Winfield Bevins 5/2/12 Winfield Bevins 5/2/12

Church Planting, Confessions, and Catechism

What do church planting, confessions, and catechisms have in common? The answer is a lot. Christians have used confessions and catechism to teach the essentials of the faith for centuries. Many of the great confessions and catechism were originally discipleship tools for new churches during the time of the Reformation.

One of the biggest challenges church planters face is teaching new believers the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Many of the people who come to a new church know little if any about the basic doctrines.

What is a Catechism?

You may be wondering, “What is a catechism?” When I was a new believer, I had no idea what a catechism was. For those of us who were not raised in the church, words like catechism, creed, or confessions sound like something you would learn in a catholic school.

So what is a catechism? A catechism is the process of instructing believers both young and old in the basics of the Christian faith. The Greek word for "instruct" or "teach" is katecheo from which we get our English word "catechize".

Catechisms provide basic summaries of the church’s teachings to ensure that all members of the church understand the essentials of the faith for themselves. Most catechisms generally have questions and answers accompanied by Biblical support and explanations.

Brief History of Catechisms and Confessions

As early as the Middle Ages, the Church required new believers to learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Ten Commandments. During the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Reformers compiled many catechisms to help train new believers.

Donald Van Dyken says, “The great leaders of the Reformation, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, attacked the colossal ignorance they met in Germany, Geneva, and Scotland by making catechisms and by catechizing.”[i] Among these Reformed documents were The Augsburg Confession in 1530 and the Heidelberg Catechism written in 1562.

Martin Luther whole-heartedly believed in using them. He said, “In the catechism, we have a very exact, direct, and short way to the whole Christian religion. For God himself gave the ten commandments, Christ himself penned and taught the Lord's Prayer, the Holy Ghost brought together the articles of faith.”[ii]

The Puritans later developed catechisms, including the Westminster Confession and Catechisms in the 1640’s. For many Protestant Christians everywhere, the Westminster Catechisms are the most important and influential of all the catechisms. The Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms where written in the 1647 by English and Scottish divines. These documents were written to provide children, new believers, and church members alike a short but comprehensive summary of the Reformed church’s doctrines.

Evangelicals on the Catechism Trail

Today, there is a misconception that only non-evangelical liturgical churches use catechisms and confessions. However, many evangelicals such as Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists have used them for a long time. Some may be surprised to know that the Southern Baptists have a rich confessional history.

Tom Nettles remarks, “Many contemporaries have a deep―seated suspicion of catechisms. In our own Baptist denomination, many would consider the words "Baptist catechism" as mutually exclusive.” However he goes on to say, “Baptists, including Southern Baptists, produced scores of catechisms for use in this variety of ways.”[iii]

Spurgeon on Catechisms

Standing in this tradition, the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon developed his own catechism from the London Baptist Confession of 1689 and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. He believed that a good catechism was essential in training the faithful. He said:

“I am persuaded that the use of a good Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard against the increasing errors of the times, and therefore I have compiled this little manual from the Westminster Assembly's and Baptist Catechisms, for the use of my own church and congregation. Those who use it in their families or classes must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass.”[iv]

Using the Confessions and Catechism

Many evangelicals are rediscovering the benefit of a good catechism. Both new and existing churches can benefit from using catechisms. A catechism can be used as an individual study, times of family worship, or in small groups. Catechisms are not a pass or fail fill-in-the-blank test, but an invitation to learn the doctrines of grace. This invitation involves vital learning, ongoing reflection, and discussion within the community of faith.

They are still as useful and as needed today. Ponder each doctrine and let them speak to your head and your heart. Share them with your children or your spouse.

Here is a sample of the First Catechism for beginners that you can use in your church, with your family, or in times of study.

Who made you? God.
What else did God make? God made all things.
Why did God make you and all things? For his own glory.
How can you glorify God? By loving him and doing what he commands.
Why are you to glorify God? Because he made me and takes care of me.
Is there more than one true God? No. There is only one true God.
In how many Persons does this one God exist? In three Persons.
Name these three Persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
What is God? God is a Spirit and does not have a body like men.
Where is God? God is everywhere.
Can you see God? No. I cannot see God, but he always sees me.
Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God.
Can God do all things? Yes. God can do all his holy will.
Where do you learn how to love and obey God? In the Bible alone.
Who wrote the Bible? Chosen men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.[v]

[i] Donald Van Dyken, Rediscovering Catechism. New Jersey: P&R publishing. 2000. 14.

