Guest User 11/15/13 Guest User 11/15/13

5 Things Mistaken for Evangelism

I remember as a little child hugging my father's leg at a gas station only to realize it wasn't his leg I was hugging. I was embarrassed! It was a case of mistaken identity.

In the matter of evangelism, I'm concerned about a number of things that people take to be evangelism that aren't. And this case of mistaken identity can have consequences more serious than mere embarrassment. Let me mention five things mistaken for evangelism.

1. Imposition

Probably the most common objection to evangelism today is, "Isn't it wrong to impose our beliefs on others?"

Some people don't practice evangelism because they feel they are imposing on others. And the way evangelism is often done, I can understand the confusion! But when you understand what the Bible presents as evangelism, it's really not a matter of imposing your beliefs.

It's important to understand that the message you are sharing is not merely an opinion but a fact. That's why sharing the gospel can't be called an imposition, any more than a pilot can impose his belief on all his passengers that the runway is here and not there.

Additionally, the truths of the gospel are not yours, in the sense that they uniquely pertain to you or your perspective or experience, or in the sense that you came up with them. When you evangelize, you are not merely saying, "This is how I like to think of God," or "This is how I see it." You're presenting the Christian gospel. You didn't invent it, and you have no authority to alter it.

2. Personal Testimony

One of the classic testimonies was given by a blind man Jesus healed. When he was questioned after Jesus healed him, he responded, "Whether he [Jesus] is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25). The man disregarded the menacing threats of those more honored and respected than he in order to give this verbal witness to the power of God. It's a wonderful, powerful testimony, but it's not evangelism. There is no gospel in it. The man didn't even know who Jesus was.

An account of a changed life is wonderful and inspiring thing, but it's the gospel of Jesus Christ that explains what it's all about and how it happened.

3. Social Action and Public Involvement

Being involved in mercy ministries may help to commend the gospel, which is why Jesus taught, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Displaying God's compassion and kindness by our actions is a good and appropriate thing for Christians to do. But such actions are not evangelism. They commend the gospel, but they share it with no one. To be evangelism, the gospel must be clearly communicated, whether in written or oral form.

When our eyes fall from God to humanity, social ills replace sin, horizontal problems replace the fundamental vertical problem between us and God, winning elections eclipses winning souls.

4. Apologetics

Other people mistake apologetics for evangelism. Like the activities we've considered above, apologetics itself is a good thing. We are instructed by Peter to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet. 3:15). And apologetics is doing exactly that. Apologetics is answering questions and objections people may have about God or Christ, or about the Bible or the message of the gospel.

Answering questions and defending parts of the good news may often be a part of conversations Christians have with non-Christians, and while that may have been a part of our own reading or thinking or talking as we came to Christ, such activity is not evangelism.

Apologetics can present wonderful opportunities for evangelism. Being willing to engage in conversations about where we came from or what's wrong with this world can be a significant way to introduce honest discussions about the gospel.

By far the greatest danger in apologetics is being distracted from the main message. Evangelism is not defending the virgin birth or defending the historicity of the resurrection. Apologetics is defending the faith, answering the questions others have about Christianity. It is responding to the agenda that others set. Evangelism, however, is following Christ's agenda, the news about him. Evangelism is the positive act of telling the good news about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation through him.

5. The Results of Evangelism

Finally, one of the most common and dangerous mistakes in evangelism is to misinterpret the results of evangelism—the conversion of unbelievers—for evangelism itself, which is the simple telling of the gospel message. Who can deny that much modern evangelism has become emotionally manipulative, seeking simply to cause a momentary decision of the sinner's will, yet neglecting the biblical idea that conversion is the result of the supernatural, gracious act of God toward the sinner?

When we are involved in a program in which converts are quickly counted, decisions are more likely pressed, and evangelism is gauged by its immediately obvious effect, we are involved in undermining real evangelism and real churches.

The Christian call to evangelism is a call not simply to persuade people to make decisions but rather to proclaim to them the good news of salvation in Christ, to call them to repentance, and to give God the glory for regeneration and conversion. We don't fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not converted; we fail only if we don't faithfully tell the gospel at all. Evangelism itself isn't converting people; it's telling them that they need to be converted and telling them how they can be.

Mark Dever is Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and founder of 9Marks Ministries. He has authored over a dozen books and speaks at conferences nationwide.

[This article was adapted from The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. Used with permission.]

Zachary Lee 11/13/13 Zachary Lee 11/13/13

9 Myths of Discipleship

We’re called to be disciples and make disciples, but this call often feels overwhelming.

However, discipleship doesn’t have to feel this way. Our tendency is to overcomplicate it and think of it as something it’s not.

Here are nine common myths we believe about discipleship:

1. I can’t disciple someone because I’m not “godly” enough.

Though some people are at a place where they should not be discipling others, most people sell themselves short. You don’t have to have a Ph.D in theology to meet with other believers and grow them in their love for the Lord. Even the average Christian knows enough to pray with people, confess sin, worship the Lord through song and read the Bible. Jesus’ command to make disciples is not just meant for the pastoral elite.

2. I can’t be discipled by someone unless they are far godlier than me.

I’ve met many people who are waiting for a Yoda or Gandalf figure to come in and radically change their life. Unfortunately, that is not usually how it works. It is okay to learn from those who are imperfect because nobody is perfect. Don’t ask someone who is less spiritually mature than you to disciple you, but also don’t wait to be discipled until the apostle Paul comes around. Seek out a mentor now.

3. Only older people can disciple younger people.

Most older people don’t want to learn from someone younger, but it is not wrong for the discipler to be younger. Paul even tells Timothy to make sure people don’t look down on him because of his young age. You should also feel free to disciple people around your same age. Spiritual maturity matters more than age.

4. I can’t have a “co-discipling” relationship.

One person doesn’t have to be the “disciple” and the other the “disciple maker.” You can both disciple each other. This is what the Bible means when it talks about “iron sharpening iron.” If you know several people who are not “above” or “below” you in spiritual maturity, co-disciple each other.

5. I have to get all my discipleship from one place.

You need to get your discipleship from several places. One person is not going to provide all your spiritual growth. In addition to having a mentor, you will also need to read books, listen to sermons, attend worship services, serve at your church, take classes, etc. Discipleship is a holistic exercise that involves more than one venue.

6. I can’t disciple others while I’m being discipled.

The opposite is true. We should always be being discipled and discipling others at the same time. We are always in the “middle” with people “above” and “below” us.

7. I can’t disciple others because I still struggle with sin.

Welcome to the club. If we couldn’t disciple others until all our sins were conquered, then we would never disciple anyone! True, there are certain deeper sins that disqualify someone to disciple for a time, but everyone struggles with sin as long as they are alive. Disciple others and be transparent with them about your ongoing battles.

8. I have to spend an equal amount of time with everyone I disciple.

This is not true. Jesus spends more time with Peter, James and John than with the other nine disciples. You provide general care for everyone, but you will only have the time to go deep with a few. Choose people who care about being discipled and spend most of your time with them.

9. I have to spend all my time on the person I don’t want to disciple.

There are times when we should just force ourselves to love, serve and disciple someone with whom we don’t really “click.” Jesus set our example for this by going to those whom nobody else loved. However, this does not mean it is wrong to disciple people you actually like—people with whom you actually want to hang out. Do both. Love friends and love the unlovable. That’s what Jesus did.

Now that we’ve debunked these myths, I pray that we would move forward and live out our call to be disciples and make disciples.

Zach Lee is Associate Home Groups Minister at The Village Church and is married to Katy. Follow him on Twitter: @zacharytlee.

Nick Abraham 11/11/13 Nick Abraham 11/11/13

5 Ways to Grace Your Workplace

I currently work in a "secular" job for a Fortune 500 company. I put the word secular in quotes because I think a common misconception by Christians is that there is such a thing as secular work. When we think this way, we may be tempted to view pastors or clergy as the only people that do any type of ministry work. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4, this is not the case. Also, I mention that I am Christian because according to my faith in Christ, I am to be a certain kind of employee, which is a part of my overall calling to be a certain kind of citizen and a certain kind of person. The Christian faith calls us to be a certain kind of people, a distinct people. We become a people set apart to live as Christ calls us to live as the Holy Spirit lives in and through us. As the apostle Peter tells us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). And we are called to be that distinct and chosen people in the world, including our jobs. Before working at my present job, I was a cook for five years at an Italian restaurant. If you have worked in the restaurant industry, you know that it can draw a very interesting and diverse crowd of employees. During that time, I became a Christian. I never thought that I would be in a more challenging work atmosphere to share and live out my faith. While my current work atmosphere is really nothing like the restaurant, I have found an entirely new set of challenges in living out my faith at work. The truth is, there are always challenges to carrying the gospel message in a fallen world, regardless of the context.

Every Good Endeavor

The corporate world presents a unique veneer of professionalism, ethics, and propriety, but the reality is that the guts of the day-to-day in a corporate job can be quite challenging. There are a myriad of moral conundrums that come up in an office. We are faced with temptations to gossip and engage in malicious chatter when others aren’t around. Many are faced with struggles with the opposite sex. We are broken people, and being in the workplace does not make that brokenness go away until we get home.

As a Christian, my integrity is often challenged by the situations in which I am placed. Beyond the personal struggles, I want to reflect the gospel well. My coworkers want to see if what they know about Christianity holds up. It doesn't matter if their perspective of Christianity is correct or not; they will judge for themselves based on what they know. If I am given the privilege and permission to share what I believe – and most importantly who Jesus is – I have an opportunity to add to shape their outlook on Christianity. It is where we can see evangelism and discipleship come together. Living the gospel at work is not some add-on to the Christian life that we can choose if we want; it’s a realization of the fullness of the Christian life. Being in Christ is meant to encompass all of our lives.

Recently, a friend gave me Tim Keller's book, Every Good Endeavor. As he usually does, Keller wonderfully connected work and faith in my own heart. So, I had a conversation with my manager about the book and asked if I could have an optional meeting during lunch with anyone in the department that would like to read together. It was approved, and we had seven people in our group. We met every week to discuss a chapter. The discussions were great, and it was the first time for some to really think about connecting faith and work.

Christian, our job is a ministry, plain and simple. God planted us in our current job for a particular reason. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). The apostle Paul is telling us here, that God is working out his will in the lives of his people. At the cross, Jesus has freed us from making our work about us and has given us the gospel to revel in and tell others about.

