Book Giveaway: Brothers, We Are Not Professionals

Thanks to B&H Publishing and The A Group, we are giving away the updated and expanded edition of John Piper's Brothers, We Are Not Professionals.

After reading the original edition of this book some years ago, I was encouraged and blessed by Piper's wisdom and insights into being more than a teacher, Greek/Hebrew scholar, hospital visitor, or CEO. God's call is much bigger: To rely on the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. With six new chapters and expansion of others, this edition will surely bless a new generation of pastors (and even laymen!).

Entry Requirements:

To enter, simply use the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post to share it on Facebook or Twitter.

*Extra credit: "Like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

There will be one winner and the giveaway ends Sunday, February 10 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Good luck!

6 Threats to Ministry and Friendship Mixing

If you want to stay friends than don’t do ministry together. 

It is either business or friendship; you can’t have both. 

It can be hard to find good help these days, and you can’t afford to lose an employee by becoming their friend.   

These are common sayings in ministry. Are they true? All too often, friends excitedly start ministries, businesses, and churches together only to see it end up tearing the friendship and work apart (even Paul and Barnabas get split up). We are often taught to no blur the lines between relationship and business. We learn to compartmentalize, isolate our groups of friends from one another--coworkers, family, old friends from high school, church relationships, new friends, and those created around a shared interest or hobby. I've noticed a tendency to not only keep these friends separate but also to keep them from knowing me fully.

Does this sound like good news: you can only have your friend in one avenue of life? Jesus models a lifestyle that included leading, teaching, serving, eating, ministering to and with his friends. In John 15:15 he no longer calls his disciples servants but friends. Though he is their king and savior, he considers them friends. This is incredible. Jesus models friendship that crosses cultural, social, and even spiritual barriers. Jesus was not afraid to “do ministry” with friends. Why? Maybe because there is no fear in love as perfect love cast out fear (1 Jn. 4:18).

It is counter-cultural to do all of life with your friends but that seems to fit with the way Jesus lived anyway. The cross, where the perfect loving God of the universe dies for the imperfect scum of the earth, is a constant reminder of how counter-cultural Jesus is and therefore how counter-cultural his followers get to be. Jesus told his followers that it would be their love for one another that would let the world know they were following him (Jn. 12:34-35). Sounds like Christian relationships get to look radically different from the world as the relationships themselves show off the radical love of Jesus of the cross.

What does this look like in real life?

I am glad you asked. About a year and a half ago I asked my good friend Dustin Nickerson to seriously consider and pray about moving to San Diego to join me in serving Red Door Church. Our church leadership felt that his gifts and experience would be a good fit for us at this time, but beyond that I missed my good friend and wanted to do life with him once again.

Dustin and I began praying and dreaming about what it would be like to lead together. I felt God strongly saying that our relationship was a unique gift and it would be better leveraged for the Kingdom by working together rather than apart. Now this sounds like a no brainer right? Here is the catch: we are both strong leaders who have started and led ministries. We are good friends who would be working together on staff for the first time. In addition, it would be a role reversal; last time we led together he was in the first-among-equals role and this time I would be in the first-among-equals role. If that was not enough he would be leaving and leading his family into an area of unknown and would be entering all of my church, work, family, and recreational relationships head on. Oh, and one more thing, our church doesn’t really do outside hires and was in no place to guarantee a long-term job. We had to offer a temporary 3-month trial with no guarantee of a job even if it was a great fit as we were projecting for a budget growth but had no guarantee of one.

With all of that reality on the table we were still excited, but Dustin came to me with a growing concern that this could be too hard on our friendship. After all, friends don’t work together in normal circumstances let alone the barrage of obstacles we were facing.

I began praying through this concern and as I did God spoke to me clearly of how the gospel could empower us to do this and not only survive as friends but thrive. He gave me a warning of four major enemies of friendship and leadership teams that he was graciously calling us to avoid. I wrote Dustin that we needed to watch out for the 4 C’s of death and we pressed on, believing that by God’s power and grace our friendship would be strengthened by working together. We knew the enemy would attack our friendship but also knew if we relied on the truth of the gospel and were watchful for our sinful flesh, we could enjoy a fruitful friendship and ministry together.

I want to share these primary threats to friendship with you in hopes that your relationships and leadership teams can hold off the enemy and his attacks. It really isn’t the circumstances that drive folks apart when they start to work together. It isn’t the work, but our hearts and minds which frequently forget the gospel.

1. Comparison

Comparison kills teams and friendships. When we compare ourselves to one another it will only lead us to pride or despair. Pride when we think that we are better than someone or despair when we believe we are worse. It also models a comparison culture that will lead people to comparing their leaders. People start gaining favorite preachers, teachers, and counselors and won’t want to submit or respond to the leader that is not their favorite. This causes tremendous division and creates room for Satan to have a field day in the church.

The remedy is the cross. Comparing ourselves not to one another but to Christ and his work on the cross. This reminds us that we deserve death and only he could perfectly live our life for us. It puts all of humanity at an even playing field as we all deserve the cross and yet the one who did not deserve it took it for us. A leadership team that focuses its thoughts on the cross is constantly forced back into a posture of humble worship of Jesus (Phil. 2:3-10). It is impossible to pridefully compare yourselves to others while believing in the work of the cross. It is also impossible to despair knowing the grace and love of the cross.

2. Complaining

When complaining leaks into a relationship, it falls apart. Complaining about leadership styles, preaching, sinful patterns, and more. This usually fuels the sheep to complain about the other person too and ends up causing a church filled with complaining gossips. We must not believe the lie that our complaining is justified as there is no complaining that is.

Leaders must lead in building one another up. There is no room in friendship or in the Kingdom for complaining. Scripture speaks of us being a people with praise and thanksgiving on our lips. Remember as Christians we are to do everything without grumbling and rejoice always (Phil. 2:14, 4:4). We must fight to remain thankful for one another’s friendship and gifts.

3. Critique

This is very close to complaining, and the two often hold hands. It can be easy to become an ear to critics and then become a critic. Leaders must not be an ear to critics but call others to check their criticism. If it is legitimate, we must go to our friend in person and speak truth in love. Critique grows outside of real relationship. Time and distance allow for us to characterize the other person into a criticism voo-doo doll.

The remedy is relationship. Friendship thrives in a community of light and confession. It thrives when friends recreate, party, eat and play together. Relational weight allows us to speak truth in love when necessary. Friends with a strong relationship are quick to call critics to be silent and to give their friend the benefit of the doubt. Relationship involves real hearts and real people instead of caricatures of a person’s weakness.

4. Competition

Leaders can forget they are on the same team and compete for audiences, status, and all sorts of junk that only leads to division. Dustin and I compete in all sorts of sports and games and are both very competitive. But we can’t forget that in God’s Kingdom we are on the same team. We are unified by the same gospel. We worship the same God and are empowered by the same Holy Spirit for the same purpose. A team unified by the gospel is quick to see each other’s gifts and victories as nothing short of sheer grace. A gospel-centered team is quick to point out and celebrate the evidence of God's grace in each other's lives! Dustin and I have committed to be for each other. We want the other one to succeed and be blessed.

5. Control and 6. Celebrity

Okay, if you are counting you realize that this is number five and six. Good work. But I thought I would throw in a couple of bonus C’s of relational death.

It can be so easy for the American dream and American individualism to creep into the life of the church. A mentality where it has to be about the one man starting something from scratch on his way to becoming rich and famous. In this environment leaders will have to fight to make all the decisions (control) and fight even harder to get all the credit (celebrity).

Does this sound like the gospel to you? No. The gospel is about one man having all control and all the credit but that one man is the God-man Jesus Christ! The gospel allows us to not be in control but to submit to Jesus, his word and his people as we lead humbly together. It allows us not to fight for fame but instead to weep when men want to give us the credit that only belongs to Jesus (Acts 14:4-18).

How are things going for the church and our friendship now?

We are over a year into Dustin and his family moving here and it has been an amazing blessing. Dustin is now a co-elder with me and helped lead one of the biggest transitions our church has experienced as we reorganized the whole church. He worked on staff for one year and we loved working side-by-side daily and our friendship grew as we worked together. We have now transitioned to him being off staff as God opened a local position in our mission field that became a "can’t miss opportunity" and our friendship has grown in that transition, too. We are next-door neighbors; our wives and kids enjoy and love one another. We get to share the gospel together in our neighborhood. The enemy has attacked our families and our friendship in a myriad of ways but by God’s grace we have walked in the light, confessed sin to one another, prayed for one another, and continued to trust Jesus to rule our friendship. We laugh, play, serve, teach, eat, and do ministry together. To be honest it is going great. It turns out believing the gospel and doing life similar to Jesus—with friends—can be fun!

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Jake Chambers (@JakeJayChambers) is a member of Jesus’ bride - the church. He is the 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.

Superbowl Ads and What They Say About Us

As the audience for the Super Bowl has grown over the years, so has the price tag for in-game advertising. With the higher prices, comes increased pressure on advertisers to outdo one another for memorability and influence. The result is that the "line" is pushed further and further every year. Advertisers want to have the commercial that is THE topic of discussion on social media and around the water cooler on Monday. Consequently, a polarization has occurred. We have created two Americas: a noble, inspired America and a sophomoric, risque America. Sunday night's latest installment of commercials seemed to have brought us to a new crossroads for both audiences and advertisers: will we point to the noble or race to the bottom?

The Original Commercial Arms Race

Possibly the most memorable commercial for many in our generation was the 1984 ad by Apple. It's an iconic commercial much like Coca-Cola's Mean Joe Green spot, Budweiser's Frogs, and McDonalds' Jordan vs. Bird. Everyone knows those commercials. But a funny thing happened along the way. Our once creative commercials devolved into sultry, uncreative attempts at shock and awe advertising.

Pepsi was one of the originators of this sex-sells strategy for Super Bowl commercials. Madonna's Like a Prayer ad in 1989 was the first to really garner national attention for its risque content.

They followed that up with the less-explicit-yet-still-sexualized Cindy Crawford ad in 1992. Even though ads were toned down some in the later 1990s, a precedent had been set and the DotCom boom in the early 2000s helped take things to a new low.

Sex Sells Website Addresses

While they are not solely responsible, GoDaddy is now the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to commercials that both objectify women and use sex to sell completely unrelated products. The website registrar began Super Bowl advertising in 2005 and has been on a downward spiral ever since.

This year's Kiss ad with Bar Rafaeli was just the latest example of how low the bar has fallen. What is discouraging is that ads like the Tim Tebow's Mom one from 2010 are the ones which draw criticism while sexualized filth like Go Daddy's ads not only don't draw much mainstream criticism, they actually are quite effective in selling their "product." GoDaddy saw more new sales and new customers as a result of this year's ad than any of their previous Super Bowl ads.

An Encouraging Trend

But there is hope. A "remnant" of wholesomeness is lurking. It's been there all along, yet it has never contrasted so much as it did Sunday night.

The Farmer ad from Chrysler was a runaway hit with much of America. Will it sell more Ram trucks? Maybe. Did it remind us of what America-- and our commercials-- could be? Definitely.

Where Do We Go From Here?

As trite as it may seem, we truly have become two Americas. We saw this clearly in November. Though it was presented differently Sunday night, there were red state ads and blue state ads. There is a clear delineation and polarization of values in our country. And advertisers know this.

Until GoDaddy isn't the #1 domain registrar on the planet and Calvin Klein isn't one of the most iconic brands in fashion, nothing will change.

Ad execs know they can keep pushing the envelope and moving the line because half of the country is with them. The ad execs are not to blame. Their job is to make their clients successful. And they are succeeding.

Why?

Because they are more in touch with their America than we are with ours.

Immorality is easy an easy target for marketers. It's a known commodity to us all-- even the most Christlike among us. We know our depravity. And we know what appeals to that. So do advertisers.

We live in a post-Christian culture. The Nones are rising. We are fighting an uphill battle against culture. It's a battle that has waged since the garden. And one that will not end until His return. It is a valiant battle and one we must fight.

We must connect with culture while not compromising our message. Why did the Farmer ad connect with so many? Because it offered hope. Honesty. Diligence. Tradition. Values.

But those values are becoming less valued. However a remnant remains. We are that remnant. We must point to the noble. To inspiration. To wholesomeness. And ultimately to the gospel.

—

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.

Close Encounters of the Unknowing Kind

Trillia Newbell is a freelance journalist and writer. She writes on faith and family for The Knoxville News-Sentinel and serves as Managing Editor for Women of God Magazine. Her love and primary role is that of a wife and mother. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Thern, and their two children, Weston and Sydney. _

I recently posted an encounter I had with a man in a local grocery store parking lot on the social site Facebook.  Here is what I wrote:

Just got back from Kroger. In parking lot man asked: “Those your kids?” Me: Yep. Him: “I mean, you gave birth to ‘em?” Me: Yep. Him: Perplexed, “Well, they sure are pretty.” Me: Thanks.

There is one thing that is certain, if I ever found myself in a situation that required an army of women to fight for me, I’ve got those women. Many of my friends were appalled by the apparent ignorance of the man asking the questions. Other women replayed stories of their own strange encounters with people who asked personal and probing questions.  It is obvious that regardless of what the situation is, many women find themselves answering questions about their children and  their birthing habits.