[ii] Martin Luther, Table Talk.

[iii] Tom Nettles, An Encouragement to Use Catechisms. Founders Journal.

[iv] Charles Surgeon, A Puritans Catechism.

[v] First Catechism. Great Commission Publications, Inc. 2003.

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Dr. Winfield Bevins serves as lead pastor of Church of the Outer Banks, which he founded in 2005. His life’s passion in ministry is discipleship and helping start new churches. He lives in the beautiful beach community of the Outer Banks with his wife Kay and two daughters where he loves to surf and spend time at the beach with his family and friends. Twitter: @winfieldbevins

Seth McBee 4/30/12 Seth McBee 4/30/12

A Story Of Gospel Community

In two weeks, in a suburban town outside of Seattle, we'll celebrate God's grace and the Spirit's work through baptizing a new disciple of Jesus. This is the story of how a neighborhood can look like the book of Acts, where disciples are made and we teach and preach from house-to-house, an example of how to make disciples in our sphere of influence... in today's context. We moved into our housing development 7 1/2 years ago, and for the first 6 years, we didn't know anyone who didn't live next to us. I’m serious. I didn't know the guy across the street. By the way, his name is Trevor, and he's getting baptized in my backyard. But, for the first 6 years, the extent of our reaching-out to our neighbors was leading a youth group and handing out bibles door-to-door and singing Christmas carols in the dark because people shut off their lights on us. Sometime while standing in the cold singing "O Come All Ye Faithful," I started to think, "Maybe we need a different modus operandi for bringing the gospel to my neighbors."

I decided to leave my one church to seek out help from people who have done this before, and I landed with Soma Communities. Truth be known, I am very prideful in the way I do things. Whether it is my orthodoxy or my orthopraxy, I feel like I have it down to some degree, which is a spillover from my success in business. It is wrong thinking, but I know this about myself. When coming to Soma Communities, I purposed to be a learner. What I asked myself was, "If you know so much, how come no one around you is repenting and being baptized?" So, even though I was soon asked to take a lead role in a Missional Community out in my suburban city, I decided to just sit back and learn. As I learned, as I listened, I began to be intrigued, and I finally had to act on it.

I asked a new friend of mine, Caesar, "How should I start? Where should I begin in my community?"

He suggested, "Ask the Spirit, 'What's next?'"

At that time, I rarely asked the Spirit to guide and empower me for mission because I was doing nothing that would require the Spirit. I was insular, hanging around only Christian people, and rarely ever engaging anyone with the Gospel or showing them the effects of the Gospel and how that might look in our community. There was no reason to pray. It would have been like asking God to help me flip the channels on my television.

Well. My wife and I prayed... Spirit, what's next?

If you want to open the power of the Spirit like freeing a hungry lion from its cage, then ask the Spirit what's next with a desire to show others what He's like for the sake of making disciples.

The Spirit answered by simply telling my wife and me this: On July 4th, instead of having your BBQ in the backyard, move it to the front yard.

This isn't earth shattering, but as Luke 16:10 puts it, he who can be trusted with a little, can be trusted with a lot. We agreed with the Spirit and decided that would be a good idea. Then He pressed. We ended up putting together a 4th of July wiffle ball tournament and cook off and going door-to-door handing out flyers. The response was overwhelming. This was the first time I met Trevor, my neighbor from across the street. He entered a wiffle ball team, and they won. Whatever. In the end, we had about 40 people play in the tourney and around 150 people at the 4th of July festivities. People continued to come up to me and tell me it was the best 4th of July party they had ever been to. It reminded us all of the Wonder Years. We didn't want this to only happen once a year. So, we started throwing BBQs all the time and inviting people over to have dinner from the connections we made on the 4th.

As summer was drawing to a close, my wife and I knew one thing: we needed help to build this community to reflect the community of God. We started praying that God would send helpers and had other leaders within Soma praying for us as well. God answered. He ended up moving another couple to our city from a different Soma Expression and then sent us another couple from our old bible study. It was beautiful. We came together with a plan that we felt was from the Spirit. We sought to continue the dialogue with these new couples by hosting Saturday morning breakfasts at our house. We wanted these other couples to be there with us to engage our neighbors and become part of our community. To do this, they had to be willing to lay aside some of the things they might have been more comfortable with to pursue our neighbors. But, our goal was to have these breakfasts with an eye on going through the Story of God at some point with those people with whom we were building relationships. We figured this might take a year or so to build these relationships strong enough to engage them on a deeper spiritual level.