Representing Well

So, how do we represent the gospel well in the workplace? Here are a five ways to grace your workplace:

1. Be bold, but smart. We can and must think on Paul’s boldness before Felix in Acts 24 or Jesus’s words on being brought before governors and kings in Matthew 10. Just because we are at work does not mean we are no longer a disciple of Jesus. We are never exempt from the call on our lives to make much of him. However, we must be smart and keep in mind passages like 1 Peter 2:13: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” At work, we are subject to our bosses and to the leader or leaders of the company. So be bold, but keep in mind where you are.

2. Take risks. I realize this somewhat contradicts the last point, but the Christian life rests in that tension between risk and prudence. (For this point, I really should tell you to just go listen to anything that John Piper says about risk.) Practically though, take steps in work friendships to bring up Jesus. I am a relational evangelist, meaning I like to establish some type of friendship and then bring up Jesus. I am rarely the “can I tell you about Jesus?” guy. My weakness is to never actually bring up Jesus, or to do so in softened ways. Risk a friendship, risk a promotion, risk not “fitting in,” or maybe even risk your job if God would call you to that. Of course, we don’t want to be reckless just for the sake of being reckless.

3. Pray for your enemies. There will be people who do not like you for any number of reasons. Make it a practice to pray for the people that don’t seem to like you, who you don’t really get along with, or who just always seem to have something snarky to say to or about you. This is incredibly hard, which is why you need to rely on the Spirit in this. You will also discover God ministering to you even as you pray. Pray for them, for their families, their kids. Most importantly, pray for their relationship with Jesus.

4. Use your gift(s). I am a teacher/pastor type. I usually go into a teaching or pastoral mode at some point during my faith encounters with coworkers. The church is still the church both gathered and scattered. While at work we continue to be part of the church scattered and in the church we are called to use our gifts to build up the body. Pray about and find a way to use your gift(s). Start a Bible study, start a prayer group, take people’s prayer requests and pray for them, give of your time, talents, or treasures to those in need. Do whatever it takes to be a reconciling minister of the gospel (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

5. Work hard. Be on time, care about your job, follow the rules, get your work done, and help others. Of course, nonbelievers can be good employees, too. What makes us different is really captured in the household codes contained in many of the epistles. “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust” (1 Pet. 2:18). We should be that “good” employee no matter who we work for, what the conditions are, and/or whether we like the job. It is sharing in these sufferings of Christ, light they may be, that we can make much of Christ by working hard with integrity. Never let laziness or grumbling be your calling card.

May God bless us as we seek to serve and make much of Christ in all areas of our lives.

“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Col. 1:27-29)

Nick Abraham (DMin student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) lives in Navarre, OH with his wife and daughter. He serves as an Associate Pastor at Alpine Bible Church in Sugarcreek, OH. He is a contributor to Make, Mature, Multiply: Becoming Fully-Formed Disciples of Jesus and blogs at Like Living Stones.

Robby Gallaty 11/6/13 Robby Gallaty 11/6/13

When a Comma Puts Us in a Coma

Punctuation marks are important. Moreover, correct punctuation is essential. In the wrong place, such simple marks can be devastating.

Take these two sentences for example:

“Let’s eat Grandpa!” and “Let’s eat, Grandpa!”

The comma makes a big difference—especially for Grandpa!

Here is another example from the animal lovers magazine, Tails. The front cover story about Rachel Ray reads:

“Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog.”

I believe what they wanted to say was:

“Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and her dog.”

Finally, Goodwill posted this sign outside their building:

“Thank you! Your donation just helped someone. Get a job.”

The insertion of the first period makes all the difference. What they meant to communicate was:

“Thank you! Your donation just helped someone get a job.”

One punctuation mark, by either its insertion or exclusion, has the potential to change the meaning of a sentence.

The Discipleship Resurgence

Books and conferences under the banner of “disciple-making” are available now more than ever before. “Discipleship” is a popular new buzz word, a catch phrase that is thrown around with varying meanings. Defining the term is outside the scope of this article, however, I want you to consider something.

In the process of obtaining endorsements for my new discipleship book, Growing Up: How To Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples, I talked with pastors who admitted to a minimization of making disciples. “For years,” according to one pastor, “the goal was to get them to church and get them saved.” Another said to me, “Success in ministry was determined by how many parents drug, I mean ‘brought,’ their children to Sunday school.” Discipleship was not the bull’s-eye on their ministerial target. For some, it had no place on the target whatsoever!

Why are we only recently talking about discipleship?

I think I may have an answer.

One comma has paralyzed believers for around three hundred years. The chasm between the clergy and the laity has widened since the completion of the 1611 King James version of the Bible. Before you think that I am being overly critical of the translation, check out my article entitled, “A Discovery that Changes Everything,” where I elaborated on my Bible leaf collection.

If you examine the KJV translation of Ephesians 4:11-13, you will find two commas in verse 12.

¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹²For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Based on this rendering, what is the job of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? It is three-fold:

to perfect the saints;
to do the work of the ministry;
to edify the body of Christ.

The ministers, pastors, and trained professionals, according to this rendering, are expected to carry out all the ministerial duties.

For those who learned Greek in school, you know that the original documents were devoid of punctuation marks, particularly commas. The insertion of punctuation is based on the judgment of the translator. I would submit to you that this comma is part of the reason the church has been in a sustained discipleship coma for three hundred years.

The manner of thinking reflected in the KJV translators’ choice of punctuation, prominent in many churches today, is what Larry Osborne labeled “the Holy Man Myth.” “The Holy Man Myth,” observed Osborne, “is the idea that pastors and clergy somehow have a more direct line to God. It cripples a church because it overburdens pastors and underutilizes the gifts and anointing of everyone else. It mistakenly equates leadership gifts with superior spirituality.”[1] Left uncorrected, this myth will paralyze the laypeople and rob the congregation of blessings.

I experienced this “Holy Man Myth” first hand during my first pastoral post. When Mr. Jimmy, a friend and elderly church member, was admitted into the hospital for a back procedure, I prayed with him at the hospital before his surgery. Two weeks later, someone stopped me after the Sunday service with these words: “Mr. Jimmy is upset with you because no one visited him since his procedure.” Surprised, I replied, “That’s just not true. Three people visited him over the past two weeks.” The day after the surgery, my associate pastor spent time at the hospital with him. Later that week, a deacon visited him, and the following week, another deacon spent the afternoon with him.

I stopped by his house after church to get to the bottom of the misunderstanding. As I walked in the door, I asked, “Mr. Jimmy, how are you doing?” “Not good,” answered Mr. Jimmy, “Not good, preacher.” Puzzled, I asked, “Why is that?” He proceeded to explain the source of his discouragement: he had not been visited since his surgery. I lovingly corrected him by highlighting that church members had visited him. But he replied, “No, pastor, you didn't visit me.” He only wanted me to visit him because he had the false perception that I was closer to God than any other Christian in our congregation.

Discipleship and Maturity

So how does the Greek text of Ephesians 4:11-13 read? The majority of modern translations remove the comma. Here’s how the New King James Version reads:

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

The job of pastors, mentors, and leaders is to equip believers to carry out their God-given ministry. Their effectiveness is not gauged by their performance of ministerial duties alone, but by their development of other disciples, preachers, pastors, godly fathers, and Christ-honoring students. Harold Hoehner summarizes the meaning of this passage aptly:

“In brief, the point is that the gifted persons listed in verse 11 serve as the foundational gifts that are used for the immediate purpose of preparing all the saints to minister. Thus, every believer must do the work of ministry.”[2]

Ministry is the pathway to maturity, not the other way around.

Pastors, maybe the reason you are not seeing discipleship take place in your church is because you or your staff are executing all the ministry yourself and not empowering your members to participate in ministry.

Although George Martin challenged pastors, his comments are applicable to every believer:

“Perhaps today’s pastors should imagine that they are going to have three more years in their parish (church) as pastor—that there will be no replacement for them when they leave. If they acted as if this were going to happen, they would put the highest priority on selecting, motivating, and training lay leaders that could carry on as much as possible the mission of the parish after they left. The results of three sustained years of such an approach would be significant. Even revolutionary.”[3]

If you knew that the time-clock of your life was to expire three years from today, how would you live? Would you change anything? What steps would you take to leave a lasting legacy, an eternal impact? You would not neglect discipling your children, family, and friends if you only had three years left with them.

Of all the avenues for spreading the greatest message in the world—the redemption of humankind through His sacrifice—Jesus chose to spread it through twelve men and their future followers. Ultimately, through the passing of the centuries, the gospel has been entrusted to us. We are the current link in the chain of discipleship described in 2 Timothy 2:2. Should we not live with the same urgency with which Jesus and the Twelve lived?

Every believer should be able to answer two questions: “Whom am I discipling?” and “Who is discipling me?” Every church should be able to answer two questions: “Do we have a plan for making disciples?” and “Is our plan for disciple-making working?”

[1] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002), 549.

[2] Larry Osborne, Sticky Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 49.

[3] David Watson, Called and Committed (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1982), 53.

Robby Gallaty is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church and author of the new book, Growing UP: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples. He was radically saved out of a life of drug addiction on November 12, 2002. He is also the author of Unashamed: Taking a Radical Stand for Christ and Creating an Atmosphere to HEAR God Speak. Follow him on Twitter: @Rgallaty.

Alvin Reid 11/3/13 Alvin Reid 11/3/13

New eBook: Gospel Advance: Leading a Movement That Changes the World

Today, we release the newest eBook from GCD Books and Alvin Reid: Gospel Advance: Leading a Movement That Changes the World. You can buy it here for $4.99. Here's the introduction:

Have you ever set off a metal detector in an airport? Maybe you forgot the change in your pocket or had a watch that caused the alarm to sound. If you have set it off, you know the drill: the personal screener gets a little more than intrusive to make sure you are safe to travel. I am grateful for the new imaging technology that allows me to stand still, put my hands over my head, and get through security without being frisked. Why have I set off metal detectors all over the world?

In 1998 I had the joy of receiving an artificial hip (insert sarcasm here). I was 38 years old, still fairly active athletically, and more than a little bummed that my wrestling days with our growing children were over. I now have the joy of a piece of titanium jammed in my femur, a joy that slows me down every time I fly, which is more often than I like.

Because of that fake hip I have now set off metal detectors on four continents.

I got my metal hip in 1998. But I started setting off metal detectors in 2001, in late September in fact, while en route to South Africa. You see, several years before that September a man in the Middle East had become pretty ticked off at the West, and in particular the US. Osama Bin Laden convinced less than two dozen men to come to the states, to go to flight training schools to learn to fly domestic air carriers. These men boarded flights on September 11, 2001, and armed with nothing more than box cutters, unleashed an attack unprecedented in American history, leaving almost 3,000 dead.

