The Neighborhood Mission Start Up

People in our age often want to be told what to do so they can follow the directions. The dangerous thing is that if we just tell people what to do, then we not only become their functional savior for mission, we also avoid training them as leaders. This enables followers to stay followers and keeps leaders as their idols. We become the Holy Spirit for them, and when something in their life isn’t working, they don’t go the King. They come to another finite servant for direction. They become our disciple, not a disciple of Jesus. I’ll actually be speaking more on this understanding of leadership development at the GCM National Conference in September. So, what do I tell these people that inquire about how to live Christ's mission in their neighborhood (without making them feel stupid for asking a question that was prodded by the Spirit)?

Jesus tells us to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

He also tells us in Acts 1:8 that he’ll send us power by way of the Spirit to empower us for mission… to be his witnesses. (Notice witness is a noun, not a verb. You are the witness. It’s not something you do, but someone you are by His power.)

If we take these two principles to the neighborhood, what might that look like?

What would you attend if you were invited by a neighbor?

This seems very simple, but most don’t do this easy task. There is a great list given over at Verge by Josh Reeves - good dude by the way - called 25 Simple Ways to Missional to Your Neighborhood. Over at the GCM Collective there is a great document by Jeff Vanderstelt called Contextualization Assessment Starter. These are two great tools to start your mind thinking, but I have a very simple way to start. Simply ask yourself and your family, what would you attend if a neighbor invited you?

Would you attend a church service?

Would you attend a picket line?

Would you attend a “school” during the summer at another place in the city?

Some event where someone is trying to sell you trinkets?

Maybe some of you are thinking…"Yes I would!"

If so, try it out. See if it works. If not, think through other things that you might attend.

A front yard BBQ? A Saturday morning breakfast? An ice cream party? A UFC fight party?

What you will find through this process is the demographics of your neighborhood. When I started, one of the things I tried was inviting over people for a UFC fight. Literally no one showed up. Most of the folks I talked to afterwards said that they just weren’t interested in the UFC. That was the pits for me, because I dig me some ultimate fighting, but that gave me a better understanding of the neighborhood. Also, I got a chance to ask the next question to my neighbor:

What do you enjoy doing?

Now I get ideas, plus some ways to engage my neighbor for their story.

Neighbor: I really enjoy things I can do with my whole family.

Me: Oh, you have kids? How old are they? What are their names, etc.? What do you guys enjoy as a family?

Just with that small question, you're already beginning your contextualized understanding of your neighborhood.

You’ll also notice you'll start to engage your neighbors, whether they are in your “demographic” or not.  This doesn’t simply “work” if you are in a neighborhood surrounded by people like you. It will also work in those neighborhoods where you are not like your neighbors. You can try some things you like. They might fail. But that just gives you a chance to engage neighbors to see what they enjoy and what would draw them out to engage the community as a whole.

How would you like to be invited to engage community?

The next question people ask me is this:

I have an idea to engage neighbors. How should I invite them?

I just turn the question back on them:

How would you like to be invited to something from someone you don’t know? What kind of invitation would you ignore? What kind of invitation would cause you to engage?

I don’t know about you, but I would ignore most things sent to me in the mail or something just left on my doorstep. For me, I would respond positively from a face-to-face interaction, with something left behind with the information.

This is exactly what I decided to do three years ago in our neighborhood. I took flyers around to our neighbors, knocked on their doors and introduced myself to them and invited them to our 4^th of July party. This created many opportunities for conversation and many have come to our community events because of a simple introduction.

For others, email might work, Facebook (I have a community Facebook group now that we’ve built relationships), evite, etc.  Think through different ways to communicate to people, to engage them in the ways that your neighborhood is comfortable with.

Sent by His Power

This is the greatest part.  You have the power of the eternal God, the embodiment of wisdom, inside you for his glory.

After thinking through the first two questions of how we can love our neighbors like we love ourselves, we must not forget the first part. The commandment to love your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

We need to go to our God to simply ask him what he’d like us to do next with his power. When we go through what things we are going to do to engage our neighbors, or any other group, we must first ask our Dad. "Dad, what’s next with this neighborhood to show off your glory?"

Then listen…

Then do what he tells you.

It might be huge, or it might be small. The important thing is to be obedient to him after he tells you what he desires. This doesn’t mean it will “work” in your eyes (such as the UFC thing above), but it means you're allowing your eternal Dad to determine what you NEED to do to make you more like Jesus and for others around you to see his glory and fame.

I fully believe if we think through these three easy steps, we’ll engage our neighborhoods and other groups around us much more often with more power and positive response from those around us.

Yes, you’ll end up sacrificing your time, your money and your possessions, but in the end isn’t this what we are called to do as followers of Jesus?

Love others as you love yourself by the power of the Spirit, and watch the work God will do.

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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 as well as 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, and host pancake ebelskiver breakfasts at his home. Twitter @sdmcbee

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For more information on taking the gospel to the streets, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel.

For more free articles on missional living read: Invite & Invest to Make Disciples by Greg Gibson, Theology is for Everyone by David Fairchild, and The Gospel & Our Neighbors by Alvin Reid.

Christians and Internet Presence: A Roundtable

About a year ago, I sat down with some friends of mine in a virtual roundtable to speak on the benefits and downfalls of social media and blogging for Christians. What a great way to introduce Project TGM! These men who have experience with popularity in the blogging and social media world (with 4-to-5-digit Twitter followers and top 200 Christian blogs) joined me to discuss. It is my aim that this discussion would help you personally and the Church as a whole consider the Kingdom implications of blogging and social media.

The Panel:

Trevin Wax

BLOG: Kingdom People

TWITTER: trevinwax -

Steve McCoy

BLOG: Reformissionary

TWITTER: stevekmccoy -

Jared Wilson

BLOG: Gospel-Driven Church

TWITTER: jaredcwilson

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In an age when everyone has a presence on the internet, should Christians consider blogging? And if so, what should they aim for?

TREVIN WAX: What should a Christian blogger aim for? Let’s start with the no-no’s. Certainly not fame or blog traffic. Someone once asked me what it’s like to be famous in the blogworld, and my response was, “like being Homecoming king of a class of twelve.” It’s just not a big deal. The blogosphere is a neat thing, but it’s also a gigantic echo chamber, and the noisy links create the false perception that we are very important and have something so valuable to say. That’s not to say there’s nothing good in blogging – but we need to remember: to ground our importance or value in anything other than the gospel (including a good thing like a blog) is idolatrous, no matter how well we think we write. (This is one reason I take every July off from blogging. It’s good for my soul. It reminds me that I don’t need to get wrapped up in that world too much.)

What should we aim for? Generally speaking, the glory of God and the good of the church. That’s general, you say, so not so helpful. But to get more specific would require me to make rules that might not apply to all blogs. Some blogs are intended to be challenging for church leaders. Other blogs try to provide helpful book reviews to people who want to read more. Some blogs are personal commentaries sprinkled with insights into the Christian life. Other blogs link to good content on the web. I think a Justin Taylor has a specific aim quite different than say, Tim Challies. Justin is more a curator of content, whereas Tim is a creator of content. The specific aims are different, but I think both guys are trying to serve the church in their own way.

*BRANDON SMITH: The ultimate aim, as Trevin so perfectly stated is “the glory of God and the good of the church.” To me, this even includes the Christian who isn’t necessarily blogging about Christianity. If a Christian wants to start a sports blog, family blog, or random photos blog then they should do so with clear Biblical ethics and practice.

There is a cultural myth that states that God is separate from our work, hobbies, etc. There is nothing further from the truth because God is the God of our ENTIRE lives, not just our “spiritual” life. With that in mind, whatever we do on a blog or social network should still reflect Christ and not place you below reproach. Are you perfect? No, and that isn’t my point. But, it goes without saying that blogging in a way that is sinful or causes your brothers/sisters to stumble is not wise.

*JARED WILSON: I agree, and I really like Trevin’s emphasis on how the blog world is not a big deal. I encourage bloggers, especially those who are well-known to somewhat well-known, to have close friends who simply don’t care. They don’t read, aren’t interested, don’t care. I would encourage this extra especially to well-known Christian bloggers who pastor churches or have book deals or what-have-you. Surround yourself with people who are unimpressed by anything that happens online. Maybe find some who don’t even own a computer!

*STEVE MCCOY: Blogging can be kind of whatever you want it to be. A Christian may want to start a blog in the hope of generating revenue for their kids’ college education by putting up good online deals for pots and pans. Whatever, have fun, make some cash. But I’m guessing you mean a “Christian blog” in which someone says God-stuff. Fair enough.

First, as Trevin mentioned, aim for God’s glory and the blessing of others. Blogs, like everything else, are about loving God, neighbor, brother & sister, and enemy. I built my blog to gain relationships with like-minded church leaders and Christians. It includes other personal passions (family, music, photography), but ultimately I want it to be God-glorifying & human edifying.

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Tell your pastor about your blog for accountability. Or maybe find a trusted, knowledgeable friend who can challenge you when necessary on what you are writing. When I started my blog years ago and my best friend, Joe Thorn, started his (both of us younger pastors), we read everything each other wrote and talked regularly on the phone about content. We’d often have each other read what we wrote before we posted it to make sure we weren’t being idiots. I’m sure I made a lot of changes before posting things. Build in accountability.

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Second, aim at excellence. I’ve deleted more posts before posting them than I’ve posted. I’ve sat on posts for weeks because I just wasn’t writing clearly on an issue yet. Blogs get feedback, and you want to have thought things through well before feedback comes. One way to be excellent in your blogging is to developing your voice slowly by pointing to others a lot. There are people already out there probably saying it better than you can say it. I have a popular blog and I say things, but it’s best known for being the location of a massive page filled with Tim Keller resources.

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In an article from Fast Company, the assertion was made that social media (and Twitter in particular) is not an effective tool for influence due mainly to the short shelf life of status’ and massive amount of users. Can social media truly have a positive influence on Christianity, both locally and worldwide?

*JARED WILSON: I may be a terrible person to ask this question, because I don’t spend much time thinking about how much influence social media has. I suppose if I were trying to be a professional blogger (or tweeter) or made a daily connection between my blogging/tweeting and promoting my writing, I would. But my basic reaction to the Fast Company appraisal of social media’s lack of influence is: okay.

Obviously I am interested in some level of influence, or else I wouldn’t post my thoughts in public forums for others to read. But the context of thinking of social media as a “tool” to influence others — and here I think of self-appointed marketing gurus, some of the pastorpreneurial tribe, and anybody who obsessively monitors their stats and rankings — seems so strange to me. In the early days, it was easy to be a big blogger fish in a small blogging pond if you could be personable and interesting. But the emphasis back then was on conversation so much more than self-promotion or influence. Comment threads were where the magic happened. Now everybody’s too busy posting to discuss below the posts. You have to go to the really polarizing blogs to find dialogue in the comments, and even then it looks more like a flame war than a town square hashing-out. At most places where you find lots of comments, most of them are just one-shot “Good post; I agree” type stuff. It used to be a few bloggers, many readers/commenters. Now everybody blogs, the conversation has quelled, and the drive to distinguish one’s self can be very tempting. I suppose that Fast Company article may discourage some folks really bent on being “agents of change” (as I’ve seen some social media users refer to themselves).

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Can social media have a positive influence on Christianity? Yes, locally and worldwide. But probably not in the sense the Fast Company is talking about, in that sense of heavy influence. But social media edifies me when I’m reading the right people. I know so-called “gospel tweets” have taken some hits in the past year for being sappy or corny or unworthy of the gospel itself — just this morning one fellow told me one of my tweets was insipid — but I love to read others’ chewing on the gospel. It has a positive influence on me. It helps me revel. And all of us here probably receive messages throughout the year from folks who say a particular post or tweet encouraged them, addressed some concern of the day, etc. So use of social media that glorifies God — whether it’s reveling in the gospel, reflecting on a Scripture, or just in the spirit of Christian camaraderie being silly among friends — can be a positive influence in someone’s need of the moment. Our days go by fast; our needs change. I would think a short-shelf-life medium like Twitter might be keenly appropriate for encouragement in that context. '

*STEVE MCCOY: Yes, no question. It’s just a tool for communication and relationships. Tweets pass away, but Twitterers remain. Each tweet I read impacts me, develops some aspect of my relationship with the author, etc. Couldn’t we be answering this same question about phone calls? For me social media isn’t about permanence of what is said but the permanence of those saying it.

Jared is actually a good example for me on this. Over time following Jared on Twitter we interacted a bit but didn’t really know each other. Once he tweeted about an article he published on a certain site. I DM’d him to ask if we could have a phone conversation. I asked him about how his blog article got published as I was considering doing some publication of things I was writing.  He gave some feedback and we hung up. Now he’s editing a book where I was able to submit a chapter. Twitter has created lasting, positive influence in these ways, though the individual tweets along the way may have dissolved into the ether.

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In other words, we can’t just stand back and listen to the hum of a million tweets with short shelf life. We have to focus in on thousands of relationships, and down to one relationship between two twitterers, and see what’s happening right now between them that’s going to last.

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*TREVIN WAX: Jared, you are right about the way the blog world has evolved in the past few years. Recently, I was talking with a popular blogger from a different evangelical stream (not Reformed – at all) and we were lamenting the way that the blogosphere has solidified people into very distinct camps. Years ago, YRR guys would comment over at Emerging Village, and vice versa. Since there were fewer blogs, there was more conversation that crossed over into other theological and philosophical camps. Now, with the proliferation of blogs, there is less of that conversation. Reformed-types read certain blogs. Church-growth guys read other blogs. Etc. There’s no longer much conversation between camps taking place, and when conversation does happen, it’s more like lobbing a grenade into someone else’s camp. Nobody is to blame for this development, for it’s only natural that readers would gravitate toward good blogs that serve the need of their particular tribe. But I think it’s good for our Christian witness if we hold firm theological convictions without succumbing to theological tribalism.

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*BRANDON SMITH: I don’t know that social media, Twitter in particular, can have a “lasting” influence like a book or piece of audio/video. At best, you can select a tweet as a favorite and save it. But eventually even that will fall into a jumbled list of tweets. Facebook, as far as I’ve seen, has even less options for saving a particular status.

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What social media can do is help you develop a relationship to the personality and mind of the particular tweeter, as Steve mentioned. Also, I may not always remember every tweet that I read, but I’m positive that the main ideas in many of the great Gospel tweets will stick with me. Many times, I will be asked a particular theological question or something else and I will answer but not necessarily remember where I read or heard the idea. Regardless, the knowledge impressed my mind in a way that I was able to repeat/teach it to someone else. Furthermore, that idea stuck in my heart and lifted my soul so much that it was ingrained in memory. In that way, social media can have a great long-term influence if used for edification. It brings me joy to think that God could have used 140 characters that I wrote to impact someone, even if they cannot cite me as the source.

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In the debate over “Christian Hollywood,” there are two sides: Those who believe that any sort of fame for a Christian is idolatrous or prideful and those who believe that fame is good if used as a platform for Jesus. Is fame something that Christians should avoid or embrace?

*BRANDON SMITH: “Christian Hollywood” in and of itself is nothing new to the church. Men like Charles Spurgeon donned billboards in England and the duo of George Whitefield and John Wesley preached to packed churches and pastures. Today, however, it is definitely at its height. With media the way it is, Christians can become famous through books, podcasts, blogs, megachurches, and getting on CNN like John MacArthur, Rick Warren, and Al Mohler. We also see role models such as Tim Tebow rise up in pop culture representing Jesus, and representing Him well. In all of these examples, there has been an extremely positive impression left on Christianity as a whole, in my opinion. Of course, the flip side is watching the painful fall of pastors’ public ministries which no doubt fuels the detractors of Christians in the limelight.

The question really comes down to motive. Joining “Christian Hollywood,” wherever you define that line to be, is something that should absolutely not be aimed for. Some of the most idolatrous people that I have met are those trying to get famous.  It’s dangerous to even think of it as “fame;” I prefer the operative word “influence.” There is certainly nothing wrong with influence if your motives are to see the lost saved and the church edified. We are all sinners with the tendency to think we “deserve” something and we want to be recognized. This part of our insecure pride is probably unavoidable, but the temptation is manageable if you rely and lean on the grace of God alone. We could all go the Kirk Cameron Fireproof route and smash our computers or avoid technology like the Amish, but I think it’s much more helpful to pray and beg the Spirit to break our egos.

In relation to blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc., I think Jared made a great admission in an earlier question when he stated, “Obviously I am interested in some level of influence, or else I wouldn’t post my thoughts in public forums for others to read.” If you own a blog or frequently post on social networking sites, then the chances are that you desire to be heard. I don’t think that this desire should be demonized, but you should be sensitive to what is driving this desire. Is it to be the next John Piper and see your name on books, or is it to use your God-given writing talents or theological insights to see the Kingdom advanced? I always remind myself of this: God has given me X number of blog readers, Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and other contacts in order to glorify Him and fulfill the Great Commission in whatever small or large way He has granted me to do so. I would be remiss to prostitute His gifts for my own gain.

*TREVIN WAX: Brandon, I agree that there is nothing inherently evil in thinking you have something valuable to say. Everyone who ever preaches or teaches could be accused of pride if that were the case. Dave Harvey’s Rescuing Ambition has been helpful to me in thinking through the ways that ambition can be harnessed for the glory of God. Yet, I must admit that however much we try, even our best motives are tainted by sin. If we think they aren’t, we deceive ourselves. So blogging (like teaching, preaching, writing, etc.) must take place within a context of continual repentance, with the added hope of stewarding wisely whatever amount of influence God gives us.