This whole time, my wife and I kept asking the Spirit, "What’s next?" Now, we were able to put names to these prayers. We started the breakfasts in October and by the end of the month the Spirit was opening doors for the Gospel like I've never seen. People were asking us, "Why do you do all these things for the community? (We had also arranged a Halloween party, game nights, etc.) Do you sell Avon? Are you Christians? What church do you go to? etc."

We answered those questions, and then asked, "Would you be interested in walking through the story of what the Bible says about God and why we feel compelled to bring about this type of community? We can do it our house and have fun and eat like we always do anyways and then have this story time with dialogue among friends.”

We ended up asking about 6 couples from our neighborhood and 4 said yes, including Trevor and his wife. After 10 weeks of engaging in story and having a lot of fun, summer was back. We told those who went through the story that if they wanted to continue with us to dig into the Scriptures to see what the Gospel says about making disciples, we'd be happy to have them. Trevor and his wife agreed and really started to delve in. We again threw a huge 4th of July party with wiffle ball, cook off, and fireworks, and kept following up with BBQs and studied the word together as a Missional Community.

Now, this entire time, we had, as a group, been praying that God would put on our hearts those people in our lives who seemed to be pushing into the kingdom. We'd been praying (and are still praying), because we were going to once again be doing the Story of God coming up in January. We then had a study on baptism, and two things came out of Trevor's mouth: 1) I want to be baptized 2) I've been praying and talking to my brother and his fiancé and they desire to not only come to the BBQs but also to the Story of God when we start it.

Praise God!

In two weeks we'll be having Trevor's whole family, some friends, and our Missional Community in our backyard for a BBQ and a baptism. He's being commissioned to make disciples, but because he’s been watching me, and I've been walking this out with him day-to-day in normal everyday life for a year and a half, he's already doing it. To him, a disciple of Jesus naturally makes more disciples.

Our Missional Community started the day I put aside my own comforts and moved my BBQ from my backyard to my front yard. We went 6 years without knowing anyone. Now, if we throw a BBQ, we have 70 people show up. We have 6 couples in our Missional Community. We are doing pre-engagement for one couple and trying to save another couple from going through a divorce. We think we might have to multiply coming up in January because we could have close to 40 people that desire to go through the Story of God with us.

I'm no saint. I'm nothing special. I'm not paid by the church. I'm not paid by the community. God pays me money through my business - not to hoard it, but so I can be making disciples who make disciples in the neighborhood where I live.

This story isn't crazy. This story isn't outlandish. It's pretty normal. My family is pretty normal. That's the beauty of it. This is a small taste of what has been happening in our neighborhood and also in our own spiritual development. You’ll notice as you live this out, life, as usual, isn’t perfect. There are times of much difficulty. As a dude in our Missional Community put it, “You only get really irritated with people if you actually get to know them. It’s hard to get irritated at others if you merely wave at them when putting your garbage at the curb.”

If you're reading this, what’s holding you back from going to your knees tonight and just asking God, "What's next?" Be careful. Once you’ve let this Lion of Judah out of the cage, He'll take over the neighborhood.

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Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife, and father of three. 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, preaching elder with Soma Communities in Renton, Washington, and executive team member of the GCM Collective. In his down time, he likes to do CrossFit, cook BBQ, host pancake ebelskiver breakfasts at his home and many other neighborhood events in his hometown of Maple Valley, Washington. You can find him on twitter @sdmcbee or at www.gcmcollective.com.

Jonathan Dodson 4/29/12 Jonathan Dodson 4/29/12

The Gospel Affects How We Treat Leaders [video]

This part 4 in a series of video interviews about the book Gospel-Centered Discipleship.