Immediately after the attacks, the metal detectors were turned to a more sensitive frequency. For the first time in three years of having a metal hip, I set off a metal detector less than two weeks after 9/11.

Bin Laden started a movement. He led a handful of men to conduct a most sinister act, one that has led to the recognition of a global movement of terrorism just when we thought the Cold War’s end would lead to a much more peaceful world.

While many have been involved, one man started the movement.

He was not a dictator.

Nor was he the leader of a massive, organized army.

But using an idea and modern communication tools, Osama bin Laden has to some degree changed the whole world. But, not for the better.

The world, your world, has been shaped more by movements than anything else.

Whether you realize it or not, the things you buy, the clothes you wear, the job you choose, the college you attend, the shows you enjoy on television, all are shaped by movements around you: fashion movements, cultural movements. Momentum in one area or another is the unseen influence in your daily decision-making.

But these are trivial matters. What about the larger decisions in your life? You have to this point in life already made decisions about what you value, about why you are hear, purpose for life, and why you live the way you do.

Why do we even make such choices? Why do we care about the problem of evil around us, or why one thing is “good” and another is “bad”?

God created in you and me an insatiable appetite to be part of something bigger than our personal agendas. And that starts with God Himself.

Theologian and philosopher Augustine said it this way: “Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee.”

The story of the history of the church tells of a glorious journey of the good news, the gospel, of Jesus Christ as it spread globally. At her best, the church has been led by gospel-centered leaders, advancing the movement of God among peoples in ever-spreading impact. From Patrick in Ireland and Columba in Iona to the Great Awakenings in more recent history and the missionary movements they birthed, much of the story of Christianity is the record of courageous believers whose lives centered on Christ alone.

At her worst, the church has become mired in institutionalism and formalism, and have at times caused as much harm as good for the gospel. You see this in the Old Testament. You can see Jesus confronting it in the New Testament. History has recorded far too many instances of this reality. Institutional Christianity focuses on maintaining the status quo, while movement-focused Christianity focuses on the unfinished task.

At her best Christianity is a movement, being spread by passionate Christ followers who live for an audience of One, whose message is not their own, but the good news of salvation found in Christ alone. In the following pages, I hope to help you to see how you can be a part of this great, gospel movement, and lead others as well.

Alvin L. Reid is husband to Michelle and father to Josh and Hannah. He is a professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a popular speaker and author. He has written numerous books on student ministry, evangelism, missional Christianity, and spiritual awakenings. Follow him on Twitter: @AlvinReid.

Guest User 11/1/13 Guest User 11/1/13

Confessions of a Bible Thumper

I became a Christian at the age of eight, at Round Pond Presbyterian Church in Franklin, KY, where my uncle was the pastor. While witnessing communion during a Sunday service I began to understand the gospel in a new way: that I was a sinner and that Christ had rescued me. I was baptized two weeks later in Sulphur Fork Creek on the county line. In the years that followed, my life as a disciple was characterized by varying degrees of knowing and doing. In my youth I was passionate about what I knew of Scripture and what I was learning. I would gather my friends together in the school cafeteria to read and discuss the Bible. God used my seemingly insatiable desire to learn the Bible. Years later my walk of faith was characterized by action as I was seeking to do the things I was learning from Scripture. I was passionate about evangelism and overseas missions, tirelessly pursuing active ministry and calling others to follow.

Throughout the years I pursued discipleship through various means: different books, methods, churches, para-church ministries, and mentoring relationships. These experiences were life-changing for me yet I was still seeking the best way to be both a disciple and a disciple maker, trying to balance the knowing and doing of the Bible. I discovered that discipleship was not only knowing and doing, but also being and becoming. This process of transformation involves Scripture and others in Christian community. My love for Scripture grew. This eventually led me to seminary at which time the vision for a new church in my hometown began to take shape.

My experiences have led me to the conviction that discipleship is a life-long pursuit and an ongoing process of transformation by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who worked in and through Scripture is also at work in and through God’s people. I am increasingly convinced that discipleship methods based on biblical ideas and principles alone, though good and helpful, can remain short-sighted of the gospel.

Theology in Practice

Theology must be practiced. The doctrine of Scripture is of utmost importance for Christian discipleship. Scripture is God’s written record of the gospel story in which we find our own story. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture as a means of grace – the Spirit and Word go together.1 Scripture must play a prominent role in discipleship as the Holy Spirit works through the Word to grow us into the image of Christ personally, as well as grow us in community – faithful to the Great Commission. Christian discipleship, therefore, must be saturated in Scripture.

A disciple’s greatest need is to be constantly reminded of the gospel, as well as his or her new identity, community, and mission. The Bible explicitly reminds us of all this. Therefore, no matter our stage of faith or role in discipleship, we ought to evaluate our view and use of Scripture personally and in our community of faith. My prayer is that we have biblical expectations in discipleship. My hope is not only that you fall more in love with God's Word, but that you fall even more in love with the God whose Word it is.

Defining Discipleship

Throughout high school and college I played in various bands. A friend and fellow musician discovered the band Phish and quickly labeled himself a “phish head.” He wore tie dyed clothing branded by the band, made mix tapes to give his friends, and toured with the band. Phish greatly influenced my friend’s musical style in songwriting and performance. Phish was an identity he owned while connecting with a community of other fans on mission to spread the music. This is a great portrait of discipleship.

A disciple is a student who becomes more like his teacher. As a follower, a disciple takes on the characteristics of the one he follows. The characteristics bring about transformation and prompt action. By nature a disciple reproduces his discipleship, calling others to study and follow the one he follows. Discipleship is an identity that shapes community and fuels a mission.

For Christians, our identity, community, and mission are defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is good news that evokes faith – ongoing relational trust in the person and work of Christ. The gospel, therefore, is good news that we learn. This good news shapes not only our beliefs, but also our motivations, actions, and relationships. We learn the gospel, relate in light of the gospel, and communicate the gospel on mission together.2 Gospel learning takes place primarily through Scripture. Gospel relating is done in the context of community. Gospel communication, by proclamation and demonstration, is the nature of mission by which others learn the gospel and become disciples. Christian disciples, therefore, are both relational learners and relational teachers.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus announces, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”3 In the Great Commission, the disciples see their identity as disciples in the context of a community on mission with the good news to make disciples. Sent by Christ himself, the disciples represent the redemptive authority of Christ. Jesus does not provide an explicit methodology, but informs the mission to “make disciples” which includes “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” To this we must ask three questions: What has Christ commanded? How are we to teach? What are disciples to observe?

Information, Application, Transformation

The gospel commission to make disciples involves information, application, and transformation. “Teaching” is the information of the gospel. Jesus states that all Scripture bears witness about him (John 5:39) and that Scripture written about him in the law of Moses, Psalms, and Prophets would be fulfilled in him (Luke 24:44). Since all Scripture is about Christ, this is what we are to teach. This is the information of the gospel.

Secondly, we see the application of the gospel in “to observe all that I have commanded you.” Teaching is not a one-time passing of information, but the ongoing action of kneading the gospel into the hearts and minds of disciples through observing what has been taught. When questioned by the religious elite of the day, Jesus replies, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” In quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 6, Jesus displays his authority over the Old Testament as well as the continuity of God’s redemptive plan in gospel discipleship.

Thirdly, we see transformation in Christian discipleship. Discipleship begins with Christ (“all that I have commanded you”), involves a teaching disciple (“teaching”) and a learning disciple (“to observe”). Yet teaching information alone is not sufficient in becoming a disciple. Likewise, merely adhering to what is taught or commanded does not truly encompass discipleship. True discipleship in light of the gospel gives disciples of Christ a new identity that results in new action. This transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit that includes both instant and ongoing action.

Short-Sighted Discipleship

During our first year of marriage, my wife and I took a trip to the Grand Canyon. We rented a car and took our time enjoying the scenery of the Arizona desert. Following the signs to the canyon, we made our way into the national park, parked the car, and walked to the rim to enjoy a beautiful sunset. The purpose of the signs was to lead us to the canyon rim. Once on the rim, we no longer looked at the signs that led us there, but rather we focused on what the signs led us to: the painted pastels of the Grand Canyon.

In Christian discipleship, methods and traditions are like signs that point us to Christ. They can be helpful and beautiful. These signs are meant to be imprinted with Scripture. By Scripture we see who Christ is and what he’s done, and thus who we are and how we are to live. Scripture points us to the kind of disciples we are and are becoming, and what kind of disciples we are making. Often our discipleship methods become short-sighted, like signs that lead us to the very rim of the canyon only to be missing the clear text. In return, we focus on the sign itself, tragically missing the beauty of the canyon.

In 1 Timothy 6:3-4a, Paul offers instruction on discipleship, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” Paul highlights two features of Christian doctrine: “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “teaching that accords with godliness.” These two go together and cannot be separated. These “sound words” refer to the Lord’s message of the gospel.4 These words come from the Lord directly and through His apostles and teachers.5 Paul warns against doctrine contrary to Christ and teaching that does not line up with godliness. In other words, Paul is providing warning against discipleship that loses sight of Christ and the gospel.

How do we know our doctrine lines up with “the sound words” and “teaching that accords with godliness?” Without the Apostles present with us, how do we determine what is Christ-focused and gospel-centered? The answer: Scripture.

Scripture is of both Divine and Human origin. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture as a means of grace for the identifying and shaping of disciples. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The Holy Spirit works in and through Scripture through inspiration. Likewise, the Holy Spirit identifies us as disciples (Ephesians 1:13), dwells in our community of disciples (1 Cor. 3:17, 6:19), and by illumination gives us understanding so that we may obey Jesus by making disciples (Titus 3:5, 2 Thess. 2:13, Acts 1:8). How we view the Holy Spirit and Scripture will influence how we grow as disciples and how we make disciples.

Here we stand, on the rim of the canyon, reflecting on the signposts that have led us here. Over the coming chapters may we evaluate our view and use of Scripture in discipleship. May our life, doctrine, and practice agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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. He is the Author of Sound Words: Listening to the Scriptures published by GCD Books. Twitter: @pastorjcarr.

[This is an excerpt adapted from Jeremy's new book, Sound Words: Listening to the Scriptures. Download and read the entire book for $3.99 at GCD Books.]