My children are biracial. Their father is white, half British to be exact. From the moment our oldest was born I realized that I would be asked questions about my ownership, so to speak, of my son. He is fair-skinned (barely olive skinned, there are many white people darker than my boy), with bone-straight hair, and big beautiful brown eyes. He looks white and he identifies himself as such. Actually, he says he is peach and I am brown.

When my son was a toddler he would lick my face because to him, I resembled chocolate. He used to ask often why God made me brown. He was very curious about that. Now, 6 years old, he is beginning to understand that God created the world and everything in it and that we are all created in His image. But at first I was a bit of a mystery to him. I’m trying to teach him about ethnicity and differences in hopes that he would celebrate the diversity of God’s creation and grow to love others. But what I realize is that if he isn’t taught, he won’t know.

What I am learning through having a son who is learning about race and ethnicity and discovering his own identity  is that ignorance doesn’t automatically equate to racism. As a matter of fact, I would say most people who may have questions or seem unknowing are simply unaware and do not harbor hate in their heart towards others.

Maybe I am being generous or naïve. I don’t know. But I’ve spoken and corresponded with enough loving and well-meaning people to know that there are people who genuinely don’t know much about other races. I don’t want to assume the heart of a person because of a question. I surely don’t want to assume that ignorance equals hate, how I would define racism. I want to assume that they don’t know and I want to be open to sharing parts of me so that they would understand.

My Response Matters

Another theme in my comments section was over my response to the man who unwittingly questioned my motherhood. I truly was not offended. It takes quite a bit to offend me but especially in relation to strangers and race.  I would argue that in the case of interacting with people of different cultures or ethnicities, ignorance is not bliss. Therefore, I want to be a catalyst for open and honest conversation. If I respond in such a way that is defensive and angry,  I imagine that person will not attempt to speak to another person about their questions. If I had time, I would sit down with every person who didn’t understand race. In the end they’d probably know more about what I  believe God’s Word has to say about it than they ever wanted to know.

This leads me to my final point. As a Christian, I want to be a light to the world, especially as it relates to race and racism. I would like nothing more than to sit with a racist and share the gospel with him or her. It is the gospel that reconciles all tribes and tongues with God through the blood of Jesus. The gospel reconciles men and women to each other, changing our names to sons and daughters of God and bringing us into a new family. It’s the gospel that motivates me to have peace with my fellow man who doesn’t understand or know when he speaks. Again, I don’t think the man was racist in the parking lot, but if he were, I would love him because Christ loved me and gave himself up for me.

My response is key to racial reconciliation and it is important to proclaiming the Good News. I don’t want to assume that ignorance equals hate. I want to be gracious and maybe even through my response they will think before they ask the next person questions . But all in all, I want to be thinking eternally. There’s more to think about than the here and now. I don’t want to become a stumbling block for open and honest conversation about race or the gospel.

_

The original version of this article appeared at Trillia's personal blog.

Super Bowl; Super Disappointment

A Super Spectacle of Disappointment

It’s the day after. The game is over. The commercials have finished. The parties have been thrown, the crowds dispersed, the trophies awarded, and the annual ritual of American sport has run its course for another year. But not everyone is happy. Given the make up of American football only 1/32 of us are happy today. Chances are you might have actually cheered for a team last night, even if it wasn’t your regular, tried-and-true team. However, if your team didn’t win, even the team you rented for the night, you feel a distinct disappointment today. There is, in most of us, a bad taste left in our mouths that isn’t the cheese from too many nachos gone bad. We wanted something spectacular.

We wanted the heroes, the gladiators, the pinnacles of human physical fitness and physique to accomplish something. We wanted the wily veteran who is about to retire to go out on top. Or we rooted for the rookie, who is getting his first taste of championship-caliber life, to achieve the victory that he rose from the ashes to grasp. And yet, one way or another, failure is staring the majority of us in the face. It has been said that losing the Super Bowl is more difficult emotionally, professionally, and physically than to have never played in the game at all. Yet, every year 31 teams face the failure of not having won the "Big One” and one team in particular feels it more than any other. They’ve tasted the glory, if only momentarily, and now all they’re left with is a Big-Gulp of disappointment.

Athletes are not the only ones facing the Day of Disappointment this morning. For some of us we’ve woken up to the stark reality that we were cheering for a loser. As a boy I found myself waking up with the bitter disappointment of seeing my heroes lose three Super Bowls in four years. The only thing that made it feel any better was watching fans of the Buffalo Bills deal with the crushing blow of loss in four consecutive seasons. Still it stung. My heroes were failures. My friends would laugh and mock me for wearing the uniform of a known loser. People would feel sad for me because I chose to like the loser. Hanging my head in shame, disappointment greeted me regularly.

Disappointment Destroys

Where does the sensation and feeling of disappointment come from? Why are we downcast and troubled when our sports teams lose, when business prospects fall apart, when plans are shattered, or when commitments are broken? Why does disappointment plague us so often and in so many corners of our lives? The answer seems to be in understanding the opposite of disappointment, hope.

The wisdom writer of Proverbs seems to best illustrate that disappointment is really “hope deferred.”  It is that hope deferred, delayed, or denied that makes our hearts sick (Proverbs 13:12). Conversely, the fulfillment of a desire or dream is like a tree of life; abundant, enjoyable, nourishing, pleasurable, and sustaining. So disappointment is our dreams, desires, and hopes put off and abandoned until another time. We hoped and believed that something in some way would be ours, only to discover that it had been snatched away from us once again.

The consequence  is a sick heart. We feel terrible. If you were banking your hope yesterday on the team that lost you don’t feel so hot about it today. You may have a handful of excuses for their loss: the refs, the pre-game meal, the injured players, or the half-time show. Whatever your excuse is you still feel let down. This feeling can play itself out in much larger scenarios than sports. Anyone who has been dumped, duped, or lied to knows the feeling of this heart-sickness. In fact, the higher we place our hope in the fulfillment of an expectation, the deeper the disappointment we will feel once that hope is not realized. Next time you discover a friend of yours has unexpectedly had their love relationship broken, look into their eyes and you will see a deep well of disappointment.

Quit on Hope?

If misplaced and unrealized hope brings us soul-sickness, what sort of remedies are available to us? For some the answer is simply not to hope deeply in people or projects or teams again. We quote mantras like, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” We pledge ourselves never to get so close, never to hope so deeply, never to love so intensely, never to be fools again. We leave all emotion behind so that we do not get burned the next time around. Hope isn’t merely deferred it’s lost. We become calloused, cynical, skeptical, and worst of all despairing of everything. The reason the motto of a Chicago Cubs fan is “wait until next year” is because they realize it is never “next year.”

Distancing yourselves from placing hope and confidence in others however won’t undo the burden of disappointment. At our core humanity is utterly broken. Our brokenness will always find us being either the victim or the perpetrator of disappointment. The sad reality is that all of us, no matter how unattached and disenfranchised we are we will taste the ugly cup of disappointment. However, just accepting the reality that we will be let down at some point or another isn’t the right remedy. If we walk through life in that manner we will become the real-life-embodiment of A.A Milne’s character Eeyore. There is no joy, no hope, no actual life in life. Disappointment is the plague of humanity and we best accept it and get on with being disappointed in everything.

The Death of Disappointment

If disengagement from hope or unimpassioned acceptance of disappointment isn’t the answer, is there one? Jesus’ interaction with two close friends, and sisters in John 11 reveals something deep about overcoming disappointment. The simple plot of the story is that one of Jesus’ close friends, Lazarus, has died. The sadness of that event cannot be overstated. However, the expectations and hopes of Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha were not met either. They had sent messengers to Jesus to come as quickly as he could to heal their brother. They had banked hope upon hope that Jesus was able and powerful and willing to heal his friend. But Jesus showed up, in their opinion, too late. Their brother was dead and gone. There was no more hope and all that remained was the disappointment of loss, failed hope. Their hearts were sick. They had banked on a winner, and Jesus had come up a loser.

Both sisters expressed their disappointment to Jesus in the exact same way. “‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:21, 32). Many people feel a disappointment with God because he didn’t play by their rules. He didn’t meet their expectations or respond to their actions the way that they deemed he should have. Prayers were not answered in the manner they should have been. Distance and disappointment with God is felt because it didn’t happen as we thought it should have. If God had done what we planned for him to do, we wouldn’t feel the sting of hope deferred.

This all seems well and good, but if we consider the character of God we have a problem. Does God lie? Does he make promises and fail to meet them? Does he string us along with carrots of hope all the while placing an unbearable burden upon us that we can never haul ourselves?  If we are fair, we have to recognize that the problem isn’t with God, the problem is with us. The problem is so deep within us that we can’t even rightly put our hopes in the right place. We hope for God’s power to intervene in a difficult situation. We hope for God to work a miracle to undo us from the terrible circumstance that we’ve placed ourselves in. We hope in God’s actions instead of hoping in God himself.

This was the source of disappointment for Mary and Martha. They thought they had Jesus under their control, ready to do their bidding and serve their needs and problems however they felt most wise. However, Jesus had one purpose in mind, his glory (John 11:4). Jesus ordained the temporary death of his friend to more greatly reveal and display his glory and power over death. Lazarus was raised to life, but only after Jesus redirected the hope of his friends from Jesus’ ability to act onto Jesus himself.

This is our remedy as well. We will find disappointment in just about everything, even seemingly mundane things like Super Bowls. The reason we feel disappointed is because we have hoped in those people and things to deliver on whatever we were expecting. Our hope is placed in broken cisterns. Jesus invites us to place our hope in a different source. He invites us to turn from hoping in people, power, and events. He calls us to hope in him alone. He told Martha, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’” (John 11:25-26).

If we want to overcome the paralysis of disappointment, we have to place our hope in a better source. We must bank our hearts desires and dreams on Christ himself. For so many of us we expect God to do great things, even to do things that bless and benefit us. However, when God doesn't do what we want, we live with Super-Bowl sized disappointment. Our solution is Jesus himself, not what Jesus can or should do. When we hope in Jesus we will not be overcome with despair and disappointment because things don’t work out as we always anticipate in our lives. We can live with faith and confidence that Jesus is doing all things for his glory, and for our good. We can rest with certainty that this hardship, failure, and frustrations of this life is met by our great and sovereign King that reigns over all things, even our lives.

Here is a world beyond all disappointment. Christ has taken our disappointment and buried it within himself. He has been raised to life again so that we would have our deepest hopes realized in Him. There is no disappointment with Christ. Our deepest desires, dreams and hopes are all realized and discovered when our deepest hope is placed in Jesus alone.

--

Jeremy Writebol(@jwritebol) has been training leaders in the church for over thirteen years. He is the author of everPresent: How the Gospel Relocates Us in the Present (GCD Books, 2014) and writes at jwritebol.net. He lives and works in Plymouth, MI as the Campus Pastor of Woodside Bible Church.

How Parental Authority is Good News

Editor's Note: This is  an excerpt from Tim Chester and Ed Moll's book, Gospel-Centered Family, published by The Good Book Company. It appears here with the publisher's permision. Purchase the book today for 20% off at the publisher's site using coupon code: GCFGCD13.

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Karen slumped onto the sofa.

“It’s just the terrible twos,” her friend had told her this morning. But there was no “just” about it. This was war! She loved Jack so much, but he was driving her mad. Refusing to eat. Throwing food on the floor. Pulling books off the shelves. Hitting his baby sister. Screaming on the supermarket floor. She’s tried reasoning with him. She’s tried negotiation. She’s tried bribery. Truth was she wasn’t even sure what she was trying to achieve. It just felt like crisis management.

Then the baby monitor crackled into life. Here we go again. “Is there more to parenting than survival?” she asked herself.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. - Ephesians 6:1-4

What is expected from children and parents?

Why should children obey their parents?

What does it mean for parents to “exasperate” their children? Can you think of examples?

Why does the writer point out that this commandment is the first with a promise?

What does this passage suggest is the purpose of families?

Gospel Centered Family by Ed Moll and Tim Chester

Show that God’s Rule is Good

Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ - Mark 1 v 14-15

Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming the good news – or “gospel” – that the kingdom of God was near. God’s kingdom was coming because God’s King was coming. Good news. Gospel.

Except that the rule of God doesn’t sound much like good news in our culture. No kind of rule sounds like good news. We want to be free. We don’t want someone else ruling over us. How can the rule of God be good news? Surely God’s rule is bad news.

This was the lie of Satan way back in the Garden of Eden when the “serpent” portrayed God as a tyrant holding Adam and Eve back. But God isn’t a tyrant. His rule is a rule of blessing, freedom, love, life, justice and peace. Good news. Gospel.

But isn’t this an article on parenting? What does this have to do with parenting? Everything!

Look at Ephesians 6:1-4. What does obeying parents have to do with living long in the land? Verses 2-3 are a quote from Deuteronomy 5:16, where Moses is recounting the Ten Commandments. He ends by saying: “So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33) God’s people would live a life of blessing in God’s land if they obeyed God. Anything else would lead to chaos, conflict and destruction. Ultimately, if they rejected God, they would not live long in the land – they’s be exiled (as it turned out they were). Welcoming God’s rule = blessing. Rejecting God’s rule = judgment.

That’s true in families. When people in families live for themselves, the result is chaos, conflict and destruction. In families we learn to live alongside others, negotiate differences and express our views while tolerating other opinions. The Puritan Thomas Manton said: “The family is the seminary of church and state ... A failure in the first area will not be mended in the second.”

But it’s not just about having a happy family or a happy community.