Jonathan Dodson 4/27/12 Jonathan Dodson 4/27/12

All The Right Answers: Reasons It's Difficult to Share Our Faith

This is part four of the series The Difficulty of Sharing Our Faith. I’ve often heard people say the reason they find it difficult to share their faith is because they don’t have all the right answers. “What if someone suggests all paths lead to the same God, making Jesus irrelevant?” they say. Or “What if a co-worker claims she could never be a Christian because the Bible has too many errors?” These are serious questions that deserve thoughtful responses. As Christians, we should have reasons for our hope. However, I wonder if we often put our hope in having right answers instead of hoping in the reason for our faith? Let’s consider the role of “right answers” in the difficulty of sharing our faith.

Reasons for Hope

While some consider Christianity to be an unthinking faith, the Bible underscores the importance of reason. Peter, a disciple not known for being good with words, wrote this: “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Pet 3:14-15).

We are to offer “reasons” for our hope, to always be prepared. Prepared to do what? “Make a defense” is a translation of the word from which we get apologetic. An apologetic isn’t an “I’m sorry” attitude. Nor is it a defensive, antagonistic stance against culture. It is a reasoned statement of belief. To make an apologetic, then, is not to argue out of defensive insecurity, but to offer a reasonable explanation from our security. What kind of security frees us to offer reasonable explanations for our faith?

Two kinds of security free us to engage in apologetics. The first is intellectual security. The Christian faith has a long tradition of apologists who have faithfully defended the faith century after century, answering some of the most difficult questions. The earliest apologists include: Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Tatian, and Clement of Alexandria (view their texts here). Their apologetic answers have been handed down from generation to generation. New apologists, such as Ravi Zacharias, William Lane Craig, Tim Keller, John Frame, and Alvin Plantinga, also address new questions. We do well to read them.

It is important to note that the gospel alone acts as a grand apologetic, addressing the deepest of life’s questions including: the problem of evil and suffering, the existence of God, the hope of salvation, the nature of God and man, and the role of faith. Through apologetics the gospel has proven intellectually credible and existentially satisfying for many people across many cultures. The gospel provides a coherent, rational view on the world that is intellectually secure. It makes sense of a world where things are not as they are supposed to be. But there is another security that frees us to offer reasonable explanations for Christian faith.

Deep Security

Many of us won’t make time to read the old and new apologists. And perhaps we don’t have to. Is it possible that Peter had in mind an apologetic that included, not just reasons, but faith? Peter was writing to people who feared persecution for their faith. When we struggle to share our faith, do we not face persecution? We are attacked by thoughts that undermine our confidence, diminish our trust in Christ, and redirect us away from speaking about Jesus. Surely, this is a spiritual persecution. Cultural apologist Ken Myers has said:

“the challenge of living with popular culture may well be as serious for modern Christians as persecution and plagues were for the saints of earlier centuries.”[1]

While we may not face the gallows or plagues, we do face something more subtle--the invisible power of pop culture that undermines truth, dismisses character, and radically orients us toward comfort. The good news is that we have the same ability as those early saints to be secure and strong in our faith. When doubts surface and silent accusations fly on the cusp of mentioning the gospel, we need a security stronger than our persecution.

Before instructing the early Christians to always have an apologetic, Peter prefaces his statement with this: “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…” (1 Pet. 3:14). He reassures them, in the face of mockery, to sink their security deep into their hearts not heads. He reminds them that they have nothing to fear because they have Christ who offers perfect peace. He makes apologetics about Christ not right answers, a matter of both the head and the heart.

So, when we face that moment of temptation to shy away from identifying with Jesus, it is our identity in Jesus that we need most. We need not fear men because we can rest in Christ. People may reject us, but our forever acceptance in Christ gives us every reason to speak of Him, of His grace, mercy, kindness, love, and triumph over sin, death, and evil. O for stronger men and women who sink their identity deeply into what Jesus says about us more than what peers and co-workers (might) say about us! Our silence will convince no one of our rich, rewarding faith in Jesus. Fear over co-worker frowns will not inspire a smiling faith.

Authentic Apologetics

Our moment of opportunity is less about converting others and more about staying true to ourselves. Will we speak of our unique community in the church, the God-intoxicating gathering on Sunday, the stirring time of meditation on Wednesday morning, and the quiet, soul stirrings of communion with God? Will we speak authentically about what matters most to us and of the meaningful events in our lives or will we prove inauthentic, dismissing these things from conversation, and along with them, dismissing our true selves? Will we refrain from honoring the Lord Christ as holy in our hearts because we hold in honor the passing frowns of men in our heads? Surely the gospel offers a deeper security than the approval of passing men and women? Does not Christ’s love run deeper, His acceptance purer, and His approval longer than the love, acceptance, and approval that any person could ever give? If so, apologetics is meant to spring from a deep security in the heart, our unshakable union with Christ—fully loved, fully accepted. Apologetics is a matter of the heart as well as the head.