*STEVE MCCOY: I think it’s complicated. Some famous Christians are shaming Christ and others are making Him known. Some are getting rich off books for selfish reasons and others are providing resources that are changing lives. Fame seems to be associated with pride, yet some of the famous Christians who have influenced me most are known because they are generous and humble and speak with a sense of God and eternity.

Brandon mentioned motives and influence. A few years ago I heard John MacArthur say something in a 9 Marks (Mark Dever) interview that, I think, puts the desire for influence under the best motives. MacArthur said, “I’ve concentrated on the depth of my ministry and God’s taken care of the breadth of it.” Sounds good to me.

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*JARED WILSON: I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m dodging the question, but I’m not sure “avoid” or “embrace” are the only two options for Christians. I think we should just be faithful to the callings, private and public, that God puts before us. In that sense, fame is neutral. There were men of God who were famous in the land in Bible times. Fame is not something to embrace, of course, as a self-exalting pursuit, but neither something we are morally bound to avoid. In some cases, I’d think avoidance of exposure or recognition can be a form of false humility, a type of self-centeredness all its own.

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What are some practical ways that social media and blogging can benefit churches, church leaders, and their audience?

*STEVE MCCOY: First thing, know your audience. What are local people using? What are people in your church using? Where I live Facebook is very popular. Twitter and blogging are not that big. If I spend my time trying to connect with people in a way they don’t want to connect, I’ll be spinning my wheels.

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Because Facebook is so widely used it can be a helpful tool for communication both as a church and individually. I actively use Facebook to connect to local people. I have several local friends and I keep up with their lives. We are Facebook friends with all our kids’ teachers, many of their friends’ parents, and so on. People are allowing us to know them better. Why not do that? For our church, Facebook gives us a place to connect in a place where they already go. We get to connect people to information about our church, invite them to events, and so on. Our church members use Facebook to invite people to events when our church puts out announcements on Facebook. I just had a non-attender message me on Facebook because he’s eager for our next Pub Talk (connection ministry).

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For me as a pastor I’ve used Twitter and blogging heavily, but mostly to connect to other church leaders outside my local area. I need like-minded friends in ministry. I can’t fully explain the benefit and blessing of being connecting to hundreds of church leaders through my blog and Twitter. It is truly a kind of community. It doesn’t replace true community, it compliments it and expands it. For example, I’m attending the Desiring God Pastors Conference in a month and I already know of a dozen other guys going and wanting to hang together. Every conference I’ve attended in the last 5-6 years has been a social media family reunion for me. I love and need these co-laborers in Christ.

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Because of these relationships through social media I’ve had hundreds of people praying for my wife, I’ve been provided more than $6,000 for a new van (without asking!), been invited to speak at a conference, endorsed books, found guys to lead worship and fill my pulpit, and a bunch more.

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What I’ve just begun to see locally is crossover. Nearly all our visitors are from something web-based. Many are beginning to connect to use because they’ve found my personal blog or Twitter account. And it has been providing the opportunity to minister locally when my original intent was to connect with leaders internationally. Very thankful for that.

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*BRANDON SMITH: For me, my Twitter followers are almost entirely people who read my blog, are members in the PLNTD Network community that I used to admin., or are other pastors and leaders that I like to read and connect with. My Facebook, on the other hand, is about 50% of that group and 50% friends and family. My blog subscribers and readers are also rather balanced between people I know and do not know.

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On Facebook and Twitter, I use the same guidelines: roughly 1/10 of my statuses are of a personal nature and the rest are quotes, links, etc. that relate to the Christian life. Although I have vastly different audiences on each, I see social media and my blog as a major extension of my ministry. There are plenty of people updating where they are going or what coffee they’re drinking; how many people use it to edify the body? '

*JARED WILSON: My experience mirrors Steve’s fairly closely except for his last statement on receiving visitors based on web-based information. I live in an area where very few adults are on social media. Many are on Facebook, particularly teenagers, but virtually no one’s on Twitter. There is a sizable minority here in rural Vermont who aren’t on the Internet or don’t even have a computer. And then among those over 30 who access the web, they are rarely on any kind of social media.

But my context is not the norm, obviously. Most other areas of the country are more plugged in. My previous church in Nashville had its own Twitter account, and we used that, along with our Facebook page, to keep followers updated on events and information. It was rarely used for discussion or study or anything substantive, however. It was almost purely informational, and I think that’s the primary way churches can use social media. I may be in a minority on this view, but I am very averse to the idea of a church trying to engage something called community online. I’m not naive enough to think meaningful exchanges can’t happen — because I’ve been in some — but I’ve been blogging and plugged-in long enough to be realistic about the limitations of non-verbal, non-face-to-face ministry and discipleship. I find “internet campuses” ludicrous. And I worry about the rapid un-incarnation of church life that’s in the design of increased church leverage of social media.

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The best practical way social media can benefit churches and leaders is through the rapid updating of informational “bullet points.”

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But like Steve, even though none of my church members are on Twitter, very few are on Facebook, and even fewer have a blog or website of any kind, I am edified as a church leader by the ongoing conversation on these sites with other pastors, writers, and leaders in other areas.

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*TREVIN WAX: I’ve found the same to be true in my experience. Social media gives us the opportunity to connect with people in our churches. And blogs allow us to connect with like-minded ministers who are laboring for the kingdom in other churches. I’m always encouraged when someone connects with me and mentions that they have been helped in some way by the blog. Blogging connects me to a network of other ministers striving to be faithful to the gospel, and the encouragement that comes from that connection is incalculable.

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Cross-posted from Modern March.

Church Discipline Wasn't Just a New Testament Thing

Oddly enough, I've been doing a lot of research and reading on church discipline lately. Don't worry though, I was researching a blog post for one of my bosses, and there was also a new B&H release on the subject—Those Who Must Give an Account. That was all last week. Then this morning's Bible reading (using the 4+1 plan from Read the Bible for Life) dropped me into Numbers 5.

The Lord instructed Moses: “Command the Israelites to send away anyone from the camp who is afflicted with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, or anyone who is defiled because of a corpse. You must send away both male or female; send them outside the camp, so that they will not defile their camps where I dwell among them.” The Israelites did this, sending them outside the camp. The Israelites did as the Lord instructed Moses.

Sure does look familiar. Those who were members of God's family were put out of the flock when they were found to be unclean.

Leprosy, now specifically known as Hansen's disease, was akin to death in Biblical times. There was no way back into fellowship with God's people unless you had been cleansed by God and inspected by the priest (see Leviticus 13). If one had leprosy, one was basically living as though dead.

While interesting to study and debate at times, Church discipline is never enjoyable in its application. For if one takes joy in exercising discipline over unrepentant sin, there are greater issues at hand.

The same could be said for those cast out due to leprosy. Family members and friends would no doubt be devastated by the news. They would likely cry out in desperation for healing.

Our response to Church discipline should be similar. It should be marked with brokenness for those who are unrepentant. We should cry out for their spiritual healing. And if/when they return, we should welcome them with open arms, ecstatic that they are once again in fellowship with the community.

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Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications.

Street Grace

Do you know any sign flippers? You know the dudes that stand on busy street corners with giant signs advertising the local cellphone or subway sandwich shop? They usually dance, yell, and flip the sign in order bring in customers. I know the sign flipper on El Cajon and College Ave. His name is Joe. He is new to the job and new to our community. He has a girlfriend from the Ukraine named Arena. He flips a good sign. Not so flashy and flamboyant that you feel awkward at the stop light but also not sleeping on the job. Joe is one of the most encouraging dudes I have met. He loves a good sermon and always lets his pastor know it. The other day at a community baby shower Joe won the, “who can chug root beer out of a baby bottle the fastest contest.” He is a legend around these parts now.

Street Signs

How did I meet Joe? Well the first time was at basketball game at the park right - after he'd drunk a 40. Lately, Joe has been hanging with Doug. Doug is almost 50 and has a big heart for our whole community. Doug is well known for having a pretty sweet ride. He owns a used but fashionable baby stroller that has a bungee corded garbage can connected to it - Big time! The garbage can is filled with empty cans and bottles he recycles. Sometimes it is also loaded with not so empty beer cans too. One week he parked his ride in front of our Sunday gathering, and it was packed.

Welcome to church. Would you like a cold one?

I have spent most of my life believing the lie that the Doug’s and Joe’s of the world aren’t worth my time. And I have been missing out on following my God into an abundant life of service and new friendships.

As a Christian I worship a God that went out of his way to serve those that society had deemed outcast. His band of followers were hated tax collectors, lowly fishermen and prostitutes. He didn’t avoid outcasts. He sought them out and washed their feet. This is the life of Jesus, this is our radical God.

Consider the weight of grace in our everyday life. Jesus says that the last on earth will be the first in the Kingdom of heaven. He even goes as far to say that how we treat the least of these is how we are treating him. Jesus went out of his way to love, cherish, heal and transform the lives of the very least in his city. Grace defines the life Christ lived on earth and the life he calls his disciples to follow him into.

Christ sees beyond our cultural stigmas and stereotypes and instead sees the people he has created to love and be loved, a people that he created to image him. Where the world sees losers and outcast our God sees Kingdom celebrities! Jesus didn’t just start programs for the outcast in his city (not that these are bad) but instead he shared life with them. Today, he invites all of his followers to share life with some of His Kingdom’s most famous people. I don’t want to miss out on this!

Scared by Grace?

From the outside, taking grace to the streets looks scary and lame, but Christ promises that he came to give life abundant. Jesus is not just talking about having a free meal or a program. Instead, Christ invites us to share his grace with even the most disenfranchised. To share grace with some of His Kingdom’s most famous people!

Our church doesn’t have any programs for feeding the homeless and/or impoverished. We have grown in knowing the Kingdom celebrities in our community by sharing our lives with them. We simply hang out where they hang out and invite them to hang out with us. We play basketball, board games, laugh, share meals, watch movies and help each other out. That’s right, we help each other out!

Even the most downtrodden folks have some mad skills, and if you get to know them you will find many are often eager to help and serve. My deck was just re-stained while I was on vacation by a good friend who without Christ I would have missed out on even knowing.

Keeping it Real

I don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture, loving and living out grace to Kingdom celebrities can be messy, heartbreaking, exhausting and expensive. But last I checked, Christ endured much more to love me and he did it for the joy set before him. Loving and following Jesus into the nooks and crannies of your city will cost you everything, but it will gain you much more.

Jesus says that how we treat the least of these is how we are treating him. He identifies with the hurting and broken to the point of dying a torturous death on a filthy Roman cross. He died the death that was created to publicly humiliate the very worst people in all of society. And he chose this death for the joy set before him. The joy of seeing lives be restored and stories be redeemed.

The gospel reminds us that we are the least of these. Identifying with the messy and broken should be easy for a group of people that believe they are so messy and broken God had to shed his blood to restore them.

The first step to loving the poor and disenfranchised in your city is realizing you are the least of these. From the CEO of the multi-million dollar company to the cashier at the taco stand, we all are equally poor and broken without Christ. And we all have the potential to be eternally rich with Christ!

We serve the broken because we are broken and he serves us. We love the unlovable because we are unlovable and he loves us.

These truths take the pressure off. We can love those different than us by living normal life together. Learn each others stories, hang out, share a meal, play a game and help each other out. That’s right, help each other out! You will be surprised who can serve, help and encourage you when you realize you are just another broken human in need of Jesus.

So who do you name drop? Do you know the people in your neighborhood that Jesus considers famous? Do you treat the CEO differently than the sign-flipper? Are you more patient with the rich and famous than the down and out?

I know the sign flipper on El Cajon and College Ave. His name is Joe.

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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.

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For a more in-depth discussion of authentically living out the mission of the gospel, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel.

For free articles on blending gospel-centered mission and community in the your everyday life, read: Lindsay Fooshee's The Unqualified Disciple, Winfield Bevins' How Jesus Made Disciples, and Jeff Vanderstelt's Gospel Hospitality.

Gospel Love & Arranged Marriage

Before we moved to Dubai four years ago to plant a church the only information I had about arranged marriages was what I saw in movies. As I’ve come to minister alongside and disciple some wonderful, Spirit-filled women in arranged marriages, the gospel has shaped my ministry in this context.

Obstacles & Opportunities

While marriages that are arranged present some unique obstacles, unique opportunities have also surfaced. Said another way, the gospel is for everyone, and followers of Christ are called to set aside cultural presuppositions as we make disciples. Examples of this abound in the Book of Acts and in Paul's letters. Our calling is no different now.

It is my hope that in sharing the lessons I've learned about discipleship and arranged marriages that some principles and examples of grace will speak to the ability of the gospel to transcend geo-political and cultural boundaries with the message of hope and renewal and salvation found only in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Hope for Arranged Marriages

I know we may be tempted to think that perhaps some relationships are outside the realm of gospel application. Some issues and situations are just too different, we reason. But the gospel is thoroughly relevant to any and all relationships. God, in his all-powerful sovereignty, governs our relationships—even the relationships that seem from the outset to be entirely orchestrated by us.

The gospel even informs and shapes arranged marriages.

There are many varieties of arranged marriages, but not a single one of them is planned outside of the providential will of our sovereign God.

Some arranged marriages are brilliant testimonies to God’s manifold wisdom as thoughtful parents and young adults are guided by the Holy Spirit. Some arranged marriages speak of God’s common grace and his merciful redemption in spite of our faithlessness and reckless planning. And sadly, some arranged marriages are cause for mourning as families and couples’ lives intersect with each other in the midst unrighteous deeds that will bring God’s judgment if they don’t escape through trusting the Son. One such example of this would be the arranged marriages of “child brides,” in which case legal authorities ought to intervene to protect the rights of children to not be given in marriage.

It goes to follow that some “love marriages” (as they are commonly called) are testimonies to God’s manifold wisdom. Some are beautiful pictures of his redeeming love despite our failures. And some desperately need to be introduced to Christ Jesus, the one who epitomizes, initiates, and sustains love.

In our consideration of how the gospel is thoroughly relevant to arranged marriages, it is evident that arranged marriages are not dissimilar to love marriages in their dependence on Jesus Christ for all things pertaining to life and godliness.

The Opportunities of Differences - Vested Interest

As similar as arranged marriages and love marriages are in their dependence on the gospel, there are some practical differences to note. I’ll mention two of these unique qualities of arranged marriages and their relationship to gospel-centered discipleship.

A first note of difference is that in an arranged marriage the community and family have a greater degree of collective input in match-making and the perseverance of the marriage. This vested interest in a marriage often results in a greater degree of accountability for the new couple. The new couple is expected to fall in line with the expectations of the community and family in almost every arena of married life. This vested interest on the part of the community can mean increased support for the new couple. For the sake of the community, families and neighbors are more likely to come alongside new couples with practical helps and counsel.

The gospel sustains arranged marriages in communities that are reborn through imperishable seed. The gospel is also thoroughly relevant to arranged marriages in non-Christian contexts as well. In these cases, the couples must remain intentionally and deeply committed to fellowship in their local church where gospel-centered discipleship can happen. As the couple receives encouragement and edification from the gospel-centered community, they shine as lights in a dark world.

The Opportunities of Differences - Working Knowledge

A second note of difference is that in many arranged marriages the new couple does not enter marriage with a “working knowledge” of their spouse. Their families may have been friends since they were children, but often in cultures that practice arranged marriages the young men and young women do not socially intermix. In these cases, the practical discussions that occur in premarital counseling are territory that is likely covered after the covenant of marriage has already been made.

In this instance the foundation of the gospel is even more obvious. When encouraging a friend to stay faithful to their arranged marriage you do not have the surface-level motive of “Remember why you got married” as a motivator from which to draw. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19) becomes manifestly important! We must choose to love one another with the strength that Christ provides to the praise of God the Father. This strength comes from being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ as it is displayed in the gospel of grace.

Don’t be reluctant to counsel your friend in an arranged marriage toward their dependence on Jesus Christ as the author of their faith. The trunk of their family tree may look different, but the roots of the gospel are the same and the fruits of the Spirit are universally sweet.

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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.

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For more on living the mission of Christ, check-out Winfield's book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

For more free mission resources, see: A Gospel for the Muslim by JD Greear, Raising Gospel Centered Children by Luma Simms, and Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer by Justin Buzzard.

Spiritual Strength Training - Part One

(Editor's note: Here's Spiritual Strength Training - Part Two.)

Most pastoral problems, such as burnout, backsliding, depression, begin with neglect of the body.

Let me say that again in a different way. From what I’ve seen and experienced, most pastoral soul-care problems begin with neglect of the body, a lack of strength training. Soul-care problems do not usually begin with channel-surfing or with a click of the mouse, nor with wandering eyes or hands, nor with shortening or missing private devotions. They begin by neglecting the body, by denying or ignoring its many varied needs. The other problems inevitably and inexorably follow.

Theological Problem

This question of spiritual strength training is not merely a practical problem or a physical issue. This is also theological problem, a problem that’s associated with a wrong view of God. And it’s not just a slightly wrong view. Its error is fundamental and foundational because it concerns the fundamental and foundational truth that God is our Creator.

