God not giving me peace at work or at home. Now, of course obedience and prayer are important, but could it be that work is crazy just because it is? Could it be that his wife is just going through a lot at her own job, and when you combine his work stress and hers it makes for a pretty rough stretch at home?
Let’s try another example – this one is for all of us pastors. I was reading about a church recently that has experienced unbelievable numeric growth over the past few years. The church is only a couple years old and has several thousand people attending worship. In a recent conversation about this particular church, I listened to two other pastors talking about why this church has grown so quickly. The answer given? ”I’ve heard that (Name of Pastor from Growing Church) spends a ridiculous amount of time in prayer. That guy is with Jesus A LOT, and Jesus shows up in their church.”
Now, I have no doubt that this particular pastor loves Jesus with all his heart and spends tons of time with him. But did you catch the formula? Pastor who loves Jesus + spends lots of time in prayer = God blesses their church with tons of people attending. You do something for God, then God does stuff for you.
Here’s the problem – it doesn’t work that way. Think about all the pastors whose churches aren’t exploding with attendance growth. What do they hear in the above conversation? ”I guess if I just pray more maybe my church will grow too. Maybe the reason we’re not seeing similar results is because I haven’t been committed enough to Jesus. Maybe I need to REALLY get serious about prayer – maybe then God will bless our church.” (I won’t tell you how many times I’ve had that very conversation with myself – in my head and in my journal.)
Transactional sanctification always leads to despair – when you don’t see the results you want, it’s obviously because you didn’t pay a high enough price. If you would only try harder, not screw up so much, and have more faith like all those other people who it seems to be working for, then maybe God would bless you.
As I meet with people, I remind them (and myself) that we are completely loved, accepted, and perfect in Jesus. God is a transactional God, but the transaction has already been completed – at the cost of the very life of Jesus. There is nothing more I can add to it or take away from it. My standing with God is secure – regardless of the “success” of my ministry, family, or career. Can you imagine the freedom and peace that would come if we could truly live out this belief?
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Bill Streger serves as the Lead Pastor of Kaleo Church, an Acts 29 Network church in Houston, TX. Born and raised in Houston, he attended Houston Baptist University and is currently pursuing his M.Div. from Reformed Baptist Seminary. Bill is a husband to Shannon, daddy to Mirabelle and Levi, and a life-long Houston Rockets fan. Twitter @billstreger
Meditating on God's Word - Memorization
This article is part of the ongoing series Meditating on God's Word. Meditate on the Word by Memorizing It
I don’t know of a single exercise that is more rewarding and enriching for me than memorizing God’s Word. I agree with Dallas Willard:
Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.”[1]
Of course, I’m not talking about just knowing a verse or two. Many people can quote parts of the Bible (even Satan can quote scripture), but very few “let the Word of Christ dwell in [them] richly,” (Col. 3:16). The place for knowing Scripture is in your heart. The Psalmist says, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you,” (Ps. 119:11, emphasis added). So, what I’m referring to here is memorization that is coupled with meditation; that is, mulling over the verse or passage that you’re trying to memorize so that it saturates your heart.
After all, “to meditate,” according to the Psalmist in Psalm 1, (“on his law does he meditate day and night”) means to “mutter” or “mumble.” “Meditate” is an onomatopoeic word that imitates the low sound of murmuring or muttering. The same word is used in Psalm 2:1 negatively, where the Psalmist says, “the peoples plot in vain.” The word for "plot" is the same root word for “meditate” in Psalm 1:2. Just as conspirators whisper and murmur and plan evil, the blessed person whispers and mumbles God’s Word. A primary way to mumble or whisper God’s Word to yourself day and night is by memorizing it, so that you can carry it with you all day. The Psalmist says: "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day," (Ps. 119:97).
Four Benefits of Scripture Memorization:
1. Memorize Scripture to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. If you compare Colossians 3:16-17 with Ephesians 5:18-21, you will notice that they are very similar. The results of “letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col. 3:16) and “being filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18b) are practically the same. In other words, I think there is a connection with letting the Word dwell in you richly and living under the control of the Spirit. And, I would certainly say this is true from experience. When I have wonderful experiences in God’s Word, and I’m constantly thinking on the scriptures I’m memorizing, I am more prone to walk by the Spirit in my daily interactions. God’s Word and Spirit always go together.
2. Memorize Scripture to pursue purity. As the Psalmist says: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word," (Psalm 119:9). Even though this question was penned over twenty-five hundred years ago, it’s still a critical question for every generation: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” And after twenty-five hundred years, the answer is still the same: by living according to the Word. By what method did David attempt to fill his mind with God’s Word? Verse 11: “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Scripture memory has an amazing purifying effect. R. Kent Hughes testifies, “I have seen the disciplined memorization of 1 Thessalonians [a passage on sexual purity] change a man’s life.”[2] Pursue the glory of God and a life of purity by memorizing God’s Word.
3. Memorize Scripture to help you fight against Satan. Jesus modeled this for us in his wilderness experience. In response to Satan’s temptations, Jesus quoted God’s Word. Likewise, as Paul is listing the battle gear for spiritual soldiers, he talks about taking up the weapon of “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:17). How will you go through the battle without a sword in your hand? Luther said:
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.
Sadly, Christians often treat the sword of the Spirit like an old sword in a museum. We admire the ancient weapon. We notice its beauty. We see it placed in a place of honor. But we deem it practically useless for modern warfare. Don’t we need some different weapons now in this sophisticated age? No. There is nothing out-of-date about God’s Word. You need it to overcome your enemy. Your weapons are prayer in the Spirit and the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17-18).
4. Scripture memory makes meditation possible when you can’t read the Bible. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided to try to memorize a book of the Bible. I had memorized several verses, but I was challenged to memorize Ephesians. I had a daily commute of about thirty minutes, and it became a rich time for me, as I pulled onto the interstate and said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has....” I was able to take my copy of the Bible with me. Often in the morning, when I’m getting ready to leave or as I’m looking out the window, or when letting my dog (Titus) outside, I’ll quote Psalm 46 or Psalm 103. God is good to us in giving us the capacity to memorize. People memorize all kinds of things, from statistics on baseball cards, to Nintendo passwords to phone numbers.
I once asked our congregation that if they were kidnapped on a mission trip and had their Bibles taken from them, would they be able to teach Ephesians from memory? God told Joshua to not let the book depart from him (Josh. 1:8). How was he to do this? He didn’t have a “pocket Bible.” Joshua was to carry it in his heart. Take your Bible with you by having it in your heart.
This kind of kind of memorization will help you give counsel to people, as well. Proverbs speaks a lot about the mouth of the wise and the effective use of timely words. For example, the author says:
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)
How can you speak God’s Word to people if you don’t know it? I have personally been amazed at how often passages that I’m thinking on become a source of encouragement, rebuke, instruction, warning, or comfort to people during the course of the day. The Psalmist says:
Your testimonies are my delight; They are my counselors. (Psalm 119:24)
God’s Word gives counsel. And God will use you to give counsel from his word if you will store it up in your heart.
Of course, the most important means of counsel to give a person is how to know Jesus Christ and have eternal life (John 17:3). Since, you may not have a Bible with you at all times, it is critically important that you know the Scriptures well enough to share the Gospel with someone. Scripture memory equips you for evangelistic witness.
Two Suggestions for Beginning the Exercise of Scripture Memory:
Make Time to Memorize Scripture. You aren’t too busy for this. I find it interesting that one of the busiest people of his time, William Wilberforce, who helped abolish slavery in England, was able to memorize Psalm 119. He wrote in his diary 1819, “Walked from Hyde park Corner, repeating the Psalm 119 in great comfort.” Surely if a guy as busy as Wilberforce, can memorize Scripture, we can as well on our morning walks or commutes.
True, not everyone will memorize Psalm 119 or even entire books of the New Testament. That’s not my point. My point is filling your mind with the Word of Christ. Challenge yourself. If you have a terribly hard time memorizing a verse, then stay with a verse. If you can do a verse, go for a passage. If you can do a passage, go for a chapter or a book. The reward will be worth the effort.
Practice Scripture Memory Everyday. You have to review or you will be prone to lose what you memorized. Don’t do Scripture memory like college students cram for a test. Do it like a disciplined athlete, who works out everyday. Start with a review of yesterday and add to it every day. If you miss a day, which you’ll do, just pick up and keep going. As you review and memorize everyday, consider writing it down, or sitting down and trying to type it on the computer without looking at your Bible. I think you will also increase your ability to memorize large portions of Scripture if you will say it out loud, as well. Above all, never doubt the value of memorizing God’s Word.
[1] Dallas Willard, “Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, 7. [2] R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man, rev. ed. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001), 29.
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Tony Merida serves as the Lead Pastor of Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC and as the Associate Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Kimberly, with whom he has five children. Tony is the co-author of Orphanology and author of Faithful Preaching. He travels and speaks all over the world at various events, especially pastor’s conferences, orphan care events, and youth/college conferences.
Spirit-Empowered, Integrated Discipleship [video]
This part 2 in a series of video interviews about the book Gospel-Centered Discipleship. In this video, Matt Chandler interviews Jonathan Dodson about the concept of Integrated Discipleship laid out in his book Gospel-Centered Discipleship.
Forgiveness Is Not Semantics
The world often claims that authentic, unhindered friendship is not only unrealistic but not that important. I have come across very Godly and mature believers who are also confused on this important matter of community. We must get back to making authentic friendships essential as we disciple others—teaching and living-out this truth. Christ tells us to forgive others just as our heavenly Father forgives us (Mt. 6:14-15):
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Let's look at how this concept plays out in our society and if it helps relationships or not. When we sin against someone, we'd much rather free ourselves from that wrongdoing so we say things such as "My bad," or "I didn't mean to do it." We’re trying to say what we've done is really a cosmic whoops versus Sin. The person who was wronged often responds by saying, "No problem, everyone makes mistakes," or "Don't worry about it." The wronged party returns the favor by passively retracting any ownership that they might have in the process of reconciliation.
Alarmingly, this interaction becomes the norm for our relationships. The result is that trust is never truly built, safety is never restored, and we are able to throw past problems back at each other. This is why bitterness creeps in, and we begin to paint a false picture of each other. This is also why people are pegged as harsh and unloving when they call a sin, a Sin. It’s simply not the norm in our culture. Is it unloving? Or is it redemptive?