Defending the faith, then, is as much about defending Christ as our Lord in our hearts as it is explaining the reasonableness of our faith. The goal of apologetics should never be to convert others (that is the Spirit’s job), but it is to honor Christ as Lord in our hearts. This happens, very often, with our mouths. And in the end, for everyone the bottom-line issue isn’t an intellectual objection but hope objection. We refuse to remove our hope from one thing and transfer it to the ultimate thing, the person of Jesus. A witness of our authentic hope in Christ will be more compelling than any intellectual argument we could ever articulate. People need to see our hope burn in our bones. They need to sense the Lord Christ set apart in our hearts. They need to see that the gospel not only makes sense but that it also works. Christian faith is intellectually satisfying and existentially rich. So let’s not put our hope in having right answers but have answers that reflect our hope.

[1] Ken Myers, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes: Christians and Popular Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1989), v.

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. He 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. Twitter: @Jonathan_Dodson

Jonathan Dodson 4/25/12 Jonathan Dodson 4/25/12

Sharing Your Failures & Your Faith [video]

This part 3 in a series of video interviews about the book Gospel-Centered Discipleship. In this video, Jonathan explains an important concept in his book regarding the professional/novice discipleship distinction. He advocates that we should disciple by not only sharing our faith but also sharing our failures. He also addresses the challenges of introvert/extroverts in making disciples.

Jake Chambers 4/25/12 Jake Chambers 4/25/12

Messy Discipleship

In our house, we used to have a beautiful set of drinking glasses that were made of translucent artsy green glass. Notice I said we “used to"... A few weeks ago our house was full of the life, laughter, and mess of sharing our home and table with our community; after everyone left and my wife and I were cleaning up, we noticed one of our beautiful green glasses had a huge chip off the top. We now officially have only three of these nice glasses. They've moved from the threatened dishes list to the full-fledged endangered dishes list. I don’t have much hope for their survival either as they have yet to breed.

Just the other day a neighbor broke another one of our glasses, and as I was cleaning up the glittery shards, it hit me - if you have a complete set of dishes you just might not be on mission.

God’s mission is messy and costly. Think about it. In order for us to be a part of God’s family, to be his disciples, to get to live in eternity with him in his home, it cost him his comfort to the point of a dirty, torturous execution on a cross. Yet I often want to be his follower and have a life of comfort.

I want to do hospitality my way, on my time, around my schedule, with the people that are easy for me to be around, and I want to have a complete set of dishes when I am done. But this just isn’t the life God has called us to. God calls us to not just have hospitable events but to have an open door and hospitable life. Jesus was available for the sick. He fed the hungry crowds when it was inconvenient. He hung out with the drunks, tax collectors, lepers, and sinners. His way of discipleship was dirty and probably smelly.

I have a friend that has modeled this hospitality well and as a result often has men in his home that are so drunk and out of it they sometimes foul their pants. He and his wife have literally cleaned man-poop off their floor. This grosses me out and makes me want to think twice about the people I let into my house, but oddly enough it also inspires me. It looks so much like Jesus. A couple of weeks ago my neighbor’s daughter had a little present slip out of her diaper while they were visiting. We saw the log on the floor, and all of us wondered where it came from. I immediately checked my son's diaper, and people were diaper checking all around until we found the culprit. I instinctively cleaned up the poop, de-sanitized the floor, and went on with what turned out to be a wonderful evening.

Sometimes discipleship means people are going to poop on your floor. If we are servants like Jesus, we get to clean it up. Jesus modeled this when he washed his disciples feet. At the time, everyone traveled on dirty, smelly roads in sandals and often were hopscotching around camel dung. Washing smelly feet was reserved for slaves, yet Jesus, the master, took the lowliest task and washed his disciples' feet.

I like my things to stay nice, and I don’t like doing disgusting jobs. But I do want to follow Jesus, and I do want to be his disciple and make disciples. To do this all the time means I am going to have to do some things I don’t like and lose some things I do like.

So again, if you have a full set of dishes and nobody has ever pooped on your floor, you might want to stop and examine if you are really on God’s mission.