The family is the place where you learn to submit to authority instead of living for yourself. In this section of Ephesians, Paul says our different roles in life are all to reflect God’s role in our lives. Marriage is an illustration of Christ’s relationship with his people (5:22-33), while working relationships are to be shaped by the fact that we are slaves of a Master in heaven (6:5-9). It’s the same with families. Parents are God’s gift to children to teach us how to live under authority. We learn to submit to authority instead of living for ourselves by learning to submit to our parents.

That’s why this is the first commandment with a promise. Learning to enjoy your parents’ authority is the first step towards welcoming God’s authority.

Don’t tell children off for being children. Children break things and drop things. They get giddy and raise their voices. But ensure they obey you. Teach them to submit to your authority. Discipline disobedience. Don’t let your child rule the home. If you do, you’ll be teaching them that they are king in their lives. They’re not. It won’t prepare them for wider social interaction. And it won’t prepare them to meet the true King.

Let your child realize they’re not the center of the world. It’s very easy, especially in early years, for children to be all-consuming. So invest in your relationship as a husband and wife. Not only does healthy parenting require a healthy marriage, it will also reinforce for your child that they’re not the center of the world, not even of your world!

Parents are to model God’s good, liberating, just rule in the way they bring up their children. We’re to show that it is good to live under authority. We’re to show that authority can be good.

Show that God’s rule is gracious

But hang on a moment. Is God’s kingdom really good news? Not if you’re a rebel! “Where is the God of justice?” people asked the prophet Malachi. He’s on his way, said Malachi. “But who can endure the day of his coming?” (Malachi 2:17 – 3:2) For God’s people his rule is good news, but for his enemies his rule means judgment and defeat. And we are all God’s enemies. We’ve all opted to live our life our way without God.

The good news is that the coming of Jesus as God’s King defied most people’s expectations. It wasn’t all about glory and conquest. That’s coming when Jesus returns at the end of history. But when Jesus came first time around, judgment didn’t fall. Or rather, it fell on the King himself! The King died on the cross in the place of His enemies. God’s rule is not only good, it’s also gracious. God makes it possible for his enemies to become his friends.

Jesus told the story of a family in which the younger son rejected the authority of his father (Luke 15). He went off and squandered his part of the family’s inheritance. But rejecting his father’s authority didn’t make him free or happy. He ended up wishing he could eat the food he was serving to pigs. So he decided to return to his father and ask if he could become a servant. But his father ran in a most undignified way to greet his returning son. He honored his son with a robe and ring. He threw an extravagant party to welcome him home. God is a gracious Father who welcomes wayward children.

Often parenting can feel like a battle. And the “enemy” is your two-year-old who’s just thrown their dinner on the floor (again); or your fifteen-year-old, who’s just slammed the door on you (again). But still your job is to show them what our Father in heaven is like. Yes, they need to learn to live under authority. But they also need to learn of a God who welcomes his enemies, loves his enemies and gives his life for His enemies.

Your number one aim as a parent is to show how great it is to live under God’s reign of love.

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Tim Chester (PhD, University of Wales) is pastor of the Crowded House in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and director of the Porterbrook Institute, which provides integrated theological and missional training for church leaders. Chester also coauthored Total Church (Re:Lit), Everyday Church (Re:Lit), and has written more than a dozen books.

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Read A Beginner's Guide to Family Worship by Winfield Bevins 

Read more free articles: Gospel Saturated Family Discipleship and Raising Gospel Centered Children 

 

The Church Planting Wife: A Book for Every Man's Wife

I recently read Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp, where he pulls back the curtain on pastoral ministry. In his book, he confronts the notion that pastors have their lives perfectly put together, never fail, and have different needs from every other Christian. Many books have been written for church planters and for pastors, but few have been so directly applicable to the hearts and lifestyle of pastors. What Dangerous Calling is to pastors, The Church Planting Wife is to every pastor or church planter’s wife.

It is a breath of fresh air, reviving the soul with truth while sympathizing with the challenges that church planter’s wives face, but rarely feel the freedom to discuss. It is written to the woman who has the difficult task of ministering to the man who ministers to everyone else.

Christine Hoover is married to Kyle Hoover and in 2008 they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to start a new church to bless the people of Charlottesville and the students at the University of Virginia. Her new book is candid, transparent, and direct in teaching to church planter’s wives about the joys and struggles, trials and triumphs of church planting. It combines storytelling, teaching, and counseling to care for the heart and life of the church planter’s wife.

The book begins with her recounting the difficulties of the first year and how they brought her to question God’s plan as they lost their meeting place one year into their efforts. While every person in ministry I know has come to this crossroads, Christine highlights God’s purposes so well as she unpacks God’s work in her life.

“God allowed the difficulty of church planting to sift me, to bring the issues of my heart to the surface. I realized that if I didn’t address these things, my marriage, my family, and my own heart were in danger. God was refining me, cleaning me out, and teaching me dependence rather than self-reliance. I could continue my attempts at controlling and relying on myself, or I could submit myself in dependence on Him…I chose to trust Him with my heart and let Him do – through church planting – the work He needed to do in me.” The Church Planting Wife, p. 19-20

Christine goes on to expose her heart and the lessons she has learned along the way. From wrestling with the role of the church planter’s wife as she hears God remind her “Follow Me. Serve your family. Love people.” to dealing with the sacrifices every church planter and pastor’s family face along the way.

She takes us along her journey to understand friendships in this new world of church planting, how she has learned to stay encouraged amidst discouragement and criticism, and provides practical wisdom connected with powerful truth to guide wives through their own challenges.

Impactful for Any Believer

I found myself incredibly encouraged and challenged simply by being reminded to be dependent on God, trusting Him, and letting faithfulness be my banner of success. This book is refreshing for any believer, but certainly powerful for every church planter’s wife. I would also recommend it to any pastor and his wife as well. The insights are spot on for what every pastor and his wife that I know have and are facing.

She includes interviews from other church planter’s wives, such as Lauren Chandler, Yvette Mason, Ginger Vassar, and Jennifer Carter. Women, who like her, have learned through joy and challenge the blessings of dependence on God in church planting.

A Book for Every Man’s Wife

As I read this book and heard Christine describe all she has learned while supporting her husband and family in church planting, I couldn’t help but see it as beneficial for every man’s wife. Church leadership and church planting have a unique way of reminding those involved that they are on God’s mission, but the call for every Christian is no different, we just don’t always see ourselves as sent by God to that new job in a new location.

I’ve seen many wives follow their husbands to new cities and new careers face some of the same struggles and challenges, and they would all benefit from Christine’s wisdom as she learned to trust God, support her husband, care for her family, and love her neighbors.

I’ve known the Hoovers for over a decade, they did our premarital counseling, and Kyle officiated my wedding. It is no surprise to me to see their faithfulness to God being used to start a church that loves people and serves their city well. It is also no surprise to see such a fantastic book filled with truth, grace, and wisdom be written and published to bless God’s church.

***You can buy it on Amazon here: The Church Planting Wife. You can also read more from Christine Hoover on her blog, gracecoversme.com.

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Cross-posted from Gentrified.

The 50/50 Divorce Rate and the Christian Example

Note: I spoke about this post (originally at For Christ and Culture) with Dr. Barry Creamer on 90.9 KCBI in Dallas. Listen HERE. ___

It has long been stated that 50% of marriages in America lead to divorce. If you ask most Americans how many marriages they believe end in divorce, they would probably point to this number. I’ve heard it all my life and it shaped my views on marriage early in life. When my parents divorced in my mid-teens, I remember thinking, “If two people don’t get along, divorce is a normal outcome. It makes sense.” In fact, I was pro-divorce in the case of my parents. As I grew older and learned much more about the biblical truths regarding marriage, I still never really doubted the statistic and have even quoted it in sermons and conversations more than once.

Encouraging Statistics?

Recently, Dr. Kalman Heller posited that his studies shed a more accurate light on divorce rates in America. He notes that various demographics apply and using specifically broad numbers is mostly unhelpful, but I do like the generalization that he is willing to make:

Rather than viewing marriage as a 50-50 shot in the dark, it can be viewed as having a 70 percent likelihood of succeeding.

Again, throwing around a 70% success rate does not do justice to the raw numbers, but what if marriage in America is not lost? Dr. Heller interestingly points out that divorce rates in first marriages particularly have overall decreased since the ‘70s. This is encouraging and should spur us on toward resiliency in support of marriage rather than lamenting at the seeming decline of lasting covenants.

(By the way, Kirk Spencer did a fine job addressing this topic last summer with more detailed statistics and Ed Stetzer has some helpful thoughts here.)

Christian: Play Your Part

There has been a significant amount of discussion, and dare I say venom, in evangelicalism regarding laws endorsing homosexual partnership and a diversion from traditional marriage. Indeed, the Bible is entirely clear on God’s one woman/one man design for marriage. However, where Christians often lack proper gumption is promoting the beauty of God’s intention.

In today’s culture, marriage is defined several different ways with many people not possessing a solid stance on what the marriage relationship should objectively be. Christians have the unique advantage and calling to shed light on the truth of marriage. God joyfully placed man and woman together (Gen. 2:20-25) and gave them specific roles that mirror Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22-32). These two texts alone give us great confidence in our own marriages and counseling others’ marriages.

In a confused culture, here are two very basic ways that we can play our part in an attempt to improve the statistics and to present a commendable view of marriage:

1. Be a biblical example – Scripture has much to say about man and wife complementing one another, serving one another, praying for one another, and being faithful to one another (Eph. 5:22-32; 1 Pet. 3:1-7; Titus 2:1-6; Col. 3:18-19). We should honor God in word and deed via our marriages so that others (children, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members) might see what marriage is supposed to be.
2. Refrain from hate speech – There is always a time and place to stand on biblical truth, but Christians have a tendency to let their passion for marriage paint a false picture of grace and mercy. We should certainly spend much more time demonstrating true marriage than railing against homosexuals, teen moms, and others who do not fit the conservative Christian checklist for marriage. It might be more helpful to love others with patience as God does with us (Rom. 2:4) and show them truth in your own marriage and life.

The Un-American Church: Discipleship Community

Alan Wolfe, though not a Christian, is an astute social critic of “American Christianity.” In his insightful 2003 book The Transformation of American Religion, he notes that, far from being a socially transformative movement, “American Christianity” has far too often been the one transformed by American culture:

In every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture – and American culture has triumphed. Whether or not the faithful ever were a people apart, they are so no longer. - Alan Wolfe, The Transformation of American Religion.

One of the areas where we see “Americanism” infecting Christianity is individualism. We Americans love to believe in the rugged individual who never needs anyone else. This notion has infiltrated American Christianity so that we primarily think of our faith in “personal” terms. We think of our “personal relationship” with Jesus and our private “spiritual walk”. We often attend Christian events with lots of other Christians, but we’re not necessarily involved in anyone’s life to the degree that the skeletons are not only out of the closet but in the living room. We can attend a worship service with thousands of other people, yet live out the bulk of our faith isolated--just us and our bibles.

We Exist for More

We forget that not even the Lone Ranger was alone and that individualism does not seem to match the expectation God gives his people in the scriptures. God shows us that love, demonstrated in and through sacrificial, gospel-fueled community is the center of missional discipleship. God expects his people to live and grow in community. Joseph Hellerman argues in his book When The Church Was A Family:

Spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community. People who remain connected with their brothers and sisters in the local church almost invariably grow in self-understanding, and they mature in their ability to relate in healthy ways to God and to their fellow human beings. This is especially the case for those courageous Christians who stick it out through the often messy process of interpersonal discord and conflict resolution. Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow.

It is a simple but profound biblical reality that we both grow and thrive together or we do not grow much at all.

We exist to reflect the image of God, who himself dwells eternally in community. This is why God can shockingly say: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). God was not saying that he was not enough for Adam, but that Adam was created to exist not only in relationship with God (vertically) but also in relationship with others like him (horizontally). Adam was created for relationship and for community because God exists in community. Though God saves us as individuals, He saves us into community. Many of the admonitions of the New Testament seem to assume that community is the primary context in which the Christian life is to be lived. Consider Paul’s admonitions from Romans 12:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. - Romans 12:9-13

Continue reading just a few verses later:

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. - Romans 12:16-18

Reputation of the Un-American Church

Love is the summary of the Law--what God expects of us (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:28-34; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14, etc.). It is not, Jesus says, by our political affiliation, not by the movies we boycott, not by the “family-friendly” music we listen to, nor by the “faith-based soccer league” in which our children play that the world will know that we belong to him. It is our love for one another. That’s how people will know that we belong to Jesus (John 13:35). In other words, as we live in community we are also on display. Joyful, humble, self-sacrificial love for one another overflows toward and invites in friends, family, neighbors and cities. This love of the community on display shines like light in the darkness and as we spur one another on to maturity we also invite others to come along.

Jesus tells his followers that they are a “city on a hill”  that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Imagine traveling through the desert for days. You’re nearly out of water and your sunbaked skin is beginning to ache. You ran out of food this morning, now it’s already dark and the heat gives way to the biting chill of the night breeze. Then, you see lights, city lights, on a hill! Your step quickens as you begin to get closer and as excitement, anticipation and relief well-up inside you. You can’t wait to be there. Rest. Refreshment. Company.