We like to think that forgiveness is dispensed by a super-gracious God with no strings attached. This is not altogether true. Although forgiveness is free and God is super-gracious, Christ has said it must be given to be received. I propose that by the definition of the cross, forgiveness is always available but only instituted when we realize we have wronged a Holy God and ask God for His forgiveness. God forgives, but we have to admit we need forgiveness and forgive others in turn. God doesn't take the "no big deal" route, nor does he let us say "Oops, my fault." In the same way, as we follow Jesus' model and obey his command, we must concede that there are two people in the relationship. Both people are needed for the relationship to be brought from brokenness to wholeness.
So what does it look like to practically take our cues from Jesus in the area of receiving and forgiving people?
When we wrong someone we do the following:
- We don't make excuses or justification.
- We clearly admit the sin and name the sin.
- We ask for the other person to forgive us (modeling that they are an important part of the reconciliation process).
The person who has been wronged now has the opportunity to do two things:
- Take the person off the hook by extending forgiveness (Mt. 6:14-15).
- Encourage the person being forgiven that their wrong doing will not be connected to them during the rest of the relationship (1Cor. 13:5).
I must warn you, people like to hear this theologically, but when you hold them accountable they might not be so appreciative. To enact this gospel-centered principle as we disciple others, we must first build conviction from Christ’s instruction and then plead with the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we build authentic friendships. In fact, this negotiation of true repentance and forgiveness is a critical key to authentic friendships. In modeling Christ’s instruction for forgiveness, we are fighting for a major truth of genuine gospel-centered fellowship.
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Eric Russ is compelled by gospel-transformation in the city and author of Discipleship Defined. He and his wife Sara along with a dedicated team of friends moved to Detroit's east side and founded Mack Avenue Community Church, where he serves as lead pastor. Discipleship is the heartbeat of their ministry. Twitter: @EricRuss76
For The City
A Gospel-Saturated Church
A gospel-saturated church is a church that soaks in the Scriptures and is saturated with the gospel. The gospel message penetrates down deep into the church, like a marinade that flavors and tenderizes a piece of meat. A gospel-saturated church then takes the gospel into its culture.
A gospel-saturated congregation proclaims that Jesus is Lord. The fundamental claim of Christianity is summed up by Paul in Romans 11:36. “From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Of course, the “him” is Jesus, and the radical nature of such a statement cannot be overemphasized. As Alan Hirsch says well, proclaiming that Jesus is comprehensively Lord, the one who reigns over every area of everything, touches “the epicenter of the biblical consciousness of God to which we must return if we are to renew the church in our day.”
A gospel-saturated congregation distills Christian life to a simple form: Jesus is Lord over every area of individual and corporate life. In other words, there is no safe haven from the scandalous invasion of Christ on any and every other claim to a Christian’s loyalty. Not only does the radical claim of Jesus’ lordship shape the theology, life, and practice of the church, but its simplicity makes it easy to pass on.
A gospel-saturated congregation knows itself, and therefore it knows how to enter into culture without losing its Christian distinctiveness. By telling, retelling, and rehearsing the true story of human longing and fulfillment found only in the gospel, followers of Jesus know their true identity in Christ and are able to interpret the prevailing cultural ethic, ideas, philosophies, art, and stories in light of the gospel. Therefore, modern-day missionaries maintain appropriate moral boundaries within culture because they view prevailing cultural values with healthy skepticism. Good missionaries see how cultural values serve merely to point people toward the ultimate fulfillment and purpose that is only found in Christ.
A gospel-saturated congregation knows its neighborhood. It knows how the people they are trying to reach define “good news.” They ask questions like:
- What are the dominant values of this neighborhood and how does the gospel redeem or reject these values?
- What are the “third places” in my neighborhood where people gather for community and conversation?
- What are the unique political, zoning, educational, and commercial concerns of the people in my neighborhood?
A gospel-saturated church is a church that exists not for itself but for its city, neighborhood, and block. In fact, the whole point of contextualization is to determine how the folks in a given context might most naturally understand and receive the gospel. Contextualization is an inherently “other-centered” exercise because it forces a missionary to consider those outside the church in order to provide a welcoming environment for them inside the church. A church for its city must continuously assess whether it is accounting for the uniqueness and eccentricities of its neighborhoods as it seeks to minister to it.
A church for its city contextualizes the gospel to those they want to reach, even if the target group is not yet represented within the congregation. It’s what I call the “Field of Dreams Principle:” If you preach it, they will come.” In other words, if you preach as if there are non-Christians in your seats, soon there will be. If you preach as if there are artists or jocks or young parents or movie buffs in your church, there soon will be. This is the beauty of preaching the pure gospel. It is always for the benefit of believers and nonbelievers. If Christians are to grow, they need to hear and apply the gospel. If those far from God are to be brought near, they need to hear and apply the gospel.
Churches must return, again and again, to the heart of the gospel for renewal and for empowerment in order to proclaim it confidently to the culture. A gospel-saturated church seeking the good of its city will continually return to these five principles. This is a continuous process, not simply a one-time event. A church that fails to reflect on these key questions will eventually move away from the gospel and begin following a cultural agenda or the personal agenda of its leaders. Either way, they will have lost the heart of God’s agenda—gospel truth delivered to the culture through the church, in a way that leads to transformation and renewal.
This is an excerpt adapted from Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick’s book, For The City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel.
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Matt Carter is the senior pastor of Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas, one of the fastest growing churches in America. Matt currently lives in Austin with his wife, Jennifer, and his three children, John Daniel, Annie, and Samuel.
Darrin Patrick is lead pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis, Missouri, which he planted in 2002 and currently has over three thousand people and five campuses. He is also the vice president of Acts 29, a missional church-planting network. He has been married to his wife, Amie, since 1993 and has four children, Glory, Gracie, Drew, and Delainey.
The Gospel & The Great Commandment
In the commissioning of his followers to make disciples, Jesus made it clear that an integral part of discipleship is “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” If you’re going to teach someone to obey all that Jesus commanded, you might as well start with the most important commandment.
In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is engaged in a conversation with a Pharisee who asked:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
How much of our disciple-making effort revolves around this simple (but difficult) command to love God? Do we begin with this command? Do we emphasize it enough? In the lives of those whom we are discipling, do we ask questions concerning love for God?
As with every command in scripture, the gospel should be the ultimate motivator compelling us to obedience. Clearly the gospel encompasses much more than the doctrine of the love of God, but for the purposes of this discussion, I’ll encapsulate the meaning of “the gospel” with the phrase “he loved us” from 1 John 4:10.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
God…loves…us. The very thought should take our breath away.
God loves us, and that love has ultimately resulted in Jesus exchanging our sin for his righteousness. “But God demonstrates his love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.”
“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons.”
In a nutshell, the gospel is “he loved us.”
God loves us. God loves us. He loves us!
The initial (and inevitable) response to this love is love for God.
The recent increased focus on gospel-centrality has been extremely instructive in helping us correct our wrong actions. We’ve discovered that our wrong actions are driven by wrong beliefs. When we sin, we understand that we are “not believing the gospel.” We’ve become familiar with Luther’s observation about the ten commandments: If you break #2 through #10, it’s because you broke #1 first. This is true and helpful.
However, those of us who swim in the waters of gospel-centrality have not always done a great job of pointing out the positive effects of believing the gospel. I know when I sin I’m not believing the gospel, but what should it look like when I am? At the risk of sounding ridiculously simple, I believe the answer is…love God.
When I believe the gospel, I will love God. I will be filled with gratitude and joy, but that gratitude will have a direction (God-ward) and that joy will have an object (the Father). The gospel propels me to say, “God, I love you!”
On the heels of that declaration will come the express desire to obey. “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” Being awash in the love of God elicits a pledge of devotion, a glad desire to obey the Father. “God, I love you and want to do whatever you say!”
Is there a clearer example of this than Jesus himself? Everything Jesus did was motivated by his love for the Father. Disciples walk in the ways of Jesus. This involves not only right actions, but right motives as well. It was love for God that drove Jesus to pray, “Not my will, but yours be done.” God, I love you and want to do whatever you say!
And his first marching order for us has already been issued. Love others, the second most important command according to Jesus. In some ways (and again, at the risk of sounding ridiculously simple), this command encompasses the rest of life. Shouldn’t everything we do be motivated by love for God primarily and love for people secondarily? Can you think of anything you would do, prompted by the Spirit, that would not somehow benefit another person?
Whether you are teaching or counseling or sending email or cooking dinner or returning phone calls or doing laundry or running errands or pursuing a girl or writing a blog post, your motive should be love for God. “God, in response to what you have done for me, I declare my love for you. I engage in this activity for you. I love you, and want to obey you!”
So when the single men in our community want to pursue a girl, I remind them to do it primarily because they love God and want to obey him. This keeps the whole endeavor about God and not about the girl, which more than likely is really another way of saying “not about the single guy’s ego." I’ll ask, “Do you believe the Father is leading you to do this? Is your motive to love and obey him? Is your motive to bless her as a sister regardless of her response?”
Or when a young leader is discouraged because the people in his missional community are not responding, I’ll remind him that he leads because he loves God, not because he expects a particular response from the people he’s leading. Obviously, we pray and hope for a response, but we don’t lead only so people will respond. We lead because we love (and we love because he loves us). “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
If our motivation in any area of life-work, marriage, parenting, or leadership is connected to an expected outcome, then we are actually serving ourselves and not other people. We are using them to get something we want (power, position, acceptance, love, etc.). Only when we serve out of love for God can we truly love people.
Perhaps this is why Jesus said that love for God and love for people were the most important commandments. What more important commandments could we encourage a disciple to obey? And what a better way to live a life in response to the gospel than to love God and love others!
Let the gospel (he loves us) be the motive (love God) for all that we do (love others).
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Abe Meysenburg serves as a pastor and elder with Soma Communities in Tacoma, WA. After living in the Midwest for most of their lives, he and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Tacoma in the summer of 1999. In 2001, after working as a Starbucks manager for a few years, Abe helped start The Sound Community Church, which then became a part of Soma Communities in May 2007.
Good Friday
In anticipation of Good Friday and in remembrance of the Giver of the gospel, we at Gospel Centered Discipleship offer this simple liturgy. God bless you and keep you all. May you live out the good news of God's infinite love to those around you this Easter.