That’s the very first truth that’s revealed to us in Scripture. And it’s first for a reason. It’s because if we go wrong there, we run a great risk of going wrong everywhere else. Now some of you are thinking, “Don’t insult me, man. I believe in God as Creator. I defend God as Creator. I fight those who deny God as Creator. I can even prove God is Creator. How can you say that my soul-care problems arise from denying God as Creator?" Well, maybe we are not denying God as Creator with our lips, but some of us are with our lives.

Creationists living like Evolutionists

There are lots of people who call God “Lord” but don’t live as His servants. And there are lots of people – yes, even pastors - who call God Creator and preach God as Creator, but who live like evolutionists. Some pastors give the impression that the ministry is about the survival of the fittest! (OR THE FATTEST!)

God’s Creatorhood has massive implications for the way we live and the way we do ministry. Although we usually skim over that chapter in our Systematic Theologies and rush on to more “gospel-centered” material, I’ve become increasingly convinced that we cannot be gospel-centered unless we are also Creator-centered. We cannot live as zealous saints unless we first of all live as dependent creatures. The soul and body are so intertwined and inter-connected that we will make no progress in soul-care unless we start with, and go on with body-care.

Our Maker’s Instructions

How would you feel if you built a remote control model car for your children, only to come back home a few days later to hear that they had broken it by trying to use it as a plane? You’d say, “I gave you instructions, why didn’t you follow them?” Similarly, God has given us instructions about how to live as creatures. To some of us God may be saying, “Why are you trying to live as angels or as disembodied spirits? Why aren’t you following my instructions?”

God publishes his instruction in various places in His Word, but also, especially in this subject area, in his World. Increasingly he is allowing scientists and researchers to discover how the body functions best. For example, yesterday I saw research that was headlined, “The more you sit, the sooner you will die!” That made me sit up! In fact it made me stand up!! That’s my loving Creator’s instructions coming to me via reliable research, which I read through the spectacles of Scripture. We ignore such gracious instruction at our peril.

The body is a complicated mix of physical material and physical forces: electricity, chemistry, physics, biology, plumbing, gasses, pumps, siphons, lubrication, buttons, switches, receptors, etc. Then there’s the soul, way more complex than the body and completely inaccessible to empirical research methods. Although we have some Biblical data to mine and research, yielding us some basics about the soul’s capacities and abilities, so much about the soul remains a mystery. Then you put complex body and complex soul together and what do you get – multiple complexities!  How do they relate, how do they interact? How do problems in the body affect the soul and vice versa?

Biblical Link

The Bible confirms a link between distorted thoughts or emotions and many of our bodily ailments: “A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Prov. 17:22).  Guilt also damages the body (Psalm 32:3–4).

And what about feelings and thoughts? Where do they originate? What do they influence and impact? What do they link with and overlap with? How come when our body is sick, even with a common cold or allergy, that our thoughts, feelings, and even our spiritual life are impacted? Does that go the other way as well? It seems to. When our spiritual life is damaged, it often seems to impact our bodies as well. When our emotions are depressed, so many things go wrong with our bodies as well.  Doctors call this psychosomatic (mind/body) illness.

Layers of Complexity

Then throw on top of all that the conscience and the will? Do they operate independently or are they simply part of the soul? Are they affected by the body and/or just the soul? Analysis of the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual contributions to each situation is so difficult. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

Christians don’t understand how physical, psychological, and spiritual realms interrelate because Satan muddies the boundaries. Many of our troubles are caused because we think a problem is spiritual when it is physical or we think a problem is physical when it is emotional or spiritual.

The complexity and interconnectivity of human nature, means that the health of the body effects the health of the soul and vice versa. And it also means that it’s not easy to figure out the contribution of each to our problems! One thing is for sure, we cannot neglect one realm and expect the other not to suffer the consequences.

Creatures, by definition, are less than their Creator. He is infinite; we are finite. He is unlimited; we are limited. Hopefully none of us really think that we are unlimited. However most of us think we are less limited than we actually are. We certainly vastly over-estimate our physical strength, emotional stamina, moral courage, spiritual maturity, volitional muscle, and conscience steel.

Crashing and Burning

Underestimating our limitations and over-estimating our abilities can only have one outcome – weakness, fraying, and eventually breaking. Try it with anything – your car engine, a towrope, your computer, etc. Underestimate the limitations and over-estimate the abilities and you will eventually blow the engine, break the rope, and crash the computer.

Why do we think it’s any different with ourselves? Some people may break after two weeks or two years. Others may take much longer. It’s these people who especially need to be careful because their habits have become so engrained that they no longer pay attention to any warning signs. It’s like the elastic band. Better it snap before you pull it too tight, because the stronger the band - the further you can stretch it - the more forceful and damaging the eventual snap.

Changing and Challenging Limits

Our limitations also change through the years and seasons of life. Hormones and brain chemistry change, our responsibilities increase as marriage and children come along, “events” come along, stressful and painful providences that stretch and strain us.

Some initially do very well under huge stress. I’ve seen people pass through multiple horrendous troubles, and everyone’s amazed at their fortitude and perseverance. Then, maybe something smaller comes along years later, and they fall apart. They break down. Everyone looks on in amazement, “How can they not cope with this?” But the stress on our bodies and minds is cumulative. The straw that broke the camels back came after years of beating with a very heavy club! Everyone has limits.

Isn’t it strange that we very rarely take health advice for ourselves until we lose our health!? Health advice is for others isn’t it? We must find out our limits – physical, spiritual, emotional, moral, etc. – and we may need someone objective to help us with this. And when we find them, we must accept and work within them.

Men and women with very high limits must not impose them on those with lower limits. And those with lower limits must not impose that on those with higher limits. Let not the lower limit people be jealous of the higher limit people. Let not the higher limit people despise the lower. Let those that think they stand, take heed lest they fall. God has his way of humbling us and showing us our limitations.

We are Dependent Creatures

Even before the Fall, Adam and Eve were dependent upon their Creator. That’s how they were made. They leaned upon him, sought help from him, and sought to live in a way that pleased him. Independence did not cross their minds…until they heard, “You shall be as gods…You won’t need God. You can do without God. You can be god yourself. You can depend on yourself, on your own wisdom and strength.” And what a disaster ensued!

Many of us are theologically dependent but experientially independent. We depend on God with our lips but not with our lives. We say we lean on him for everything, but he rarely feels our weight. And disaster is often the result.

Imagine you’re in New York City with your family. Your two-year-old is just learning to walk and decides to experiment when you get to Times Square. He hops out the pushchair and starts walking away from you. You call out, “Come back, stay with me!” No answer. You run after him and try to grab his hand. He pulls away and keeps going toward the crowds and the cars. And all the while he’s saying, “Daddy, I love you!”

Some of us are living like this. Our Creator’s name is on our lips, but we are not living in dependence upon him. We say we love him but we never lean on him. And that puts us in far greater danger – physical, moral, and spiritual danger – than the two-year-old in Times Square!

Two-way Protection

God has not just made our souls to protect our bodies, but our bodies to protect our souls. If we are sleeping well, resting well, exercising well, eating well, our minds are clearer, our wills are stronger, and our defenses are higher. It’s easier to pray, to discipline ourselves, to read the Bible, to serve. A good conscience is greatly helped by a sharp mind and strong will.

Remember: most pastoral problems - burnout, backsliding, depression - begin with a neglect of the body. The most basic Christian experience is dependence. If we don’t live as dependent creatures we are not worshipping our Creator. By our independence, we are worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.

We are not just creatures, not just complex creatures, not just limited creatures, and not just dependent creatures, but we are also fallen creatures! As part of the curse upon us for our first parent’s first sin, death entered the creation and even the greatest creature – humanity. Death entered into our bodies, our souls, our minds, our wills, and our emotions. Death is at work in the youngest baby. As soon as conception occurs and life begins, so does dying and death. If you thought we were complex before, we are even more complex now.

A Complex Mess

Like all anglers, I’m fatally attracted by the latest “guaranteed” fish-catching reel. And of course, as we all know, the more complicated (and expensive) a reel is, the more likely it is to catch fish. Right?!  Now complicated reels are great when they are working well, but when they break down, they make a much bigger mess than standard reels.

That’s why humanity is in a much worse state than any other creature; the more complex the creature the more mess when they break. And that’s why nature films focus on animals rather than humanity. Who wants to look at ugly human creatures in all their brokenness when you can see much more residual beauty in the animal kingdom!

Welcome to humanity! What a mess – our bodies, our minds, our organs, our members, our chemistry, our physics, our plumbing, everything is in such a mess – each part of our humanity on its own and especially each part as it interacts with other parts.

Spiritual Strength Training

But the best news is that our gracious and powerful Creator is in the business of re-creating. Our Creator has come down into our fallen world and lived as a creature to save His creatures and begin the process of making all things new.

However, that renewing requires our cooperation. We will hinder the process of re-creation as creative creatures if we do not live within our creaturely limits and if we do not respect how God created us. And that includes regular rest – healthy daily sleep patterns and a weekly Sabbath – recreation, relaxation, routine.

Let me encourage you further along the road  to spiritual strength training with this fact: Creativity research has shown that the most creative people find most of their creativity insights and breakthroughs in down-time. Eureka moments - breakthroughs in thought, design, engineering - usually come when the mind and body are resting.

Creative Creatures (and Preachers)

To put it bluntly, tired pastors produce tired sermons. If we want fresh sermons we need to refresh and be fresh ourselves. If we don’t live as creatures, we will not be creative! As the 19^th century pastor, William Blaikie wrote:

But even where there is no positive disease, there may be a physical languor that reflects itself in feebleness of voice, dullness of tone, stiffness of manner, and a general want of lively and attractive power. It may be difficult to persuade some preachers that physical causes have to do with this, but the connection is beyond all reasonable doubt. And the fact that such symptoms are the effect of some transgression of the laws of health makes it incumbent upon the student to attend to the condition of his outer man.

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David Murray was a pastor in Scotland for 13 years before accepting a call in 2007 to be Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology in Puritan Reformed Seminary. He continues to preach most Sundays in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area. He is the author of Christians Get Depressed Too and How Sermons Work. He is also President of HeadHeartHand Media, a small Christian film company. David is married to Shona and they have four children ranging from 8 to 16. You can read his blog at HeadHeartHand.org/blog or follow him on Twitter @davidpmurray.

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For more in-depth resources for pastors, check out Tony Merida's Proclaiming Jesus.

For more free articles for pastors, read: Winfield Bevins' What is Gospel-Centered Ministry, JR Vassar's Domain of Influence, Jared Wilson's Five Ways to Keep Church Discipline from Seeming Weird.

The Harmony of Community

A piano player sits down at his bench. His foot presses down the sustain pedal, lifting the damper away from the piano strings and giving them freedom to produce sound. He places his fingers over the keys and pounds out a single chord, causing the strings to ring loudly. They vibrate because the strings were struck by the piano's hammer, but then the notes within the chord resonate in response to each other.

And if you listen closely over the roar of the single chord, you can hear the vibration of other piano strings. As sound waves from the original strings move out into space, other strings respond in kind. The original vibrating strings encourage the previously silent strings. Notes that weren't originally played are now joining in with the beginnings of their own sounds.

There exists no chord that sounds alone‚ every chord sounds together. The original strings, a chord, needed to respond together in order for other strings to join in. In fact, the strings responding together had no other option. Individual notes come together to create a unique voice out of their union.

There is also no chord that only sounds to itself. A chord by its very nature resounds outward and can't help but reverberate sound to the outside. It has to respond to itself, and must move into the silence of the outside world.

Harmony

This musical analogy is instructive for our view of the church. Are we called to equip the saints or preach to the lost? Are we supposed to love Christians or love those who are not yet Christians? Should we primarily be focused on community or on mission? The harmonic vibration of a single chord can instruct for our ear for the community mission of discipleship. That's where these larger theological ideas hit the noise and silence of real life.

At the end of Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, the seemingly polar aims of mission and community are brought together. It's really an amazing chapter in the Bible. Christ is praying to the Father on our behalf, and we can listen in. Let's look closely at John 17:20-24. It is here Jesus teaches that we are individually sought out by him, called to his community, and this community is defined as harmonizing in his mission.

Individual Notes

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. - John 17:20-24

Christ is praying for us as individuals. He is praying on behalf of the disciples ("these only") and for believers today ("those who will believe in me through their word"). He says in v. 22 that the glory which comes from the Father is given to us.

In v. 24, Christ prays that we may be with him where he is. Christ calls us out from worshiping things that will never satisfy, gathering us into the Trinity where we find ourselves made whole.

In these verses, Christ himself is our resounding note. He is actually being recorded here petitioning the Father for us individually. The mission of God isn't merely something designed for the unreached world. More than that, it is what comes to us: we are made the benefactors of his grand mission. Those who are reconciled to the Father through Jesus are the resounding piano strings, now having the freedom to sound in response to our Composer's hands.

Now if this were the end of the story, we would have much to celebrate. But Jesus doesn't stop there. For what purpose is he pursuing us? He pursues us to be part of His new community.

The Chord of the Gospel

The result of Christ's pursuit is that we may all be one, just as God the Father was in Christ, and Christ in the Father, we can find life in the community of our Redeemer. Being pursued individually by Christ, Christians are called to be unified with each other, modeling the closeness found in the Trinity. This seems impossible, but isn't it what our souls long for?

Our communities of faith here on earth, though not perfect, are designed to resound with the perfect chord of the Trinity. Because we're made in the image of the relational God, we ourselves are relational beings. Verse 22 reiterates this when it speaks of the glory that God the Father has given Christ and that Christ has in turn given to us.

There is an intimacy that believers ought to have with each other, but even more than that, we are called to this type of union with God Himself. Those reconciled to God through Christ are found in the Trinity, creating a harmonious chord unified with themselves and with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Is this the end goal of our community? Even this by itself seems too good to be true, but Jesus isn't quite finished. Though perfect union with each other and with the Trinity sounds like completion, Christ keeps on. Being called into His community means we are part of God's mission in the world.

The Chorus

The purpose of our unity in v. 21 is "that the world may believe that you [the Father] have sent me [Christ]." And v. 23 teaches that one of the ends of this community is that the outside world will understand that the Father sent the Son and that the Father loves those who are found in Christ just as he loves Christ.

Being part of God's community means we're part of his mission. God's community is one that is defined as participating in his mission. There is no other. And this isn't some kind of shallow showing, either. Our communities of unity are supposed to illustrate deep Trinitarian truths: the Father sent the Son, and the Father loves us as much as He loves the Son. How can this happen if we don't find ourselves in his community, if we are not also in this mission? Christ leads us away from our version of mission, how the world should work, and places us on the path of submission to the God who makes all things new.

In Christ's high priestly prayer, he calls us out from our own idols, out from the façades of community that we've constructed, out from our own small diverging missions, and into the Trinitarian chorus where our satisfaction, relational needs, and purpose are found. This is the mission of God.

Dis-chord

You might often hear, or have said yourself, that mission inhibits community. Or that community inhibits mission. Each camp has their reasons for digging in. But John 17 says that neither of these camps do either well. Our community is not just for us. Our community is not just for others.

Mission without community can create shallow relationships through individualism (not being saved to God's community), or a trite moralism (you can do it yourself, you just need to be strong), and ultimately a weak faith because we need community to equip and mature us.

Community without mission creates a clique, like stumbling into a dinner with an inhospitable family. Focusing only on mission can create a shallow relationships through institutionalism ("we" have it right, "they" don't). Strict, unbiblical lines are often drawn between who has it and who doesn't. Community without mission can lead down the slippery slope to a trite moralism (God came to us because we did it...whatever "it" might be). And it ultimately creates a weak faith. We need mission to grow us.

Encouraging shallow individualism creates dehumanized factories and encouraging shallow institutionalism creates Christian ghettos. Neither offer the hope found in the gospel.

Sustain

The majority of us are already involved in things that can incorporate believers and those yet to believe into our lives. What do you already like to do? What gifts or passions of yours are you already doing?

Do you enjoy playing basketball? Take a few Christian friends and join up in a local recreational team, or go out together for pick up games. Let people on your team and the opposing team see what Christian community can look like. You'll find out soon enough that you will be challenged to grow as much, if not more, than other people will.

Who doesn't enjoy eating? Invite Christian friends and unbelieving neighbors and give them a chance to see what hospitality and fellowship looks like. When our messy lives intertwine with those of our neighbors, we begin to understand what it means to rely on the Spirit.

Personally, I enjoy creating and talking about making stuff with other artists. I could limit myself to only working with or talking to other artists who are Christians. I could also limit myself to only talking to unbelievers about all things art related. Believe me, either would make things easier at times! But God calls me to more than that. He calls me to involved myself in him, in his community, and in his mission. It is through these ordinary ways of living that God often makes himself known.

Celestial Music

Is mission incompatible with community or vice versa? Just as a chord sounds within and without, mission and community cannot be separated. And through Jesus' teaching we find that they are not opposed to each other, but are integrally connected. We have our community because God has his mission. And now we get to be a part of that same mission that sought and seeks us out. Being "on mission" means being in community, and God's community is one that is participating in his mission to make all things new.

Christ sought us out from our own nasty melodies and gave us a new song. He brought us into his community, the harmony found in his chord, and he conducts us in his mission, a symphony of life being played out over the world, celestial music.

God did this so that he may be glorified in all things. God's mission is for his glory to resound over the entire world, with all its spaces and gaps where we don't believe it can reverberate, with all its dark corridors of emptiness and vacant pits of discord. In all places to all people, God's song of salvation is ringing to those who have ears to hear, to us and to the world.