I wonder if our neighborhoods think of our church families or even our individual families this way? The New Testament assumes that: Love, demonstrated in and through sacrificial, gospel-fueled community is the center of missional discipleship. By “missional discipleship,” I simply mean that “discipleship” is the entire trajectory of the Christian life, including coming to faith. It does not begin “at salvation,” nor does it end at some point of spiritual maturity. “Discipleship” should be understood in terms of “mission” because we exist to make, mature and multiply disciples. The very nature of “discipleship” is always striving to bring people closer to Jesus, no matter where they might be at on the spectrum. Discipleship is joining in the missio dei, the mission of God.

One of the reasons so much of modern church community is not missional discipleship is because, in practice, we require people to “believe” certain things before they can “belong” to our community. We use belief to exclude people from community. They, the outsiders, must cross these church-made cultural or doctrinal barriers to be part of us, the insiders. Sometimes this might be as well-intentioned as wanting someone to declare publicly their saving faith in Jesus, but oftentimes, it is over our unique approach to particular doctrines and practices. After all, isn’t the point of most church membership classes to make sure you believe like we do so you can really belong.  While we use belief to exclude people from community, Jesus did the opposite. He used community to bring people to belief. Remember, this is why the religious leaders were so upset with Jesus: he ate with sinners and tax collectors. It wasn’t just cleanliness issues of the Old Testament law, though that was certainly part of it. Jesus was opening God’s community, allowing people to belong, in order to bring them to faith in himself. I am not saying we should do away with theological distinctives. Instead, I am saying that we should use community to bring people to belief rather than use belief to exclude people from community.

As my own church family looks ahead to the coming year, we are looking for more ways to involve those who don’t yet believe in our community life. This requires intentionality and may force some people to re-examine their own boundaries. I am reminded of our experience with “Tim” (not his real name, just for his privacy). Tim is a phenomenal drummer who was dating a girl in our church family. We slowly began to involve him in community life by engaging him in something he loves; we asked if he would drum for our gathered worship. Initially, we just asked for once a month, then twice a month, and then he became our primary drummer. Though this made some people uncomfortable (how can we have a non-Christian lead our worship music?!), Tim seemed to enjoy drumming with the band and gradually began paying more attention during the teaching time. As he began to develop relationships, he and his girlfriend got plugged in to a missional community and he began asking lots of questions. We were able to baptize Tim as a follower of Jesus last year. We are now humbled to truly call Tim family, even as he’s been living in our community for several years.

Church discipline struggles in individual-centric church, too. Church discipline has so little sting in the life of an unrepentant sinners because the original bite of church discipline was the exclusion from community. You could no longer be with people who loved you like family. The people who loved you regardless of where you came from and who loved you so much that wouldn’t let you keep on sinning. However, so many of our churches have so little community that we’ve lost almost all the intended impact of church discipline. Individuality robs us of the treasures (both comfortable and uncomfortable) of community.

Joseph Hellerman argues: “Spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community.” We need each other in order to be transformed. And it is as we learn to accept being wronged instead of insisting on our own rights (1 Corinthians 6:7), when we learn the humble confidence of considering others more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3), when we learn to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-5), and as we strive to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3) in front of and with those who don’t yet believe that we live as a city on a hill, as we “shine like lights in the world” in the midst of a “crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:15). Love, demonstrated in and through sacrificial, gospel-fueled community is the center of missional discipleship.

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Brent Thomas (MDiv) and his wife Kristi live in Glendale, AZ with four biological sons and one foster child. Brent pastored in KY and TX before moving back to AZ to plant Church of the Cross which exists to make, mature, and multiply disciples through gospel, community, and mission. He sometimes writes at Holiday At The Sea and hosts house shows with The Habañero Collective.

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Read Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson

Read free articles: Gospel Community and Being Ministers of Reconciliation. 

Planting Churches vs. Planting Services

Josh Cousineau is church planter of Redemption Hill, located in Auburn, Maine, and core team member of the Gospel Alliance New England. He enjoys spending time with his high school sweetheart – now his bride since 2002 – and their four children. Josh blogs at JoshCousineau.com.  

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As a church planter over the last year, I have been blessed to interact with many different guys who are planting churches. They come from many different denominations and networks, with just about as many different styles of church that they are seeking to do. I have noticed that as I have talked to these planters and guys who are future planters, many of them are not planting churches as much as they are planting services. I know that may not sound like much of a difference, but trust me there is a big one. However, what we have done with Redemption Hill is attempt to plant a church which will have a service; but the service is not the end goal, the church is.

Planting a Service

Most people I know that are church planters actually end up planting a service. What I mean by this is that they spend their time, energy, effort, and money on the starting of a weekly meeting of some sort. This is usually called “church” and it happens on Sundays. There is music, offering, and a message, to name a few things. Once they have planted their service, they then gauge the success or failure of their plant based on the attendance to this service, how much people gave, how many people come back each week, etc. This has been the common plan on planting churches throughout the United States (and beyond). For example, I have talked to organizations that have “practice services” or “preview services” for people to come and get a taste of what church will be like. If the service is not the end goal, then why are they giving a taste of the church by showing them a Sunday service? The reason is that we have boiled down church to an hour and a half meeting, once a week.

Now I am not opposed to having a Sunday service. We started Redemption Hill with a core group meeting in August of 2011, and then we developed two missional communities that met weekly for a meal and discussion from August to January. When January came, we started gathering weekly as a church family on Sundays. We had music, a message, kids ministry, offering – all the things that you would expect to find in a ‘church.’ However, when we started this Sunday time of worship, it was without much fanfare. No press release, no promotional effort whatsoever. Actually, if you wanted to learn when and where we gathered, you would have to know someone who went and ask them. We didn't even put it on our website or Facebook page.

The reason was that we were seeking to plant a church, not a service. There is a difference. Our goal was to spend time pouring into the church (which we define as the people who are part of Redemption Hill and the global church). We wanted to help them better understand the Gospel, what it looked like to live in community as part of the family of God, and how these two things lead to us living on mission for those who knew Jesus. We were planting the church and preparing them to be the church, not just simply encouraging them to attend church. We were cultivating a heart and passion for disciples who make disciples.

Planting a Church

Planting a church will include a service that meets on Sundays (or maybe Saturdays, or who knows, maybe a Monday afternoon… okay most likely not Monday) to gather, to celebrate, and to worship Jesus – but that is not the main focus of it. Planting a church is not gauged by how many people attend the launch service or your special Easter service, nor is it a failure if you don't have explosive growth on Sunday. Why? Because the goal is not to make a great service with amazing music that draws hundreds of people to hear your amazing oratory skills; the goal is people who are built up as disciples who actually make disciples rather than just attend a killer service. Let me explain.

When one plants a church, they are actually working with the end in sight, meaning that they have a view of what the church should look like. They are working towards the future and growing people and building the team to help them facilitate that goal. When one properly understands ‘church,’ they will see that it is the people that are the church. So building a church means helping the people to see this truth and live in light of this truth. It means that the pastors’ time, energy, and effort should be poured into the people who are the church, not simply the service which is a part of the church life. Even though those who plant a service have the best of intentions, they are in essence putting all their eggs in one basket. What has happened is that they have attempted to accomplish everything a church should be in one swoop on Sunday and have failed. We likely do not have churches that are overflowing with elder qualified men and we don't have men and women who are disciples who are making disciples. One of the main reasons is because the time has been invested wrongly. It is possible to plant a service and have some people who will fulfill these things, but let’s be honest about how much time, energy, and effort it is to have a killer service with lights, projectors, fog machines, etc. Our time is often put into these tings, not the life-on-life training that comes when your focus is on the church and not the service.

I want to reiterate that there is nothing wrong with having a service, focusing on the service, or even investing time, money, and energy into it. We spend (limited) time each week working on the flow, the message, the music, and all the other elements of our Sunday gathering. But I think we miss the point if this is the main focus of church planters.

Measure Your Efforts

I am extremely grateful for the renewed passion and the many young men who are being called to plant churches throughout the world. I am excited for what is happening in networks like A29, SBC, E-Free, and others. But if a church plant is simply defined by setting a date for an event, inviting a bunch of people to that event and calling it ‘church,’ we have missed the point. This is not what Jesus called us to do. He called us to make disciples who make disciples (Matt. 28.19-20). If we measure success when or if people show up, and failure if people don't, we are in grave danger. The church is not an event, it is a called out people – a people that Jesus died for. As church planters we should be willing to invest the time into the people rather than the service.

My hope is not that you would cancel your Sunday service and go all ‘super-organic’ and neglect the gathering of the saints for simply hanging out with people as you drink beer and coffee and then call it church. No, my hope is that you would take a real honest look at your investment as a church planter. Measure the time you spend each week, the way your budget is broken down, and where the people’s time is being invested and ask: Have I planted a church or a service?

How to Avoid Brain Meltdown & Increase Theological Vision

This past year I’ve learned a lot about leadership. One lesson can be summarized as follows: “Don’t plant more tomato plants than you can carry water to.” As an apostolic leader, I tend to start new ministries. Over the past five years, I’ve helped start five—too many tomato plants. Fortunately, God graciously brought capable men alongside me to help water these gospel works. I can’t imagine the fruitfulness of GospelCenteredDiscipleship.com without Ben Roberts (Managing Editor for eBooks) and Brad Watson (GCD Executive Editor). The ministry just wouldn’t exist.

What eBooks are Coming Out this Year?

Yet, 2012 was our strongest and first full year of publishing resources to help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. The “make, mature, and multiply” mantra guides our publishing. Our aim is to publish a mix of resources year after year that help you in the evangelism (make), sanctification (mature), and reproduction (multiply) of disciples. We're shooting for deep and diverse. You can expect eBooks in all three categories. Here are a few of the titles coming this year:

• 12: Making the Gospel Viral in Life by Jonathan Dodson
• Gospel Amnesia: Forgetting the Goodness of the News by Luma Sims
• Sound Words: Uncovering the Meaning of Scripture by Jeremy Carr
• Gospel Advance by Alvin Reid

We’re excited to get these titles out, and we’ll also be increasing our print publications. We hope they are a blessing to you, your churches, ministries, and disciples of all kinds.

Steering Clear of Doctrinalism & Pragmatism

As we forge ahead, we are leery of two things: doctrinalism and pragmatism. GCD.com is committed to avoiding the two extremes. We don’t want to create resources that beat a single doctrinal drum (with no practical orientation). Nor do we want to publish stuff that harps on best practices (with not theological grounding). We are committed to creating resources with what Richard Lints calls “theological vision.”

Theology is not inspired. It is the formulation of doctrinal beliefs culled from Scripture. When these beliefs respond to cultural values we end up with theological vision. Tim Keller describes theological vision this way:

It is a faithful restatement of the gospel with rich implications for life, ministry, and mission in a type of culture at a moment in history. - Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City

In March we will begin a series of articles called Questioning the Gospel. This series will query the gospel with present cultural and ministry questions in an effort to equip the reader to make disciples with theological vision. For example, article titles will include:

• “What Should I Say to My Gay Friend about Christianity?”
• “What Should I Do When My Neighbor Says He is Getting a Divorce.”

We want to strike a blend of gospel faithfulness and cultural shrewdness. We’re very excited about this series, but more importantly about honing our commitments for content. Instead of content dictating us, we aim to direct content in line with our vision to produce resources that make, mature, and multiply disciples with theological vision. If this is sparking some article ideas, send us an article query.

Blogs are Melting Your Brain

As you can imagine, articles with theological vision will require space. This lines up with our long-form commitment. You may have noticed that we don’t publish short-form blogs with fancy graphics and space to comment. That isn’t accidental. We’d like to think we are rescuing some readers from the deleterious practice of typical Internet reading. At Duke University, full-length books are infrequently assigned to students. Studies show that students write internally coherent paragraphs but can’t track with a sustained line of argumentation. They are losing their ability to focus. Why? Our brains are being rewired by our use of the Internet and social media.

In his bestselling book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains, Nicholas Carr states: “The Net may well be the single most powerful mind-altering technology that has come into general use.”

The Net encourages rapid consumption of information. When skimming (not reading) an internet article, we may also be viewing a rotating advertisement, reading a pop-up chat box, and responding to an email, and clicking away from the page and back, all while listening to Arcade Fire. Neuroscientists are showing us that the neurons in our brains are actually rearranged to respond to rapid consumption of data. While short-term memory may be improving, short-term memory is failing. Perhaps worse, instead of reading for in-depth reflection, we are being rewired for shallow consumption. Extensive reading, and therefore theological reflection, has become difficult and uninviting. Why read when you could surf the Net?

I know; we’re delusional, but we’re also hopeful that longer and better articles could actually rewire, not only our brains, but also our hearts. So pull up an article, grab a cup of coffee, and settle into some long-form reading on discipleship. It just might change you, and the disciples you make. And if you like what you read, be sure to Facebook, tweet, and blog on it so you can join us in rescuing others from brain meltdown. Who knows, it might even lead to a changed heart.

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Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship and has written articles in numerous blogs and journals such as The Resurgence, The Journal of Biblical Counseling, and Boundless. He has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others. Twitter: @Jonathan_Dodson

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Read the newly released book, Gospel Amnesia by Luma Simms.

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Of Sonnets and Discipleship: the Beauty of Limits

“. . . our human and earthly limits, properly understood,are not confinements but rather inducements to formal elaboration and elegance, to fullness of relationship and meaning.” “Faustian Economics,” Wendell Berry

Our assignment in my poetry class was to write a sonnet–English or Italian, our choice. But when it comes to sonnets, that option, in many ways, is where the freedom seems to end. You can’t write as many lines as you want (has to be fourteen, of course). You can’t make it rhyme–or not–however you might like (must be abab, cdcd, efef, gg for the English kind).  Line length is non-negotiable, either: five “feet” of “iambs” (unstressed syllables followed by stressed ones). Sonnets and the poets who write them take their metrics very, very seriously.