The Last Supper
The sun sank over the olive groves in the west, and across Jerusalem the doorways were smeared with sacrificial blood. This was Passover, the culmination of high holy week, and though the city was ruled by Rome—occupied by soldiers under the command of procurator Pontius Pilate—families gathered to remember how Jehovah had liberated their ancestors.
When the table had been set and all of His followers had assembled, Jesus—who had been their Rabbi, their Lord—took a towel and a basin of water and washed the feet of His followers. They questioned this: it was a chore for a servant.
But, Jesus continued the task, saying, “You are right to call me Rabbi and Lord, but I tell you a servant is not greater than his master. A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.”
Then the group took their places at the table, and as they passed the matzo, the unleavened bread, Jesus said, “One of you will betray me.”
His followers were horrified. It confirmed their fears. Hadn’t they heard rumors in Jerusalem? Weren’t the religious leaders conspiring in the temple? But, betrayal by a follower—this was unthinkable. Each questioned Him, saying, “Not me, Rabbi. Tell me it’s not me.”
Jesus looked at Judas, who had already received his blood money from the conspirators.
He said, “Go. Buy what we need for the feast.”
And, Judas went out into the night.
Then Jesus took the matzo and blessed it and broke it and gave it to each of His followers, saying, “This is my body, broken for you. Take it and eat.”
He took the Passover cup of new wine and gave thanks to Jehovah God and offered it to His followers, saying, “This is my blood—the blood of the covenant, which is shed in atonement for many, for the forgiveness of sins.”
His followers did as He instructed, and Jesus said, “I will not eat or drink with you again until we meet in my Father’s house. After I’m gone, you will have each other. Continue to offer this bread and this wine in remembrance of me. You must love one another just as I have loved you. By this simple act, the whole world will know you are My followers.”
Prayer
Jesus, unite us in fellowship as we draw closer to You Unite us in communion by the power of Your Holy Spirit.
Jesus, blessed is Your name on high. Your love for us is infinite. Jesus, let us love one another as we know You love us.
To know this love, Jesus, to know the love of Your Father, to know Your Holy Spirit here among us now. This is eternal life. Hallelujah. Amen.
The Trial
That night Jesus walked with his followers through the olive groves of the Kidron Valley. Many of them were worried, and Peter approached Him to say, “Rabbi, I will stay with you through any difficulty.”
But, Jesus told him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.”
The hour was late. They rested in a garden outside the temple walls. Jesus often came to this spot to pray, and this was where Judas led the mob. They found Jesus, surrounded by a group of drowsy followers who all fled when they saw the swords and clubs of the crowd. Only Jesus remained.
Judas walked up to Him, saying, “Rabbi,” and kissed Jesus on the cheek.
Then the mob seized Him and brought Jesus to the religious conspirators. They proceeded to accuse him without due process of the law. Jesus listened to the accusations but said nothing.
Caiaphas, the High Priest, asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?”
Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Caiaphas tore his garments and screamed, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy.”
At the first light of day, they hauled Him to the Roman court. Pilate questioned Jesus and found Him blameless, but the crowd began chanting, “Crucify him. Crucify him.”
To avoid a riot, Pilate washed his hands of the business and sentenced Jesus to death.
Jesus’ trial is troubling from a legal standpoint. Jewish law prohibited the opening of a trial at night. Jesus was assigned no defender. The allegation of blasphemy was not a capital offense, and trials for capital offenses required at least two days. Under Roman law, Jesus was found innocent, and yet he was sentenced with the most extreme penalty of the law simply to keep the peace. In other words, these proceedings were not merely unjust—the trial was illegal. Worse still, Jesus was abandoned by his closest followers. Even Peter denied Him three times, cursing and insisting that he didn’t know Jesus.
Prayer
Jesus, You were a laughing stock to people who did not know You. Jesus, You were outlawed from human company. You were accused like a common thief.
Jesus, we have betrayed You to mockery, injustice, and disbelief. Jesus, we have belittled You. We have made much of ourselves.
We cry out to You, Lord Jesus. You understand our suffering and sorrow. Give us strength to remain in You Even in our own final dreadful trial. Amen.
The Execution
Following Pilate’s orders, the Roman troops took Jesus into the praetorium, stripped Him naked, and forced a crown of thorns onto His head. They beat Him with a barbed whip, flaying the skin off His back. As He stood there bleeding and trembling in shock, the soldiers laughed, bowing and calling Him your majesty.
Once they were bored with this sport, the soldiers forced Jesus to march through the city streets, dragging the cross on which they would execute Him. He was weakened by the beating. So the soldiers forced a passerby to carry the cross. In this way, they went to a rock quarry east of the city, a place called Golgotha because it looked like a human skull. There the soldiers tied Jesus’ arms to the cross and drove long metal spikes between the two bones of his forearms. His feet they pinned together with a single metal spike through bones of His ankles. Then they lifted the cross into the air, dropping the base into a hole, and left Him there to die.
Death by crucifixion is slow. The body gradually suffocates. In order to draw breath, Jesus had to lift Himself by the nails piercing His arms and legs.
A crowd gathered to mock Him, shouting, “You’re the Son of God. Come down off that cross.” The carrion birds circled overhead. Dogs waited beneath.
After several hours of agony, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and bowed His head and gave up His Spirit. The soldiers thrust a spear through his abdomen into his heart and lungs, and He was officially declared dead.
Prayer
Jesus, You are the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For You Jesus all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things have been created through You and for You.
Jesus, You are before all things, and in You all things hold together. You are the head of the body, the church. You are the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead.
Jesus, God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in You. Through You we are reconciled. You made peace through Your blood, shed on the cross. Jesus, in our sin, we were once Your enemies. In Your grace, we are now Your Brothers and Sisters.
By Your atonement alone we are holy in God’s sight. In You alone, We are without blemish, free from accusation. Lord let us continue in faith, established and firm, Lord Jesus, give us strength to remain forever in the hope held out in the gospel. Hallelujah. Amen.
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Ben Roberts is the Managing Editor of Gospel Centered Discipleship, a member of Austin City Life, and a follower of Christ. He rents in amazingly ugly house in Windsor Park where he lives with his wife (Jessica), son (Solomon), dog (Charles Bronson II), and two very angry chickens. A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers, he is currently working on a novel. Twitter @GCDiscipleship
The Giver is the Gift
Imagine a husband and wife. They have a very happy family. The husband regularly gives the wife gifts, surprising her with flowers, cards, and time away from the kids so she can read her favorite book at the local coffee shop. He takes time to play with his children and loves to make them laugh when they wrestle on the floor.
The husband earns a fair amount of money and can afford to provide for all the material needs of his family well beyond necessities. The kids have a huge yard to play in. The wife has a great car to drive. They go on nice vacations. The wife has beautiful jewelry and a closet full of complimentary clothes. All is well.
Then tragically the husband dies in a car crash while away on a business trip. The integrity of the family unravels in light of the loss. They can’t quite figure out how to move forward.
After his death, will his family focus on the fact that he won’t be around anymore to provide such great gifts?
How odd would it be if the family simply continued on business as usual. How odd would it be if one of their close friends asked them, “How are you getting along after your loss?” and they said, “We are doing just fine. We still have all the stuff he bought us. We don’t miss him at all!”
Sure, those gifts were nice, but a million times more than their desire for those gifts they'd just want him back. They would give up all the vacations, toys in the yard, and precious jewelry to have him back. Him and him alone. They want him. His gifts don’t matter in the least if they can’t have him.
This is how God wants us to yearn for Him. Him and Him alone. Not His gifts but the Giver. And the greatest news in the world is that if you want Him, you can have Him, and no car crash will ever take Him away from you.
What do you want most?
More than any other gift, God loves to give Himself. Would you care if God was taken away, but you still received all His blessings? God is most interested in giving you Himself.
That is what He wants to give.
Do you want it?
What if I recognize that my desires are not as they should be?
As we approach Easter, three responses are especially appropriate.
1. Repent of your lack of desire of God. Confess it to Him.
2. Pray that God will adjust your desires and make your heart seek Him as the ultimate priority. Plead with Him for the great mercy of seeing Jesus as supremely valuable over all else.
3. Continue to pursue God by faith even when you don’t “feel it,” knowing that oftentimes it is the process of continuing in obedience (Bible reading, praying, discipling, etc.) that actually adjusts our desires to the way they should be.
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Zach Nielsen is one of the pastors at The Vine Church in Madison, Wisconsin, where he serves in the areas of preaching, leadership development and music. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Covenant Theological Seminary and blogs at Take Your Vitamin Z. Twitter at @znielsen.
Gospel Transformation vs. Moral Reformation
Kaleo Church has recently joined the historical and universal church by plunging into the great book of Acts. As we’ve looked week after week at the vast release of energy that empowered the early church I purposely chose a word, which to me, seems to best describe what we’re attempting here in San Diego. We’ve been using the word 'transformission' regularly over these last few weeks. I want to describe what we’re thinking.
1. Gospel transformation is different from moral reformation. It is absolutely possible, and even common, for newer and older Christians to assume that to believe the gospel means you’ve become a moral/pious person. I’m certainly not suggesting that moral piety does not result from gospel transformation, but moral piety doesn’t need gospel transformation to occur, nor does it ensure that a deep heart transformation has taken place.
I know quite a few ‘moral’ atheists, Mormons, Jews, and a others who outwardly make Christians appear immoral. Moral reformation is not ultimately the goal of the Christian. The goal of the Christian is a love for God, which can only come from a transformed heart by grace. When moral reformation is the fuel and goal, the heart will seize like an engine without oil. The human heart is made to run on grace not legalism.
Gospel transformation both creates and causes obedience from the heart. The gospel works from the inside-out. Moral reformation creates insecurity and hypocritical criticism of others in part because we're attempting to win God’s favor through performance. Moral reformation works from the outside-in.
Moral reformation says “believe in Christ, obey God’s law, have favor with God,” but gospel transformation says “believe in Christ, have favor with God, and obey out of gratitude.” Never the twain shall meet. These two are not simply different forms of the same religion, but different religions entirely. God’s infinite worth and favor are not easily bought by finite, self-righteous deeds. The only hope for a changed life is a changed heart - one that learns to beat in the rhythm of grace.
Moral reformation brings death and decay whereas gospel transformation brings life and health.