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Greg Willson is the Church Planting Resident at Riverside Community Church. He likes creating music, and writes about art and the church at gregwillson.com. Follow him on Twitter: @gregoriousdubs.

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For a more in-depth discussion of authentically living out mission and community, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel.

For free articles on blending gospel-centered mission and community in the your everyday life, read: Winfield Bevin's Living the Mission, Timothy Keller's The Call to Discipleship, and Seth McBee's A Story of Gospel Community.

Living The Mission

Mission is why we exist as disciples. God’s love inspires us to be missionaries to the world around us. Emil Brunner said, “The church exists by mission just as fire exists by burning.” Mission begins at home, serving in our local church, and reaching our community. As disciples, we have been sent as missionaries to share the Gospel in our present culture and to fulfill the Great Commission.

The church is rooted in the concept of the Missio Dei, which recognizes that there is one mission, and it is God’s mission. The Missio Dei is a Latin theological term that can be translated as "Mission of God." The word missio literally means sent. The church is not an end in itself; the church is sent into the world to fulfill the mission of God.

God is a Missionary

Understanding what it means to be a part of the mission of God begins with understanding that God is a missionary God. The very being of God is the basis for the missionary enterprise. God is a sending God, with a desire to see humankind and creation reconciled, redeemed, and healed. God’s mission can be seen throughout the pages of the Bible and history. Nowhere is the mission of God better understood than in the person and work of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Many Christians and churches teach and preach that missions are something we support or do, such as sending or supporting missionaries in other countries. This was the case 20 to 30 years ago. However, in the 21st century the mission field has come to us.

We live in a post-Christian world where people simply don’t know the gospel anymore. Therefore we are all called to be missional disciples and share in the mission of God. Ed Stetzer says, “Being Missional means actually doing mission right where you are. Missional means adopting the posture of a missionary, learning and adapting to the culture around you while remaining biblically sound.”

Jesus: The First Missionary

Being a missional disciple is simply following the way of Jesus. Jesus Christ was the first and greatest missionary. The Bible tells us that He came from heaven to earth to die for a lost and dying world. The following scriptures reveal how the mission of God was fulfilled through Jesus Christ and how we are called to continue and complete the Missio Dei in our culture.

• Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work." - John 4:34
• "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." - John 5:30
• "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." - John 6:38
• "I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me." - John 7:29
• "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do thethings that are pleasing to Him." - John 8:29
• "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work." - John 9:4
• And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me." - John 12:44-45
• "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak." - John 12:49
• "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." John 13:20
• "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." - John 17:3
• "For the words which Thou gave Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send Me." - John 17:8
• "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." John 17:18
• Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." - John 20:21

Sent on a Mission

As the Father sent Jesus, He also sends us into our time and culture. Mark Driscoll says, “It is imperative that Christians be like Jesus, by living freely within the culture as missionaries who are as faithful to the Father and his gospel as Jesus was in his own time and place.”

We have been chosen by God to live in this time and place in order to fulfill the mission of God. Acts 17: 26-27 tells us that God has determined the exact place and time where we should live so that that men may find Him. It is truly awesome to realize that you have chosen by God to be His representative to this world. It is both a great privilege and great responsibility.

Paul describes our calling in the following way, "we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20.

Being missional is God’s way of showing the love of His Son Jesus through His church. Christians must strive to always be like Jesus, our perfect example. Jesus said, “the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45. This scripture beautifully embodies the task of Christian ministry. To be a disciple is to be a servant. We are to serve and give our lives for others. Serving is the example that Jesus gave; therefore we should follow it.

As the church we are called to care for a lost and dying world that is in desperate need of a savior. Too many times we compartmentalize the different ministries of the church. We have viewed social ministry as something we do on one hand and evangelism on the other. God is calling the church to rediscover the biblical model of holistic ministry.

Jesus met both the physical and spiritual needs of the people He ministered to. As the Body of Christ on earth, we are His representatives to a lost world. Therefore what we do and say are of eternal importance. Being missional disciples is not an either or situation. It means that we care about people’s souls and their bodies. It means that because we care about the gospel we should care about social and environmental issues. Being missional disciples brings all of life together under the banner of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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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

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For more on living the mission of Christ, check-out Winfield's book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

For more free mission resources, see: Relationships First: Reasons it's Difficult to Share Our Faith by Jonathan Dodson and Messy Discipleship Jake Chambers.

Finding Christ in the Family Room

Scripture does not give us an imperative for family worship. This is important to say at the outset so that we are not laying down “sanctification” markers for each other. Having said that, however, we still need to acknowledge that God's Word does command us to teach our children how to love the Lord (Deut. 6) and train them in his discipline and instruction (Ephesians 6:4).

Principles & Methods

Before looking at family worship, it is important to discuss how the Bible gives us principles that we are to take and wisely apply in our particular situation. We should not do this just to go along with the more “sanctified” crowd. No, we are to be realistic about ourselves, our children, our own family culture, our strengths and weaknesses, and then prayerfully and wisely make household decisions. So whether in education, entertainment, clothing styles, family activities, and so on, we look to Scripture for liberties and boundaries and make thoughtful, prayerful choices.

Sometimes, we may find that the choice we made doesn't fit with our individual family, and we should adjust. Either way, when Scripture gives us principles, we should not use our particular application as a measuring rod for other people's devotion to Christ, nor are we to hold it up as the only godly way of living out a particular Biblical principle. This is not relativism. This is called grace. We need to give each other grace to execute these principles differently in the context of our individual families. This is one of the differences between principles and methods.

"Family Worship"

I've prayed for my children throughout pregnancy, during delivery, and over them as babies. Even when we were nominal Christians, we prayed with our children before bed. But I remember distinctly the first time I saw what is known as “family worship.” We had just moved into a new neighborhood and began attending a small Reformed church when a dear family took us under their wings and began mentoring us. They invited us into their home, where we got to see a family living the life of faithful Christians.

I was a green-behind-the-ears stay-at-home mom, desiring to learn what this new role—which I had been kicking against and hoping to avoid—really looked like day in and day out. Even though I had just delivered our third child we felt “new” in our roles because we had at that same time decided to eschew feminism, careerism, and egalitarianism for “the traditional biblical model,” if such a thing was possible.

This family at the time was going through Starr Meade's Training Hearts, Teaching Minds. Their love for each other and the responsiveness of the children to the parents was evident. And so we promptly bought the same book, which is a family devotional based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. After a few months, our mentor family moved away, but we kept on going with our family worship. We did different books through different seasons. But things kept escalating until we arrived at the point where my husband wrote a family liturgy that we would recite—a liturgy that might be beautiful if done correctly in a church but not fit for family worship. In our zeal for “godliness,” we crushed our children with "family worship."

Tools of Discipleship

Family worship is a tool, and if the parents are tethered to the gospel, it can be a wonderful discipleship tool in the home. However, if this tool is not used wisely it can become a joyless burden to the children. Discernment is required. We should probably think through a few guiding principles as we seek to use the tool of family worship in our homes.

1. A Merciful Perspective

First, we need to remember to be merciful to our children in the area of family worship. Many Christian parents love their children and desire them to grow into Christ followers. This is as it should be, and I praise God for it. But with this comes a temptation that we should be aware of and work to keep in check. We can be so driven by our desires to see our kids saved and sanctified we forget how God deals with us as his children. I think it is helpful to not only think of ourselves as parents but as children—Children of our heavenly Father. If we keep this thought at the forefront of our parenting, it will drive us to be more mindful of their perspective or frame.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103:13–14

In this Psalm, God is compared to a father who shows compassion on his children. If we are not characterized by compassion to our children, this should cause us to do a 180 degree turn! Scrolling up to verse 8, we are told, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”

Do we give our children this kind of bountiful grace or do we call them on the carpet for every sin? Do we spend our time chiding them for their wriggly bottoms during family worship or do we adjust our expectations of these little souls remembering our own wriggly bottoms when the Lord is trying to teach us something? Psalm 130:3 says, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”

2. Acts of Gentleness

Let us take our parenting cues from our heavenly Father. Does your family have a two year old? Well, maybe he gets his own bedtime prayer and you wait until that little person is asleep instead of forcing a tired toddler to sit still in the lap to “participate” in family worship. A time of day when everyone is excited to be together and involved would be a good time to harness to use for building your children in the Lord (e.g. meal time, prayer time right before bed when most children tend to be more open and willing to be gently shepherded).

Think back to how longsuffering your heavenly Father has been with you. How many of your sins has he forgiven? How long has it taken you to get to where you are right now and how much more time will it take to be formed into the image of Christ? This should correct our expectations of our children and help us enact gentle kindness and longsuffering patience toward them as we use the tool of family worship in our home.

3. Relentless Prayer

Next, we must remember that family worship is only one tool, not the only tool that the Lord can and will use in the life of your child. Don't let it be the end all and be all, which was my temptation and stumbling block. Our heavenly Father is so creative. Every day I am surprised at the manifold ways he works on my children's hearts.

The most potent tool for discipling and reaching the heart of your children is actually prayer. No “family this” or “family that” will ever have the power to transform the lives of the members of the family—only prayer in the name of Jesus. Let us be like the widow who was relentless and persistent, who wouldn't stop going to the judge. (Luke 18:1–8) Let us day and night bombard heaven with prayers for, and often with, our children.

Putting the Worship Back in Family Worship

Having said all this, I do want to note that the Lord does indeed use the methods of family worship. I certainly don't want to discount that, I just want to put it in its proper place. Family worship should not occupy the center. Jesus does. Family worship is a tool that I personally love and believe can bring depth to the spiritual life of a family, when used wisely.

In our case, we now use three different gospel-centered books for family worship. We have five children, and their ages range from 1 to 18. For us, we needed gospel-focused books that would work in a family that has kids of all ages. So we rotate between using The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally-Lloyd Jones, The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski, and Long Story Short also by Marty Machowski.

We are not perfectionists about these books. Sometimes we do one lesson or story. Other times we do more. We give the kids who can read the Bible readings to read to the family. We put the baby to bed first so he isn't a distraction and so we're not spending all our time trying to keep him still.

We also allow the children to choose what they want to pray for. Usually the older ones will pray for global saints and churches, the middle prays for church family members on the church prayer calendar, and our 4 ½ year old just loves to pray for his baby brother.

Now, this is just an example of our method. Don't feel compelled to go follow it. Pray and consider the frame of your children. Maybe what is best for right now is a short prayer in the morning with a verse or something from The Jesus Storybook Bible. There was a time when teaching and reciting the Children's Catechism was fruitful for us, and a time when it was good for us to look elsewhere. Explore different options and don't get caught in that harsh place where the perfect becomes the enemy of the good. Don't be too disappointed if something doesn't work out, keep trying.

Above all, remember that the goal of any of these discipleship tools is to draw that little person's (or big person's) soul to Jesus Christ. We don't need to prove our theological prowess to our children, we just need to show them the same kind of love Jesus shows us.

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Luma Simms (@lumasimms) is a wife and mother of five delightful children between the ages of 1 and 18. She studied physics and law before Christ led her to become a writer, blogger, and Bible study teacher. Her book Gospel Amnesia is forthcoming on GCD Press. She blogs regularly at Gospel Grace.

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For more resources on family worship check-out Winfield Bevin's A Beginner's Guide to Family Worship.

The Gospel Grid

When in the midst of counseling, focused discipleship, sermon prep, or a weighty time of confession with another follower of Christ – if you are anything like me – a moment rises to the surface and you think, "What do I say?" or "What do they need to hear?" or “How do I bring this to the gospel?"

In comes the Gospel Grid. The grid covers four M's:

• Message
• Motivation
• Model
• Means

Working through the grid helps keep the ball rolling by providing a track for your words. And it helps the conversation come back to particular truths and encouragements from the gospel again and again.

Start with:

1. Gospel Message -- What needs to be heard?

The gospel is a word with many words. It's a message, a proclamation of truth. Here we ask ourselves the question, "What do they need to hear?" Volumes could be said, but what will be particularly helpful to this situation and to their heart?

Gospel Identity

In Message, we are appealing to the earth shattering, veil-tearing truths of our gospel identity. Remind people that they are:

• New creations (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• Freed from sin (Galatians 5:1)
• Adopted (Romans 8:15)
• Forgiven (1 John 2:12)
• Loved (Romans 5:8)

Before cooking up a slab of good advice, put the good news on the grill and watch the aroma of Christ fill the room. If we are diligent to remind the saints that the Son of God suffered in their place, not begrudgingly, but with joy, to forgive them of this sin – joy is not far away. Gospel focus will harp on belief before behavior. Good news before good advice. Beholding before behaving.

Jesus' Identity

Remind people of Jesus' identity. It is vital to think rightly of Jesus. Without him, we can’t think rightly of ourselves.

Jesus is our friend and our Lord. He is the Cosmic King, and he’s closer than our skin. We ought to fear him, but should never be afraid of him. The gospel is meant to humble us. And part of the gospel is the glory due Jesus. The glory of Christ needs to take hearts and minds hostage. Jesus is to be exalted over all things in our lives. We have not been given names at which every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9-11).

Gospel-centered discipleship should always resound with the person and work of Jesus. No one can hear too often that Jesus is our great God and Savior, he has made us his people, and he is purifying us for his glory and our good (Titus 2:13-14).

I’ll never forget hearing another pastor confess pain and heart ache to Ray Ortlund. Ray looked into his eyes and began with, “Brother, Jesus loves you.” Powerful.

2) Gospel Motivation -- What needs to be done and why?

Message focuses on right thinking. Motivation hones in on right doing for the right reasons. Here we are asking the question, "What needs to be done?” in accordance with a gospel-driven motive.

Kill Sin

Do they need to go ask someone for forgiveness? Do they need to forgive? The gospel compels us to seek and grant forgiveness with one another as God in Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). Confession and repentance is essential in all discipleship, but especially if we want to be gospel-centered.

What sin(s) need to be brought the chopping block of mortification?  The gospel reveals to us that we are no longer our own, but that we belong to Jesus. And now we make it our aim to honor and please him (1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:9). Encourage them to flee sin, not simply to avoid getting in trouble, but to enjoy God and glorify Jesus.

I’ve heard Christians say, “I’m waiting to be freed/released/saved from ______.” The satanic forces conjured up that formula. Christians are not waiting to be freed sin. Here’s why – a man from Galilee once screamed, “It is finished.”

Paul writes:

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:6-14)

So why should we flee sin? We’ve been brought from death the life. Why won’t sin bully us any longer? We’re under grace.  The chains don’t need re-breaking. We need renewed minds (Romans 12:1-2).

Cultivate Good Works

In discipleship, it is common to focus on the things we shouldn’t do – but gospel soaked discipleship also explains what we should do.

Encourage disciples to flee sin – yes and amen! – and invite them to the good works that Jesus has prepared (Ephesians 2:10). What was Jesus’ motivation in his life and ministry? “Hallowed be your name…” Ours? “Hallowed be your name.” And through their serving “God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Ask the disciple if there is someone to serve as they have been served? Is there someone to go and encourage? Are they living on mission with a passion to see others worship Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

Gospel motivation seeks to mortify sin and cultivate good works with a constant gaze on the person and work of Jesus, “to let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel Christ” (Philippians 1:27).

3) Gospel Model -- How should it be done?

Here we focus on attitudes, tones, postures, and the heart. The gospel gives the reason (motivation) and the rhythm (model).

How should a husband and wife relate? In accordance with the model God provides in the gospel – Jesus and his Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Is the disciple pursuing community with the people that God obtained with his blood (Acts 20:28)? Jesus didn’t only buy people; he bought a people, a body, The Church.

Are they practicing humility in all corners of life? Jesus is the definition of humility. Philippians 2:1-11 extols the striking humility of Jesus; and that Christians should “have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus [emphasis added] (v.5).”

All Christian virtue is modeled and made known to us by the person and work of Jesus. If we want to be more loving, humble, and selfless – there is nowhere better to look than the cross (John 15:13).

The Proverbs are a wonderful, but often abused, section of Holy Scripture. They are more than quick-and-witty tips to living right. The Proverbs are details into the life of Jesus, who is our Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30), that we can now live because of Jesus.

4) Gospel Means -- How will it be done?

Up to this point everything sounds all fine and dandy, but a question looms. The disciple will wonder it – you’ve thought it too. “How am I going to change and do all this? I fail often. I struggle. I want to change and grow but my goodness – this seems beyond me.”

Assure them, “You are right. This is beyond you – way beyond you. But not Jesus.”

We cannot forget our gospel means. Without this truth, our discipleship will be nothing more than mega-ton yokes.

Gospel-centered discipleship clutches to the words, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Remind the disciple that Jesus is alive in them. The same power that rose Jesus from the dead – a.k.a. God – has setup shop in their body. He is tinkering, sanctifying, and empowering them to live anew. Whatever God demands he also supplies.

The means, muscle, capacity, and know-how of the Christian life are not in us; but in Jesus. And if we are in Christ and Christ in us, the power for the Christian life is now in us. The Holy Spirit of God is rumbling through our lives – and he will bear fruit.  Christians work in concert with the Spirit of Christ (Philippians 2:12-13).

In gospel means we are moving the disciples eyes away from sola bootstrapa and towards solus christus – Christ Alone. Do they believe that apart from him they can’t do a single thing (John 15:5)? Gospel-centered disciples admit total reliance upon Jesus. And it leads to a plea, a prayer for help.