Logan Gentry 10/28/13 Logan Gentry 10/28/13

Entering the Harvest

A few years ago, I grew tired of hearing about others “on mission” and evangelizing with so little of it in my own life. Something in me desperately desired for evangelism to become a normal part of my life. I learned a lot that year, mainly by failing (if that’s possible) at evangelism. In the years since, I’ve learned even more. I want to expound a little on how move off the missional bench and into the game.

We are all called to enter the harvest. The work is there before us. Here are three observations on becoming an everyday evangelist.

1. Gospel Enjoyment Leads to Evangelism

We all have a friend that won’t stop talking about their kids (guilty), one who is a little too obsessed with their favorite team, and one who analyzes their favorite TV show a little too much. We wouldn’t call their incessant conversation about these topics that they love evangelism, but it is precisely what it is. Everyone is evangelizing about something, sharing about what they love and why they love it.

Gospel enjoyment is loving, celebrating, and finding joy in the good news of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It’s good news because in God’s redemptive plan, Jesus lives the perfect life (the one we could never live), died an atoning death in our place (the death we deserved), and resurrected from the dead (accomplishing the victory we could never accomplish ourselves). In his good plan, he sent his Holy Spirit to live in us, for his righteousness to be credited to us and then enacted through us.

But do you see this as good news? Does it bring you joy or is it a fact that you have cognitively agreed is right?

I’ve known joyless belief and I’ve watched joyless Christianity in the church as if it were normal, but it is not the Christianity that God describes and invites us to in the Scriptures. Jesus summarizes the commandments into the Great Commandment - to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In John 15, he speaks of abiding in the love of God that we may have his joy and it may be in full. Jesus prays in John 17 that his followers would have his joy fulfilled in them and that they would embody the Father’s love.

Paul tells us in Romans 14:17 that “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking (religion) but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Psalm 16:11 reminds us that in the presence of God is fullness of joy. The Scriptures are filled with the idea of joy.

The how-to of evangelism must follow the want-to of evangelism, and the want-to of evangelism comes when we love and enjoy the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel evangelism is not a duty we are invited to, but a joy flowing naturally from gospel enjoyment.

2. We Are Wired to Evangelize

In The Permanent Revolution, the authors identify four different types of evangelists that can help us identify how we are naturally wired in relationships to pursue and grow in evangelism. He labels them as the investors, inviters, convincers, and conversers; helpful categories for us as we consider doing the work of an evangelist.

The Investors. Investors embrace the process method of evangelism. They seek to walk through the highs and lows of life with people, seeking to invest a lot of time, emotion, and energy into a few close relationships. The majority of us wouldn’t label this as evangelism at all, but if we don’t label this as evangelism we will lack the intentionality needed to continue to pursue conversations about Jesus and his gospel. Our prayer life will not include interceding for these people in our life.

This could mean you approaching your workplace with a greater vision towards moving your long-term relationships to deeper conversations. Leveraging your lunch breaks and intermittent office conversation to share how the gospel of Jesus Christ is transforming your views on life. It could be the family you know through your local school or sports league that your children are friends providing you an opportunity to demonstrate a life following Jesus throughout normal activities.

The Inviters. Inviters looks for opportunities to include people in more strategic environments where they can be exposed to Christian community and the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are people who seek to include as many different people as possible at their birthday parties, big events, or meals in hopes that they would connect and engage with others who could develop relationships to share the gospel.

They have a special ability to make people feel comfortable enough to explore a new environment and I’ve seen these people in our church invite and connect with new people, then connect them with others in the community that have discipled them and led them to a greater understanding of Jesus and what it means to be his disciple.

This could change the way you view cookouts, the Super Bowl party, or your next birthday party. View these regular and everyday events as opportunities to invite both your Christian friends from church and your neighbors while encouraging your Christian friends to seek to establish conversations and relationships with those they do not know.

The Convincers. In America, we call them salesmen or the "closers of the deal" at work. These are people who are able to make an incredibly compelling gospel presentation. They are gifted with the ability to use a short amount of time to present the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that brings people to a decision.

These are largely responsible for the evangelistic materials we see throughout the church because they are skilled at reducing the gospel presentation to an easily transferable conversation without reducing its content. This is challenging for many of us, but others are naturally excited by the thought of sharing their faith in a brief amount of time.

Whether you are a convincer or not, it is helpful to spend time thinking through how you can share the gospel in a concise manner. I’ve heard one suggestion of thinking through common conversations and how the gospel of Jesus Christ redefines and intersects those regular conversations you most commonly have.

The Conversers. Conversers are often characterized by a question-led evangelism, leveraging the interests and concerns of other people and connecting those ideas with the gospel. They even prefer to let the conversation be dictated by the other person, asking questions that tend to reveal someone’s worldview or the major issues they are currently facing in life.

We see this in the life of Jesus with the woman at the well, asking questions and initiating a conversation that eventually exposed her to the living water she truly longed for.

These descriptions could free us up and inspire us to identify the natural ways we can proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have not even imagined before. If we are to be about blessing others with the good news of Jesus Christ, we must embrace a broader view of evangelism to seek a conversion that makes a disciple of Jesus Christ instead of simply someone who agrees with their need for a Savior.

3. Evangelism Starts with Prayer

We often view the Great Commission as the time when Jesus first sends out his disciples to go and make disciples, but this wasn’t his disciples' first mission. In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out his disciples after instructing them in how they should be on mission.

The greatest preparation he gave them came in the previous chapter, Matthew 9:36-38:

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

There is so much from this passage that we can learn about evangelism, but the most important is that it begins with prayer. I’ve heard verse 36 used often to exhort people that the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, so we must go now and be on mission! It’s a truth, but it is a truth motivated by guilt rather than motivated by a heart for the harvest that Jesus has.

In prayer we acknowledge that God is, as the Scriptures say, “Lord of the harvest.” He is the one who pursues people first, giving understanding to the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:4-6) and imparting the Holy Spirit so that they are born again. Salvation is an act of God and when we begin in prayer, we submit our requests to the One most concerned and most powerful to act. Unless God works in people, all of our efforts will fall short. This shouldn’t cause negligence or laziness, passively waiting until we see signs that God moves; it should lead us follow Jesus’s example in praying to God for him to move.

This communicates our trust and hope in a powerful, sovereign God able to do more than we ask or imagine. It not only communicates something to God, but it changes us in the process.

When we pray to God as Lord of the harvest for more laborers (as Jesus instructed), we find ourselves transformed into the type of laborers God desires. We can become those who see crowds and other people not as inconvenient, but with compassion wanting them to know Jesus as the Great Shepherd of their lives.

Logan Gentry is the Pastor of Community and Equipping at Apostles Church in New York City. He blogs at Gentrified and has contributed to The Gospel Coalition. He is married to Amber and they have three children. Follow him on Twitter: @logangentry.

Steve Timmis 10/25/13 Steve Timmis 10/25/13

Total Church, Leadership, and Mission

*Note: This interview is transcribed from a Skype conversation in 2011 and reposted here.

For anyone who has planted a church or feels called to do so, there are not many better resources than the work of Steve Timmis. Steve is the Director of Acts 29 Western Europe and an elder at The Crowded House. He has also co-authored several books on the church including Total Church and Everyday Church. Steve was kind enough to spend some time with me and offer his wisdom to our readers.

BRANDON SMITH: Total Church has impacted myself and many church planters. What is the story behind your writing this book with Tim Chester?

STEVE TIMMIS: We were getting some requests from publishers to tell the story of Crowded House, but we didn't want to do that because we didn't want to present Crowded House as being a model or any kind of example. We didn't want to set it up like, "Aren't we great?" What we decided to do was to write a pretty robust ecclesiology but to earth it with our own experience at Crowded House.

I've been doing church this way for years, like decades. I had a man come up to me in Sydney, and I recognized him straight away - he had been in a church I'd pastored when I was like 25 (and I'm no longer 25, as you can see). He says, "Timmis, you're just a one-trick pony. This is exactly what you were talking about doing 25 years ago!" At one level I was slightly hurt, because I hadn't come up with anything inventive. But one the other hand, I was encouraged that the core - and it's definitely changed - but that the core theology, rationale, Christology, ecclesiology, missiology... that was forged way back then.

My principle influences have been Francis Schaeffer, the Dutch Reformers like Kuyper shifted my theology in a big way. I read Calvin's Institutes when I was very young, and got a lot of my ecclesiology from the Evangelical Anabaptists of the Reformation period. Jonathan Edwards and John Owen have been big influences, as well.

B: I had heard you say awhile back that many times it takes guests of the Crowded House some time to get comfortable around your church because of how tightly knit you are. What is it about your church that would make guests feel out of place at times?

S: It would be Christians who would feel a certain sense of disconnect. We tend do church differently than most people, because our leading edge is our "gospel communities" - living life-on-life together on mission is what is distinctive. Most churches struggle to live that out. Just today, I was coaching a senior minister at a large, solid evangelical church and some of the stories that he was telling me is that guys from his church would find it very odd at the Crowded House because of the emphasis of living life-on-life together on mission.

So, when people come and visit from elsewhere, they often comment on how I cope with people always popping in and hanging out at my house and people end up staying. For a lot of Christians, it's just weird.

B: My wife went on a mission trip to England recently, and she told me that she'd never been to such a spiritually dark place. How is your church model particularly working in England? Is this church model of life-on-life more effective in that culture?

S: English people are very private, and so in a lot of ways it's quite counter-cultural. My conviction is that if human beings are made in the image of God, and God is in community, then community is something that is part of our identity as human beings. They might be afraid of it and are undoubtedly are putting all sorts of management techniques that aren't right and godly to satisfy that desire, but it's there. So there's something that is inevitably attractive about the model. I think missionally it's very effective.

B: What are some practical ways that church leaders can encourage their people to actually want to go out and be missionaries in their context?

S: Fundamentally and ambiguously I'd say that it's a gospel issue. If they are averse to the very idea (and there's a difference between that and just being afraid of the experience), then they aren't understanding the gospel properly. Church leadership is all about creating a culture at it's very core, so leaders are responsible for creating, nurturing, and developing that culture. If the recognized leaders aren't doing that, then they aren't leaders whatever their title.

I think there are four principle areas to do this if you have a reluctant congregation, which many men have:

1) Preach it faithfully and biblically. You've got to show that this identity isn't just "my thing" or a "new trendy thing" but that it's core to gospel purpose. I find it quite helpful to use aphorisms or sound bites with substance that help people grasp biblical truth memorably. You have to preach it consistently and publicly from "house to house" to quote Paul in Acts 20.