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Jake Chambers: A member of Jesus’ bride - the church, husband to his beautiful bride Lindsey, and a daddy to his boy Ezra. Jake is passionate about seeing the gospel both transform lives and create communities that love Jesus, the city, and the lost. He currently serves Red Door Church through leading, preaching, equipping, and pastoring. You can read more of his writing at reddoorlife.tv.

Jonathan Dodson 4/24/12 Jonathan Dodson 4/24/12

Why Gospel-Centered Discipleship? [video]

This part 1 in a series of video interviews about the book Gospel-Centered Discipleship. Over the next few weeks, we will post a series of video interviews by Matt Chandler with Jonathan Dodson about his new book Gospel-Centered Discipleship. You are welcome to repost them.

Nathan Creitz 4/23/12 Nathan Creitz 4/23/12

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

Gloria 4/20/12 Gloria 4/20/12

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.

Bill Streger 4/18/12 Bill Streger 4/18/12

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

Tony Merida 4/16/12 Tony Merida 4/16/12

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.

Jonathan Dodson 4/13/12 Jonathan Dodson 4/13/12

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.

Eric Russ 4/13/12 Eric Russ 4/13/12

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

Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick 4/11/12 Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick 4/11/12

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.

Abe Meysenburg 4/9/12 Abe Meysenburg 4/9/12

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.

Ben Roberts 4/5/12 Ben Roberts 4/5/12

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

Zach Nielsen 4/4/12 Zach Nielsen 4/4/12

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.

David Fairchild 4/2/12 David Fairchild 4/2/12

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.

Jonathan Dodson 3/30/12 Jonathan Dodson 3/30/12

Intolerance: Reasons It's Difficult to Share Faith

This is part three of the series The Difficulty of Sharing Our 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 new tolerance has to allow for these two statements to coexist. The problem is that this is simply impossible to do! The new tolerance is intellectually careless. The new tolerance carelessly dismisses careful logic. For instance, new tolerance affirms that both Jesus and Allah are God. It also affirms that working to keep the Five Pillars of Islam and trusting in the work of Christ are both ways to get to God. The problem, however, is that both Islam and Christianity fundamentally disagree on who God is and how to reach him. In Islam, we reach up to God but in Christianity, God reaches down to us. These beliefs can't be equally valid and true because to affirm one its to invalidate the other.

This intellectual carelessness is not only illogical; it is exclusively intolerant. According to the new tolerance, it should be intolerant to not tolerate exclusive faiths like Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Instead, the new tolerance makes the exclusive claim that all religions lead to the same God. This is an act of great disrespect, dismissing the centuries of study, formulation, adherence, and faith of religious devotees. In this, the new tolerance is religious. It makes an exclusive claim (all beliefs are equally true) and intolerantly forces that belief onto everyone. As a result, it is not only intellectually careless but relationally careless.

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.

So you see, there's quite a difference between the old and new tolerance. While we should grant others the dignity of their belief (or unbelief), classic tolerance also expects the differences between beliefs to come out. Classic, and Christian, tolerance should promote respectful dialogue and charitable debate between religions. Christians should honor differences and dialogue to grow in clarity and appreciation of differences between religious viewpoints. We should be eager to learn from others about their faith, not condemn them for their faith. Meaningful conversation is in short supply, and of all people, Christians should have meaningful conversations with others. After all, Jesus claimed to answer the deepest questions of life. And if his teachings are true, then we have every reason to talk deeply with others about meaning, faith, and truth. Jesus gives us every reason to be classically tolerant, full of love, and persuasively engaged in the things that matter most.

Tony Merida 3/28/12 Tony Merida 3/28/12

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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The Gospel Affects How We Treat Leaders [video]

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Sharing Your Failures & Your Faith [video]

Messy Discipleship

Why Gospel-Centered Discipleship? [video]

Making Disciples is Not Just for Super Christians

Seeking God's Vision for Marriage

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Meditating on God's Word - Memorization

Spirit-Empowered, Integrated Discipleship [video]

Forgiveness Is Not Semantics

For The City

The Gospel & The Great Commandment

Good Friday

The Giver is the Gift

Gospel Transformation vs. Moral Reformation

Intolerance: Reasons It's Difficult to Share Faith

Meditating on God's Word - Study

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