“Jesus, apart from you I cannot do _______. I cannot be ________. I need you. I need your strength, power, and righteousness. Help me Lord.  Renew my mind. Do this in me, for your glory and my joy. Amen.”

Putting It all Together

One final example; Pastor Paul said it best.

I have been crucified with Christ (MESSAGE) It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (MEANS). And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God (MODEL), who loved me and gave himself for me (MOTIVATION). – Galatians 2:20

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Jeff Medders is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Tomball, TX. He is pursuing his M.Div at Southern Seminary. He and Natalie have one precious little girl, Ivy.  Jeff digs caffeinated drinks, books, and the Triune God. He blogs at www.jeffmedders.org and tweets from @jeffmedders.

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For more in-depth discussion of sharing the gospel, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel.

For more free resources on strengthening your witness, read: Jeremy Carr's Impressing the Gospel Through Questions, David Fairchild's Gospel Diagnostic Questions, and Jonathan Dodson's All the Right Answers: Reason it's Difficult to Share Our Faith.

The Unqualified Disciple

When I ask women in our church if they would be willing to invest in a discipleship relationship with a younger woman, I am usually met with hesitation. “Me?” their eyes seem to ask. “Me? Disciple someone else? You must not really know me.  I don’t think I’m qualified.”

The conversations take different forms, but the responses are often the same. Again and again, I hear women voice a sincere doubt that they have anything worthwhile to give. Even if they are willing to give a discipleship relationship a try, deep down they are thinking with something akin to panic, “I’ve got nothing!”

I know how they feel. I feel the same way every Sunday afternoon. I have three young women who come to my house to engage in a small discipleship group. We often discuss what we’re learning from Scripture or a book we’re reading together and how it relates to the gospel and our lives. But every Sunday afternoon, in the couple of hours before they arrive, I hear the same refrain in my head… “Who am I to disciple these girls? I haven’t spent good time with the Lord at all this week. I snapped at my husband this morning and am irritated with one of my children for not sweeping the floor. I’ve got these girls showing up in 30 minutes to a dirty kitchen, and I haven’t even read my chapter yet! Lord… I’ve got nothing!”

The Unqualified Disciple

How do I answer the women in my church, when I know exactly how they feel? When they express doubt about their qualifications, I’m tempted to say, “That’s not true! You’ve got a great marriage and are raising some stellar kids. You’re hospitable and easy to talk to. You’ll be fine!”

Though my praise might convince them, that response won’t do. It certainly doesn’t help me on Sunday afternoons when I feel neither great nor hospitable. I’ve had to go to the Scriptures to search out the truth. What does God’s Word have to say about how we feel?

To some degree, what we are feeling is true. We don’t have anything, in ourselves, to give. We see in the Scriptures that our hearts are deceitful and desperately sick and even beyond our ability to understand them (Jer. 17:9). We also see that anything we call righteousness basically amounts to a bunch of dirty rags that are only fit for the fire (Isaiah 64:6). In fact, there is not one of us who can claim righteousness on our own (Psalm 14:3). Jesus tells us unequivocally, “apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). So if we’re trying to dredge up righteousness and truth from inside ourselves in order to give that away to others, it’s true. We’ve got nothing.

God's Qualifications

I think Moses felt the same way. When God approached him in the wilderness and instructed him to go and speak to the most powerful man in the land, Moses must have lifted his eyebrow just as I’ve seen the women in my church do. He said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex. 3:11) Moses was wanted for murder and had been tending sheep for most of his adult life. I’m sure inside he was screaming, “Me?!?  I’ve got nothing!”

But God doesn’t assure Moses of his qualifications as I’m tempted to do with the women I talk to. No, on the contrary. God assures Moses of God’s qualifications. God answers Moses’ question of “Who am I?” with a resounding “I AM.” This is the response we need to hear.

When women raise their eyebrows and express doubt about discipleship, my job is not to convince them that they are equal to the task. My job is to convince them that God is equal to the task. “You’re right,” I need to reply, “You’ve got nothing.  Neither do I.  But God has everything.”

We can’t forget that we’re branches. By ourselves, we will bear no fruit. Worse than that, we will die. But attached to the vine, we feed off the life of Jesus and become healthy, bushy branches, laden with fruit to nourish others. Attached to the vine, we have a lot to give.

Jesus says it this way, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). And as we bear fruit, we share that fruit and make more disciples, all the while bringing glory to the Father. You’ve got nothing, you say? Oh, no. If you’re attached to the vine, you’ve got everything.

Gospel Opportunities

The hesitancy that we feel when it comes to engaging in a discipleship relationship is real. We know ourselves better than anyone. We know our past mistakes and our current failings. We think that these disqualify us from leading anyone in discipleship, but actually the reverse is true. Our very hesitations are gospel opportunities.

When we remember that we’re branches, we remember that what is flowing through the branch is the life of Jesus, the gospel itself. The gospel! The good news! The gospel reminds us that we don’t have to live a perfect life in order to engage in discipleship. Jesus lived the perfect life in our place. He died to take the punishment for all our mistakes and failings. Then, praise God, he rose from the dead, canceling our debt and disarming the power of sin in our lives. This is what we give to others in discipleship: the good news of the gospel!

So next Sunday afternoon, things are going to look different at my house. When I look around at my dirty floor and my unread chapters, I am going to remind myself of something. I am not giving these girls myself, I am giving them Jesus. I am not attempting to present to them a perfect life, but Jesus’ perfect life. My goal is not to show them how to do everything right, but to apply the gospel when we do everything wrong.

When I hear the familiar refrain, “I’ve got nothing!”  I will reply with certainty, “If you’ve got the gospel, you’ve got everything.”

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Lindsay Powell Fooshee is married to John, a pastor and church planter with Acts 29.  They are raising 3 great kids in East Tennessee, soaking up the joys of toddlers and teenagers at the same time.  Lindsay holds an M.A. in Christian Thought from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and enjoys teaching and writing about what’s she’s learning.  She is passionate about discipleship and blogs regularly about it here.

Inerrancy and Worldview - Excerpt

Religious Gullibility

Let us now consider one more challenge to the Bible, namely, skepticism about religion. Some skeptics consider religious belief to be a symptom of gullibility or psychological weakness. The skeptics might say that people have religious beliefs either because they do not ask critical questions about religious claims or because they are psychologically weak and feel a need for a crutch. They want the support and comfort of religious belief, which imparts meaning to their lives.

If this principle of gullibility holds for religious belief in general, the skeptic maintains that it also holds for Christian belief and for the religious claims made in the Bible. Skeptics conclude that the Bible is bogus.

What do we say about this skepticism toward religious beliefs? Skepticism with respect to the distinctive claims of any one religion over against the others makes it natural for people to wonder about all religions together.

The Materialist Explanation of Religious Belief

In addition, a materialistic worldview may exert an influence. Materialism says that either God does not exist or he is essentially irrelevant. It thereby debunks religion because most religions claim that God or gods are vitally relevant. Moreover, since materialism rejects the idea of direct divine interaction with human beings, it looks for purely material causes for religious belief. Beliefs must arise from some structures in the brain, structures that in the end are a product of a long process of evolution. Materialists hope that eventually scientific research will show how such structures can all be associated with some practical, life-enhancing function. General intelligence, for example, helps human beings to get food, protect themselves from harm, and survive to the next generation. Religious belief, like shared beliefs of other kinds, can enhance the unity of a human social group, and that in turn may help the group to act cooperatively and so survive to the next generation. The materialist concludes that religious beliefs are not true, but arise merely because they have been pragmatically useful in the evolutionary struggle for survival. They are a kind of accidental by-product of structures in the brain that natural selection favored for other, unrelated reasons.

This kind of materialistic explanation of religious belief has a considerable plausibility in our time because materialism itself is widespread and lends its support. In addition, materialism carries with it some of the prestige of natural science. But the debunking explanation based on materialism has a notable flaw: it can easily prove too much. A similar argument can be used against all beliefs whatsoever. If beliefs are the product merely of chance evolution, they exist because they are useful for survival,not because they are true. They are a product of our brain structures, not ultimately a product of weighty evidence in favor of their truth. When this principle is followed consistently, it leads to the conclusion that beliefs in general must be debunked. And that includes belief in materialism, belief in evolution, and belief in brain structures. The debunker ends up with no grounds on which to stand to do his debunking.

Gullibility

Skepticism about religious belief should, nevertheless, not be dismissed too quickly. It is a counterfeit, which means that it is close to the truth. It has seen some things to which we do well to pay attention.

Why are some people so gullible about religion? If we like, we can expand the category of religious belief to include not only traditional religions but also “spirituality.” People go to fortune-tellers, or they try to contact the spirits of the dead, or they try to establish spiritual communion with the trees. Why do people do such things? We can find people today who in ordinary issues show themselves to be sensible, but who have weird ideas about spirituality.

The ancient societies around the Bible showed similar symptoms. Why did the ancient Greeks believe in their gods? The Greek legends told of immoral activities among the gods, and Socrates could challenge the validity of the legends merely by pointing out the obvious fact that the alleged immoralities were unworthy of real gods.

People often seem to be more gullible in spiritual matters than elsewhere. They are more gullible about the gods than they would be if a seller tried to cheat them in the marketplace or their child tried to lie his way out of a tight spot.

Deep Personal Needs

At least three characteristics of fallen human nature help to explain this gullibility. We long for deep significance, for safety, and for assurance, particularly when it comes to the big questions of life. These longings go back to creation. God created human beings in his image. He designed that they would have fellowship with him. God met with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. According to this plan, God himself gave them significance not only by creating them, but also by giving his personal love to each of them. This fellowship would have continued if Adam and Eve had not rebelled. God would have had fellowship with each person. God would have provided safety partly by holding out for the long-range future the promise of eternal life in his presence. But in the world before the fall of mankind, he would also have given short-range protection. He committed himself to work for their good, which would include making sure that they had food, work, joy, and physical well-being. Finally, he gave assurance by his instruction to them and by the fact that he was a trustworthy God.

Human beings nevertheless rebelled against God. And ever since we have been looking for substitutes for God. The gods of ancient Greece were one form of counterfeit. Counterfeits must be close enough to the truth to lure people in.

Significance

They lure people in first of all by supplying a counterfeit answer for the longing for significance You are significant when you are connected to something bigger than yourself, particularly if you have a key role to play in that bigger whole. God’s plan was for each person to be significant by being loved by God and loving God in return. In knowing and loving God who is infinite, each person would find supreme satisfaction and supreme meaning for his own life.

A false god offers a substitute for the true God. It claims to answer our longing for meaning by being big enough to give meaning, and by being interested enough in a person to allow him to participate. The longing in people is so strong because it is a corrupt form of longing for God himself. We were created to have fellowship with God, so that the longing originally was a longing for God. But it is corrupted into a longing that people hope to have fulfilled by a false god. Anything that promises to fill their longing—whether an idea, another person, or an idol—may be received gullibly. A person believes and receives because he desperately wants to believe and receive. This kind of longing creates much more tension for many people than cases where the stakes are not as high. Longing for ultimate meaning is more profound than longing for an ice-cream cone.

Or in a scientific investigation, for example, we might want to test whether pumpkin seeds are more likely to sprout and grow well when in contact with pure water or sugar water or water mixed with soil. We may have our opinion, but we are not desperate to have the experiment come out in one particular way. By contrast, when we are dealing with religion and spirituality, we are desperate. The desperation makes us gullible.

Care for Our Situation

A second potential source for gullibility arises not merely from our longings but also from our circumstances. How do we secure safe shelter, good crops, adequate food, a safe sea voyage, healthy children, and so on? Before the fall, God committed himself to bless mankind. But after the fall our situation is mixed. God does supply food (Acts 14:17), but on occasion he may also bring famine (Gen. 41:30–32; Deut. 28:18). People want their situation to be good. They may therefore look to magic, fortune-telling, gods, and religious manipulation of various kinds.

Now and then people may get some favorable result after they have invoked a religious procedure. Perhaps a particular instance of fortune-telling seems to work out. This favorable result seems to them to validate their religious procedure. They long to have some way of controlling their environment. So they persist in religious observance as long as it seems to bring them benefit. According to Greek religion, Poseidon is the god of the sea. So the ancient Greek citizen reasoned that maybe if Poseidon is bribed, he can help with a sea voyage. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, so she can help with love. Ares is the god of war, so he can help win battles. And so on.

The incentive here is to practice religion because it brings tangible benefits. Sure, the practitioner admits, it may not always work, but sometimes it works. And the “sometimes” offers enough incentive to keep up the practice. In fact, when a practice appears not to work, it may become an incentive to redouble one’s efforts. The practitioner thinks, “I need more devotion, bigger sacrifices, more impressive ceremony.” The redoubling of efforts may also include the suppression of doubts. Maybe a particular god can see into one’s mind and he is not pleased with doubts. Even if he is not a mindreader, he can overhear verbal expressions of doubts. And he certainly will not be pleased if the doubts cause someone to slacken in his routine of religious ceremonies. The needs of the situation therefore put pressure on people to be more gullible than usual.

Ultimate Commitments

Finally, people want assurance. They want not just assurance about little things, but assurance from some ultimate rock on which to stand. This rock would be the ultimate commitment that unifies a person’s life. We are designed so that God will be this rock, this ultimate commitment. God designed us in order that we might be committed to him, to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5).

When we forsake the true God, we make commitments to ultimates that become substitutes for the true God. In other words, we commit ourselves to counterfeits. We worship them. Worship is an expression of ultimate commitment. The Greeks had their gods whom they worshiped. Modern people may worship money, or sex, or power.

Whatever is ultimate cannot, in the very nature of the case, be weighed against some criterion that would be still more ultimate. If God is ultimate, he is the standard for testing truth, both in matters of religion and in everywhere else. When we rebel against God, we still must wrestle with issues of truth and certainty. We get nowhere without some criteria. The best criteria derive from the most ultimate allegiance. So the allegiance itself remains unquestioned. People then become gullible in the standards that they use to sift truth and to sift evidence with respect to their ultimate commitment.

If the Greek god Zeus is ultimate, the Greeks as human beings have no right to doubt him or to bring objections against him. Zeus gets a kind of “free ride” in comparison to the normal ways that Greeks might use to sift evidence in lesser issues.

An ultimate commitment of the wrong kind can easily corrupt truth. Some religions have explicitly allowed their adherents to lie whenever a lie would promote their religion. The religion, as ultimate commitment, takes precedence over normal standards for telling the truth. Even when a religion does not say so explicitly, lying becomes a temptation to those who care deeply about their religion. What does a little lie matter when the cause is right—the cause of promoting what the individual thinks is the true religion? And what about bending or concealing truth? For example, high-ranking officials among the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses have tried to bury uncomfortable facts about failed prophecies that came from the lips of their authorities of past generations.

Money as an Example of Ultimate Commitment

Or consider the modern person who worships money. Let us say that he is a successful businessman.He pours his life into making his business successful because, in a sense, that is his life, driven by greed for more and more money,  and more and more success. With this goal in mind, he may be very critical and careful and sound in the way he inspects and evaluates the processes and products and sales within his business. He is not at all gullible. He will not be taken in by a vendor who makes glowing promises but has a reputation for not delivering the goods. He is a very sensible businessman because he is committed to sensibility for the sake of a larger goal, the worship of money. Money is his ultimate commitment.

But does he ever ask himself whether his ultimate commitment is worth it? Does he ask himself whether money is a worthy object of worship, and how he came to have the devotion that he now holds? Probably not.

If our businessman began to ask too many uncomfortable questions of this sort, he would already show that he was setting sail and shifting his ultimate commitments. Typically, people only wake up to this sort of question when their false god is already failing them so obviously that they can no longer ignore it. The stock market crashes, and the man’s business crashes with it. Or his wife is fed up with his workaholism and files for divorce. Or his teenage son gets into trouble with drugs, and his wife accuses him of not being there for his son. Or he achieves so much success that he realizes he ought to be satisfied and yet is not. Money does not actually give deep satisfaction in his heart. Until questionings of this kind arise, a person who worships money can be gullible about his ultimate commitment.

Did the same sort of gullibility arise with the ultimate commitments of people in the ancient world? What about the people who worshiped the gods of ancient Greece or ancient Babylon? Of course they too may have fallen into gullibility. It is in the nature of things; it is in the nature of human beings as finite creatures who have the capacity for personal commitment. Ultimate commitments are, after all, ultimate.

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Vern Sheridan Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he has taught for 33 years. He has six earned degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous books on biblical interpretation, language, and science.

(Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible by Dr. Vern Sheridan Poythress available on Crossway. It appears here with the permission of the author and publisher.) 

The Opportunity of Doubt

It is human, all too human, to doubt. When we share our faith with our non-Christian friends, we are often skirting the tension between finite understanding and infinite understanding—between the materially possible and the spiritually necessary. Doubt and faith have nothing to say to each other, and yet in this world, they often appear inseparable. For this reason (and by God’s grace), I have felt the Spirit prompting me at times to share my doubts with the folks I disciple. My prayer is that what follows is both a guide to the stormy waters of doubt as well as a clear pointer to the light of Christ shining above the troubled seas of our lives. One Hundred and One Fun Things to do with Doubt

Last football season, I had an extra ticket to a game, and I invited my friend along. We stopped by the grocery store for some beers and sunscreen before heading to the tailgate party. Which is to say, I wasn’t really brooding about Existence right then, but my friend was. As we waited in the check-out line, he started talking about the end of the world: how humans have polluted the land, air, and water; how we’re continuing to do it; how we’re actually increasing our efforts.