2. Gospel transformation is not a cul-de-sac. There is a tendency for us to become morbidly introspective when we begin to look at the functional messiahs and idols of our heart. As we learn how to preach the gospel to ourselves and to one another, it becomes obvious that this deep introspection can immobilize us with analysis paralysis. We begin to question every deed we do, every word we say, every thought we think, and soon realize that we have very few pure motives and even fewer altruistic deeds. Without the gospel bringing us up the slope of faith (to see that our failures must lead us to faith in Christ who did not fail), we end up in deep repentance, which does not turn into renewed faith. Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. To turn from sin means we’re now turning to something else in faith. It does not mean that you see the sin and repent of your motives or deeds only to stay stuck in inactivity for the sake of true repentance. True repentance is the turning of our hearts and minds away from what displeases God to what pleases Him, namely Christ our Lord.
Without the joy of looking to Christ in faith, we have not truly experienced the joy repentance brings.
My main concern is that gospel transformation - without leading us to joy in Christ and the desire for others to delight in Christ - is not true transformation. Why does God forgive us of our sins? - is it so we can stay isolated and alone? No, God forgives us so we can live as Kingdom citizens giving a preview to the world of what it looks like to be a child of the Father living with a new identity. We are freed from our sin to have communion with God - to be sent into the world. If communion with God does not cause our hearts to break for those He’s made, we are only using God as a currency to purchase things we want (peace, security, hope, joy, mended relationships, etc.). This is not what God has planned for our world. God sent His Son into this world on a mission to reclaim all things for Himself. He desires to redeem all marred, lost, and broken souls. We are, after all, created in His image, and we need to be about our Father’s business - not our own. This means we must seek after that which brings God pleasure and is aligned with His will. Every day God allows the clock to tick on in patience as He delays consummation for the purpose of bringing in the full number of His own. God’s loving patience gives us another day to seek after the lost on His behalf.
If gospel transformation does not cause us to be courageously freed on mission, we are missing something in the gospel. The gospel is “good news” not good advice, not good deeds shown by good people. Of course the gospel must be shown in deed, and of course the gospel informs our lives, but it is news to be spoken, taught, declared, and proclaimed. This can happen in a variety of ways, but it means that the good news must keep moving in and through us, empowering change in the lives of others.
Gospel transformation should really be called gospel “transformission” because it is the heart changed by grace and set loose into the world for the sake of the lost on behalf of our God. We must be the church in the world for the world. If not, the gospel has been relegated to a personal “get out of hell free” card as the rest of God’s creation groans under the burden and agony of sin. Gospel transformission shows us that the gospel is not finished with us but is moving. It is dynamic and not static. It is public and powerful. Not private and impotent.
So, when thinking through what it means to be changed by the gospel, it’s important that we have our eyes on God and the ways He's working through us to redeem the world. This will orient our thoughts, feels, and acts. Transformissional living keeps all three flowing in an interdependent way. Without a gospel that transforms our hearts to be loosed on mission, we are missing out on the joy of living God’s story, which is the only story we should seek.
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David Fairchild was the co-founder and preaching elder of Kaleo Church in San Diego and now serves as the Lead Pastor of Mars Hill West Seattle as well as a founding member of The GCM Collective. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Grace, and their two children, Michael and Madison.
Intolerance: Reasons It's Difficult to Share Faith
It can be difficult to share our faith. Sometimes when opportunities arise to share our faith, we shrink back because we don't want to be intolerant. We don't want to come across as demeaning of other's beliefs or exclusivist in our own beliefs. This can be very positive concern, though it has some shortcomings too.
Tolerance as Christian Love
Tolerance can be either an expression of Christian love or intellectual and relational carelessness. How do you know if your tolerance is loving or careless? It depends on what we mean by tolerance. In The Intolerance of Tolerance, D. A. Carson helpfully clarifies the meaning of tolerance. He points out that there are two types of tolerance: old and new. The old tolerance is the belief that other opinions have a right to exist. This is a very Christian notion. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor, and even our enemy. The Christian ethic of love should compel disciples to tolerate other beliefs and religions. We ought to grant others the right to believe whatever they desire to believe. After all, what people believe is a deeply personal and profound matter. It isn't like picking out a ripe banana at the supermarket. Our beliefs require much more thought and investment. Love values people and respects the things they hold dear. Since Christians are to love God, neighbor and even enemy, tolerance (believing that people have the right to hold different opinions) can be very loving and respectful. Christianity shouldn't be coercive or proselytizing; it should be loving and tolerant.
The Carelessness of Tolerance
The new tolerance, however, is defined as the belief that all opinions are equally valid or true. This is quite a leap from the old tolerance. It is one thing to say something has the right to exist; it is quite another to say that two beliefs are equally valid. If we followed the logic of the new tolerance, it would be possible to affirm the following two statements:
- We should grant others the dignity to believe whatever they want to believe.
- We should force others to believe whatever we believe to be true.
The Relational Impact of Our Confusion
The carelessness of the new tolerance impacts relationships. Have you ever been on the precipice of a spiritual conversation with someone of a different faith, but backed off because you thought to yourself: "I don't want them to think I'm intolerant or judgmental of what they believe?" If so, you did this out of a confusion over what tolerance truly is. Your behavior was affected by your (wrong) belief that tolerance means validating all other faiths as equally true. When we affirm two contradictory statements, it creates a cognitive (and spiritual) dissonance that affects our behavior in social settings. We become paralyzed, unable to discuss some of life's most meaningful questions with others because, on the one hand, we tolerate differences (classic tolerance) and on the new hand, we dismiss differences (since they are equally valid). The unfortunate result is that relationships often remain skin-deep. We don't get down into the weighty matters of faith, ethics, truth, and beauty.
Meditating on God's Word - Study
This article is part of the ongoing series Meditating on God's Word. Meditate on the Word by Studying It There is a distinction between reading and studying. Reading the Bible is generally more casual and prayerful, or as some would say, “devotional.” A reading plan allows us to gain understanding of the flow of redemptive history and helps us see important verses that apply to our lives. But a study plan allows us to dig deeply into what we are reading. Jerry Bridges says, “Reading gives us breadth, but study gives us depth.”[1]
Usually, the in-depth study of a passage occurs around a class or a sermon series. Of course, one may choose to study by oneself regarding a specific passage or theme. I passionately want to see Christians, particularly in my congregation, become “self-feeders,” that is people who respect teachers and learn from them, but know how to teach themselves and can then teach others.
Let me share with you some guiding principles for studying the Scriptures. To begin, always read the Bible in an attitude of prayer. Read, read, and re-read what you are studying and ask God to open your eyes to behold its wonderful truths (Ps. 119:18).
Next, always consider the context of the passage that you are studying. Context rules the interpretation of the passage. Context means, “that which goes with the text.” As you are studying a passage ask, “How does a particular verse function within its context?” The reason “every heretic has his verse” is because he or she doesn't consider the context.
In addition, remember that “a text can never mean what it never meant.” Look for the intended meaning of the original author before rushing to application. There is one meaning to the text with many applications. Since the Bible is a historical document, always ask, “What did the original author want the original readers to understand and do by this statement?” To answer this, again you will need to consider context and perhaps consult some study tools such as commentaries from trusted scholars.
Another important principle is to always consider the type of literature in which the verse is found. That includes the following: (1) Law, (2) OT Narratives, (3) Acts, (4) Prophets, (5) Psalms, (6) Wisdom (7) Gospels, (8) Parables, (9) Revelation. Remember some basic principles when reading various types of literature. I recommend that everyone purchase a book on “hermeneutics” which is the science and art of interpretation.
Further, remember that the whole Bible points to God’s redeeming work in Jesus. The Old Testament points to Christ, and the New Testament flows from Christ. Therefore, always ask, “What does this passage teach me about the nature of God and the greatness of Christ?” (Luke 24:27). Read with an eye for the ongoing flow of redemptive history. I recommend a simple book like The Drama of Scripture for understanding the storyline of the Bible.[2] It will help you get the big picture of redemptive history.
Next, remember to interpret Scripture with Scripture. Our high view of Scripture leads us to believe that God’s Word is not only coherent, but also consistent. The Scripture will be its best interpreter. Look at other passages when you see an interpretive knot. Interpret difficult passages with more clear passages, knowing that the Scriptures will never contradict themselves, though there may be many mysteries.
Finally, since the Bible is a unified book, always look for certain themes in the passage. Ask, “Where did this theme start?” “How is it developed?” “Where is this theme going to end?”
A Three-Step Method for Studying the Scriptures By answering the following three questions, you will soon discover the joy and benefits of studying Scripture. I suggest that you begin with a pen and paper, or with your computer and begin digging into your particular passage(s). You should consider consulting other reference material as you work through the questions on your own.
Step 1: Investigation – What Does the Passage Say? Begin by reading and re-reading your passage(s). Note the obvious observations and big ideas. Before looking for intricate details and probing the mysteries, notice the dominant truths. As you investigate the big ideas ask basic questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? You will be surprised how many things you identify by asking these basic questions. You will identify the background of the passage, the author, the occasion, and purpose. Also note the things that are unclear, and this will help you move to step two.
Step 2: Interpretation – What Does the Passage Mean? In this phase, you are going deeper. What seems to be some key words, phrases, or ideas in the passage that need further exploration? What’s the structure of the passage? Are there important linking words, clauses, or phrases? What did the author intend to communicate to the original hearers? It’s important in this phase not to rush to personal applications and/or the implications of the passage. Try to minimize subjectivity as much as possible to get to the meaning. If the meaning of a passage is still unclear, then do two things: (1) look at cross-references (let Scripture interpret Scripture), and (2) consult the commentaries. When looking at cross-references, consider the same book first, then the same author, and then the whole of Scripture.
Step 3: Implications – How Should I Apply this Passage Personally? Once you’ve come to understand the point of the passage, you are ready to apply the dominant truths. Remember that you don’t want to turn the Bible into a human-centered, self-help book. You are looking for timeless wisdom to apply, theological truths about God to worship, and the gospel to ponder. The following are a list of questions for you to consider as you apply the text:
- What does this text teach me about God? (e.g., His attributes and activity)
- What does this text teach me about Christ? (e.g., Does it speak directly of Christ? Does it show me my need for Christ? Does it predict Christ? Does it show a type of Christ?)
- What does this text teach me about myself? (e.g., My nature; my identity in Christ; my need for Christ)
- What does this text teach me about a particular doctrine?
- What immediate things should I go do now?
- Are there examples to follow in this text?
- Are there commands to keep in this text?