2) Pray and sing for it. Not just the individual leader only, but he's got to shape the whole prayer life of the church around it. Corporate prayer meetings have got to be missional and you've got to rehearse and pray the gospel out. Even in terms of singing, we've got to sing missionally. Prayer and singing are great ways to capture the affections, and so leaders have the responsibility to put a lot of effort in creativity in those two areas to make sure that we're not only informing peoples minds, but that we're genuinely seeing their hearts captured by the gospel and captivated by Christ. To love Christ is to want to speak of Him and desire His fame. If we don't want to do that, then we don't truly love Him.

3) Model it. You've got to show how the gospel has captured your heart and stimulates your affections and that you're talking about Jesus and commending the gospel to people faithfully and engaging in people's lives. One problem is that leaders love talking about theory but they don't practice it in their lives. They talk about the church, but the reason why their church is institutional is because their leader tends to live institutionally. He lives like a professional, a person with an 8-6 job rather than a person who sees his identity wrapped up in the community of God's people.

4) Build structures. You've got to structure the life of the church around it. I think one of the dangers of the so-called "organic church movement" that we've sometimes been associated with is that it just doesn't appreciate the necessity of structures. All life needs structure - just look at the human body. Build structures that demonstrate and celebrate the centrality of gospel living for the life of the church. Where you put your money, effort, energy, resources, where you release people... they've all got to continue to hammer on that theme.

B: What is your opinion on how elders and church leadership should be structured in a church that is really trying to be missional?

S: I don't buy into the "first among equals" idea; I really believe in a collegiality of leadership where in particular areas one person will take the lead. What I try to do with our eldership, and we have eight in our gathering here, is to keep reiterating the vision and articulating it in different ways and engaging with them as best I can in different contexts. I am very content, not with power, but with influence. I do want to persuade people and be influential, but I can live without institutional power. Then, when the leadership has the same thought in mind, you've got to make sure that it filters through to the different leaders who are engaged with the people. You've persuaded the leaders, and they're persuading others. So, when we come to any big decision we don't just say, "We've decided this, do you agree?" because by the time we've presented it, it's filtered through the life of the church.

My principle strategy for that is generally to have absolutely as much as possible in the open forum. I encourage leaders to talk about things at the leadership level. I'm not talking about personal pastoral issues, but in terms of vision and our whole sense of our direction and who God wants us to be because I think that's the way that people become persuaded. So when it comes to making formal decisions, all the issues have been addressed and all the battles have been fought. We want to be as open as possible, and a value for me is what Paul says in 2 Corinthians, that we don't do anything in secret but that everything is out in the open. Our default is to talk about it openly. Sometimes you can't, but that's our default. For us, a lot of this is going on all the time so that people are aware instead of dumping ideas on them and asking them to approve of it.

B: Do you hold to a strictly elder-led model, or more of an elder-congregation idea?

S: We're definitely elder-led, but my conviction about being elder-led is that you've got to have people persuaded. I'm not a congregationalist, but unless the people are behind it and sign off on it in terms of people being committed to it, then you can make all the decisions you want but it won't do you any good. Leaders have got to persuade. So, if someone pushes back, I won't just accept that, I'll go after them in hopes of persuading them. I want all leaders to be persuasive for the sake of mission, for the sake of the fame of Jesus, for the glory of God.

Guest User 10/23/13 Guest User 10/23/13

4 Ways to Avoid Health and Wealth Parenting

Right now my daughter Maddy doesn’t see the beauty of the storm. She is afraid of thunder and lightning. She could be dead asleep and, within minutes of the first crash of thunder, she’s awake, alert, and calling for mommy or daddy. Her fear has come into focus this summer because in South Carolina, we’ve had a flood of rain this year. When these quick storms first began, I found myself comforting my daughter by saying something like, “Don’t worry. God created the thunder and you don’t have anything to worry about.”

It’s true that she doesn’t have much to worry about in our home when it’s thundering and lightning outside, but the more I thought about the way I approached this situation, the more I realized that I was comforting my children in this way a lot of the time. I was taking the easy way out, promising comfort in exchange for tears.

Then it hit me. The gospel I was rehearsing to them was a health and wealth gospel, a skewed view of God’s sovereignty in pain and suffering.

“God loves you, so nothing bad will happen.”

“You don’t need to worry about living in a fallen world if you just have enough faith.”

“The reality of suffering will never touch you.”

If we preach this kind of gospel to our children now, how will they respond when sin touches their life? How will they respond when they see death ravage a loved one? How will they respond when they are ridiculed by their peers?

We do serve the God who created all things with the power of his word. He does providentially control all of creation. He does sovereignly work things for our good in Christ. But sometimes that means we will suffer. My children need to know this.

As I talked to friends with children and also recalled interactions, I’ve heard between parents and kids, I don’t think this approach is uncommon. As I said, it’s easy. It doesn’t require us to engage in hard conversations. But I want to offer a gospel-motivated, gospel-driven alternative for us as parents. Here are four ways that we can avoid health and wealth parenting.

1. Teach Our Children to Rest in the Love and Sovereignty of God

First, we must urge our children to trust the God who loves us and is sovereign over everything. We must not downplay these truths. They are not in opposition; rather they fit together like a puzzle. The sovereignty of God is not a hammer. It’s a pillow and blanket. The most fearful thing I can think of is living in a world where God is not in control, where he is taken by surprise, where he loves us but is powerless over our suffering.

The love of God is not squishy like a jellyfish. He doesn’t love us in a way that’s not tangible. He loves us in the form of Jesus Christ. God sent his own Son to die for us while we were yet sinners. If God uses “the hands of lawless men” who would crucify Jesus, for his “definite plan” (Acts 2:23), he will use our suffering in his plan as well. These two truths are bound together eternally. You will not find God’s love expressed outside of his sovereign control. Our kids must see that God’s sovereignty is never expressed outside of his love.

2. Teach our Children to Pursue Jesus

Second, we must urge our children to steadfastly pursue Jesus. Jesus is their only hope. They have no other. If they pursue health, it will fail. If they pursue wealth, it will destroy them. If they pursue relationships, they will be let down. If they pursue fame, it bring them low. These are all things that when sought lead to destruction. But Jesus does not fail. He does not destroy. He does not let down. He does not bring low. He exalts.

If you teach your children to pursue to Jesus, they will lack nothing. He is pleasures forevermore. The loss of everything compared to gaining Jesus will in the end seem light and momentary. That can be hard to fathom now, but it will not be hard when our King returns.

Not only does he provide joy and hope in the midst of suffering, he also suffers alongside of us. He obeyed the law perfectly. He loved well. He lived life to its fullest. And he also suffered. Because of that, he knows what suffering feels like (Heb. 2:18). That’s important. You can also see how Jesus cares for others who suffer when he comforts Mary and Martha when Lazarus dies (John 11:1-45). He is genuinely sorrowful. He mourns with them. He is moved to tears by the suffering of his friends. We can expect Christ to have the same compassion with us. When pursued, Jesus provides joy and hope and he does so experientially.

3. Rehearse the Gospel through Tough Conversations

Third, we must rehearse the gospel through tough conversations. My oldest daughter Claire has often asked me, “Will you get old and die?” It’s odd that a child would think about death, but it is a reality in our world. Everyone dies. It would be easy to brush off her question and respond with something like, “Dad will never leave you. Don’t worry about that.” It’s a lot more beneficial to speak age appropriately and candidly. Something like, “Daddy will die someday. Death isn’t the way it should be. But you know something? We belong to God in life and death. He has promised to be faithful all the way until the end. Just like he’s faithful to me, he’ll be faithful to you. No matter what.”

Tough conversations are an opportunity to rehearse the gospel with our children. These are practice runs. These truths aren’t dusty. Everyone will meet circumstances where only the gospel makes sense of life. Rehearsing the gospel by having tough conversation prepares our children to respond well when those times come.

Athletes practice and practice and practice more to create muscle memory. They want to repeat their route, the play, or the motion so many times that when game time comes their bodies react instinctively. That’s gospel rehearsal. It’s spiritual muscle memory. We repeat the promises of God. We point them to Jesus Christ. We sear Scripture into their hearts. We teach them how to pray. These kinds of conversations may raise more questions. That’s okay. Without being candid with them, when “the sea billows roll,” our children may falter. With tough conversations rooted in gospel rehearsal, they will see the other side.

4. Respond Well When Suffering Comes

Finally, we must respond well when suffering comes. It will arise in some form or another. Some of us may fight cancer. Some of us might grieve over the death of a loved one. Some of us might fight against abuse. Some of us might feel the weight of injustice. Some of us might be killed. We shouldn’t downplay suffering. It’s a result of the Fall. But God will wipe away all tears and make all things new when he returns. We must stomp our feet, mourn, and be righteously angry over the sin and suffering that we experience in this world. But we must do this with Jesus Christ in view. We must suffer well.

We respond well because we are in Christ. He is our Head and we are his body. He is our trailblazer. The cross is beautiful because it absorbs our sin and suffering. When we sin against others, we can boldly repent, because Jesus bears the weight of our sins. We can also forgive others for the same reason. The same goes for suffering. It is not escapism. Or cheap grace. It is weighty grace. It is grace anchored in the bloody wounds of Jesus. We must respond well when we suffer so that our children know we take God at His word and the gospel is deadly serious to us. Our kids will see this, and through it they will see Jesus.

So let’s not promise our kids health and wealth. Let’s promise them Jesus Christ in life and death. Let’s promise them a God who is faithful through anything they may experience in this fallen world.

Mathew B. Sims is the Editor-in-Chief at Exercise.com and has authored, edited, and contributed to several books including A Household Gospel, We Believe: Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms for Worship, A Guide for Advent, Make, Mature, Multiply, and A Guide for Holy Week. Mathew, LeAnn (his wife), and his daughters Claire, Maddy, and Adele live in Taylors, SC at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their Airdale Terrier. They attend Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA). Visit MathewBryanSims.com!

David Mathis 10/21/13 David Mathis 10/21/13

Revising the Popular Phrase "In, but Not of"

“In, but not of”— if you’ve spent much time Christian circles, you’re probably familiar with this slogan. In the world, but not of the world. It captures a truth about Jesus’s followers. There’s a real sense in which we are “in” this world, but not “of” it.

In, but not of. Yes, yes, of course.

But might this punchy phrase be giving the wrong impression about our (co)mission in this world as Christians? The motto could seem to give the drift, We are in this world, alas, but what we really need to do is make sure that we’re not of it.