Zoom out. We were waiting in line in a noisy, crowded store, and my friend was speaking to one of my most complex, unending despairs. Here’s how the doubt runs in my mind: both the Bible and science indicate that the future isn’t exactly rosy for the earth, and yet one of God’s initial commands was for humans to be stewards of His creation. I can’t help but feel deeply ashamed of the ways my actions contribute to the destruction of the environment.

This doubt stems from a cognitive dissonance: Take care of the Earth versus the Earth will be destroyed. This dissonance is partly responsible for the heated political rhetoric surrounding the environment and sustainability. At any rate, this is what I told my friend. I explained how deep my despair is about this subject, and I didn’t sugarcoat it with some platitude about my beliefs. I was honest. I told him that I have to pray about the Earth every morning. I have to give it back to God. On a cosmic-scale, it’s almost hilarious just how much global climate change is out of my hands, and yet I cannot help but feel responsible.

The beauty is that God doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He doesn’t have to. He knows this planet—He even knows me—far better than I do. By placing my faith in Christ, I align myself not with unthinking religiosity, but with the greatest thinker in the universe. As a result, I am free to act (and sometimes even fail) in pursuing environmental stewardship.

Zoom back in. My friend and I are standing in line to buy junk from the local mega-corporation. (There’s those cognitive dissonances playing out in real life.) But I don’t have to despair. Yes, I think the gospel calls us to help in renewing all creation, but do I always trust that knowledge? No. That’s what I told my friend. The gospel frees me from judgment and empowers me to act (Romans 6:1-2), but I am still compelled to get down on my knees and pray for strength to accept that freedom everyday.

We can open up to our friends about doubt, if we will see past our feelings of despair into our forgiveness in Christ. This frees our witness from both crippling defeatism and self-satisfied legalism. It can season our speech with the salt of critical thought (Colossians 4:6). In other words, the doubts aren’t the key. The key is the compassion found in Christ—that he understands our doubts and still loves us.

With this freedom, my friend and I climbed into my car and drove to our national distraction. Because I followed the Spirit’s promptings to be transparent about doubt, I gained an opportunity to talk about my faith. Honesty about doubt led to a deeper conversation about faith.

Doubts and the Doubting Doubters who Doubt Them

In Christ, there is no real reason for doubt. In Christ, we claim forgiveness, grace, and peace. Through faith in Christ, we possess the power to move mountains. The problem is one of unbelief. Our brokenness, our every sin stems from something we do not fully believe about God, but if we are to share our faith in a genuine way, we must share how God answers our unbelief, how our wayward minds are redeemed in Christ, how our troubled souls find rest and overflowing grace in the Holy Spirit.

When sharing a doubt with your friends, avoid the language of ownership (if possible). More importantly avoid self-pity about the despair attached to the doubt. Avoid smugness about your faith. The hope is that in disclosing a doubt we can open up a discussion of faith and offer loving words about how God answers our unbelief with grace and courage.

For example, many of my non-Christian friends feel the doubt voiced by logical positivist philosophers like A.J. Ayers. In so many words, they’ll explain that religious language is nonsense because it’s scientifically/empirically unverifiable. While this isn’t my particular brand of doubt, it is certainly one to which many non-Christians cling. But in speaking to them about this doubt, I have not found it helpful to rationally discourse about this philosophical stance. The conversation then caves in on the limits of its own reasonability, resulting at best in a series of metaphysical chess problems.

Rather, when I’m attentive to the Spirit, I’ve learned to take a step back and remember my own feelings of doubt—how they create such pointless sorrow and anxiety—and I speak to that. In other words, when we’re in tune with the Spirit, we speak from the heart to the heart (not necessarily from the mind to the mind).

The Division of the Individual

That’s all good and fine for sitting at the café chatting with our friends. What do we do when doubt gets personal? For example, what of the militant doubts that point out the uncounted atrocities that have been committed in the name of religious belief?

Again, take a step back and pray. Remember, this is the despair and anguish of unbelief talking. We are not equipped to answer these charges. Fortunately, Christ is. In this example, it may not be a good idea to air your own feelings of unbelief and doubt, but rather speak directly to the pain of the individual with the healing and love you have found in Christ Jesus.

Here’s the funny thing about faith. We all have it. It takes a certain amount of faith simply to be convinced that my “self” or anyone else exists. Interestingly, folks don’t typically assign this aspect of faith any religious meaning. It’s simply “who we are.” But, in the total absence of faith, who are we really? There are statistics that speak to those who lose this last hold-out of faith, and they aren’t pleasant. Without some small amount of faith, we would begin to doubt the very substance of our being.

This is the critical juncture of how broken we really are. Except for faith, our humanity is literally falling apart. In John’s Gospel, Christ says,  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). This is kinda scary stuff for a non-Christian to hear, but God is bigger than those fears. God is bigger than the horrifying things that have been done by ignorant and deceived and broken people in his name. How do I know this? Is it simply wishful thinking? Is God loving only because I say so? No. Christ says that’s all sorts of backwards and upside down.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. - John 15:9-12

In other words, when addressing—for example—despair over the atrocities committed in the name of religion, leave everything else and follow Christ. Remind your self and your friend that—according to scripture—nothing has been done in Christ’s true unutterable name that wasn’t also done in love. If an act of “religious belief” was done without love, it was done without Christ, and if it was done without Christ, then it was done without faith. In the absence of faith, all that remains is—not just doubt—but the void, the total dissolution of the God-breathed life inside us.

The critical distinction we must make as disciples of Christ is that our identity and agency do not arise from the formless void gnawing at the base of individual identity. By grace, we are learning to see that the very prospect of this construction of individual self is impossible from its foundation up, hence the terror and pain of those feelings of doubt. But when we take ownership of faith in Christ, then from him flows a new communal identity and a powerful fellowship of agency—the foundation of which is the very center, the unshakable core of all Creation.

Identity Restored

My true identity is in Christ not in myself. In Christ, we stand united with the true meaning of our lives, with our renewed humanity. But for a person hearing this truth for the first time, all this sounds pretty weird. The loss of individual identity? Being united with what? This is when—if I’m in tune with the Spirit—I often hear that still small voice saying, “Share those same doubts you once had… now share how Christ offers so much more.”

Christ is the hinge on which the entire universe turns. Christ is the door that opens to the infinite glory of God. Likewise, the gospel is the key that unlocks our restore identity. The good news is Christ understands our doubts. In Luke’s Gospel, Christ dispels the disciples’ doubts just before his ascension, offering questions that convict me even now: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see.” (Luke 24:38-39)

My prayer today is to lay my doubts before Christ. To meditate on the wounds he suffered for my sake and find in his cuts and bruises the fullness of grace poured out for my sake. What doubt can withstand this flood of mercy? May the Holy Spirit guide the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts toward healing the sickness and pain of unbelief in ourselves and in those we disciple!—that we might sing of the peace and restoration found only in our redeemer Christ Jesus.

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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 lives in an amazingly ugly house 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

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For more on sharing the gospel authentically, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel.

Behold the Beauty

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Imagine for a moment that you and the person you have been discipling for a long time are standing on the beach, looking out into the ocean. The sun is setting and it is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. In that moment, you are caught up in the colors of the sky. There is a blend of pink and purple radiating through the cloud formation. It’s stunning. Feelings of gratefulness permeate your heart and mind. You say a quick prayer thanking God for such a beautiful creation.

But you choose not to keep that to yourself. So you turn to your friend to see if he is enjoying the sunset, and you find him on his phone checking the scores of the baseball game. You tell him to quickly look at the sunset because it is beautiful. He tells you to wait a second, because his phone is trying to load the score of the game. You judge him and get perturbed–you don’t want him to miss this! So you challenge him again to look up and see it.

But he’s frustrated at his phone, gets angry, turns his back and sits down. He doesn’t see the beauty of the sunset.

You look back up and find yourself lost in the moment. Then your phone rings...

The Act of Beholding

Paul tells us that, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord," are being transformed. There's a massive glory shifting in our lives for the Christian ("one degree of glory to another").

He goes on to tell us that it, "comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." When you repent of sin and trust Christ alone, you go from death to life, sin to Christ's righteousness, unbelief to joy, and deadness to new birth. You change.

But notice what word Paul uses here to qualify this transformation. He says that we are, "beholding" (Greek, katoptrizō). The word here means to "look at something as in a mirror; to contemplate something." John Calvin, in his commentary on this verse, writes that it "sometimes means to hold out a mirror to be looked into, and at other times to look into a mirror when presented...the second of these is the more suitable to the passage before us.” In other words, we look to the Lord to to see ourselves as we truly are.

The Identity of the Beholder

To put it differently, beholding leads to becoming. When we behold something or someone we begin to take on the identity of that object. For the Christian, and for us looking at the sunset, beholding something pushes us to delight in that object. Where our worship is, our hearts will fall in line. A tough question to ask in discipleship is, "What are you looking to for ultimate significance and satisfaction?" Be honest! On Saturday afternoons what are you doing? Obsessing over a sports score? Or discipling your family by talking about the glorious gospel?

And herein lies the challenge: Are you basking in the glory of the Christ of the gospel? Are you as stunned by the gospel as you were by the sunset? Or are you, like your friend, too busy on your phone to see its beauty?

Behold the Beauty of the Gospel

As a pastor I'm convinced that the greatest thing I can do to train disciple-making disciples is to continually point people to the gospel. Surely we understand that the good news is what points us to Jesus and by implication has the power to save us (Romans 1:16). Many, however, fail to see the gospel as what changes, or sanctifies us. I grew up with this understanding. I trusted Christ for salvation and he saved me. But after that, it was all on me to grow as a Christian with my ever-so-fleeting moral effort. How ashamed I feel now!

But what is the role of the beauty of the gospel in discipleship? I think it's like the example of your friend’s interaction. He is working with you in a formal discipling relationship and by pointing him to the beautiful sunset, you’re pointing him to the beauty of the gospel. And oh, how beautiful the gospel truly is! The beauty of the gospel should stun our vision, arouse our emotions, stir our affections, motivate us for mission, and shatter our pride.

You are challenging him to renounce his idols by beholding Jesus (Galatians 6:8). You’re challenging him to grow in his understanding of God's holiness by beholding God (Isaiah 6:1-7). You’re constantly helping him search the Scriptures to better understand his new identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are, by the help and power of the Spirit, helping your friend appreciate more intimately the beauty of the gospel.

Beauty Over Brokeness

But it's hard to appreciate something when our focus is off. It's hard to see the beauty of the gospel when our hearts are misaligned and worshipping idols. When we worship things that are not God, our hearts become clouded and our judgment misappropriated. We turn our backs on the beautiful sunset and sulk in our idolatry.

And yet the gospel still speaks to us. The gospel, like the sun shining over us, meets us in our depravity. It jumps starts the heart as Christ and his Spirit pursue us. Paul says "this comes from the Lord." In other words, we are responsible for our actions, but at the same time utterly dependent on God who stands ready to receive us as his child (Phil. 2:12-13; cf. Luke 15:20). The good news announced by Jesus is news that is good every single day. (Sometimes we simply fail to believe that the news is good!) We can, in confidence, turn to Jesus who loves unconditionally. As it has been said before, we worship our way into sin, and we worship our way out by beholding the beauty and grandeur of the gospel.

And that's the role of the beauty of the gospel: to be the object our affections, the purpose of our identity, the reality of our existence, and the joy of our salvation. It draws us in like a beautiful sunset, puts God’s glory on display, and challenges us to realign everything. In discipleship, we are simply pointing people to its beauty, asking them to find happiness there.

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Jason M. Garwood (M.Div., Biblical Theological Seminary) serves as Lead Pastor of Colwood Church in Caro, MI. Jason and his wife Mary have two children, Elijah and Avery. Jason enjoys theological banter, good pizza, tinkering around on the iPad and fighting for joy. He blogs at the Storied Jesus. Connect with him online: facebook.com/jasongarwood. Twitter @jasongarwood

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For more resources on disciple-making, check out Jonathan Dodson's The Unbelievable Gospel.

A Gospel for the Muslim

We desperately need a “gospel for the Muslim.” Now, to be clear, to say that we seek a “gospel for the Muslim” does not mean that there are a variety of gospels. But just as Paul talked about Peter’s commission of the “gospel for the Jew” and his own commission of the “gospel for the Gentile” (Gal 2:7), so also do we need a gospel presentation that is tailored to the questions Muslims are asking. There is one gospel by which both Muslim and non-Muslim must be saved, but it must at times be expressed differently so that each can more readily grasp it. Three words describe the current Western approach to the gospel: formula, forgiveness, and death. We present the gospel as a formula, a series of propositions about God, which addresses our need for forgiveness from guilt, and which summarizes the means of attaining that forgiveness, the death of Jesus.

While such a presentation accurately reflects aspects of the gospel, a more effective strategy among Muslims might focus on three “new words:” story, cleansing, and victory.

Instead of presenting the truth of the gospel propositionally as a formula, we ought simply to let the story of Scripture unfold. Muslims rarely come to faith in Christ through apologetic arguments and dogmatic proof-texting, but they often come to faith in Christ by studying the major stories of the Bible and encountering the gospel there.

Instead of presenting the work of Christ in terms of forgiveness, we can emphasize the cleansing power of the gospel. Muslims understand the need for purification; they undergo a process of ritual cleansing, called wudu, every time they pray. Such a cleansing is only external, but Christ offers wudu for the soul.

Instead of presenting the death of Christ merely as a point of weakness, we should point to the victory inherent in Christ’s work on the cross. Every time Muslims pray, they say that God is the “most powerful” and the “most merciful.” Is not the cross the greatest demonstration of those two attributes? What greater demonstration of power is there than a God who overcame sin and death? God’s greatness is actually shown in His humility. As Gregory of Nazianzus said, “The strength of a flame is shown by its ability to burn downward.” And what greater demonstration of mercy is there than in Christ’s death and resurrection? The God of the universe conquered sin and death in order to redeem us for Himself, through no merit of our own.

The Bible, from cover to cover, is the story of a victorious God who cleanses us so that we might live with Him.

Muslims Misconceptions about Christians:

Many obstacles stand in the way of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus—theological differences, the danger of conversion, and the sheer fact that most Muslims have simply never heard the gospel. Some of the more surprising obstacles, however, arise in the misconceptions that Muslims have about Christians. During the two years I spent serving in a conservative Muslim country, I repeatedly encountered variations of two common misconceptions: 1. Christianity is morally corrupt. 2. “The West” and “The Church” are synonymous. Being familiar with these two misconceptions can help as we engage Muslims for the gospel.

1. Christianity is morally corrupt.

MTV was huge in the part of the world I lived. Western music videos frequently featured rap stars or scantily clad women wearing crosses. My Muslim friends assumed, naturally enough, that these were Christians and that their behavior was typical of Christians. Upon telling people I was a Christian, I often received the response, “Oh, you are a Christian—like Bill Clinton!” This was during the peak of Clinton’s impeachment, so the comparison was meant to conjure up images of either adultery or perjury . . . or both. Not a savory comparison.

I was once even asked by one of my friends, a Muslim college student, if I would throw her a “Christian” birthday party. When I asked what she meant, she replied that she wanted a party with a lot of booze and racy dancing, just like she had seen on television. Misunderstandings like hers, sadly, are the norm and not the exception.

While this misconception continues to irk me, I find it helpful to know that it exists. Most Muslims assume that Christians are unabashedly immoral. Of course, we can—and should—respond to this misconception by allowing our lives to refute it, by showing that Christians do not encourage flagrant debauchery. In the end, though, it is beneficial simply to keep this misconception in mind as we minister among Muslims.

2. “The West” and “The Church” are synonymous.

Most Westerners have grown up with a notion of the “separation of church and state,” and it is jarring for us to learn that Muslims rarely make such a distinction. Islam is, in its very nature, a political entity as well as a religious one, complete with its own social law codes. There is no parallel Muslim concept of the “separation of mosque and state.” So when Muslims look at Western nations like the USA, Germany, France, or the UK, they see “Christian countries.” Our presidents are assumed to be Christian leaders, and our political policies are assumed to be reflective of church policy. What the US does, the Church does. I was once asked, for instance, why “the Church” bombed Iraq.

This may be difficult for many of us, but we need to learn to put our patriotism aside. We only have enough bandwidth to represent a certain number of issues, and it is simply not worth it to sacrifice a gospel platform for the sake of defending American political decisions. I was recently told by a Turkish Muslim that “all of the problems in the world are caused by America.” Do I agree with him? No. But is this where I want to stand my ground? No. For the sake of the gospel, our patriotism must die when we serve in Muslim countries.

How Muslims Come to Faith in Christ

Muslims worldwide who come to faith in Christ consistently identify one of three factors leading to their conversion (or a combination of these three).

1. A copy of the Bible is placed in their hands.

When I first arrived in Southeast Asia, a “win” for me was a Muslim converting to Christianity. This got to be a little disheartening after a while, and wasn’t providing me with as many “W”s as I would have liked. So I down-graded, and sharing the Four Spiritual Laws became my new “W.” Defining things this way helped me feel more successful, but it did not lead to greater fruitfulness.

Rather than defining your “W” as conversion or sharing the message, make your “W” getting Muslims to study the Bible with you.