- Are there errors to avoid in this text?
- Are there sins to forsake in this text?
- Are there gospel promises to claim in this text?
- Are there new thoughts about God or doctrines to further explore in this text?
- Are there convictions to be lived by in this text?
Remember, when God’s Word is interpreted faithfully, then to disobey God’s Word is to disobey God himself. We always study for obeying the Word, not simply knowing it (James 1:22).
Meditate on the Word by Hearing it Hearing God’s Word attentively is essential for the Christian (Neh. 8:1-8; Luke 11:28; Rom. 10:17; 1 Thess. 2:13). The primary place for hearing God’s Word is in your local church from your pastor. Paul told Timothy:
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:13)
There is no substitute for biblical preaching and teaching. You need to hear the Word of God in worship.
You may also hear the Word of God through other audio tools. My personal favorite is the iPod (actually the iPhone). Here I’m able to listen to terrific biblical teachers as I walk, drive, or do laundry (okay, I don’t do the last one much). I often tell our church that if you listen to talk radio all day, you’re killing brain cells rapidly! Fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word by hearing it.
[1] Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1977), 17. [2] Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, The Drama of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004).
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Tony Merida serves as the Lead Pastor of Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC and as the Associate Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Kimberly, with whom he has five children. Tony is the co-author of Orphanology and author of Faithful Preaching. He travels and speaks all over the world at various events, especially pastor’s conferences, orphan care events, and youth/college conferences.
Rethinking Baptism
I have always been a believer of credobaptism, or believer’s baptism, specifically that baptism is administered only to those who repent and profess faith in Jesus - His sinless life, His perfect death, and powerful resurrection. Still, this article will not discuss divisions between the paedo (child) and credo (belief) baptism crowds. Instead, we will consider the reasons why someone should be baptized and the importance of it. When growing up and seeking to understand Christianity, I was told many things about baptism and why we administer it within the church. Some of these reasons include:
- It’s a public proclamation of one’s faith.
- It’s an outer sign of an inner change.
- It was performed by Christ, and He commanded that we follow his example.
- It brings a believer into the Christian community.
In the following, we will question some of these concepts and then add something I believe has often been missing from our thoughts on baptism.
Baptism as Public Proclamation Many believe that all baptisms should be performed in public, but it's rarely the general public they desire. Rather, the baptism happens within the church walls where very few non-believers are likely to witness it. What we see more consistently in the Scriptures is not that baptism occurred in public but that it happened immediately after a new believer's repentance and profession of faith. We aren't sure if Scripture is referring to public places or the influence of witnesses (e.g., various believers in households, the eunuch by his chariot, Lydia by the river with other women). The evidence seems to point more to the immediacy of baptism, not the place or those present. So, while baptism may be a proclamation (as are many other things we do), I’m not sure this expresses the full "why" of baptism.
Baptism as an Outer Sign of an Inner Change Although baptism may be an outer sign, or picture, of salvation, there isn’t a great deal of Scriptural support. We can try and connect some dots between the baptism in water and the baptism of the Spirit shown in Romans 6. But the evidence for an outer sign being the reason for water baptism seems to be lacking. I believe the outer and inner aspects of baptism are interconnected, but as we will see, they are connected in a way that shows baptism as more than a mere outer sign.
Because Jesus Baptized and Commanded Us I don’t believe this is good enough. As we speak to a postmodern world, the people we seek to disciple won’t believe this is good enough either. Our parents may have conditioned us to do things because they said so, but this isn’t how God usually operates. Our God explains things to us instead of answering, “Because I said so.” There may be times when we do things God calls us to without fully knowing why. However, most of the time God operates as a Father who desires for His children to know the reason why He has a command, not merely, “Do what I say and deal with it.” Because of this, we should ask why Jesus baptized and why he commanded it.
To Bring Someone into the Christian Community I agree with this statement, but I believe baptism to be much fuller than this. If we believe that people should be baptized so they can be in a new community, we're avoiding the argument for why someone should desire this. If we are dealing with God and His ways, baptism has to be larger than a particular culture or time. In this day and age, many believers don’t feel they have to be baptized to be in a community. Most understand, within Protestant circles, that baptism is not an act of salvation. If this is the reason why we are baptized, few will be persuaded. Many may show you the Christian community that they are in without having been baptized. Although they might be kept from some membership rosters, few will care and many might actually be glad that they aren’t considered members - it gets them out of business meetings. Not only that, the eunuch in Acts 8 didn’t return with Philip. He continued in the life and occupation that God had given him. So, maybe this is deeper than a physical community
Why Get Baptized? Let’s look to the source of Jesus’ command, found in Matthew 28:18-21:
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.”
Jesus' grand commission involves these elements: seeking His power and presence; going (literally “as one goes along in life”); making disciples; baptizing and teaching.
When questioning baptism and why we are called to do it, we should look directly at this passage and also at Jesus’ baptism found in the gospels.
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 3:16-4:1)
To those who say, “We get baptized because Jesus did it,” we must ask, “Why was Jesus baptized and how does it relate to our baptism?”
To Show Our New Identity Jesus, from what we gather in the Scriptures, was known as Joseph’s son or the carpenter’s son. Few knew Him to be the coming Messiah or God’s Son (see Matt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3; Lk. 2:25-34). When Jesus came out of the water, God spoke:
This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.
This speaks to a new, revealed identity. I am not saying Jesus wasn’t God’s Son prior to this event, but this is the moment when He is identified as such. This is the fulfillment of Scriptures that spoke of the coming Messiah.
I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. (Psalm 2:7)
Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)
In a similar way, our baptism makes us new creatures with new identities. Instead of being sons and daughters of Adam, we have become sons and daughters of God. Instead of being servants of this world, we have become servants of the risen King. Instead of being filled with the power of our flesh, being sent to fulfill the kingdom of the world, we are filled with the Spirit and sent to work for the Kingdom of God.
We see this reality as Jesus gives us a new name in Matthew 28. We have a new Father. We have a new King, who is the Son of God. And we now have a new spirit - the Spirit of God whose power abides within us. We are now disciples of Jesus. We are now sons and daughters, servants and sent ones. Baptism reveals this new identity.
Commissioned to Make Disciples with a New Power Notice what else happens at Jesus’ baptism. The Spirit of God descends upon Him. We know that Jesus wasn’t “saved” at this point, nor was Jesus now officially deified (see Jn. 1). But why did the Spirit descend upon Jesus? We should note what happened immediately after this moment. The Spirit led Him to the wilderness. Jesus’ public ministry started. He was now commissioned to make disciples. It was important for Jesus to start by resisting temptation (although He had been doing this in all the years leading up to this point as well), because He wasn’t making disciples of others but of Himself. Part of His ministry was perfection for our sake. He is our perfect high priest. After being led into the wilderness, Luke says this of Christ:
And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.
And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:14-21)
You could say He let the cat out of the bag. Luke starts this passage with, “in the power of the Spirit…” After Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit descended and His ministry of making disciples started.
This is what I believe we’ve been missing in our understanding of baptism. When we repent and believe and then are baptized, something miraculous happens. It is not that we are saved, because upon profession of belief we are sealed inwardly by the Spirit (Romans 6; Eph 1:13; 4:10). In baptism, the commission of making disciples under a new name and with a new power is established. Notice the two bookends of Jesus' commission to his disciples: 1) Jesus' authority (Matt. 28:18); 2) Jesus' presence (Matt. 28:20).
Some might ask, “But I know many who make disciples without their being baptized. What are the consequences?” I’m not sure that we’ll ever know the consequences of not understanding this commissioning aspect of baptism. Sometimes these questions cannot reveal the consequences. But it might be better understood if we ask what would happen if the command and deeper truth was realized in that person’s life. What would bring you greater satisfaction: looking at beautiful pictures of Hawaii or stepping foot on the beaches?
Simply put, I believe we should baptize new followers of Jesus because:
- We are commanded.
- Jesus did it.
- It is a proclamation of our new identity.
But I also believe there is a deep connection to the Spirit’s power (because of the authority of Christ) for baptism to commission us to make disciples for our King.
This speaks clearly to why we see every instance of baptism of new disciples happening so quickly after they repent and believe. Those who repent and believe, those who are now followers of Jesus, given a new name, should be baptized to receive the enormous gift given through baptism because in it we are given a new power and a new purpose.
So, yes, we are to be baptized because Jesus was, but if we miss why Jesus was baptized, we miss out on the fullness of following in the ways and purposes of our Redeemer.
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Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife and father of two boys. He’s a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a finance degree. By trade Seth is an Investment Portfolio Manager, serving as president of McBee Advisors, Inc. Today, he’s a missional community leader, City Church leader and coach with Soma Communities in Renton, Washington. In his down time, he likes to watch football, cook BBQ, host pancake ebelskiver breakfasts at his home and many other neighborhood events in his hometown of Maple Valley, Washington.
Relationships First: Reasons It's Difficult to Share Our Faith
This is part two of the series The Difficulty of Sharing Our Faith. We often find it difficult to share our faith because we want to first form relationships with people. Avoiding preachy self-righteousness, we try to get to know others before talking about Jesus. We prefer to talk about work, culture, and ordinary stuff first. This springs from a proper concern to not come off as stiff evangelists but as real, caring people.
Love Not Proselytize Your Neighbor
This concern to have a relationship before sharing the gospel has some biblical warrant. Jesus said: “Love your neighbor,” not proselytize your neighbor. To proselytize is to coerce or induce people to believe what you believe. The person who proselytizes coerces by forcefully defending and advancing their beliefs. Remember the film The Big Kahuna? Grabbing evidence and opportunities, Christians back their co-workers into a theological corner, expecting them to throw up their hands and say, “I believe!” Other times, proselytizing takes the form of recruitment. We might try to convince people to join our moral or political agenda, as if Jesus wants to add to his numbers to strengthen a political constituency.
When we proselytize people, we reduce discipleship to an intellectual enterprise. In effect, we replace the gospel with doctrinal agreement (or just being right). When we focus on recruitment, we make Christianity about power or morality. This replaces the gospel with religion or rightwing politics. But Paul shared a gospel that was all about Jesus, preaching Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:1). He resolved to preach Christ not politics. Similarly, when sharing our faith, we need to make Jesus the stumbling block not morality or politics. When we put doctrinal, moral, and political blocks in front of the gospel, we proselytize instead of love. Proselytizing requires the mind and the will, but love requires heart, mind, and will.