In this way of configuring things, the starting place is our unfortunate condition of being “in” this world. Sigh. And our mission, it appears, is to not be “of” it. So the force is moving away from the world. “Rats, we’re frustratingly stuck in this ole world, but let’s marshal our best energies to not be of it.” No doubt, it’s an emphasis that’s sometimes needed, but isn’t something essential being downplayed?

We do well to run stuff like this through biblical texts. And on this one in particular, we do well to turn to John 17, where Jesus uses these precise categories of “in the world” and “not of the world.” Let’s look for Jesus’s perspective on this.

Not of This World

On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his Father in John 17:14–19,

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Notice Jesus’s references to his disciples being “not of the world.” Verse 14: “The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” And there it is again in verse 16: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Let’s all agree it’s clear that Jesus does not want his followers to be “of the world.” Amen. He says that he himself is “not of the world,” and his disciples are “not of the world.” Here’s a good impulse in the slogan “in, but not of.”

It’s Going Somewhere

But notice that for Jesus being “not of the world” isn’t the destination in these verses but the starting place. It’s not where things are moving toward, but what they’re moving from. He is not of the world, and he begins by saying that his followers are not of the world. But it’s going somewhere. Jesus is not huddling up the team for another round of kumbaya, but so that we can run the next play and advance the ball down the field.

Enter verse 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” And don’t miss the surprising prayer of verse 15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

Sent into This World

Jesus is not asking his Father for his disciples to be taken out of the world, but he is praying for them as they are “sent into” the world. He begins with them being “not of the world” and prays for them as they are “sent into” the world.

So maybe it would serve us better — at least in light of John 17 — to revise the popular phrase “in, but not of” in this way: “not of, but sent into.” The beginning place is being “not of the world,” and the movement is toward being “sent into” the world. The accent falls on being sent, with a mission, to the world — not being mainly on a mission to disassociate from this world.

Crucified to the World — And Raised to It

Jesus’s assumption in John 17 is that those who have embraced him, and identified with him, are indeed not of the world. And now his summons is our sending — we are sent into the world on mission for gospel advance through disciplemaking.

Jesus’s true followers have not only been crucified to the world, but also raised to new life and sent back in to free others. We’ve been rescued from the darkness and given the Light not merely to flee the darkness, but to guide our steps as we go back in to rescue others.

So let’s revise the popular phrase “in, but not of." Christians are not of this world, but sent into it. Not of, but sent into.

David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for Desiring God and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in the Twin Cities. He and his wife, Megan, have twin sons and live in Minneapolis. David has edited several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing., Finish the Mission, and most recently Acting the Miracle: God’s Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification.

[This was originally posted at Desiring God.]

Jim Essian 10/18/13 Jim Essian 10/18/13

Like Father, Like Sons

I attended three schools a year for a while. My dad was managing in professional baseball and decided early on that the family being together was worth the sacrifice, struggle, and difficulty of constantly having to travel and change schools, and the security of a “normal” home life.

Of course, I loved it. It was normal for me. Home was the clubhouse and the smell of pine tar, or the luggage rack on the bus where I would sleep as the team went from town to town. Home was watching my dad play cards on a cooler set in the aisle, covered with a towel to keep the cards from sliding off, holding a beer can in his lap. His there-ness far exceeded any inconvenience. How could anything else be an option?

After watching Bob Ross paint a "happy squirrel" and my sister and I trying to paint along—a kind of "paint by Ross" version of paint by numbers—I would take a quick afternoon nap and then head to the park with dad in time for batting practice. The nap was necessary because I would be at the park until about 11 o'clock at night.

I would hang out in his office, shag fly balls during batting practice, be the batboy for the game; occasionally I would see him get thrown out of a game for arguing with the umpire, or light up one of his players for some particular reason (usually disrespect of some kind, "This is a monologue, not a dialogue!").

Child psychologists would probably sniff their noses at my childhood, like dogs smelling meat, ready to pounce: “Children need stability!” Yes, they do, and the father is to be the anchor.

Secure as Sojourners

The Father’s children aren’t at home either (1 Pet. 2:11). Furthermore, our well-being doesn’t necessitate wealth, possessions, the best schools, or people who approve of us. What anchors us, why we are secure, why we are commanded countless times, “Do not fear!” is that the Father is with us.

See, it is easy to excuse your lack of there-ness with your desire to “give your children a better life” or “make sure they can get the best education.” Those are well-meaning desires, and a father should work hard to leave a good legacy to his children. We should plan well, save well, and block for our family like a bull-headed fullback paves the way for the tailback to get up field. That approach only works, however, if you are playing the same game, and if the goal is the end zone of our children knowing the Father—for that to happen, you have to be there.

I have never met someone who hated their father because he didn’t buy them a nice car; I have, however, met plenty of people with jacked up lives and relationships—with a degree from a reputable university hanging on the wall—because their dad was not ever home.

Paul Tripp tells a similar story:

“When I speak in churches, I often single out the men and challenge, ‘Some of you are so busy in your careers that you’re seldom home, and when you are, you are so physically exhausted that you have nothing to offer your children. You don’t even know your own kids. I offer a radical challenge to you. Go to your boss and ask for a demotion. Take less pay. Move out of that dream house and into a smaller one. Sell your brand new car and drive an older one. Be willing to do what God has called you to do in the life of your children.’

In a culture with two-income families, increasingly that challenge must also be made to women who also sacrifice family for career.

I made that appeal at one home-school conference and it angered a man in the crowd, although I didn’t know it at the time. Two years later he came over to me during a conference break. As he got closer, he began to weep. He said, ‘Two years ago I heard you give the challenge you just gave tonight and I got angry. I thought, What right do you have to say that? But I was haunted by your words. I thought, He’s speaking about me. My whole life is away from the home and I don’t know my own kids. I finally went to my boss one morning and said, ‘I want to talk to you about my position.’ My boss said, ‘Look, we’ve advanced you as much and as fast as we can.’ And I said, ‘No, no, just hear me, I want a demotion.’ The boss looked startled. He asked, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘The most important thing in my life is not this job. The most important thing is that God has given me five children. I‘m His instrument in forming their souls. But right now, I don’t even know my own kids.’

The boss said, ‘I’ve never heard this kind of conversation before and I’ll probably never hear it again. I’m very moved. We’ll find you a position where you can work forty hours a week. You can punch in and punch out and have less responsibility. But I’m not going to be able to pay you enough.’ I said, ‘That’s fine.’

We sold the house of our dreams, got rid of two luxury cars and bought a mini-van. It’s been two years now, and not one of my kids has come to me and said ‘Dad, I wish we lived in a big house,’ or ‘Dad, I wish we had new cars.’ But over and over again they have come and said, ‘Dad, we’ve been having so much fun with you. It’s great to have you around.’ Now, for the first time, I can say I know exactly where my children are. I know their hearts. I know what I need to be doing in their lives. I’m actually being a father.”

The Gospel is not a call to comfort. It is news that the Father wants to be with us and will sacrifice even His Son to do so. However, it is also a call to join the Father in what He is doing—saving sinners for His glory. He is not so concerned with our comfort, or our safety; He is not always concerned we are at the perfect church (His “school” for us); He is not losing sleep over how much He could provide us (for some, He gives great wealth, for others, just what they need to get by). He does, however, promise His presence is with us. Look at the shear tonnage of verses explicitly stating God’s there-ness and the context of the promise:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you . . . do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5,9)

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

“Then David said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.’” (1 Chronicles 28:20)

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)

The call is never to comfort. In fact, quite the opposite. The demands are great: Leading people into the Promised Land, building a great temple that foreshadows Christ, obeying a radical call to contentment with money, and making disciples of all nations. The anchor in these great calls of sacrifice, discomfort, and lack of security is the presence of God. We could have all the money in the world, the best education, the safest (and nicest) cars, and still drift out to sea, the weight of all that “stuff” drowning us—we need the Anchor.

Quantity Time with Your Children

Quality time is a myth; your children need quantity time. You are their anchor. Your there-ness makes them feel safe, loved, and cared for. Furthermore, your calling is to disciple them. This means they are to go with you as you do life. Your children are not some slice of a pie that can be compartmentalized from the other pieces. Your children should help you around the house and go with you to do chores, and you should let them watch you in life—how else will they learn? Certainly there are times of sitting down and reading with them or playing with them, but it cannot just be that. Whenever you can, bring them along. This is how we are instructed to teach them all that God has commanded us:

“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.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

This is the foundational text for discipleship in parenting. The Christian life is not compartmentalized from “everyday” life; it saturates and permeates all of life—and your parenting does as well. How can we be faithful to this if we aren’t there?

The Father sacrificed much for you to be in His presence. As fathers imaging the Father, we must sacrifice time with the guys, hunting trips, late hours at work, and time at the golf course so that our children would be anchored—not adrift at sea, being “tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14) or every swell the ideas and philosophies of this world ask them to surf in. It is our time, our there-ness, that they need.

Jim Essian planted The Paradox Church in 2011 and serves as Lead Pastor. The Paradox is an Acts 29 Network church in Downtown Fort Worth, TX. Jim played eight years of professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers organizations prior to planting a church. Jim and his wife, Heather, have two girls, Harper and Hollis.

[This is an excerpt from Jim's book, Like Father, Like Sons: Meditations on God as Our Father.]

Gino Curcuruto 10/16/13 Gino Curcuruto 10/16/13

Parenting and Grocery Store Tantrums

As parents of four children, my wife Jill and I don’t have to leave the house to have opportunities to disciple not-yet believers in Christ. Add to the mix that we also need to be reminded of and apply the gospel to our lives, and you have a small community on mission within the confines of our home! We don’t only go to missional community to make disciples; we are a missional community that makes disciples. We are always making disciples, especially when parenting our kids. This means that when a kid holding Legos in one hand and a lightsaber in the other wakes me up at 5:30 a.m. to tell me he’s hungry or has to pee, it’s discipleship time. I don’t get to throw the gospel out the window because it isn’t time to gather with others for worship or our weekly meal yet.

If we are to see the mission of Jesus move forward in our homes and neighborhoods, something more than a scheduled series of events or classes is needed. While these events and classes might be valuable equipping tools to help resource our people, only when we approach everyday life situations as opportunities to bring the gospel to bear on each other’s lives will we consistently learn how to walk in obedience to all that Jesus has commanded.