A friend of mine, “Danny,” found this out after spending nearly two years debating with a Muslim friend, “Solomon.” Through the course of their friendship, Solomon told Danny that his arguments had not convinced him to be a Christian, but to be a better Muslim! Exasperated, Danny asked Solomon to read through the book of John, and Solomon obliged.

As Solomon read through the gospel, the words pierced his heart in a way that none of Danny’s arguments had. He read and re-read the Gospel of John, and soon came to faith in Jesus. What inspired this change was his exposure to the Word of God.

The Word of God is powerful. Let the Holy Spirit use the Bible to do the work of winning hearts to Christ. As Charles Spurgeon said, the Bible is like a caged lion. We do not need to defend it; we simply need to let its power loose.

2. They see the love in a Christian community.

The Muslim community, or ummah, is close-knit, but it is built on shame and reciprocity. Those who leave the ummah face ostracism, persecution, or even death. Christians can offer an alternative community, one founded on grace, acceptance, and forgiveness. Most Muslims have never seen this, even in their own families.

It saddens me to think of the thousands of Muslims who come to the United States for university education. Most of these Muslim students will never step foot in an American home. They would go if invited, but few ever receive an invitation. This is a tragedy.

I recently had a debate with a Muslim scholar, and afterwards he was telling me about another debate he had recently with a religion professor from Duke. “I do not like the guy from Duke,” he said. When I asked why, he answered:

“I am more of a ‘Christian’ than he is. I believe more of the Bible than he does. Every time something was brought up from the Bible, he would apologetically explain it away. Your Christian world has two choices: the Duke professor, who doesn’t believe but is charitable, or the angry, hateful conservative. Many Christians won’t go toward liberalism, so they feel they have no choice but hatefulness. What they need is you. You believe every word of the Bible, but you have a generous spirit toward Muslims.”

3. They are visited with a supernatural dream or vision.

I am naturally skeptical of supernatural dreams and visions. But I have seen too many Muslims come to faith as a result of dreams and visions to deny that it is a work of God. For whatever reason, God often uses supernatural dreams to push Muslims to investigate Jesus, to find a Christian, or to read the Bible.

This should humble us and remind us that the power for salvation comes from God alone. When we do not know what else to do, we ought to pray. Pray for your Muslim friends. Pray with them as well. Then stand back and give God a chance to work.

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J.D. Greear and his beautiful wife Veronica live in Raleigh and are raising four ridiculously cute kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah and Adon. He is the lead pastor of the Summit Church and author of Breaking the Islam Code and  Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary. Twitter: @jdgreear

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For more resources on teaching and preaching the gospel, check-out Tony Merida's new book Proclaiming Jesus.

Kids in the Family of God - Part Two

(Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a three part series entitled Kids in the Family of God. Here is Part One and Part Three.) Kids Ministry: Equipping Parents

The focus of a kids ministry shouldn’t actually be kids. The focus of a kids ministry should be parents. Whether kids are in preschool or high school, the same principle applies. Churches and leaders who put time, effort, money, resources, and intentionality into equipping parents instead of putting on a show for children accomplish two significant things: they work toward developing the whole-life spiritual maturity of the children, and they put parents back in the place the Bible places them. Let me explain both concepts.

Developing a Child’s Whole Life

Generally, churches with Sunday-focused kids ministries spend 50-100 hours per year (of the 8,760 hours in the year) with kids. Minus vacations, sickness, and other reasons to miss, trained workers teach kids biblical concepts for an hour or two on Sundays, and very intentional churches might host a second age-specific gathering sometime during the week. In those few hours, trained leaders must cram in entertainment (crafts or games depending on kids’ ages), sometimes music, sometimes a snack, and according to nearly every curriculum we surveyed over 18 months, a Bible story that immediately transfers into a life lesson. “Discipleship and growth” become limited to a few hours a month, and generally become limited to one “style”: in a group, with lots of energy, listening to a teacher teach a broad lesson.

But what happens in the rest of a child’s week when the teacher isn’t there? Who hears about getting made fun of on the playground? Who’s there to encourage the student in the midst of a specific high school struggle? At minimum, if a child is in school until 4pm and goes to bed at 8pm, parents interact with their kids 1460 hours a year! Parents see the daily struggles. Parents have conversations in the car. Parents are asked the hard questions. Parents deal with the specifics, the scenarios, the struggles, the sins. Parents meet their child - every single day - where the real-life rubber hits the road.

Those are the moments where faith is tested and proven. Those are the instances where stories and concepts break down. Those are the times where reality is faced and decisions are made. Why wouldn’t we pour all effort into the people who are there in those moments? That’s the idea of developing a child’s whole-life – kid ministry leaders and missional community facilitators don’t see a kid’s whole-life, so they can’t develop a kid’s whole-life.

Putting Parents in Their Place

The fact that parents are with their kids more than church leaders isn’t a scary concept, and the fact that church leaders can’t develop a child’s whole-life isn’t a bad reality: it’s biblical! Throughout the Bible, God says that parents are the primary disciplers of their children. This concept is most clearly seen in Deuteronomy 6, as God gives one of the most well-known and beloved commands in the entire Hebrew scriptures:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. - Deuteronomy 6:4-7

It’s generally understood that the first half of this command is the primary belief in Hebrew theology. It’s a big one: “God is one, and you must love him with your entire being.” The rest of the Bible shows how to do that, and indeed, the rest of Deuteronomy contains many of the 613 commandments that make up the Old Testament Law. But notice the second half of this passage: God doesn’t tell his people to farm spiritual instruction out to “experts.”

And he doesn’t command them to limit it to a few hours, in a controlled setting, like parents often do today. “YOU shall teach them diligently to your children…” Who should? “YOU! Any reader of this passage. Every parent is instructed to teach God’s Law to your children!” And the venue for this spiritual instruction is in the midst of everyday life and activity: when you sit, when you travel, when you go to bed, when you get up. In the midst of normal activity, a child’s whole-life spiritual development occurs.

Parents, this principle isn’t isolated in the OT; it’s echoed throughout the Bible: you are the primary disciple-maker of your children. Giving that responsibility to “the church” is to abdicate your biblical role. That’s a dangerous place to be.

Church leaders, when you focus on entertaining children instead of training their parents, you potentially prevent parents from fulfilling their biblical command, and you unintentionally limit children’s spiritual development. That’s a dangerous place to be.

Churches, Equip Parents to Train Their Children

The best kids ministry is the one that equips parents to disciple their children well. Train parents in the gospel and the Bible, resource them to overcome their fears and inadequacies, equip them to teach their kids in both objective and situational circumstances, then come alongside them as a family and support them in their biblical role. That’s a biblical, healthy kids ministry.

How’s this look practically? My church has tried different ideas for the past two years, but here’s some of what’s happening now, and what’s in development:

1. Our youngest kids follow the weekly rhythm of “parents – church gathering – missional communities” for objective biblical training: every week our kid ministry leader sends a Bible story, memory verse, and questions to parents. Parents read and discuss the stories, verses, and questions with their kids before Sunday, so that parents are the first to introduce biblical stories and concepts to their children. Then at church gathering, kids have the passages reiterated by kid ministry leaders, allowing them to see that other adults believe the same thing as their parents. In this way, the church comes alongside parents to support the material parents have taught their kids. Finally, the missional community comes alongside parents in reinforcing the same scriptures - with new questions and activities - as young kids have their own discussion in community meetings. Every concept is taught three times, and the church first resources parents to be the primary disciplers of these foundational truths, then comes alongside the parents to reinforce and support the teaching.
2. Older kids experience whole-life spiritual development alongside the rest of the church: with kid-specific mentions in sermons and encouragement from small groups, kids first grade and older walk through scripture and regularly hear the gospel and biblical truth address real-life issues, everyday problems, sin struggles, and prayer concerns, alongside the rest of the church family. Many families continue to use the parent and small group resources mentioned above in various settings and discussions as their kids grow through their elementary years.
3. Quarterlies: In our church’s decentralized model of “communities on mission,” we see great benefit in regularly bringing families and kids together based on age. Rather than a programmed, weekly event which is the focus of that age’s ministry, these “quarterlies” are more focused on our “family identity” – we’re simply connecting as a unified church, and meeting other families by age. For kids, these events are starting points for relationships and intentionality; for parents, there’s training, discussion, or the beginning of their own relationships and intentionality. The relationships then overflow into everyday life as families live as “THE family” of God together.
4. Classes and discipleship plans: In addition to the weekly rhythm above, we are beginning to pour resources into equipping parents well, in intentional areas of need. However this looks in your setting, on top of objective Bible knowledge, parents need to be trained in everyday things like…

• Living their biblical role as a parent in today’s culture
• Speaking the gospel on their kids’ level
• Gospel-centered discipline, which plays out differently by age
• Answering needs and situations with the gospel
• How and when to talk to their kids about tough issues well (like faith, sex, puberty, school, college, driving, and many more)
• Dealing with tough parenting decisions well (sin, schedule, schooling, budget, saving for college, etc.)

We’re compiling resources to intentionally train parents on these issues and more, or to eventually develop resources in areas where resources are lacking. We’re also developing a resource to help parents think intentionally through their child’s spiritual development. This “discipleship plan” simply asks parents to take time at least once a year, to consider different areas of their child’s life, faith, patterns, identities - and ask how they hope to see their child grow the following year. Our leaders and the parents’ missional community then comes alongside to help in the child’s discipleship.

God’s Instruction Regarding Kids

My church hasn’t developed and carried out these principles of kids ministry simply because they’re “different” or “cool” – and we certainly don’t do kids ministry like we do because it’s easy! Instead, every idea we have regarding kids in the family of God is found deeply rooted in the picture of God’s family seen in the Bible. All we do is carry out the same principles, as closely as possible, in today’s context.

A Summary of Children in the Family of God

Here are four principles we see in the Bible, with a few verses (among others) in which the principle is seen clearly. All verses ESV; italics added throughout:

1.    Parents are the primary disciplers of their children

• Deuteronomy 6:4-7: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
• Proverbs 1:8-9: “Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”
• Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
• Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (echoed in Colossians 3:21)

2.   Children are specifically addressed, and are found in the gatherings of God’s people, throughout the Bible

• Deuteronomy 31:12-13: “Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
• Nehemiah 8:1-2: “And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month…”
• Psalm 78:4, speaking of the Law: “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done…”
• 1 John 2:13: “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.”

3.   Jesus valued children, even – or especially! – when they were distracting/unwanted

• Mark 10:13-16: “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them…”
• Matthew 18:2-7, 10: “And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!’ …See that you do not despise one of these little ones.”
• John 6:8-9, as Jesus prepared to feed the 5000: “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

4.   There are things about God’s kingdom that only children can teach us

• Matthew 11:16-17, 25: “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn’…At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…”
• Matthew 18:2-4: “And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven…”
• Matthew 21:16: “…and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
• Mark 10:15: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

What do these passage lead to?

When we add to these principles the “family” imagery that runs throughout the Bible – especially the New Testament (it’s in nearly every book), and when we add the fact that, for the first 1900+ years of church, there was no separate “kids ministry,” we get the principles our church follows, as we try to raise kids in the family of God:

1.    We believe that children, as young as is logical, should be included in the normative activity of the church family

2.   We believe that as often as possible, families should worship together

3.   We believe in setting high expectations for our children

4.   We believe in equipping parents and the church to minister well  to children

Thanks for learning with us how, by following the examples of scripture and history, all believers can try to raise kids in the family of God.

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Ben Connelly lives in Fort Worth, TX, with his wife and daughter (with another on the way this fall). He started The City Church in 2010 and lives on mission by teaching public speaking at TCU. Ben sits on the board of a few city-focused organizations, trains occasionally across the country, and writes at benconnelly.net. Twitter: @connellyben

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Parents, for more resources on discipling your children at home, check out Winfield Bevin's Beginner's Guide to Family Worship.

Transformative Grace

One of the most helpful and practical discipleship concepts that I’ve learned came from a seminary professor who was describing the difference between what he called “excusive grace” and “transformative grace.” In brief, “excusive grace” is what happens when we easily shrug off irresponsibility and unfaithfulness in others by saying, “That’s OK. It’s really not a big deal.” This seems incredibly gracious, but it represents a soft attitude that can enable sin patterns in others’ lives.

Before I describe “transformative grace,” let me add my own third image to the scene that was being described by my professor. This category, which I call “militant ‘grace’,” is one that I’ve often observed in the world of discipleship. Militant “grace” (which often really isn’t grace at all, thus the quotation marks) responds to irresponsibility and unfaithfulness with a boot camp attitude that screams, “My way or the highway. Call me when you grow up.” This philosophy has a good heart behind it (a standard to be attained), but the line-in-the-sand is often drawn arbitrarily and individual situations aren’t taken into account in a loving way.

If these first two options are extremes at either end of a spectrum—excusive grace on the soft end and militant grace on the hard end—“transformative grace” is a more gospel-centered approach that falls somewhere in the middle and should be the aim of our discipleship relationships.

The Ends and Means of Grace

Transformative grace enjoys the understanding of excusive grace but rejects the cavalier attitude towards maturity, growth, and accountability. Likewise, transformative grace maintains the same goal of militant grace but rejects the path that is taken along the way.

Another way to state this may be to see discipleship as having a means and an end. The end is growth, maturity, and Christlikeness. The means is loving discipleship where life and truth transference happen in the context of real relationships. If this is the case, we should embrace the means of exclusive grace (if the “means” = understanding and love) and reject its end (if the end = no challenge to true growth). We should embrace the end of militant grace (if the end = a strong challenge to true growth) and reject its means (if the means = lack of understanding and love).

Grace Applied

Allow me to illustrate how each of these positions might handle a common discipleship issue.

The Situation: You’re supposed to meet with a guy regularly for about six weeks to walk through a problem he is having. Because of his busy work and family schedule, you decide to meet for breakfast at a local restaurant on Wednesday mornings. Since he has to be at work relatively early, he tells you that 6:00 am is the only time that works for him. The problem, however, is that the first week he arrives at 6:10 and the second week at 6:25. The third week he is a no-show and was clearly still asleep when you called to check on him at 6:30. How do you respond?

The Excusive Grace Response: “That’s alright, brother. I know it’s hard to get out of bed early in the morning. Don’t worry about it – it’s good for me to get up early anyway and I just use the time I’m waiting on you to have a longer personal time in the Word.”

The Militant “Grace” Response: “Drop and give me 150 pushups. When you’re finished, I want 10 wind sprints in the parking lot. Then—after you pay for my breakfast—don’t let the door hit you on the way out. My time is too valuable to be wasted. You have my phone number; call me when you’re serious about committing to this relationship.”

The Transformative Grace Response: “You know I love you, right? That’s why I need to be completely honest with you. It’s not easy for me to get out of bed in the morning either. In fact, I had to leave a warm bed with my wife to be here by 6:00 am, and I had to stick her with getting our kids ready for school by herself when I would normally help shoulder the load. I’m willing to help be part of the solution for you in whatever way I need to be, but we can’t keep going on like this. Do you need me to give you a wake-up call in the mornings? Should we change the time of our meetings? Do I need to swing by your office so we can meet during your lunch break? Let me know and I’ll do what I can to help make this happen.”

These aren’t hypothetical situations and responses – this is an actual situation and three actual responses I’ve seen various disciple-makers give (minus the pushups and wind sprints). Do you see the difference the three approaches?

The excusive grace response may even be true. It might not be a big deal to you and you might have enjoyed the extra time in the Word those mornings, but that’s not the point! The point is that this person will never grow and mature as long as you keep enabling them and making excuses for their irresponsibility.

The militant grace response may be what you want to say to the person, but will it ultimately be helpful? Will you help the person develop a changed heart that values commitment, responsibility, and self-discipline? Or, will you help them have a fear of disappointing you and/or having a lighter wallet? This approach might even produce what looks like obedience, but the impetus can often be man-centered and not God-centered.

The transformative grace response should be a healthy mix of both grace and truth. It has a goal in mind for the person but is loving and nurturing in how to get there. The means is as important as the end goal.

This doesn’t mean that there’s never a time to say “That’s OK, it’s not a big deal.” It also doesn’t mean that you won’t occasionally have to “cut someone loose” and break off a relationship with a slothful disciple. But, both of these should be the exception, not the rule. Let’s disciple in such a way that we see changed lives through the Holy Spirit and the Word, because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the glory of the Father!

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Jason Seville (Th.M) lives in Memphis, TN with his wife, Kim, and daughters, Sydney & Sophie. They are members at First Evangelical Church, and Jason is on staff with Downline Ministries, where he writes curriculum, teaches, and heads up Downline Builder. You can follow him on Twitter @jasonCseville. 

Domain of Influence

Those who have been laid hold of by Jesus Christ have the same mission. Jesus gave it to us. He gave us his gospel, his Holy Spirit, and his commission to make disciple-making disciples of all peoples. We are called to take the gospel of Jesus into our neighborhoods and into the nations. However, one’s specific involvement in that mission is unique with regards to one’s role and one’s reach. You have a specific task or role to play in this mission. The Holy Spirit has equipped you for that role. It might be preaching and teaching, or pastoring, or administration, or mercy, or hospitality, but God intends you to use that gift, faithfully carrying out your role in the mission to make disciple-making disciples.

You also have a reach in this mission, a context that we might call your “domain of influence.” Your domain of influence is the sphere in which your ministry role is carried out. Some domains of influence are broader in scope; they are far reaching. Some people are given smaller spheres with a localized influence. This is fairly obvious to us. Some people pastor large influential churches and are invited to preach before great crowds, while others live in obscurity, faithfully pastoring small churches. The role of pastor is the same, but the reach one has in carrying out that role is different. Two pastors may have a similar calling, but different God-given capacities that bring with them differing spheres of influence and impact.