"When sharing our faith, we need to make Jesus the stumbling block not morality or politics."
I’ve had countless conversations with non-Christians in which I’ve had to remove these stumbling blocks in order to get to the heart with the wonderful news of the gospel. Getting to the heart takes time. We need what Michael Frost calls “Slow Evangelism.” We need faith in God and love for people that slows us down to listen to others well, so that we can learn how to make the good news good to their bad news. For many, hearing that Jesus died on the cross for them is entirely irrelevant; we have to show the relevance of Jesus to their real need. Relationships are essential to discerning and meeting real needs. It was Francis Schaeffer who said: “Give me an hour with a non-Christian and I’ll listen for forty-five minutes. Only then, in the last fifteen minutes, will I have something to say.” We often hesitate to share our faith because we want people to know that we value them, regardless of their response. But if we truly value them, we wont simply “wait” to share the gospel; we will embody it by listening well.
Wonderful Doesn’t Wait
Have you ever noticed when you encounter something truly wonderful, you don’t always wait for a relationship to tell someone? There are things that are so urgent, so weighty, so wonderful that we burst out to talk about them whether we have a relationship or not! When our sports team scores to win the game, we don’t look around the stadium and think: “I can't tell people how happy I am about this win. I don’t even know them!” No, we don’t wait to express our joy; we burst out when our team wins. We celebrate with strangers and go nuts on social media. When we’re at a concert and our favorite song is played, and the band is really rocking, we don’t wait to sing along or comment. We sing and chat it up with strangers. After reading a book or seeing a great movie, perhaps the Hunger Games, we strike up conversation with people at work about how great the movie was.
When something is truly wonderful, we often don’t wait to talk about it. Is the news about Jesus so urgent, weighty, and wonderful that we can’t help but share it? It is, but often it's not as fresh as the game, concert, or movie. Why? Very often this is because we aren't immersed in the goodness of the gospel. It is old, memorized, fading news because we haven’t had a fresh encounter with Christ in weeks! The wonder is lost because we haven’t plunged ourselves into Christ-centered worship, prayer, or Bible meditation. We are most likely to talk about the gospel when the good news is good news to us.
"We are most likely to talk about the gospel when the good news is good news to us."
Have you ever considered what would have happened if Jesus had waited until he had a relationship with the thief on the cross to offer him eternal life? What if authors, pastors, and preachers waited to tell you the good news until they had a relationship with you? Sometimes there are things that are so wonderful, they don’t deserve a wait!
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Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship and has written articles in numerous blogs and journals such as The Resurgence, The Journal of Biblical Counseling, and Boundless. Dodson has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others.
Gospel Centered Parenting
Gospel centered parenting is filled with complexities, mysteries, and endless situations that call for practical advice. As parents, we often get so bogged down in questions of what to do that we lose sight of why we’re doing what we do and how we should do it. My aim here is to take a big picture view of parenting. I will not answer all the questions, but I want to offer a way of thinking about parenting that will help with specific difficulties. The big picture of parenting is the big picture of the Bible because parenting is a depiction of the gospel. Consider the language Scripture uses to describe our relationship to God: Conversion is called being “born again” (John 3:3); our salvation is called an “inheritance” (1 Peter 1:3-4); God disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12); we are called “children of God” (John 1:12, 3:1). Our father/child relationship to God is so significant that Sinclair Ferguson says, “This is the fundamental way for the Christian to think about himself: ‘I am a child of God and his people are my brothers and sisters.’” Parenting is a picture of the gospel: to us, to our kids, and to the world around us.
On one hand, this sounds like good news because it roots the everyday, non-stop work of parenting in something big and meaningful. On the other hand, this could be discouraging because we all know that we are imperfect reflections of the gospel. This is an appropriate tension because the gospel is both bad and good news. We are simultaneously doing really well and really poor in our parenting, depending on the day and subject matter. That is our inescapable reality, and nothing speaks to that reality more effectively than the gospel.
THE GOAL OF GOSPEL CENTERED PARENTING
Much of our parenting struggles are about not having the right goal. Every parent wants to raise a good kid, but what is a “good kid”? What shapes our understanding of the stuff that makes a child good … what other people think of them, how well they do in school, how much they obey, how athletic or smart they are? These are all normal desires that parents have for their kids, but to the extent that any of these govern our parenting, they become idols. We bow down to goals of image, performance, control, and the like. We must subject our goals in parenting to God’s goal for parenting. There are probably a number of ways to describe what God desires for our children. I will take my cue from the book of Proverbs: The goal of parenting is to glorify God by raising wise sons and daughters.
“Wisdom” in the Bible characterizes one who loves God and knows how to live life according the priorities and purposes of God. As John Piper counseled the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist, wisdom refers to “practical knowledge of how to attain true and lasting happiness.” The wise person is characterized by humility (Proverbs 11:12) and obedience to God’s commands (Deuteronomy 4:5-6). Piper also insists that wisdom results in a “sensitive, mature judgment or discernment of how the fear of the Lord should work itself out in all the circumstances not specifically dealt with in the Bible.” A good kid, then, is one who is maturing in wisdom, learning to live in submission to God and to His will. This captures what we really want for our children.
The gospel starts with God; so we want to start from a God-centered view of parenting, not a kid-centered or culture-centered view. The primary issue is not how well a kid stacks up to other kids or even to our expectations. God is the issue. Are our children oriented toward God? Do they honor Him? That is the starting point. Everything else follows. Dan Allender writes in How Children Raise Parents: “A parent has only one core task: to reveal God.” How do we do that? Well, God reveals Himself to us in the gospel story of creation, fall, and redemption. Let’s consider how the gospel gives us a framework for parenting.
CREATION: Identity and Purpose
In creation, the man and woman are set apart in distinction above everything else because they are made in the likeness of God. People are created in the image of God, which means we are made to live in unhindered fellowship with God and others, representing and pointing to the glory of God in all we do. We have a hard time imagining how great we are made to be. In Created in God’s Image Anthony Hoekema makes this startling statement: “What we see and hear in Christ is what God intended for us.”
Not only does God create us with this unique identity (image-bearer), He also infuses our lives with purpose by giving us the task of subduing and ruling. God put Adam and Eve in the garden and told them to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). The story of creation is the story of God preparing the Earth to become His kingdom, and raising kids is at the center of His plan.
In creation, God reveals Himself as Creator and Ruler, and in Him we understand our identity and purpose. The critical point is that we should have a high view of our children. They bear the image of God and are meant to live on the mission of God. So if the core task of a parent is to reveal God, then we must instill in our children a sense of identity and purpose that befits the children of God.
As a point of practical application: How do you talk about your kids? Do you talk as though their identity is based on their performance or failure? Do you convey that they are a burden, as if their purpose was simply to accommodate your lifestyle? Everyone instills some kind of identity and purpose in their children: a child-centered identity or a child-honoring identity, a life lived for self or for the kingdom of God.
A logical question at this point would be: “If my kids are created in the image of God, then why do they disobey so much?” Well, they disobey so much for the same reason we disobey so much. They are corrupted by sin, which is the next part of the story.
FALL: Leaky Vessels
Before the fall, Adam and Eve knew who they were and what they were made for. There was no doubt or insecurity about these matters. It was not until sin entered the world that they began to fear and doubt. After the fall, they began to feel shame about who they were and experience struggle in their work. Their world unraveled, and all the certainties about God and life were clouded by sin.
Our children are born outside of Eden, and from birth onward they are looking for an identity and purpose. A brief survey of parenting wisdom confirms these core needs. Dan Allender suggests that children are asking two questions: “Am I loved?” and “Can I get my own way?” The first question is obviously tied to identity. The second question – though less obvious – is connected to purpose. Children are leaky vessels that need to be constantly filled-up with the answer to these questions. In Grace Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel identifies our children’s three basic needs as security, significance, and strength. We will explore these basic questions and needs in a moment, but first I want to emphasize that the effects of sin in our children are not merely behavioral. These effects are profoundly linked to identity and purpose.
Through a variety of means, Satan attacks our children at the level of their identity and purpose. If he can get them to believe that they are nothing more than a sinner (a message propagated through much of the evangelical church), then he can render them useless in the mission of God. The modern view of the world and humanity belittles both our identity and purpose. The world is so vast. What importance could we possibly have if all we are is a blip on this little planet, which is nothing more than a spec in the vast universe? The modern view is that we are insignificant. If a child sees his or herself as “just a sinner,” then they probably won’t sense much ownership in the mission of God to establish His kingdom on the Earth. But if our children understand themselves to be God’s children and ambassadors, then they will come alive to the mission of God and have a deep sense of fealty to the king and stewardship of His mission.
Sin has also affected our parenting. We demonstrate our tendencies toward legalism and licentiousness, not only in the way we relate to God, but also in the ways we relate to our children. Regarding licentiousness, Tim Kimmel points out that even Christian parents “erase clear moral boundaries” with their children. He adds, “It’s actually quite easy to become a bit desensitized by the boundary-less culture that we were raised in.” Equally dangerous is legalistic parenting, which moves the boundaries in far tighter than they need be. The following chart outlines some of the errors in legalism and license:
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Expectations
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Legalism requires external “obedience” but not transformation of the heart | License “loves” a child so much as she is that it doesn’t require behavioral change |
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Communication
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Legalism talks a lot about what a child should or should not be doing, but does not adequately addressing a child’s identity | License talk a lot about identity and is concerned with self-esteem, but does not adequately speak of the actions that flow from one’s identity. |
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Motivation |
Legalism fosters a culture of performance and seeks to motivate children by fear of consequences | License promotes a culture of permissiveness and seeks to motivate children by self-gratification |
Another way of thinking about the ways sin has affected our parenting is to contrast functional and formative parenting. Functional parenting is what we do in spite of what we say we believe. It has a short-term focus of doing what works and getting through the day, whereas formative parenting has long-term goal of raising wise children. In the day-to-day, we settle for much less than the glory of God: we abuse our authority; we value the wrong things; and we don’t adequately address the inner world of our children. All of this is functional parenting.
| Functional Parenting | Formative Parenting |
| Focuses on behavior (external) | Focuses on the heart (internal) |
| The goal is to get a child to act a certain way (behavior modification) | Aims to raise a child who wants to act that way (wisdom) |
| Parental authority becomes an end in itself (tends toward legalism or license based on which one will secure proper behavior) | Parental authority is a means toward the end of harnessing a child’s will and imparting wisdom through instruction and discipline |
| Children earn a parents acceptance through behavior or performance | Acceptance is unconditional and is the basis of a child’s behavior (not the goal of it). |
| Disobedience is the problem, and it must be disciplined. | Disobedience is a manifestation of the problem, and must be disciplined as a means of getting to the root of sin |
When you read the Bible you see God’s law (behaviors and actions that He wants us to exemplify), but a closer look at the Bible shows us that God’s goal encompasses more than that. It’s not merely external conformity that God wants. He wants His children to become the kind of people who naturally live in accordance to His law. God’s goal for us is that we experience transformation in our mind, heart, and will, which then expresses itself in our behavior.