My classmates and I were a little freaked out. Writing formal poetry–poetry that adheres to form (e.g. sonnet, sestina, villanelle, tanka, ode)–seems the exclusive purview of the professionals. Plus, isn’t formal poetry too often, well,formal, in the other sense of that word: stuffy and standoffish?

Who wants to write a formal poem?

Not us, we all said. How can we say what we want to say when we’re so restricted? What is the point of writing a poem if you feel all hedged in–if the form itself seems intent on cramping your style, stifling your self-expression, limiting your freedom?

Yet here’s the thing:

Freedom, genuine freedom, (in any context) can be exercised only within limits. This seems counterintuitive, of course, especially in a culture founded on the idea of breaking free from all constraints (the sky’s the limit! no rules! live free or die!). America’s revolutionary war sloganism has had its inevitable end in modern advertising jingles that signal the swapping of one form of tyranny for another: in two hundred years we traded subjugation under King George for the slavery of the self to the forces of consumer-capitalism.

And so the so-called free individual finds it harder and harder to feel truly free. As theologian Philip Kenneson has put it:

How many people feel free not to buy a new car every three or four years? (Or not to buy one at all?) How many people feel free not to dress in the latest styles or fashions? How many people feel free not to look like, talk like, walk like and think like everyone else? In short, how many people feel free not to desire what everyone else desires?

As I often ask my brightest, most accomplished students: How many of you felt free not to come to college right after high school?

Unlimited freedom, it turns out, can be pretty limiting. Without a telos–an ultimate end or aim–and without a community of some kind in which such a purpose is given shape and substance, focus and direction, freedom can feel a lot like bondage.

Freedom and Constraint in Discipleship

But determined by a telos that has to do with the well-being and flourishing of all (and not merely the wish fulfillment of the unencumbered individual), genuine freedom is exercised in relationship and reciprocity. Etymologically related to “friend,” the word “free” carries the sense of “dear” or beloved,” and, as Wendell Berry notes,

We set our friends free by our love for them, with the implied restraints of faithfulness or loyalty. And this suggests that our ‘identity’ is located not in the impulse of selfhood but in deliberately maintained connections.

In Christian discourse, freedom is bound up (now there’s a theological oxymoron) in the freedom to love, to serve, to know and be known. We exercise our freedom for the sake of a life directed toward love of God and neighbor, not merely (or not really at all) as freedom from hindrance or constraint.  Freedom understood theologically is generative, fecund, prolific; its goal is not the casting off of encumbrances but fullness of life.  Freedom as free rein, by contrast, is narrow, small, often paranoid and suspicious—it fences out the neighbor, it feeds our narcissistic whims.

Fullness of life suggests that we live necessarily within certain kinds of restraints, certain disciplined practices that make evident what counts as a life lived fully before God and neighbor. Consider, for example, the Ten Commandments.  For Israel, the law given at Mount Sinai came as gift, as a liberating word to help the covenant people of God learn how to thrive in their new life together. Where we might see the keeping of the commandments as a way to earn God’s favor and escape God’s wrath (and even as a curtailment of our freedom), the biblical writers are clear that the law comes after Israel’s salvation and in response to it; keeping it, living it is how the people of God express their gratitude freely. And as Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed (from prison, interestingly), “nobody experiences the mystery of freedom unless through discipline.”

So disciplined, formal, speech like the Decalogue (and the creeds and the Lord’s Prayer) doesn’t restrict our freedom; in fact it makes genuine freedom—fullness of life and living—possible. As it turns out, astonishing complexity flows from the forms we adhere to.

What About Poetry and Freedom?

In the end, writing a sonnet wasn’t easy but it was surprisingly freeing.  The constraints of the form were not, after all, limitations to creativity but their necessary precondition. Once the boundaries were acknowledged not as confinements but as “inducements to elegance, to fullness of relationship and meaning” (Berry), it was possible even to strive for and discover beauty: in choosing this word and not that one,  in making the rhyme scheme work, in finding a fitting image or metaphor.

The discovery of beauty in words, in life, in a life directed toward love of God and neighbor: What is our freedom for if not for that?

Editor's Note: This is a repost of Of Sonnets and Discipleship: the Beauty of Limits by Debra Dean Murphy. It appears here with the author's permission. 

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Debra Dean Murphy is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She likes books, movies, music, art, politics — and she likes to think and write about how religion intersects all of these arenas. She serves on the board (and is an avid fan) of The Ekklesia Project.

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Read the new e-book Gospel Amnesia by Luma Simms.

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Is the Bible Anti-Wealth? No!

A few months ago, I wrote a review of David Platt’s Radical Together. I strongly commended the book. Here’s one major strength: its exaltation of and dependence on a sovereign, awesome God:

Platt wisely grounds human action in the sovereignty of God. There has been a great deal of discussion in certain circles over whether certain strands of theology kill missions. Is embracing God’s comprehensive sovereignty like a nail gun to the head when it comes to evangelism and discipleship? Not if Radical Together has anything to say about it. As the Bible does (see Job 38-41, for starters, or Isa40-48), Platt exalts a massive, awesome, authoritative, majestic God in his book. But he doesn’t end there. He knows that God is great and also good and so desires to extend his goodness to sinners. Platt therefore calls for holistic personal commitment to the Great Commission (see ch. 5).

God is using David Platt to help change the priorities of a whole generation of believers. That is truly remarkable.

I registered one concern with the book: that we not think that the Bible is anti-wealth. Actually, in some instances, wealthy Christians used their money to build up the church. Working off of 1 Timothy 6:17-19, I wrote this:

So Paul does not, in this passage, malign wealth, possessions, or even what you might call a “nice lifestyle.” We are tempted to look down upon such things, but it seems fairly clear to me that the biblical authors did not do so. In fact, as Richard Bauckham has shown in his book Gospel Women, wealthy women connected to the imperial court and possessing mind-bending wealth provided major funding to the apostles. It is not always right, then, for the wealthy (and, globally speaking, relatively wealthy folks like the American middle-class) to sell their homes and cars, or for churches to sell their buildings and end sports leagues. It might be. We want to feel that tension, in accord with Prov 30:8 (“give me neither poverty nor riches”).

There’s much to engage here, and I’ve only scratched the surface.

Evangelicalism desperately needs Platt’s laser focus on the gospel and missions. The church exists to make disciples for the glory of God, both locally and abroad. I would only point out that I think that wealth and philanthropy can actually be our friend here. In other words, if you want to apply the “radical” model–with its many strengths–I can think of few things more radical than using one’s wealth for gospel purposes. Maybe the most spiritual thing to do to support the promotion of the gospel is this: stay in your job, save and invest scrupulously, and keep pumping out money to support missionaries and pastors.

Here’s just one example of thousands we could give on this point. A forgotten man named Henry Parsons Crowell made vast amounts of money through the Quaker Oats company. Did he hoard it? Nope. He gave away 70% percent of his massive income and helped bankroll Moody Bible Institute, the school that Joel Carpenter has shown in Revive Us Again (Oxford, 1999) has sent out thousands upon thousands of missionaries in its century of ministry. Yes, every time you eat Quaker Oats, you’re paying masticular homage to a man who–merely by giving money–helped catapult the gospel all over the world. Read a full free book about this inspiring man here.

This is a testimony to what wealth, including but not limited to truly fabulous wealth, can do if committed to the Lord. It’s one of countless others we could share of evangelicals of great or small means who tucked money away not for themselves, but for the work of Christ’s church.

Let this also be said: beyond support of missions, I don’t think the Bible is against using money for other purposes, either: buying cars or houses or air conditioners or running shoes. Where, after all, are we going to draw the line on this issue–you can’t have indoor plumbing? You shouldn’t buy ground coffee beans from Starbucks? You’re in the wrong if you pay a photographer for family pictures? Where are such directives in Scripture? And wasn’t Job, for example, wealthy and prosperous as a sign of God’s blessing (Job 1, 41)? This is a pretty slippery slope, as one can see. It can lead to false guilt for leading a normal life. Platt has already given us all the foundational motivation we need in Radical Together: the greatness of God and the mercy shed abroad in the cross of Jesus Christ.

So Platt’s fundamental message is sorely needed and personally challenging: are you and I making and using money as if there is no such thing as the work of the gospel? Is the promotion of Christ in the 10/40 window to people who will never hear of him if we don’t send folks important to us? Do our church budgets reflect this reality? Do our home budgets?

Read Radical Together and Radical. Be challenged. Reorient your spending, even as you avoid false guilt. Homes, cars, coats, paved driveways, dark chocolate raisins, and good books are gifts of God. Let’s hear Platt’s sorely needed call and his powerful solution and subordinate all things to the kingdom of Christ and its advancement over all the earth.

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Cross-posted from Thought Life.

Similitudes: Truths from Everyday Life

I may have been taping my wrists, or perhaps I was adjusting my game-socks so the proper amount of white showed below my knees. Though I do not remember exactly what I was doing, I do recall I was sitting at my locker preparing to take the field for a football game as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This was my rookie season in the Canadian Football League and I was about to learn a valuable lesson. Mike Kerrigan, a Northwestern football alumnus and one-time New England Patriot quarterback, strode confidently into the locker room. He was not only announcing to the Christian athletes that the pre-game chapel was starting, but he was also doing his best to encourage the non-Christian players to participate in our weekly ritual.

Mike approached my locker and reminded me of the chapel that was about to start. Then he looked at the man in the locker beside me. “Dale, you coming to chapel today?” he asked. Our starting offensive center, a product of Tennessee's football program, looked up from adjusting his knee braces with a mischievous grin. “What does Jesus have to do with hitting, slapping, punching, pain, blood, sweat, and tears?” he replied half-serious, half-joking.

Kerrigan's profound response was, for me, unforgettable. It is etched in my memory and I have found myself replaying this veteran quaterback’s reply many times over the ensuing 14 years of my professional football career and beyond. With complete seriousness, and with a passion that indicated the gravity of his words, Mike said, “Jesus knows more about hitting, slapping, punching, pain, blood, sweat, and tears than you or I ever will."

His answer indicated to me one way I could honor God in my profession; I could allow my job to preach God’s truths to me. I could, and I believe should, be watching for God's truths in and through my chosen vocation: professional offensive lineman. It wasn't until I was retired that I would read about, and hence be able to articulate for myself, this enriching discipline of discerning theological truths from everyday situations.

Similitudes

In a sermon by C. H. Spurgeon, I came across the concept which had, and continues to have, a powerful impact on my Christianity. From a sermon entitled “Everybody's Sermon” I read,

Now it struck me that God is every day preaching to us by similitudes. When Christ was on earth he preached in parables, and, though he is in heaven now, he is preaching in parables today. Providence is God's sermon. The things which we see about us are God's thoughts and God's words to us; and if we were but wise there is not a step that we take, which me should not find to be full of mighty instruction.

Spurgeon articulates the sanctifying habit of looking for gospel truths in our everyday lives. He promotes a dynamic discipline for discipleship; searching and seeing God’s gracious truths in the daily rhythm and routine of life. He calls these edifying reflections of God and his Word “similitudes.”

A similitude is a likening or comparison in the form of a simile, parable, or allegory. A similitude compares two dissimilar things for the purpose of emphasizing something they share in common. A similitude is experienced when we apprehend God’s grace in the ordinary living of our lives. A carpenter might recognize the cross in intersecting lumbers as he frames a house. A homemaker might see the cleansing work of Jesus’ blood in a load of laundry that comes out clean. A truck driver might reflect on the narrow road while stuck in traffic on the interstate.

Spurgeon explains what Mike Kerrigan had recognized and what I applied throughout my playing career; the things that happen to us and around us can declare God's truths to us. Mike Kerrigan saw in the physical punishment of a football game a glimpse of the suffering of Christ.

Many of us are, as Spurgeon says, "engaged in a business which allows [us] to see but very little of nature, and yet even there God has provided [us] with a lesson." He gives the example of a baker who is warned by the heat of his ovens that the wicked will be consumed in fire. Spurgeon imagines the butcher contemplating his own plight when an animal is slaughtered; where would he be if Christ had not been the sacrificed lamb in his place? What mundane piece of life is God using to teach the gospel to you?

Providence is God's Sermon

Thus we see that the everyday providential occurrences of our lives are fodder for God's “mighty instruction” if we are open to seeing these things. The very fabric of our existence, our vocations, our relationships, and our experiences all have potential to teach and re-teach us biblical truths and encourage Christ-centered meditation.

Eventually, everywhere I turned as I played football professionally I could also see theology. And as I reflect on that part of my life, now over as a result of a forced “retirement,” God was and is able, by the Holy Spirit, to use everyday situations and scenarios to bring edifying truth to me. This daily devotional experience was, and continues to be, incredibly uplifting and educational.

For example, as an offensive lineman it was my job to provide a refuge for the quarterback. This would propel my thoughts to the refuge Christ provided when he propitiated the wrath of God with his death. Similarly, I enjoyed watching my young son gain access to a player’s sacred domain, the locker room, because of his relationship to me. My affections for Christ were consequently raised as I perceived that my relationship to Christ and his identity as Son of God gains me access to the very throne of God.