We see this principle of domain throughout the Scripture. One example is found in 1Corinthians 12. When Paul addresses the Corinthians about spiritual gifts, he highlights not only the variety of the gifts but also the differing impact that each person has in the exercise of his or her gift.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4–6

When Paul speaks of a varieties of “activities” in verse 6, he uses a word that expresses the idea of activities based on capacities; impact that is an expression of one’s capability. The NASB95 translates the phrase, “varieties of effects.” These activities are empowered by God and have an effect that is in line with God’s choice. In other words, not only does God determine our gift, but he determines the impact, the effect, that each person will have in the faithful exercise of that gift. He gives people different measures of influence. Two people can faithfully exercise a preaching gift, but one have a much more significant impact upon the hearers not because of delivery or fleshly charisma, but because of God’s choice.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul specifically says that God has assigned an area of influence to him and those that minister alongside him. 

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 10:13–14

We see this same principle in Jesus’ parable of the talents. A master goes on a journey and entrust differing amounts of his possessions to his servants. To one he entrust ten talents. To another he entrusts five talents. To the third, he entrusts one talent. Jesus tells us that each was given an amount according to his ability. Each was entrusted with an amount that was in keeping with that person’s potential for functioning at a certain level. In other words, each would have a differing domain of influence and varying degrees of accomplishment with what they were entrusted because each had different capacities.

The Temptations of Domain

There are two great temptations in ministry with regard to domain. First, it is possible that we can under-reach our domain out of fear, sloth, or lack of faith. God may very well desire to expand our influence and reach, but our own timidity or laziness can keep us from moving into God’s intentions. This may be what Timothy struggled with. He was appointed and given a platform of great influence in Ephesus. As we read through Paul’s letters to Timothy, it is clear that he struggles with insecurity, timidity, and possibly even a lack of faith. In 2Timothy 4:5 Paul tells him to fulfill his ministry, to be faithful to his domain.

There are some that are not dreaming enough. God has greatly gifted them, but they are not reaching for what God has for them due to insecurity, fear, or sloth. But I believe the bigger temptation that most in ministry face is that of over-reaching for a domain out of pride, envy, or comparison. When we see the ministry success of others, we can enviously aspire for a similar platform and the visibility that comes along with it. John the Baptist provides a good case study for this temptation.

John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him. - John 3:23–26

If I am John, I am immediately faced with the temptation to comparison and envy. “All are going to him...” John has been at this longer and yet, Jesus shows up on the scene - endorsed by John at that - and John is losing his following. There is a constant temptation in ministry to ask, “How am I measuring up? Am I keeping up? Am I standing out? Is my church growing at a similar or quicker pace than others?” But notice how John responds.

John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” - John 3:27–30

John understands that God sovereignly appoints his role and sets boundaries on his domain (v27). His ministry is received, given to him from God, and he cannot add even one thing to what God has appointed for him. John knows his role is the forerunner. He is not the groom but friend of the groom. John gladly accepts his shrinking platform. His only real concern is that Jesus increases, which means his domain must now decrease. John is not trying to over-reach his domain here; he is submitting to his God-given role and reach.

I often meet pastors and leaders who are over-reaching and trying to operate in a way that is not in keeping with how God has gifted them and that is not in step with the sovereign boundaries he has put on their reach of influence. For example, they see Driscoll, Chandler, or Piper preach hour long sermons, so they preach for an hour. But they do not have the capacity to hold an audience for an hour. Many assume that they should be doing multi-site because other pastors are doing it. It is not a decision grounded in inspiration from God but imitation of another church. These over-reaching pastors feel the pressure to keep up with other churches. But if they are honest, they know God has not given them the leading, discipling, and preaching capacities for a broader domain than one healthy, local church. I recently had a conversation with a pastor struggling for years to move his church beyond the 40 or so people who were attending. He said he had a vision to plant more congregations all over his city out of that congregation. What if God does not intend his domain to go beyond one healthy congregation. Pastor, God might be calling you to plant a church and get it healthy and lead it well, and that might be the reach that heaven sets for you. And if so, that is OK. Remember the parable of the talents. Each servant is given a measure of responsibility in keeping with his ability and the commendation comes in response to his faithfulness to their role, not the expanse of their reach.

Faithfulness to Your Domain

If you are going to be faithful to your role and reach, you need first and foremost a passion for Jesus. John was content with growing obscurity because Jesus was increasing. As long as Christ is trusted and treasured, we can be content. Second, we need a Gospel-Identity. John sees himself as a friend of the bridegroom - a person in a privileged position. When we know who we are as those privileged by the gospel, loved by God, adopted into his family, set aside for his purposes, then we begin to break free from trying to establish an identity through achievement. Third, we need self-awareness. By self-awareness, I simply mean knowing how God has gifted you and wired you. John knows who he is and who he isn’t, and he does not try to be someone the Lord has not made him to be. Self-awareness comes from the Lord by means - assessment tools, giftings, passions, fruitfulness, and the affirmation of other leaders. Through these means, the Lord often reveals the reach of our domains. In this sense, domains seem to me to be an unfolding awareness - more of a discovery than an announcement. It is not about reaching for what you want to do, but discovering what God has gifted you to do and then being faithful with it as he reveals it. And, as we are faithful over a little, he makes us faithful over much.

I’m afraid that we may have bred in the hearts of pastors today a desire for greater platforms instead of greater faithfulness. Humbly accepting our domains of influence and being faithful to them is the key to being content in the ministry God gives us.

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JR Vassar is the founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church. He and his wife Ginger have three children and make their home in NYC's Upper East Side. Twitter: @jrvassar

Trajectory Discipleship: Running the Race

If there is one thing that breaks my heart, it’s an interaction between two Christians pretending to be “fine.” This is commonplace within so many small groups and church services. One person believes that being a Christian means doing good and being good, but they have failed recently (a fight with their spouse, reoccurring sin, stress, circumstances), and they believe that they would be less than Christian if they let on. Then the other, equally as burnt out, sees the other as the ideal Christian and doesn’t want to be seen as any lesser. So the conversation goes. And many more like it, until one day when it comes out. Then what happens? Many Christians in gospel-centered churches are, by God’s grace, being taught to bring their brokeness to the community and seek help. But what is the help that is being offered? So often, we offer the tired, hurt, needy Christians a gospel adrenaline shot and send them sprinting off. Like a football player at the Pro Combine, the Christian bursts forward at incredible speed only to come to a halt or trip over their own feet forty yards later. Jesus becomes coach, not savior. This is how Christians get burnt out.

Discipleship is a marathon, not a 4 x 100. Sure, you can sprint passed a marathon runner for a mile or two, but eventually they are going to catch up and pass you. Like a marathon, discipleship has to be paced and consistent. If all emphasis is put on quiet time, prayer, and other disciplines, soon the Christian will soon be exhausted from running on fumes. And nobody can run the race the Paul talked about in 1 Timothy in short bursts.

How do well-meaning, seemingly gospel-centered Christians (like me and you) get taken for a ride on this spiritual rollercoaster of discipleship? We set achievable goals. I once chatted with a (very kind and hospitable, might I add) college ministry leader who was disciplining his guys through the book of Luke. He was very excited to tell me about the “punishment & reward system” that he had set up. Essentially, for every guy who came to the weekly meeting unprepared, the rest of the guys would have to do a certain amount of extra bible study as punishment. I remember thinking that this was pretty intense but probably pretty effective. It wasn’t until recently that I realized what was so wrong with this system. It reduced the law of God to an achievable goal. Sanctification was achieved by reaching a finish line.

Even though it is not always this extreme, performance is the default mode of the human heart, and it is so easy for that performance to sneak into our discipleships. The cross becomes a motivational gasoline instead of a refuge of rest. In running the gospel-driven race, believing the gospel is not a performance enhancer but a reminder of Jesus’ perfect performance on our behalf. The truth is we cannot finish the marathon on our own. It’s like running in a hurricane, with winds of self-doubt, sin, legalism, failure, incompetence and demonic sabotage constantly being thrown our way. Yet Jesus himself has secured our prize, and the Holy Spirit now empowers us to run.

With this in mind, it becomes so important to remember by what strength we run. Is it our powerful faith and godliness that takes us through the hurricane? Or is it the power of salvation (Romans 1:16)? I know a pastor who says, “the way up is not up, the way up is down.” Essentially, when we see ourselves as incompetent of running the race ourselves, we learn to cling to the righteousness of Jesus. It is here that the gospel not only becomes sweet, good news but consistently good news day in and day out.

This changes the way we think about discipleship and the way we teach others to live the Christian life. This radical juxtaposition between our goals and our abilities requires that we disciple by helping others realize the truth about themselves (the law) and the truth about Jesus (the gospel). The trajectory is long-term (REALLY long term) faith and repentance. We should be teaching people to believe first and foremost. Belief will lead to fruitfulness, but if a step is skipped, we are simply sending people out to run a marathon in a hurricane with a few encouraging words and no strength.

Nobody can finish the race by themselves. The race sounds simple enough, just believe the gospel. But why does Paul, the super-church-planting apostle, tell Timothy at the end of his life that he has finished the race? What is the race that Paul has finished? Simply keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). So we push on and teach others to push on, one Holy Spirit-empowered step at a time - despite doubts, emotions, and fears - by believing that “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)

For the Christian who suffers through the dreaded “how are you doing?” questions at small group with a fake smile and a “oh, I’m fine” there is good news! In the hurricane marathon of the Christian life there is refuge and power. That refuge and power is the good news that Jesus has performed perfectly on our behalf, declaring freedom from guilt and condemnation before a holy God. Christ is both the imperative of the race and the power to run it.

Musician Jim White tells a story in his documentary “Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus” about riding his bicycle across the Brooklyn Bridge. On the bridge, there is a narrow bike lane, and he would often try to keep his front tire on the white line of the bike lane. He could only do this if he stared straight ahead. Whenever he looked down at his tire he would wobble. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the big picture, only then can we expect to run the Christian life and not succumb to our hurts, emotions, and fears.

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Nick Rynerson is a Christian and a music and film lover. He blogs at Gospel Community Culture, and is a part of Charis Community Church an Acts 29 Church Plant in Normal, Illinois. His interests include taking his beautiful fiancé on dates, playing the mandolin, and reading. Twitter: @Nick_Rynerson

Grief and the Gospel - Part One

(Editor's Note: This article is part of a new series on Grief and the Gospel. It originally appeared at Soma Tacoma's blog.) Our theology does more than an adequate job of explaining the reality of the broken world in which we find ourselves. We know that God didn’t design the world to work this way, that sin has devastated the landscape of every relationship in all of creation, and that someday Jesus will restore all things to the way in which they were originally created. Since the fall, sin - committed by us and against us - and the effects of sin have made a mess of the world. As we await the second advent of Jesus, along with the glimpses of the great joy and full redemption that is to come, “creation groans” (Romans 8:22-23).

Practically, however, we often live as though our theology has nothing to say about what to do with this groaning (which we might call grief). This is strange given the breadth of human experience and emotion portrayed in the pages of scripture. Sackcloth and ashes and weeping and tearing one’s garments were among the many ways that humans historically expressed grief. Groaning took on many forms. In western culture, death seems to be the only valid reason for grieving, and pop psychologists have led the way in helping people navigate those difficult waters.

Understanding Grief

So how should the gospel inform our understanding of what it means to grieve?

Ephesians 4:25-31 says:

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

The words of verse 30 are familiar to us: "...do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." But the simple reality of the verse (and it’s very far reaching implications) often go unaddressed.

The context of verse 30 is essentially a list of sins. Don’t lie, don’t sin in your anger, don’t steal, don’t speak evil things, don't be bitter or filled with wrath, don’t slander other people or concoct evil schemes. And sandwiched near the middle of the list is the reason why we should avoid these things:  because sin grieves God. (It also gives the devil room to work, but that’s a whole other article.)

Sin grieves God.  Sin grieves God.  Sin committed by us and sin committed against us.  Sin grieves God.

If we’re looking for an invitation to grieve, and to grieve more than just death, then the news that sin grieves God should strike a chord. We’ve been created in the image of God. Like God, we have the unique components of personhood - mind, emotions, and a will. So if God grieves, then grief is a part of what it means to be human. Grief is normal. Grief is good (or at least it can be since God himself grieves).

Grieving Sin

The gospel tells us that sin should grieve us. We should be grieved by the sin we’ve committed, and we should be grieved by the sin committed against us.

I have had the sad privilege of talking with many people who’ve been groaning most of their lives. Some were exposed to graphic porn before 1^st grade. Others were raped by a relative before they were 10.  Some cried themselves to sleep at night while mom was working the swing shift after dad left. Still others have made painful and destructive choices over very long periods of time. When I hear these stories, it has been so helpful to encourage people to deal with their groaning by grieving the sin involved in their stories.

When you’ve sinned, God has been grieved, and you should be grieved, too. When sin has been committed against you, God has been grieved, and you should be grieved, too. Grieve the absence of your father. Grieve the loss of your youth because of abuse or neglect. Grieve the fruitlessness of the years you spent abusing drugs or alcohol. Grieve the times you’ve gotten angry with your children. Sin grieves God, and it should grieve us, too.

Human Grief

The picture of a grieving God reminds me of Isaiah’s description of Jesus, the suffering servant, in Isaiah 53:3 - “He was… a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

Jesus is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus was the perfect human, the most complete man who ever lived, the most accurate representation of the image of God since Adam. Jesus is the image of God, and he was acquainted with grief.  So again, grief is a part of what it means to be human.

But furthermore, Jesus is no stranger to the grief we experience. We often think about how Jesus can identify with us in temptation (Hebrews 4:15), and in suffering (1 Peter 4:12-13), but how often to we ponder the fact that Jesus can identify with our feelings of grief, sadness, and sorrow?

The gospel also tells us we’re not alone in our grief. Jesus has walked in our shoes, and is well acquainted with the full spectrum of grief that sin invokes.

John 11 offers a tremendous picture of Jesus as a man of sorrows who is acquainted with grief. In the story, we see Jesus’ grief in action, prompted by the death of his friend Lazarus. Jesus sees the hurt and the pain that death brings, especially to the surviving family, and he appropriately grieves.

However, even as the man of sorrows, Jesus’ grief in this story is surprising to me on two levels.

First of all, the very fact that he grieves is unexpected. Jesus had encountered Martha on his way to Lazarus’ tomb, but it was his interaction with Mary that seemed to push him over the edge emotionally.

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!" - John 11:32-36

With striking vulnerability and humanity, the compassion and sensitivity and deep concern of the Triune God are on full display through the tears and troubled spirit of Jesus. JESUS. WEPT.

(I’m convinced that Robert Estienne, the French scholar who divided the biblical text into verses in 1551, intentionally created the shortest verse in the NT in order to call attention to the stunning nature of God weeping.)

“He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

But Jesus’ grief is also surprising to me because of the timing of his grief. We need only to read ahead a few verses to find out that Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew his delayed arrival would result in Lazarus’ death, which would in turn provide a unique and poignant opportunity for his own messianic power and glory to be displayed. Jesus knew that he had power over death, that the grave could not hold Lazarus, and that the sound of his voice was about to wake Lazarus from his flat-lined slumber.

Grieving the Effects of Sin

And yet, Jesus grieves. But why does Jesus grieve? Why does he grieve when he knows what’s about to happen?

I think the answer is because Jesus is grieving the effects of sin. When Jesus returns and establishes the fullness of his kingdom, there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).  More or less, this is an adequate summary of the effects of the fall on humanity. “…sin came into the world through one man, and death (came into the world) through sin…” (Romans 5:12).

So here, Jesus, the one by whom all things were made (Colossians 1:16), is grieving, perhaps with a thought like this running through his head: “This is not the way I designed the world to work! Death is terrible and painful and grievous!”  

Death is perhaps the one area in which we still give ourselves permission to grieve. Death is so striking, so at odds with the way in which God designed the world to work, that we can’t help but grieve when it occurs. It’s instinctual for humans to grieve death. (For a helpful treatment of the grief that specifically accompanies death, see Paul Tripp’s New Growth Press booklet “Grief: Finding Hope Again.”)

But what about the other effects of sin? What about disease? What about broken relationships? What about corruption? What about economic and social inequality? We live in a fallen world filled with brokenness. The effects of sin are all around us. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where no single person’s sin is the cause of our pain, and yet, we are clearly experiencing life in a way that God never intended. Here again, we find a reason to grieve.

Grieve the fact that cancer took your father when he was 47. Grieve because your best friends had to move out of state in order to find work. Grieve for siblings or dear friends who have no interest in Jesus. Grieve that millions in Africa starve while warlords rape and pillage.

God's Grief

The gospel tells us that sin grieves God so it should grieve us, too (sin committed by us, sin committed against us, and the various effects of sin). It also tells us that because Jesus is a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. We are not alone in our grief. 

But how should we grieve?  And more importantly, what should be the outcome of our grief?

As we’ll discover, the gospel offers answers to these questions concerning grief, as well. I'll address them in a forthcoming second part of this article. At this time, consider praying for understanding of the deep effects of sin and the even deeper power of grace found in gospel of Jesus Christ.

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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. Twitter: @abemeysenburg