If we want to raise wise sons and daughters, we must have a long-term vision for forming the internal world of our children (heart, mind, emotions) as the wellspring of their behavior. This is the aim of the next part of the gospel story.
REDEMPTION: The Power of Grace
In redemption, God is renewing all things according to His original plan. God sent Jesus to re-establish the beachhead of His kingdom expansion and to redeem a people through whom He would expand His kingdom on Earth. In Christ, we are adopted into the family of God, wherein we regain our sense of identity as His children. In Christ, we are commissioned to disciple the nations, wherein we regain our sense of purpose. The gospel restores us to the life we were made to live – fellowship with God and work in His kingdom.
Just as God meets our deepest needs in the gospel, we must answer our children’s deepest questions of identity and purpose by embodying the gospel of grace in their lives. To do this, we must experience God’s grace ourselves. God loves us unconditionally. He demonstrates His love by rescuing us even though we are proud and arrogant. He reconciles us even though we are His enemies and grants us ongoing access to His presence even though we continue to struggle with sin. Our experience of grace leads us to ask: Do I show my children unconditional love by moving toward them in their disobedience, embracing them in their sin, and inviting them into relationship with me regardless of their condition?
God restores us to live the life we were meant to live. He prepares good works for us to walk in, gifts us accordingly, and supplies the strength to exercise those gifts. Again, we must ask: Do I empower my children by helping them gain a sense of their gifts and place in this world and even by involving them in my work? Gospel-centered parenting is not legalistic. It begins with love and acceptance. It is not licentious because that love compels us to action. Just as Tim Kimmel has written, “grace does not exclude obedience, respect, boundaries, or discipline, but does determine the climate in which these important parts of parenting are carried out.”
With our restored identity in mind, we provide our children a sense of secure love by accepting them as they are, giving them a sense of belonging in our family, and lavishing our affection on them. With our restored purpose in mind, we provide our children with significance by inviting them into the mission of God, affirming their strengths and gifts, and empowering them to take risks.
Gospel-centered parenting begins with understanding what it means to be a child of God. As we experience His grace toward us in Christ, we reveal God to our children.
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After six years as a missionary to college students at the University of Texas and four years as an associate pastor at Coram Deo church in Omaha, NE, Will Walker followed God’s call to plant Providence Church in the fall of 2010. He currently writes for World Harvest Mission and New Growth Press. Will and his wife, Debbie, are the parents of two boys, Ethan and Holden.
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For more resources on applying the gospel to parenting, check out A Beginner's Guide to Family Worship by Winfield Bevins.
For more free articles on gospel-centered parenting, read: Gospel-Saturated Family Discipleship by Mathew Sims, A Child's Gospel by Ben Connelly, and Discipleship is for Young Parents Too by Melanie Yong
The Gospel for Sinners
I'm a big fan of the gospel-centered movement sweeping America. We're reclaiming the gospel from the hands of legalism. We're denouncing the lie that obedience can earn you God's favor. But we must not accidentally make obedience the unofficial enemy of the gospel. I don't want us to find ourselves explaining away verses that tell us to flee unrighteousness on pain of death. I don't want to wave around the gospel like it's a trump card, offering a free pass from any eternal consequences of sin. The Bible speaks about our salvation as if it’s inextricably linked with our obedience.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21)If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
Jesus talks about obedience as a condition of salvation, but don’t panic. Christianity is a worldview with tons of conditions, and God meets both sides of the conditions. I’m not talking about a works-based view of the gospel. I’m talking about a gospel-based view of works.
The Seriousness of Sin Don't think me a legalist. I have nothing to gain by elevating obedience. Honestly, I have a lot to lose. I’m probably the most disobedient, hypocritical Christian I know. I hang out in the pig pen most of the day. Jesus comes and picks me up, and as soon as I’m clean, I return to the pen.
But I believe the Word of God, even the parts that are inconvenient and don’t fit with my worldview, even the parts that seemingly condemn me. In the Bible it's clear that sin is a big deal to God. As we disciple one another, we must create a culture where sin is a big deal.
How does the seriousness of sin emphasize (rather than diminish) the grace of the gospel?
The Destructiveness of Sin In the last year, the part of Texas where I live has been ravaged by fires. As a result, our firefighters go nuts if there's even a hint of flames. A fire the size of my hand will be surrounded by 18 fire trucks dousing it with water. People in Texas right now understand that fire kills - whether it’s 3 feet or 3 miles wide.
If you want to create a gospel-centered culture of fighting sin through discipleship, then you have to accept that the potential destructiveness of sin is not determined by its size. Often we think the fight with sin is a fight to keep it under control. We think that as long as we keep our lustful thoughts to ourselves and don’t let them burst out into adultery, we're doing okay, but according to Jesus, lust in our minds is just as deadly as outward adultery. Both can kill just as easily.
We can’t fight the sin inside our hearts, and we certainly can’t help the person we're discipling if we don’t acknowledge that Jesus isn't kidding when he says that thoughts are as deadly as actions. The secret and acceptable sins are terrifyingly deadly. Like a gas leak, they can be killing us slowly and silently while we carry on with our days.
What would change if we believed that all sin was equally deadly? What would be different in our lives if we viewed a lustful thought in the same way as adultery? How would this impact our discipleship conversations?
The Success of Repentance There are days when I wake up and stretch and, for 15 glorious seconds, I forget about all the sin in my past. For 15 wonderful seconds, I forget that every inch of my being is covered with burns. Then I’ll feel the twinge of an old injury, or the sting of a fresh scar, and I’ll remember who I am. I am the worst of sinners.
In my moments of insecurity, that realization makes me afraid. But when I’m truly gospel-centered, it fills me with worship. God defines success and failure a little differently than we do.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:31-32)
Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. Then Peter walked out the door and denied him. What happened? Did Jesus’ prayer not work?
Both Judas and Peter turned their backs on Jesus at critical moments, but only one of them truly failed. Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith not to falter, and no matter what it looks like to us – Peter’s faith won the day. Repentance is the fruit of Jesus’s prayer for Peter. Repentance is success.
The failure we should fear most is not the failure of external sin, but the failure of an unrepentant heart. The thing we should fear most is not our sin, but our inability to repent for our sin. Our merciful God is willing to do what it takes to lead us to repentance so that our faith will not fail.
The Gospel for Sinners When I first started working for a church, I believed that I had finally 'arrived.' I never would have said it, but a part of me thought I was finally a 'good Christian,' and now I could lead all those other folks who were still struggling. In His great grace, God ordained that my first months in ministry be dedicated to showing me how tremendously sinful I am. I ran smack into sin that shocked me to my core, but God saved me through that sin.
I remember nights of literally lying on the floor face down. I had no strength to stand. There was nothing left in me to give me any hope. I had trashed my righteous resume. In those moments, the gospel came alive. I realized just how desperately I needed Christ's resume. I needed the good news of the gospel. Not the kind of good news that makes us smile. The kind of good news that enables us to breathe and sob and dance and dream and live. The kind of good news that leads us to true repentance.
God saved me through my sin. In John Owen’s book, Overcoming Sin and Temptation he says this: "Here is one, if he could be rid of this lust I should never hear of him more; let him wrestle with this, or he is lost."
God ordains that we walk through sin in our lives because He's not willing to let our faith fail. He lets our sin lead us to true success: repentance.
Why is it hard for us to believe that sin might be a means of perseverance? If you believed that success was repentance, what would change in the way you worked through sin with yourself and those you disciple?
Disciples Need a Savior Our sin goes deeper than we can imagine. Maturity in a believer isn’t having less sin; it’s seeing our sin more clearly. The more we mature in Christ, the more we can see our sin, and the more we can understand our need for a Savior. The gospel was made for sinners. The blood of Christ is made to heal the scars of our failures - not just past injuries but also the present.
The people who love the blood of Jesus are those disciples who know how desperately they need it. Jesus is our only hope. When we judge the sins of others, it's because we don't have eyes to recognize the target demographic for the gospel. Jesus came for the sick.
We cover our self-righteousness with proclamations of gratitude. We praise God that He hasn’t made us screw-ups all the while missing the glaringly obvious fact that we are worse than screw-ups.
Jesus told this story: two men went to church. One thanked God that he wasn't an adulterer or a thief like those 'big' sinners. The other couldn't even lift up his head to heaven. He just said to God, 'be merciful to me, a sinner.' Only one of the two was justified by the blood of Jesus.
May God in His great grace reveal our own sin to us that we may better see the power of the gospel.
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Fabienne Harford lives in Austin, Texas, where she serves on staff at The Austin Stone Community Church. You can find more thoughts from Fabs at fabsharford.com
Video: Justin Taylor interviews Jonathan Dodson about his New Book
In this video Justin Taylor interviews Jonathan Dodson about his new book Gospel-Centered Discipleship. Jonathan responds to questions such as: What is discipleship? What is gospel-centered? Where have you failed in disciple-making? Justin Taylor is vice president of book publishing and an associate publisher at Crossway. He has edited and contributed to several books, including A God-Entranced Vision of All Things and blogs at "Between Two Worlds," hosted by the Gospel Coalition.
Jonathan Dodson is the lead pastor of Austin City Life church and provides directional leadership in several organizations including PlantR, The GCM Collective, Gospel Centered Discipleship.com. He recently published Gospel-Centered Discipleship with Crossway.
Questions Asked During the Interview 0:10 – What do you want GCD to accomplish?
2:31 – What does it mean to be a disciple?
5:08 – So many people are using the term “gospel-centered” that it can seem like a buzz word or a fad. Why did you choose to use this phrase in the title of your book?
7:44 – Looking back at the last ten years of discipling others, how has your disciple-making changed? Where did you drop the ball?