In many ways football is a ridiculous sport. They took a round ball that would bounce and roll with uniformity and consistency and made it oblong to remove its predictability. They drew lines on a field and decided that between those lines players could physically assault one another. The fact that God could teach me his gospel truths in the ridiculous world of football should be both enlightening and encouraging. Enlightening because this type of discipleship is available to anyone and everyone; and encouraging because if I could learn of grace on the gridiron, than God can certainly teach you truth on your turf.

I think it is our fallen nature, and the sin that so easily entangles us, that leads us to believe there is a discontinuity between what we do every day and what we do on Sunday. But this type of thinking neglects the fact that what we do, whether our jobs or our hobbies or anything else, is intimately related with who we are. And we are Christians, adopted into God’s family through Christ. And we take that identity with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. No believer should ever think that God is not intimately involved in every aspect their lives; seeing similitudes will assure the believer of God’s presence.

The Practice of Seeing Truth in the Everyday

This practice of seeing similitudes in our comings and goings is a practical way to remind ourselves of the all-pervasive power of the gospel; it applies to everything. Whether you are a dentist or a dock-worker, retired, just hired, or unemployed, this discipline will remind you that there is a Person at the center of your life that relates to everything you do and is relevant to who you are.

The first step to seeing sanctifying similitudes is to understand what they are and where they can be found. What they are, as Spurgeon has suggested, is God’s instruction in everyday life. They are the doctrines of the Bible illustrated in the regular routine of living. Jesus saw the Kingdom of God in the scattering of seeds, the hiding of treasure, the settling of accounts, the hiring of labourers, and many other day-to-day activities. We will be richly blessed as we are reminded, exhorted, and instructed  in the tenets of our faith through the moments of our lives. Don’t miss this everyday education; seek to see the spiritual in the spot God has placed you.

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Jude St. John (@judestjohn) played football professionally in the Canadian Football League for 14 years and currently teaches English at Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada. Jude is married to Nicole and they share their lives with their 5 children: Ena, Adele, Mara, Judah, and Arwen.  He blogs at quercuscalliprinos.blogspot.com. 

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Read more in Jonathan Dodson's book Unbelievable Gospel.

Read more free articles: The Daily Gospel by Matthew Sims and Meditation by Tony Merida.

Leading Ladies Everywhere

Current trends in faith intrigue me because I'm a blogger and I'm a blogger because I'm innately curious. Trends interest me but they do not capture me, and I think this distinction is important. I have had times where I have been momentarily distracted by ideas and methodologies, shoes and styles, but at the end of all things, I think we can agree these momentary pleasures are best if they pass away. And good riddance, too. I am, however, still interested in faith trends. I'm lured by them because I love the culture of heaven and I think it ought to affect the culture of earth, and what are trends if not culture's response to heaven's delay?

Leading Lady

One such trend that has gotten less airplay in recent years is the Emergent Church Movement (ECM) (some of you are rolling your eyes here, having already moved on past that old thing and fancying some new thing these days), but I'm still paying attention to it because the effects and the sustainability of it are just now beginning to show their true colors. You only thought the effects of it were things like Love Wins and the rise of feminism, but they were only catalysts. The true effects are where are all those people now?

Phyllis Tickle is a leading voice in the emergent movement, a Christian-mystic, a contributor to USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, PBS, and NPR. I've often been drawn to Tickle's voice because there's a sense of reverence, the Holy, I've found lacking in much of evangelicalism these days. She's gentle and lulling, and of course she is—if there's anything the ECM is known for, it is half of the whole of love—the gentle passive half void of the justice of God.

The Death of Feminism?

In the recent Emergence Christianity Conference, Tickle spoke. (And I'm getting to the point about all this and why it matters.)

The audio for the conference is not available, but the blogs of attendees are in plenty. One such attendee-blogger wrote of how disappointed she was by Tickle's talk. This leading lady of the movement who has brought a voice to equality in the church, primarily in gender roles, spoke of the downfall of modern faith being the lack of women at home, bringing up babies and such:

"Phyllis described the freedoms working outside the home in WW2 and the ability to control our cycles the Pill brought women and argued that such things led to the destruction of the nuclear family and therefore the foundation of the civil religion of Christendom. While it is a narrow assessment of causality, I can agree with the descriptive observation that such things changed our culture. But then she jumped from these changes as that which brought an end to Christendom to describing how such changes led to the destruction of the ways the faith is passed on to new generations which thereby resulted in a biblically illiterate society. As she described it, when mom is not at home weaving the stories of scripture and the church calendar into her day to day activities in front of her children, they do not receive the basics of the faith. One cannot apparently have a sacred family meal over Papa John’s pizza picked up on the way home from work the same way that one can if one is baking bread, doing family crafts, and eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Phyllis ended the session by encouraging us to discover ways to be back in the kitchen with our children and finding crafty ways to import the rhythms of the church year to them. Essentially to focus on the family and all that. That is the great emergence. The end."*

Because the audio isn't available (and I wish it was so I could not only give you a fuller picture, but give myself a fuller one too), I don't know if any of this was a direct quote from Tickle. However, I know the general thrust of her argument sent the bloggers into a tizzy, so I would guess this paragraph is fairly close to the original.

Passing Away

Here is my purpose in sharing this quote. It is not to raise the flag of complementarity, or to espouse the incorrect view that Biblical-Womanhood is home/baby-making and nothing else. My purpose is not to say the Feminist Movement got it completely wrong or dinner around the table is the answer to all the world's problems. My purpose is to highlight trends in the Church are trends; they are as temporal as the dew on the morning grass and the oak leaves on the tree in my back yard. They are not only passing away, but they are also not important enough for us to get waylaid by as they pass.

There are moments to confront with truth, to stand firm when the waves threaten to knock down what we hold most dear. Riding trains and beating drums of passing movements, though, is not as helpful as simply adoring Christ and preaching the simplicity of the gospel in every area of our lives.

Douglas Wilson shared this from his book Five Cities that Ruled the World recently:

"Truth and error will get sorted out in the long run, and probably much quicker if we just let it rip rather than try to manage the whole process. Somehow the managers of the process are frequently found to be an essential part of the problem, and it turns out they tend to manage the discussions in such a way that that interesting fact never comes out" (pg. 191).

Movements will pass away. Error will be seen. History might repeat itself, but it will always do so with a little more hindsight and a little more abandon. Things might not get better and we may feel the negative effects of feminism for a long, long time. But truth works itself to the light with the help of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God.

What Lasts Longest

What we see in that snippet of a commentary on Tickle's talk is an acknowledgement that what a movement once espoused as best, was perhaps not best. And I think, in some ways, we all see a bit of ourselves in that. Ways we once thought were ultimate now pale in comparison to the bigger, more full picture of God's grandness we have.

Stay your eyes on Christ in these days, meditate on the truths of the Gospel, on the sufficiency of His word and the delight of the Father toward you. Do all of this with the help of the Holy Spirit and be not distracted by the morning dew.

It is passing away.

Sanctification: The People We’re Becoming

I love the movie A Beautiful Mind. The acting, story, and music are all superb. The first time I saw the movie, I was caught by surprise by the twist at the end – the revelation of what was really going on in the life and mind of the main character. With this new insight, A Beautiful Mind became one of my favorite movies. Having knowledge of the ending and understanding the truth in no way lessened my enjoyment of the movie, but rather excited me as I was able to watch the movie numerous times to see evidences of the truth that I had previously missed. Similarly, the doctrine of illumination is not only initial, but ongoing – a continuous work of the Holy Spirit giving believers insight and wisdom through Scripture. While initial illumination is involved in regeneration, ongoing illumination is involved in sanctification. Sanctification is the process of being made holy and set apart for holy use. Millard Erickson explains,

Although regeneration is instantaneously complete, it is not an end in itself. As a change of spiritual impulses, regeneration is the beginning of a process of growth that continues throughout one’s lifetime. This process of spiritual maturation is sanctification. Sanctification is the ongoing transformation of character so that the believer’s life actually comes to mirror the standing he or she already has in God’s sight.

Sanctification is the work of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us (John Murray, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied). The Word is the primary means of the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification, therefore, is the work of the Spirit with the Word. Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit that has both happened and continues to happen. As a completed event, Scripture teaches definitive sanctification in that believers have been “sanctified through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:16), “were washed” and “were sanctified” (1 Cor. 6:11), and “were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). Likewise, sanctification is a continual process as believers live in holiness (1 Thess. 4:7-8) as the word of God “is at work in you” (2 Thess. 2:13), for obedience to Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2). Sanctification is both an event and a process of the Holy Spirit whose principle means is Scripture.

The Holy Spirit enlightens the mind of the believer enabling him to see “all the great doctrines of the Bible concerning God, Christ, and things spiritual and eternal . . . revealed by this inward teaching of the Spirit” (Charles Hodge). The Holy Spirit operates through the Scriptures, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). This active work through the Word grows our understanding of Scripture through interpretation and obedience, both personally and corporately.

Interpretation

“Longview made dookie go gold.” This statement may sound nonsensical, ridiculous, or even profane out of context. However, this is a quote from the punk rock documentary One Nine Nine Four referring to the album “Dookie” by the band Green Day whose single “Longview” launched the band to international fame and gave the album gold status. Context is important, not only for this musical quote, but more so for our understanding and application of Scripture. Apart from the Holy Spirit working in our hearts and minds, Scripture will not make sense and achieve within us the author’s intent.

The work of the Holy Spirit through Scripture in illumination, both in initial regeneration and ongoing sanctification, has both personal and community implications. How believers understand these implications involves interpretation. The text has one meaning that the interpreter must understand and apply. That meaning is whatever the author intended the meaning to be (Walter Kaiser, Toward an Exegetical Theology). Theology cannot be separated from the text.

Illumination involves the work of the Holy Spirit “assisting the reader to achieve clarity in understanding the content of the Word.” (R.C. Sproul, The Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit). This assistance happens personally to the individual as well as to the community. This conviction is not against reason, but beyond reason.

The Holy Spirit illumines the mind and inwardly teaches so that the Word renders faith “superior to all opinion.” Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). We therefore act in obedience with faith; we are to trust and obey. While we have “faith seeking understanding,” our understanding is not a prerequisite for obedience. Often in and through obedience we grow in greater understanding as the Holy Spirit’s work of illumination brings forth our sanctification and empowered obedience.

The Holy Spirit’s inward work happens to individual hearts and minds. Working simultaneously through the Word and in the heart and mind of the hearer, the Spirit does not operate independently from the Word in illumination. To dismiss personal illumination is to neglect the Holy Spirit’s work through the Word.

Both the Means and the Result

Sanctification is characterized by ongoing understanding of and application of the Scriptures. Paul writes, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). John writes, “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge” (1 John 2:20). Jesus states, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). We see, therefore, that regeneration is the motivation for obedience. Indeed regeneration is necessary for fruitful application of Scripture.

Scripture is the root for both faith and practice. When God speaks, man is required to obey. Authority implies obedience. The authority of Christ and Scripture is both bestowed and inherent, therefore we submit to God’s authority. We are to obey even if we do not understand because the authority of Scripture rests not in our minds or perceptions, but in God’s Word. Scripture is God’s authoritative and revelatory Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit who also illumines the believer so that the truth of God can be applied.

Application of Scripture is for both personal and corporate sanctification. Colossians 3:16 instructs, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Likewise Paul writes in Ephesians 5:19, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Growing in holiness is both a personal and community occurrence.

Empowered Obedience

Paul writes in Titus 2:14 how Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” As people for Christ’s own possession, redeemed and purified, we are increasingly given opportunities for good works. As disciples, we experience personal redemption in the context of community on mission. In this we grow as disciples as well as forward the gospel in making disciples.

Obedience gives evidence to both personal and corporate sanctification. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” This admonition follows the promise, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). This is understood in the context of the Philippian believers’ “partnership” as “saints” in gospel mission.

Illumination, both in regeneration and sanctification, shows us that it is the believer  and the community of believers who are changed, not Scripture. The Christian life, therefore, is not only doing transformative things, but being a transformed people. Paul writes to Titus,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

Transformed identity, both personally and corporately, results in obedience. Murray writes that Scripture confirms “this great truth that regeneration is such a radical, pervasive, and efficacious transformation that it immediately registers itself in the conscious activity of the person concerned in the exercises of faith and repentance and new obedience.”

The application of Scripture to the believer’s life is the work of the Holy Spirit. Like sanctification, this is an ongoing process. This ongoing application of the Word by the Holy Spirit affects the intellect as well as the will. The result is obedient action rooted in faith. Scott Hafemann connects faith and obedience with God’s Word: “Faith is trusting God to do what he has promised because we are convinced by his provisions that God is willing and able to keep his word.”

As Scripture reveals the nature and character of God our rightful response is to obey. Hafemann continues,

Faith in God is an active dependence on his word that always expresses itself in action. The reason for this unity of faith and obedience as two aspects of our one response to God is the promises of God are always organically linked to corresponding commands. Every command of God is built on a promise from God. Therefore every divine call to action (obedience) is, at the same time, a divine summons to trust in God’s promises (faith) . . . trust in God’s promise would mean obedience to his commands.

The Holy Spirit works in and through Scripture to actualize our faith and empower obedience, therefore we must depend on the Holy Spirit. Scripture testifies to both initial and ongoing illumination, both of which are closely tied to the Word. Faith and obedience depend on the continued work of the Holy Spirit with and through Scripture.