Discipleship in All of Life

In the mess of everyday life, we must apply the gospel. Applying the gospel is speaking the truth of what Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension has done for those who believe. The gospel radically changes who we are, and often in the ordinariness of everyday life, we forget who we are in the gospel. We are sons and daughters, made into new creations through the Christ. So, applying the gospel is reminding a believer of their identity in Christ by speaking the work of Christ into their particular situation, and by showing how Jesus is better than the current idol they are desiring in that moment. But to know how to bring the gospel to bear on their life, you need to not only need to know the gospel, you need to know the person too. You need listen to them, you need to hear or see what they struggling with. Applying the gospel requires proximity, life together. Paul said that it is through speaking the truth in love to one another that we grow up in Christ (Eph. 4:15).

Jill and I are blessed to be raising four children. This gives much opportunity for us to speak the gospel with them (and each other) in ordinary life. Discipling kids, much like anyone else, is no easy task. Apart from the work of the Spirit in our lives, it's actually impossible. Left to ourselves, don’t we just want to manage our kids behavior so we are comfortable?

We as parents are often more caught up in how our kids behavior reflects back on us than whether our children are honoring and displaying God. How often does our embarrassment by their sin lead us into shaming them? But do we stop and ask ourselves, “How is this discipling them to Jesus?” Truth is, it's not. That's just piling our sin on theirs and making a big old mess.

What if, as parents, we were so rooted in our identity in Christ that when our kid’s behavior is deplorable we lovingly corrected rather than hopelessly joined in? What if this kind of discipleship of our children became more common in our own lives? What if this was more common not only with our children but in all of our relationships? How much more might we proclaim the gospel if this kind of discipleship was our normal, everyday routine?

Everyday Discipleship in the Grocery Store

Jill and I will often and intentionally go grocery shopping together with all four of our kids. While this may sound a little like we’re asking for trouble, we do this intentionally so that we can “bump into” people we might know individually and strike up a conversation. Of course, there are times when this may seem to backfire when our four kids get a little out of hand. Crowded grocery stores, plus two adults, plus four kids, equals plenty of opportunities for our idols to surface. There is nothing like a little stress to pull our sin to the surface.

On one such trip, our youngest son was disappointed over not getting to ride in a particular type of cart. He wanted the race car shopping cart, but all of those were being used by other customers and he wouldn’t settle for the regular shopping cart. He threw a tantrum. In the moment of my son’s tantrum in a busy grocery store, I forgot the gospel. I wanted to control his behavior. I wanted him to be quiet so people would stop looking at us. Ultimately, I was in sin, wanting my son to obey me so that others would see me as a good parent.

Jill, rightly bringing the gospel to bear, gently corrected our son. She gospeled his heart while rebuking his behavior. She didn’t need to focus on what others think of her because of our kids’ behavior; she needed to disciple our son. So, she was freed up to bring the gospel to our disobedient child in the midst of everyday life.

Do you see it? I was living out of a false identity. When my son threw a fit in a public place, my identity was in how poorly my kid was behaving and in what others might think of me. Contrast that with Jill, resting securely in her identity in Christ. She loved, adopted, and accepted; she was able to discipline our son correctly. Like Jesus, she pursued the one in need with little concern with what those around her thought of her. She certainly addressed our son’s behavior but ultimately, and just like Jesus, she shared how the source of this outburst was treasuring stuff more than obeying God’s command to honor and obey his parents (Eph. 6:1).

She was able to tell our son that she too often fails to obey God, that she, like him is a mess and needs the grace of God to obey. She offered hope in the gospel by telling him, “Jesus is the one, the only one, who obeyed his Father perfectly. And he obeyed right away, all the way and with a happy heart. He obeyed to death, paying the price for all your disobedience and my disobedience so that if we trust in him, we can be brought near to God. Son, you’re not good and neither am I. We both need Jesus to rescue us from our wanting other things more than what he wants for us.” That’s speaking the truth in love. In that moment, it was precisely what our young son needed to hear. Maybe you would say it a little differently. Certainly the same gospel presentation doesn’t need to be shared in all situations, but we should seek to speak the truth in love in some way regardless of the situation.

As I watched her demonstrate Jesus in her pursuit of a sinner (our child) and heard her declare the gospel, I was convicted of my own sin. My son was restored and got into the regular shopping cart and we went on our way.

Freedom in the Gospel

As we travelled the aisles getting groceries, I was growing more and more disappointed that I wasn’t able to do what my wife had just done. “Some leader of the household you are!” I thought to myself. And before I could move any deeper into condemning myself, my wife preached the gospel to me, as well. She turned to me and reminded me of what the Spirit had just shown me, that I was not helping our son by getting frustrated because of my fear others. Then she reminded me that God is glorious so I don’t have to fear others, and that the gospel is big enough for me to find forgiveness for this and all sin.

The gospel is real and it is very, very big. Bigger than my sin; bigger than my children's sin. Look, we don’t always get this right in my household. If you spend some time with us, you’ll recognize that we are far from perfect in demonstrating and declaring the gospel. We need much grace. But our hope doesn’t rest in our ability to be perfect inasmuch as the ability of the Perfect One to perfect us. While we desire to walk in obedience in making disciples, ultimately my obedience is not as important as Christ’s obedience is to the outcomes.

The gospel frees us to see these challenging situations as opportunities for discipleship. We can either join in the sin of others and make disciples of ourselves or demonstrate and declare the gospel and make disciples of Jesus. As parents we all disciple our children in the ways of someone. As followers of Jesus, we have the power through the Spirit to disciple them, and all people, in the ways of Jesus.

Gino Curcuruto is a disciple of Jesus, husband to Jill, and father of four. He is a chiropractor by trade and missionary by calling. Gino enjoys making disciples in the everyday: at home, at work, on the block, and within the church. Twitter: @ginoc

Guest User 10/14/13 Guest User 10/14/13

Your Church Doesn't Need Followers

Everyone makes disciples of something or someone. Just think about all the disciples that are made each and every fall as college football and the NFL kicks off with a brand new season full of thrills and excitement. It’s not new. It’s the same game played each and every year. But there’s much to be excited about. Why? Because we love it. We throw on our favorite jersey, eat our favorite nachos, and party while grown men war for a trophy. It’s great.

Disciples love the object that is teaching them something. The very definition of a disciple is "learner," though it is not simply a cognitive thing. It’s a life thing. We invest our emotions, desires, affections, money, time, energy in its mission. We’re all followers; we’re all passionate about something.

It is often the case that local churches build disciples around the organization itself. More often than not, this is accidental. We as church leaders and members typically have good intentions. We want people to know Jesus. We think that our pastors and our music and our worship experience are great gateways to meeting Jesus. That's why we invest in that church community, right?

But being a disciple of Jesus means that we are learning from him, walking in his ways. To be a disciple of Jesus means that we take our cues from him, not an organization. If we're not careful, we can get distracted by the organization or event and forget about the reason it exists - for the glory of God.

What happens when we make disciples of the church instead of disciples of Jesus? What might that look like? Here are five signs that we might be making disciples of our church instead of Jesus.

1. We Get Upset When People Are Gone

A prominent temptation of a local church is to root success in attendance on Sunday mornings. This is only part of what it means to be the church. Yes we gather, but we also scatter. If we put too much emphasis on the Sunday gathering and see this alone as “church,” then we’ll get frustrated when people aren’t there. Many pastors and members build their identity around numbers. This is dangerous and is most certainly a sign that you aren’t focused on making disciples of Jesus, but instead, disciples of the church. Disappointment is understandable; we want to see the lost come to know Jesus. But that must be grounded in gospel-motivation toward seeing more and more people become disciples of Jesus.

Disciples of Jesus build their identity around the gospel. Disciples of the church build their identity around attendance.

2. We Criticize Other Churches

We all tend to think that we’re the pure, true, and most correct church. This may in fact be true, but when we demonize others and divide on secondary matters, we are trying to defend Jesus when he needs no defense. When we criticize others, we are making disciples of our church because we want to keep people near to us and away from "them." We're more concerned about them huddling up with us instead of sending them out on mission. Suddenly your criticism serves as a ploy to justify “your church” and all of its perfection. We must remember that, unless heretical teachings exist elsewhere, all churches built on the gospel of Jesus are on the same team. We are fighting the same fight under the same Master. If a person in the church wants to join mission with another church, they should be sent away with joy and prayer. We should love other Jesus-glorifying churches as we all make disciples of him.

Disciples of Jesus are known for their love (John 13:35). Disciples of the church are known for what they’re against.

3. We Invite People to Come but Don't Tell Them to Go

This is a classic - and often overlooked - example. When success is defined by an individual’s attendance and giving instead of obedience to the gospel, we make disciples of the church instead of Jesus. When we over-emphasize “church” activities (Bible studies, Sunday night services, Wednesday night services, age-appropriate services, missional communities, service projects, etc.), it is no wonder a person views church as merely a thing they attend. They tend to embrace the goods and services, pay their money, and leave. We are so busy seeing church as a come-and-see event that people aren’t sent out on mission into their families, groups of friends, neighborhoods, workplaces, and to the ends of the earth. We must equip people in the power of the gospel to take that gospel out into their everyday lives. A lamp under a basket does not offer light to a dark world (Matt. 5:15-16).

Disciples of Jesus are sent on mission and challenged to do so. Disciples of the church just come and sit.

4, We Make Gatherings a Gimmick

When we ignore the mission of making disciples of Jesus, we tend to fill the time with goods and services. Suddenly, the bulk of our teaching becomes a gimmick to “get people to church" instead of a passionate plea for mission through the power and purpose of the gospel. We set up our Sunday mornings to make it as comfortable as possible. This is related to point #3, because instead of freeing up the church calendar for mission, we fill it with entertainment that ultimately distracts people from the real task at hand. Instead of training people for war, we entertain them with pithy paraphernalia. I get it. It’s often easier, because living our lives on full display for a doubting and watching world is hard. But Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him. This means that church gatherings are a training ground for gospel battle, not a hip place to drink coffee and feel better about ourselves.

Disciples of Jesus long for the gospel, long to see not-yet believers come to Christ, and situate their lives to accomplish this. Disciples of the church long for the newest and best gimmick at church.

5. We Make the Gospel Dependent Upon Men

It's tempting to default toward trying to get people in the doors so that the gospel invitation can be given by the "professionals." We do this with good intentions, hoping that the lost person will come to faith. However, this sometimes turns into us spending more time getting people to acclimate to our church culture rather than familiarizing them with the good news and the grand mission. The gospel then becomes something only “those” people need to "get saved," and not something that is a daily necessity for all people. We tie their faith to a one-time experience based on the teaching of someone other than Jesus. This stunts their lifelong growth in the gospel. The gospel is the very power of God, not simply a fact to be acknowledged one Sunday morning. We must, with laser-like focus, continually point people to Jesus and the gospel as the only perfect goal. People will let them down; Jesus never will. He must be their prize, their hope, and their motivation toward daily striving.