11:35 – How are “Fight Clubs” different from the typical accountability partner or accountability group?
14:50 – Justin Taylor: “I had a hard time putting the book down, and I hope other people not only pick it up but read it and then apply it.”
Preview Gospel-Centered Discipleship
- Download free Holy Spirit chapter
- GCD Book Discussion Guide
- Also available at Crossway & Christian Book.com
Replacing the Center of Youth Ministry
To truly disciple is to realign our affections - and those of the person we're discipling - to a greater Person. Unfortunately, many youth ministries do not focus on making disciples or the heart change of their young people. Instead, behavior modification, moral change, or intellectual assent are often emphasized. This method of enacting change will never bring about true, joy-filled change. It will merely adhere to dutiful rules and regulations. Our hearts and minds must desire something of greater worth. We need something that moves beyond and replaces the previous holder of our affections - something of supreme meaning and power. Thomas Chalmers puts it this way in The Expulsive Power of a New Affection: "We must address to the eye of his mind another object, with charm powerful enough to dispossess the first of its influence, and to engage him in some other prosecution as full of interest, and hope and congenial activity, as the former." (Emphasis mine) In other words, the Christ of gospel must replace the thing that holds the place of highest esteem and honor in the hearts, minds, and the eyes of those who we disciple.
Replacing Our Affections If we do not replace these objects of highest affection with the Gospel, Chalmers says, we're in essence putting our young disciples through torture. We're removing their greatest joy and pleasure, their deepest happiness - the very thing that makes them who they are. We're stripping them of their identity and replacing it with a new “nothingness.” It’s no wonder our disciples struggle. The Jesus we preach is not worth replacing any of the desires of our hearers' hearts. The Jesus we preach is more like a guidance counselor than a Savior; more like a baseball coach than their Lord; more like a friend than a conquering King.
The Jesus we preach is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus we preach may be great for saving us from the fires of hell, but He most defiantly will cause us to live a hell here on earth because He is not something that can fill our affections. This is not to say that the true Jesus cannot fill these voids, it’s that the Jesus we preach of cannot fill these voids. The Jesus we preach is a moralistic therapeutic Jesus. He is a Jesus for the future not for the present. He is not a Jesus that cares about our lives, our parent’s divorce, our grades, or our basketball team. All He worries about is how good we are, or if we're looking the part. It’s no wonder students don’t want to follow this Jesus.
Securing Our Affections We must not point our youth toward empty religion but to a love-filled cross, a beaten and battered Savior, a King who defeated His foe, a risen Lord who rescues our hearts. To the one who beckons us, “Come, rest, and be accepted not because of what you have done but because I love you.” The cross secures our affections to the one who was placed on it. All other affections will fail us. The cross and resurrection are not only the focal point of all of human history, they're the only lasting thing that can eternally hold our affections. Because of this, the cross is the one and only place where we can point our young disciples that will replace their highest wordly affections. Only a true view of what Jesus has done will cause a student to, in the words of Paul, “Count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3.8). Because of His life, His death, and His resurrection, we can turn our eyes toward ultimate worth.
Ultimate Truths For too many of us we simply do not have a big enough view of what Jesus can - and has - done. Because of this disbelief in the power of the Gospel we have moved away from pointing our hearers to Jesus, the Gospel and a big God. Youth need to know three ultimate truths are central to affection-stirring discipleship:
1. Jesus The Jesus we teach, preach, and worship matters. Sadly, we teach a Jesus who is more concerned about our happiness than his glory - a Jesus who wants you to have your best life here and now. This thinking and teaching is not true. Yes, Jesus did come to give us joy and hope. He even came to guide us, much like a guidance-counselor. But many times what Jesus has called us to do is the exact opposite of what is comfortable, easy, or fun in our own eyes.
2. The Gospel Once we understand Jesus, our view of the Gospel needs an overhaul. We have relegated the central truth of the Scriptures to “a one and done” deal and removed the power from the Gospel by preaching it merely as the mechanism for salvation. The Gospel calls us to more then just intellectual knowledge that Jesus died in our place. It calls for allegiance to the King. An allegiance that brings about change in the world through the power of the Gospel (Rom. 1.16; Col.1.6).
Once students grasp the centrality of the Gospel to Christian life, they will no longer be tossed to and fro by every movement, thought, or idea that is thrown at them. No, they will have affections that are firmly rooted in the only place that can bring them lasting joy. This is something worth living for.
3. Big God A clearer understanding of Jesus and his Gospel leads us to a clearer understanding of God. We must teach students about our BIG GOD - a God who is bigger then their parents' divorce, their friends' suicide, their failed relationships, or the wars in the world. We need to teach a sovereign, all powerful God. A theologically correct view of God, who is all-powerful and all-knowing. This God is worthy of our very best. He gave His very best, Jesus His only son. When the God that we teach is better, more powerful, more glorious than what they see here on earth, then and only then can they endure the trials and sufferings of this world. When they lose what they have here on earth, they have only lost something of temporal joy and pleasure that pales in comparison to their God.
We must set our hope on Jesus who will lead us to denounce all other things upon which we have, or could, place value. Is the Jesus you're pointing your disciples to worth giving one’s life for? Or are you calling them to an empty hope, events, or moral change? Nothing truly changes until the object of our affections have been replaced with a big God, in the person of Jesus, through the hope of the gospel.
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Josh Cousineau was a youth pastor for over 5 years and is now the lead pastor of Redemption Hill Community, which launched in Auburn ME in 2012. Josh is married to his high school sweetheart, Anna. They have 3 amazing children (2 boys and 1 girl). Their daughter was adopted from Uganda in 2011. Josh blogs at http://joshcousineau.com
Preachy Christians: Reasons It's Difficult to Share our Faith
This is the first in the series The Difficulty of Sharing our Faith. Very often we find it difficult to share our faith. Whether we’re in the workplace, neighborhood, or a social setting, talking about the person and work of Jesus doesn’t come naturally. There are some good reasons for this.
After spending almost fifteen years in creative class cities, where Christianity is typically marginalized and misunderstood, I’ve noticed that each city possesses its own unique challenges to communicating the gospel. Some of these challenges have led Christians to quiet down and let their actions do the preaching. Yet, there remains an intellectual and spiritual responsibility to communicate what we believe to those who would hear us. Whether it's cold, diverse Minneapolis, intellectually charged Boston, or creatively weird Austin, I’ve noticed that some reasons for not sharing my faith have travelled with me from city to city. In brief, I’d like to describe five reasons why I think we find it difficult to share the faith. Each reason will reflect a constructive concern and a critical response.
What if I’m Viewed as Preachy?
One of the reasons Christians find it difficult to share their faith is because we’re rightly concerned about being perceived as preachy. Preachy Christians often turn people off not onto faith in Christ. Think of Angela from The Office, the street preacher, or maybe the free speech fundamentalist yellers on campus in college. I remember watching them. They stood on a box to yell. Leading out with hell, fire, and damnation not grace, forgiveness, and salvation.
These Christians all share something in common—self-righteousness. If we’re honest, we all have a bit of this in us, but with these figures it’s amplified. We hesitate to talk about Jesus because we don’t want to be associated with them. We’re concerned it would turn others off. But preachy self-righteousness isn’t just a turn off; it’s the opposite of the gospel. This brings into focus our first, principal concern:
We should avoid preachy self-righteousness because it communicates something opposite to the gospel.
Preachy self-righteousness says: “If you perform well (morally or spiritually), God will accept you.” But the gospel says, “God already accepts you because Jesus performed perfectly on your behalf.” There’s a hell of difference between the two. The gospel sets us free from performance and releases us into the arms of grace. Self-wrought performance is a death sentence, but the obedience of Christ on our behalf is eternal life. What people need to hear is grace, audacious, seems-too-good-to-be-true but so-true-its-good, grace. Grace is God working his way down to us, so that we don’t have to work our way up to him. He comes down to us in Jesus. We need to make Jesus the stumbling block, not preachy self-righteousness or spiritual performance.
How Do We Change the "Preachy" Perception?
Now, there’s also a critical response to this concern. While it’s true that we should oppose preachy self-righteousness (because it obscures the gospel of grace), it is also true that the gospel offends our own self-righteous sensibilities. The gospel reminds us that we don’t have what it takes before a holy God, that Christ alone has what it takes, and that he’s died and risen to give it to us.
The gospel is offensive; it lifts up a mirror and shows us who we really are, but it’s also redemptive; it lifts up Christ to show us who we can become.
In the shining light of God’s glory, our darkness becomes quickly apparent. We can feel it. Deep down, something is wrong, bent, even broken. We’re in need of repair. We spend most of our lives trying to avoid this inner sense, which distorts us even more. The gospel helps us see ourselves as we are, but offers us an entirely new image, the image of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. If we’ll give up on ourselves and give into Jesus, he’ll exchange our darkness for his light, our distortion for his beauty. This is news worth sharing. The problem, however, isn't just that people think “preachy self-righteousness” when they hear the word “gospel.” It’s that our concern mutes the gospel. In thoughtful concern, we quiet down to let our actions do the preaching but, in the end, people hear nothing. When Christians press mute, people are left to make up their own versions of Christianity. We think our silence will remedy the perception of self-righteousness but silence, instead of sharing, does not remedy the preachy perception.
One day I was having a congenial chat with a man in Starbucks, until he asked what I was doing. I responded, “I’m working on a sermon.” He replied by waving his hands, one across another, saying “Oh, no. I don’t want to hear the sermon.” This was followed by a nervous chuckle. A sermon isn’t meant to mound up all your woes and make you feel guilt; it is meant to relieve your woes and remove your guilt through faith in Jesus. Similarly, the gospel doesn't just show us who we really are; it shows us who we can become in Christ. Sure, it lifts up a mirror but it also lifts up Christ, lifting us up with him in hope. Our concern to avoid preachy self-righteousness is good, but we have not gone far enough to remove this religious visage.
How will this incorrect view of Christianity be corrected? Actions might remedy a perception of personal self-righteousness, but they can’t correct a religious view of the gospel. Only words can clarify the meaning of the gospel. Yet, there remain more difficulties in sharing our faith. In the next article, we will consider the concern that we first have a relationship before sharing the gospel with others.
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Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship and has written articles in numerous blogs and journals such as The Resurgence, The Journal of Biblical Counseling, and Boundless. Dodson has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others.