Mission

The mission to “make disciples” is an act of empowered obedience. Jesus states in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit, were on mission locally, regionally, and globally to “make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). The mission is under the authority of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, and saturated with Scripture. This is consistent with God’s instruction in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (which Jesus quotes as the greatest commandment):

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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

In this passage, Israel is instructed in missional discipleship. Reminded of their identity as God’s people and His authority as their God, they are instructed to “teach” what God has “commanded.” They do so in all areas of life: personally (“you”), family (“children”), community (“house”), and culture (“gates”). This missional rhythm is as they go about life: “when you sit,” “when you walk,” “when you lie down,” “when you rise.” Likewise, a missional rhythm is included in the great commission. The imperative to “make disciples” is by “going, teaching, and baptizing.” As this mission continues for us today, D.A. Carson writes, “The Kingdom of God advances by the power of the Spirit through the ministry of the Word.”

Sanctifying Discipleship

We must ask ourselves: Are we growing in holiness personally? Are we growing in holiness in community? As we increase in information and application, are we growing in transformation?

Sanctification is not just knowing about holiness and doing holy things. Sanctification is about being and becoming holy people. Illumination is both the means and result of transformation and missional obedience gives evidence to this transformation. We return to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” We must not overlook the truth that this equipping is a work of the Holy Spirit who, through “the sacred writings . . . make[s] you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15) which then identifies one as a “man of God.” We see that this is not about making oneself good, but about being redeemed. Redemption is an identity change, not just behavior modification. 2 Timothy 3:16 is about righteous faith and character that manifests in obedience.

Since the Holy Spirit works through and with the Bible, we have a permanent need for His work.

We do so with confidence in Scripture as the written promises of God.

Scripture is a generous gift from the generous Father revealing the generous Son by the generous Holy Spirit to people transformed to be His generous church: saints in partnership in the gospel. The new community of disciples relates in the gospel and grows in understanding and interpretation of Scripture. Likewise, we grow together in obedience and application of Scripture as a community on mission with the gospel.

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Jeremy Carr (ThM, MDiv) is lead teaching pastor and co-founding elder of Redemption Church in Augusta, GA. He has been a member of the Acts 29 network since 2007 and has written for the Resurgence. Jeremy is husband to Melody and father to Emaline, Jude, Sadie, and Nora. His book on Scripture will be published by GCD Books this spring. Twitter @pastorjcarr.

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Read more in the e-book, Gospel Amnesia: Forgetting the Goodness of the News by Luma Simms

Read more free articles: The Love of God and the Local Church by Brandon Smith and The Gospel Gives us a Secure View of Self by Jared Wilson

Hospitality and the Great Commission

The twelve of us sat in silence, on the edge of our seats. You could have heard a pin drop. I had pilgrimaged from Minnesota to muggy Orlando, and her stifling August humidity, for a weeklong intensive course on evangelism with Steve Childers. Fortunately, Reformed Theological Seminary is as air-conditioned as it is Reformed.

With only a dozen students on board for five 9-hour days with one of the country’s top church-planting strategists, it was a rich week, to say the least. During these precious hours, the Beijing Olympics were playing second fiddle to learning about the advance of the gospel around the world and in personal conversation.

Time and again Childers had thrown us curveballs. He knew how to keep us on our toes. But now he had us nothing short of captivated.

The Key to 21st-Century Evangelism

“You know what the key to evangelism in the 21st-century will be, don’t you?”

He wasn’t talking Global South, but the Western hemisphere — and America in particular.

I’m sure he could see on our faces how eager we were for his answer. Wow, the key, we were thinking. This is huge.

He paused and smiled that memorable Steve Childers world-evangelism grin. He waited. Still waiting. Still paused. Still nothing. Hold it . . . hold it. I was almost ready to burst with, “Just c’mon already!”

Finally he lifted the curtain.

“Hospitality.”

Then another long pause to let it sink it.

Hospitality and Post-Christendom

In a progressively post-Christian society, the importance of hospitality as an evangelistic asset is growing rapidly. Increasingly, the most strategic turf on which to engage the unbelieving with the good news of Jesus may be the turf of our own homes.

When people don’t gather in droves for stadium crusades, or tarry long enough on the sidewalk to hear your gospel spiel, what will you do? Where will you interact with the unbelieving about the things that matter most?

Invite them to dinner.

For several of us in Childers’s class, the lights went on after his dramatic revelation. Biblical texts on hospitality were springing to mind. A theme we’d previously thought of as a secondary fellowship-type-thing was taking shape as a significant strategy for evangelism in a post-Christian milieu.

Love for Outsiders

The New Testament word for “hospitality” (Greek philozenia) comes from a compound of “love” and “stranger.” Hospitality has its origin, literally, in love for outsiders.

One of the more memorable texts is Hebrews 13:1–2: “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Yes, love the brothers, says Hebrews, but make sure you don’t forget this. Don’t neglect to love strangers as well.

Love for fellow Christians is important, essential — some call it “the final apologetic,” based on John 13:35 — but there’s a way in which it may not be all that impressive. Loving those who love you — “Do not even unbelievers do the same?” asks Jesus (Matthew 5:47). But showing love to outsiders, now that rings of life-change. That has the fingerprints of your heavenly Father all over it.

Seeking to Show Hospitality

In Romans 12, as the apostle Paul points us to important flashpoints for how our lives should look when claimed by the gospel, he says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:12–13).

It could be that this charge to hospitality is another way of saying “contribute to the needs of the saints,” but it seems more likely to be a summons to demonstrate kindness to outsiders — like the kind Publius showed Paul in Acts 28:7 on the island of Malta: “Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.”

Outsiders from Around Town

Keep thinking through the New Testament mentions of hospitality, and see that it’s no peripheral theme. Hospitality even finds its way into such a prominent place as both lists of elder qualifications.

An elder “must be . . . hospitable.” 1 Timothy 3:2

An elder, “as God’s steward, must be . . . hospitable.” Titus 1:8

Are we listening? When was the last time we turned down a man from joining the council because he wasn’t hospitable? It’s important enough in Paul’s mind to mention it to both Timothy and Titus for their elder selection.

It matters tremendously how the elders orient toward “outsiders.” The elders set the tone for how the church will engage with nonbelievers. The church of yore may be taken aback to read that an elder “must be well thought of by outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7), but as Christendom crumbles, we begin to see this value in new light. If the elders who are to be “examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3) don’t themselves show up on the front lines to engage with the city’s unbelieving, it’s unlikely the flock will embrace the mission the shepherds are avoiding.

Inviting in the Believing As Well

Lest we swing the pendulum and think the charge to “hospitality” no longer enjoins us to care for fellow believers, 1 Peter 4:9 and 3 John 5–8 stand ready to balance things out. See 1 Peter 4:9 in context with verses 8–10:

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace . . . 

So full Christian hospitality includes inviting in other believers as well, caring for each other, “washing the feet of the saints,” “contributing to the needs of the saints,” and so on. Not just for making converts, but for the Great Commission task of making disciples as well. And there's more.

Strategic Hospitality

Christian hospitality serves Jesus’s global mission by inviting in traveling missionaries. John’s third epistle commends this kind of care.

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers,strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. - 3 John 5–8

So let your hospitality include not only unbelieving neighbors and co-workers, but also furloughing missionaries sent out for global gospel propagation. John Piper calls it “strategic hospitality.”

Strategic hospitality . . . asks: How can I draw the most people into a deep experience of God’s hospitality by the use of my home . . . ? Who are the people who could be brought together in my home most strategically for the sake of the kingdom? . . .

Strategic hospitality is not content to just have the old clan over for dinner again and again. It strategizes how to make the hospitality of God known and felt all over the world, from the lonely church member right here, to the Gola farmers in Tahn, Liberia. Don’t ever underestimate the power of your living room as a launching pad for new life and hope and ministry and mission!

Why We Love Strangers

So Christian hospitality makes room for fellow believers and global gospel carriers, but the note we’re striking here is the evangelistic one — inviting in the outsider, welcoming unbelievers into our space, in hopes of bringing Jesus into theirs.

The reason this is no minor biblical theme is because the streams of hospitality flow deeply from the well of God. Christians love the stranger, because we have been loved by the Father when we ourselves were strangers. Hospitality rises in its purest form when we heed Paul’s counsel, “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

In Jesus, we find ourselves now to be the enemy who has been loved, the sinner who is saved, the stranger who is welcomed. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And welcomed strangers should be quick to learn to welcome other strangers.

Our love for outsiders runs deep as it flows from remembering ourselves to be outsiders who have been dearly loved by a lavishly hospitable God.

Editor’s Note: This is a repost of “Hospitality and the Great Commission“ from the Desiring God blog. It appears here with the author’s permission.

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David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for John Piper and Desiring God, and elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in the Twin Cities. He and his wife Megan have twin sons (Carson and Coleman) and live in Minneapolis. David is editor of several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing. and Finish the Mission.

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Read the e-book Gospel Amnesia: Forgetting the Goodness of the News by Luma Simms.

Read related articles: Paul's E-mail to Ephesus by Ben Roberts and Street Grace by Jake Chambers.

Is Forgiveness a Viable Option for the Justice System?

Conor McBride shot his fiancee in the face. He immediately confessed and turned himself in. Through a process called "restorative justice," discussed at length in this New York Times article, he received a much lighter sentence than usual as he, his family, and the victim's family all three came together to offer apologies and forgiveness. Instead of the typical life sentence, McBride was sentenced to 20 years with 10 years of probation following his release. The story relates the following anecdote from the victim's hospital room, as her father sat by her bedside and she, in a comatose state, was being kept alive by modern technology:

Ann’s face was covered in bandages, and she was intubated and unconscious, but Andy felt her say, “Forgive him.” His response was immediate. “No,” he said out loud. “No way. It’s impossible.” But Andy kept hearing his daughter’s voice: “Forgive him. Forgive him.”

Struggling to come to grips with what the father believes was his soon to be deceased daughter's plea, he was moved to do something unusual - extend forgiveness and grace to the one who shot her. However, that was not enough for this victim's family. They believed that the murderer, the one who killed their daughter, should have his sentence affected by their forgiveness and his own contrition.

While the Bible clearly calls followers of Christ to forgive those who harm them, should this same offer of forgiveness play a part in the judicial system? Is it more effective than the typically applied penal code? I'm not sure I am smart enough to know the answer, but I'll be honest: the family's response of forgiveness and grace is astonishing and Christ-like. What is more, their forgiveness has not only changed the life of the young man who took their daughter's life, it has helped change a community. Consider this from the end of the article:

As much as the Grosmaires say that forgiveness helped them, so, too, has the story of their forgiveness. They’ve spoken about it to church groups and prayer breakfasts around Tallahassee and plan to do more talks. The story is a signpost in the wilderness, something solid and decent they can return to while wandering in this parallel universe without their youngest daughter. Kate Grosmaire keeps asking herself if she has really forgiven Conor. “I think about it all the time,” she said. “Is that forgiveness still there? Have I released that debt?” Even as the answer comes back yes, she says, it can’t erase her awareness of what she no longer has. “Forgiving Conor doesn’t change the fact that Ann is not with us. My daughter was shot, and she died. I walk by her empty bedroom at least twice a day.”

I am curious to hear your thoughts. Is restorative justice a viable option in the American justice system? Should a Christian ethic of grace and forgiveness change the way in which we apply justice? What do you think?

What is a Follower of Jesus?

As I read the early chapters of the Gospels, I see Jesus speaking the same command to almost everyone he meets: follow me! For decades Christians have understood this to mean “say a prayer of repentance and commitment to Jesus, attend church regularly, and live a generally good life”.  There is a problem with this. Jesus never led someone through a ‘sinners prayer’ followed by a command to attend church services.  No, he said, "follow me."

What he meant was "forsake all that you have put above and before me; devote yourself to living life my way, according to my teachings, and my example. Become my disciple. Let me show you a better way to live – free from the trappings of hypocritical living and dead religion. Follow me into a life of service and love of God and others.”

We see this through all four Gospels – Jesus sought to bring transformation into people’s lives. He wanted them to live a life that was all about him – a life that says “It’s not me that’s living my life now – it’s Jesus."  To follow Jesus is to put him at the center and to make him the supreme ruler of all that you are and all that you do.  It is to allow him to lead you, by his Spirit, out into the world as an agent of transformation in the lives of others.

Jesus gave the keys to following him to his disciples.  They are found in Matthew 28:18-20:

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Being a follower of Jesus means:

We recognise his authority in and over our lives

We allow him to be Lord. We acknowledge his complete control and relinquish our dilution of control. We let him lead us. We follow him – he does not follow us!

We make disciples

Notice that disciples are commanded to go and make disciples. Following Jesus means calling others to follow Jesus. We are his witnesses given the mission of sharing the gospel and showing the world what he is like. Disciples mature and multiply.

We get baptized

We align ourselves to Jesus publicly through the act of baptism. He asked his followers to baptize new followers. This was the ritual for new believers in the early Church when they put their faith in Jesus and became his disciples. As we look at the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the epistle writings we cannot help but conclude that baptism was not an option – it was an expectation Jesus had upon those who would follow him. Followers of Jesus are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We obey Jesus’ Commands

The disciples were told to both teach and obey Jesus’ commands. Followers of Jesus will take joy and great delight in obeying Jesus teachings.  It is essential that to teach others to obey Jesus, we must first be doing obeying him. Every follower of Jesus is by nature a leader – we are to lead others into obeying Jesus and surrendering to his way of life – which is the best and most fabulous way to live life!  To lead others we must first be doing.

Jesus expects his followers to obey what he taught – it is not an add-on to our faith or for the over zealous. We need to apply the Bible to our lives in a way that honors Jesus and places him at the centre of our lives.  Simply put, followers of Jesus obey him!

We go to the world

We share Jesus with a lost, broken, and hurting world. Throughout his life, Jesus took the gospel into public spaces. Today, we seem dedicated to keeping the gospel inside church buildings, but Jesus did the opposite. He shared God’s good and practical love in markets, next to bathing pools, in town centers, on mountain tops, on beaches, at a watering hole, on a road; at meals, at parties, sitting in the temple courts, and more.

Jesus expects us to take the Gospel practically and verbally to all the nations of the world. Are you seeking Jesus in order to hear where he wants you to serve him: Is it in your own community longterm?  Is it abroad?  Is it to move to another town that has little or no Gospel influence and voice? We are to take the Gospel where it is needed.

We Follow

Jesus’ disciples sought his wisdom, insight, and direction.  They went where Jesus took them and went where he told them to go. They trusted him enough to submit to his discipline. They didn’t always understand him. They messed up. They learned. They grew. They walked and talked with him. They preached the gospel after his ascension. They took him out to the world.

We are only two weeks into 2013, why not start the New Year by re-reading the Gospels to see what Jesus taught and how he lived. Then, continue on in the New Testament by reading Acts to see how the first disciples followed Jesus and stayed devoted to him and his teachings.

Perhaps there is a need to get back to the basics and consider our own commitment to Christ. Jesus is looking for disciples who will follow him and make him the most important part of their lives so that he is in control of every part.  It’s not always easy – you could say it’s a discipline at times – but it’s also the adventure of your lifetime.

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Stuart McCormack has worked as a shelf stacker, bingo caller, archivist, Youth Minister and is currently living out his calling to missional living in the secular workspace as a Targeted Youth Support Worker/mentor.  He co-leads “Vintage,” a missional community which is part of Kairos Network Church based in Harrogate North Yorkshire.  He is husband to Jenna and father to Noah, Bella and Sophia. In his spare time he tweets @missionalrev and blogs at www.missionalrev.wordpress.com

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Read more on this topic in Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson. 

Read other free articles on this topic: Patience and Discipleship by Jeremy Writebol and How Jesus Made Disciples by Winfield Bevins.

Into All the World: Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian Missionary Movement

Winfield Bevins serves as lead pastor of Church of the Outer Banks, which he founded in 2005. He is the author of dozens of several popular eBooks including Grow: Reproducing through Organic Discipleship. He also recently wrote Creed: Connect to the Basic Essentials of the Christian Faith. He lives in the beautiful beach community of the Outer Banks with his wife Kay and two daughters. _

“I have but one passion—it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field, and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ." - Count Ludwig Von Zinzendorf

North America has become the new mission field. There are 120 million unchurched people in the United States, making it the largest mission field in the Western hemisphere and the fifth largest mission field on earth.[1] On top of all of this, nearly 4,000 churches close every year in North America. And nearly 8o% of all evangelical churches in the U.S. have either stopped growing or are in decline![2]

What does this mean for the church in North America? Simple: We are not reproducing disciples. Despite this uncertain future for the church in North America, all is not lost. God is not surprised by these statistics or the spiritual state of our nation. The West can be won again.

All we have to do is look to the pages of church history to find great examples of missionary disciple-making movements that reached the nations for Christ. What we need now is a missionary discipleship movement that will reach the 120 million unchurched people in North America and beyond.

The Rich Young Ruler Who Said Yes

One of the greatest missionary movements of all time began with the rich young ruler who said yes. Count Ludwig Von Zinzendorf was born into a wealthy noble family and belonged to one of the most ancient of noble families in Austria. Six weeks after young Ludwig’s birth, his father died of tuberculosis and his mother married again when he was four years old. At this time, he was sent to live with his pietistic Lutheran grandmother who did much to shape his character and faith.

He fell in love with Jesus at the age of six and continued to mature in Christ throughout his school years. He grew up with regular times of prayer, Bible reading, and hymn-singing. His dearest treasure next to the Bible was Luther’s Smaller Catechism. Zinzendorf was a star student, and by the age of 15 he could read the classics and the New Testament in Greek and was fluent in Latin and French.

Zinzendorf eventually pursued his university studies at Wittenberg, which was a strong hold of Lutheran theology. Once he finished his studies at Wittenberg he embarked grand tour of various centers of learning throughout Europe. Then in 1720, he went to Paris where he stayed for six months. He toured Versailles, and even formed a friendship with Roman Catholic Cardinal Noailles Roman.

Despite all the beauty of Europe, nothing could compare to  an encounter that Zinzendorf had in the art museum at Dusseldorf where he encountered the Christ in an amazing way. While viewing Domenico Feti’s painting “Ecce Homo,” a portrait of the suffering thorn-crowned Jesus, and reading the inscription below it, “I have done this for you; what have you done for me?” Zinzendorf said to himself, “I have loved Him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for Him. From now on I will do whatever He leads me to do.”

In May 1721, Zinzendorf purchased his grandmother’s estate at Berthelsdorf. He married Countess Erdmuth Dorothea von Reuss, sister of his friend Henry on September 7, 1722. She was a strong believer and devoted to Pietism. For a time, Zinzendorf devoted himself to matters of state in Dresden.

Everything would change one eventful day when a Moravian refuge ended up at his door in Dresden. The man’s name was Christian David. He had heard that Zinzendorf would open his home to oppressed Moravian refuges. Zinzendorf agreed to the request and a group of ten Moravians arrived in December 1722. His manor became known as  “Herrnhut”, meaning “the Lord’s watch” or “on the watch for the Lord.” This was only the beginning. By May 1725, 90 Moravians had settled at Herrnhut. By late 1726, the population had swelled to 300.

Trouble eventually began to enter the group over differences in liturgy, economic pressures, language difficulties, and other issues. Zinzendorf began meeting with different families for prayer and counsel and helped regain a spirit of unity and love.   He drew up a covenant calling upon them 'to seek out and emphasize the points in which they agreed' rather than focusing on their differences. This started a process of reconciliation and revival among members of the community. On May 12th, 1727 they all signed an agreement to dedicate their lives to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. At this time, small groups were organized to provide the people with a special spiritual affinity to one another.

100-Year Prayer Watch

1727 was an important year. It marked a spiritual turning point in the Moravian community where a spirit of prayer began to spread among them. They covenanted together to meet often to pour out their hearts in prayer and hymns. On August 5th, the Count spent the whole night in prayer with about 12 to 14 others following a large meeting for prayer at midnight. Then a few days later, on Wednesday, August 13th 1727, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them all. The Moravians experienced a powerful “Pentecost” during a communion service where the Spirit came upon Zinzendorf and the community. This experience radically changed the community and sparked a flame of prayer and missions that would burn for decades to come. Looking back on that day, Zinzendorf later recalled: “The whole place represented truly a visible habitation of God among men.”

This marked the beginning of the Moravians' commitment to a round-the-clock “prayer watch” that continued nonstop for over a hundred years. On the 26th of August, 24 men and 24 women covenanted together to continue praying in intervals of one hour each, day and night, each hour allocated by lots to different people. The next day, 24 men and 24 women covenanted together to spend at least one hour each day in scheduled prayer. Others joined the intercessors and the number increased to 77. They all carefully observed the hour which had been appointed for them and they had a weekly meeting where prayer needs were given to them.

The spirit of prayer was not just for the adults of the community, but even spread to the children as well. The children were also touched by God and began to pray a similar plan among themselves. The children's prayers and supplications had a powerful effect on the whole community. Parents and others members of the community were deeply moved by the prayers of the children for revival and missions.

From that time onward the Moravians prayed continuously for revival and the missionary expansion of the gospel. As members of the Moravian church continued nonstop in this "Hourly Intercession" they became known as "God's Happy People." Their prayers became the catalyst for one of the world’s greatest missionary movements.

Into All the World

Within a short time, Herrnhut became a missionary launching pad that would send out missionaries throughout the world. They gathered small groups of individuals who gathered for prayer and Bible study and traveled across Europe sharing the gospel with everyone they met, especially the outcasts of society. Out of this grew a network of small groups that eventually became known as the "Diaspora."

Under Zinzendorf’s leadership, Moravian missionaries went out to into all the world in an unprecedented way that had never been seen before! On Sunday, December 13, 1732, after almost ten weeks at sea, the ship sailed into the harbor of St. Thomas to reach slaves for Christ. This was a difficult time where many of the missionaries died. Twenty-two of the first 29 died, forcing them to retreat from St. Croix for a time. Despite trials and difficulties, missionaries continued to go out from Herrnhut into all the world.

By the time Zinzendorf died in 1760, after 28 years of cross-cultural mission, the Moravians had sent out 226 missionaries and entered 10 different countries. Mission stations had been established in Danish St. Thomas, in the West Indies (1732); Greenland (1733); Georgia, North America (1734); Lapland (1735); Surinam, or Dutch Guiana, on the north coast of South America (1735); Cape Town, South Africa (1737); Elmina, Dutch headquarters in the Gold Coast (1737); Demarara, now known as Guyana, South America (1738); and to the British colonial island of Jamaica (1754), and Antigua (1756). In 1760, there were 49 men and 17 women serving in 13 stations around the world ministering to over 6,000 people.

Moravian passion for mission was grounded one thing, and one thing alone. Zinzendorf said, “I have but one passion—it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field, and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."  Over the years his passion for Jesus grew, as did his passion for the lost. He was determined to evangelize the world through raising up and sending out Moravian missionaries who were equipped only with a  simple love for Jesus and the spirit of prayer.

A seal was designed to express their new found missionary zeal. The seal was composed of a lamb with the cross of resurrection and a banner of triumph with the motto, "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him." The Moravians were missionaries of the gospel. They followed the call of the Lamb to go preach the gospel to all nations. In 1791, the Moravians beautifully explain their motivation for missions: "The simple motive of the brethren for sending missionaries to distant nations was and is an ardent desire to promote the salvation of their fellow men, by making known to them the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Influence on John Wesley

The Moravians had a great impact on John Wesley when became acquainted with a group of Moravians on his way to Georgia, during his stay, and on his return to England. The Moravians demonstrated a simple faith and assurance of salvation through the inner witness of the Spirit. He was impressed with their confidence, piety, and assurance of faith. On February 7, 1736, while in Georgia, a Moravian leader by the name of August Gottlieb Spangenburg began to question Wesley’s faith. Wesley recounts the dialogue:

He said, “My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit, that you are a child of God?” I was surprised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it and asked, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” I paused, and said, “I know he is Savoir of the world.” “True,” replied he; “but do you know he has saved you?” I answered, “I hope he has died to save me.” He only added, “ Do you know yourself?” I said, “I do.” But I fear they were vain words.”[3]

They were instrumental in leading him to search for an inward Christianity of the heart. On the way back to England, John wrote, “I went to America to convert the Indians; but oh, who shall convert me? Who, is he that will deliver me from this evil heart of unbelief?” This was no doubt written in comparison with the assurance that Wesley witnessed among the Moravians.

When he returned to England, Wesley spent several months in spiritual distress and deep introspection. He was challenged by the example of simple faith in Christ that the Moravians had demonstrated before him. John and his brother Charles met another Moravian by the name of Peter Böhler in England. He convinced John further that conversion happened in an instant and that a real Christian would have an assurance of their salvation.

The Moravian’s impact upon Wesley cannot be overestimated. From the Moravians he learned faith, assurance, and Christian experience, which are rooted in the experiential work of the Holy Spirit. Their lasting influence can be seen in Wesley’s concept of the “witness of the Spirit” which can be found throughout his writings especially in his sermons.

Later Years

Missionary success came with a price to Zinzendorf and his followers. His opponents sought to undermine him and his ministry and in 1736, he was banished from Saxony. He took the family with him west to Wetteravia, near Frankfurt, and found residence in an old castle called the Ronneburg. Here a new settlement, Herrnhaag, would thrive nearby, surpassing Herrnhut in size. Over the following years, the missionaries' endeavors continued to spread throughout the world. In 1747 alone, 200 missionaries went out to posts of duty as missionaries to the New World among the Diaspora. Zinzendorf spent the remainder of his days leading the growing Moravian movement, traveling, teaching, and encouraging others to follow Christ.

Zinzendorf lived out his last days at Herrnhut. The year 1760 marked 28 years in Moravian missions. In the final days of his life he became weak and feeble. Nearing death on May 8, 1760, he said to Bishop David Nitschmann at his bedside:

“Did you suppose in the beginning that the Savior would do as much as we now really see, in the various Moravian settlements, amongst the children of God of other denominations and amongst the heathen? I only entreated of him a few of the firstfruits of the latter, but there are now thousands of them. Nitschmann, what a formidable caravan from our church already stands around the Lamb!”

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[1] George Hunter, "The Rationale for a Culturally Relevant Worship Service," Journal of the American Society of Church Growth, Worship and Growth. 7 (1996): 131).

[2] Win Arn, The Pastor's Manual for Effective Ministry. Monrovia, Calif.: Church Growth, 1988. 16.

[3] Thomas Jackson, The Works of John Wesley. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1979), 1:23.