Disciples of Jesus long for the gospel in every moment. Disciples of the church see the gospel as irrelevant in day-to-day life.

Are we making disciples of Jesus and centering our churches around him and his mission? Or are we too busy making our own survival as an organization the most important thing?

Jason M. Garwood (M.Div., Th.D.) serves as Lead Pastor of Colwood Church in Caro, MI. Jason and his wife Mary have three children, Elijah, Avery and Nathan. He blogs at www.jasongarwood.com. Connect with him on Twitter: @jasongarwood.

Owen Strachan 10/11/13 Owen Strachan 10/11/13

The Important Work of Witness

I want to tell you a story about a girl from ancient times.

She was a young woman possessing a quiet spirit. You might have found her type in any age—sweet, kind, and modest. If she were around today, she might be a fixture at youth group, a fan of Hillsong Music, and a devotee of a local coffee shop. Whatever her musical interests, you would know you could count on her, because behind her quiet and selfless demeanor was a strong faith.

Her name was Blandina. She in fact never sang a Christian rock anthem or visited a cafe, because she lived in the second century in present-day France. Hers was a humble life. In reality, it was a hard life. She was a slave girl.

With many others in Lyon, Blandina had become a Christian around AD 177. An elderly pastor named Pothinus had labored for years to spread the gospel in the area, and he had seen much success. People from all levels of society came to faith, including slaves like Blandina, from a place called Lyon in France.

Lyon was the main city of Gaul, which was part of the Roman Empire, still the world superpower at the time and officially pagan in nature. Seeking unity, the emperor Domitian had made Christianity illegal during his reign from AD 81 to 96. This did little to stop the spread of the faith, however, and actually seemed to intensify it. Blandina was one tiny part of this unquenchable trend, anonymous and unnoticed.

Until, that is, the persecution in Gaul reached fever pitch.

The anti-Christian spirit in Lyon grew so great that household servants suspected of being Christian made up outrageous accusations against believers to save their own skins. Charges such as incest and murder were thrown around. In the ensuing fracas, Blandina and many other Christians were taken into official custody. The odds of their survival were not good.

In short order, Blandina’s life was upended. With others, she was tortured under interrogation. Such official action was not fact-finding in nature; it was designed to break the will of the Christians in order to justify their impending deaths. Blandina was not a strong girl. She was not hearty. Her torturers were trained soldiers of tough fiber. On the list of tasks for a Roman warrior, subduing young girls was easy. Ratchet up the pain, break some bones, and get the job done.

That should have been what happened to Blandina. However, she did not die on the rack. Though she was tortured “from morning till evening” until her body was mangled, no amount of pain led her to confess error in being a Christian. She seemed to gain strength, in fact, when in the midst of her torture she cried out, “I am a Christian, and there is nothing vile done by us.”1

This was a woman, a believer, of whom this world was not worthy.

Can We Find This Kind of Strength Today?

Whew. I feel like I need a walk around the block after an account like that. That is the kind of real-life story that will, if you’re not careful, grab ahold of you and never let go.

This, I would propose, is exactly what many of us need today. We’ve established thus far that many of us could use some encouragement. Because of cultural pressure and other factors, many of us are tempted to live in a way that avoids sacrifice rather than embraces it when it is necessary to honor Christ.

We see cultural pressure and the costly nature of Christian faith in a secularizing culture, and we recoil. Is this really what God requires of us—to be unpopular and unsuccessful and even hated? That’s not what I got into this for. I was promised prosperity and favor and blessing. I was told that in coming to Jesus, the whole world would lie down at my feet. Raises would happen, friends would be made, difficulties would cease, sickness would end, and on the list goes. Now I’m making my way through life, and none of that is happening, and I’m seriously considering getting out.

This is an entirely natural way to think today. The challenges we discussed are real, painfully real. But here’s the thing: God has something better for us. He offers a gospel to believe and a kingdom to serve. He doesn’t want us to hunker down; he wants us to put it all on the line, risk everything, and experience the joy that comes from losing yourself in the only cause that counts. That’s the faith that comes from Christ; that’s the message we learn from the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30).

That’s what the life of Blandina, and countless martyrs alongside her, teaches us.

How to Get There

So maybe you’re with me so far. You’re fired up by Blandina’s stunning example. You see that you’re tempted to play down your faith, to hide your light under a basket, as Jesus memorably put it (Matt. 5:15). You might even see that you love Christ but don’t really want to be bold. You’re not some super-apostle; you understand that if an odd opportunity presents itself to “be persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (5:10) that’s cool, but you’re just a normal Christian who wants to keep on keeping on.

Let me encourage you to approach your Christian witness with a few things in mind.

Remember that all of life is witness. As I mentioned earlier, we too often think of gospel “witness” or “mission” as something we do at a certain time in the week. At other times in our regular lives, we’re not doing it. We need to rethink this. All of our lives should be witness. In reality, this is not a new idea, but an ancient one.

The ancient Israelites were to be a continual light to their children, for example. They were charged by Yahweh to teach their offspring that “the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4). This was supposed to be communicated at all times, as we saw earlier in Deuteronomy 6:6–9. This is true for us too. We should teach the truth about God and communicate the gospel of Christ to our children in specific times. But the witness of the Israelites went beyond this, and so should ours.

We’ll teach our families minute by minute, and we can proclaim and show that Christ has saved us at work, talking to parents at the park, on the bus, at intermission at a concert, at the local Starbucks, and everywhere in between. We can both preach the gospel in a way that makes sense to the context and live according to the gospel. We can, for example, show the fruit of the Spirit at all times. That will be an obvious witness to those around us.

So, talk to the mailman as a witness; go to your spinning class as a witness; use Facebook as a witness; sell socks on Etsy as a witness; answer the door as a witness; pin things on Pinterest as a witness; raise your children as a witness; drive in busy traffic as a witness; do laundry as a witness; create playlists on Spotify as a witness. Be bold and unapologetic. You do not need to be sent by an agency to be a fearless agent of the gospel. Your local church is training you for this role, week after week. The Holy Spirit is inside you. This is the commissioning you need. Gospel work isn’t for a half-hour slot every other week.

Your whole life is witness.

Living in this way is not confining. It’s liberating. It will fill moments that previously felt wasted with purpose. Ministry isn’t for the super-Christians. Every believer is a member of the “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6). All of us offer service to God. We can all risk everything for him. We can live every day for him.

Remember the incredible importance of witness. You will be a bolder Christian in your corner of things if you regularly call to mind just how important such work is.

Sometimes we act as if God is going to do it all. But in reality, God has called us to carry out the mission with him. This is part of the remarkable story of the New Testament. Jesus began the work of the kingdom when he came to earth. The majestic rule of God became visible and tangible as Jesus, the Messiah, performed miracles and taught as only God can teach. Though his disciples struggled to understand him, Christ’s true identity emerged as time passed by. Jesus undertook a new kind of kingship, however. He ascended not a throne but a cross. On the cross he canceled the debt of a wicked people and overcame the powers of darkness.

We may assume that things stopped there, and we’re all left to marvel at what Jesus accomplished. From there on out, God would lead people to see this wondrous truth, and salvation would be like a zap from the sky.

But that’s the thing: while God does all the saving of sinners, he calls his church to take up the work of the gospel. This is what the book of Acts shows: the first Christians began to spread the news of eternal life in Jesus’ name to everyone they could. Their story is intended to give way to our story. We are called to join them in promoting the gospel in all the world.

Is everybody supposed to be a Paul? An Apollos? A Stephen? Trotting the globe, leading the mission? No. Many of us are called to labor right where we are. But this must not obscure the fact that as believers, every last one of us is called to be a witness. The instruction Christ gave to his apostles is for us as well: “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” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit did come upon the disciples of Christ, empowering them for faithful gospel proclamation (Acts 2:1–4). He does the same for every Christian today. The “sealing of the Spirit” is an empowerment for witness. A lot of times we focus on the Spirit’s work in other areas, but we must fix this in our minds: God has given us the precious Holy Spirit to light a fire in our hearts, and to enable us to carry that fire into the world so that fellow sinners may be rescued from eternal condemnation.

So we’re not supposed to gaze up at heaven, waiting on spiritual rain. It is essential that you and I recognize that God has given us a very important role: we are to be witnesses of Christ. We don’t have a choice in this matter. Every Christian shares this call, though we will naturally play different roles in the movement. Not all of us have the gift of evangelism, but all of us have the charge to evangelize.

This will likely feel daunting to many of us. But we can trust in the empowerment of God to lead us. We don’t lack anything that we need for this mission. We know the gospel, and we possess the Holy Spirit. Start here; go anywhere. There’s not some evangelistic secret you must unlock before you can witness effectively to people. It’s important to listen and learn what you can about others. But the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

Pray for boldness, and act in boldness. If you fail, try again. I’ve seen God give me the words I needed in many situations in which I felt awkward and afraid. I still do, and I would guess that I always will, at least some of the time. My cheeks get hot, my mouth gets dry, and I don’t know what exactly to say.

But then God gives me the courage to speak. He’s so faithful, and so kind.

He will do the same for you.

Remember the incredible power of a simple witness. Let me give you a few examples that play this out.

One of my friends was surfing channels one cold Maine night and happened upon the 700 Club. He didn’t know the truth about his sin and his need for a savior. He wasn’t expecting to make a life-changing decision while he was passing the time. He was doing what millions of us do: turn on the TV, zone out, and wait for sleep to take over. Something clicked, though, as the gospel was shared. He’s since become a strong believer, a godly member of his local church, and is raising his kids to know the Lord.

Another friend of mine was walking on the campus of the University of Maryland. He had seen “street preachers” before but paid them little mind. He was in business school and had little time for demagogues denouncing passersby. But something changed one day. He realized that in his quest to get everything, all he could in business, he was chasing the wind and would end up with nothing. The preacher’s words about Jesus’ death and resurrection pierced him. He was saved on the spot. Since then, he’s gone on to be a ministry leader with a thriving family.

I think also of a former atheist named John Joseph, whom I heard speak at the Together for the Gospel conference before 8,000 attendees. Just a few years ago, he was trapped in lust. Beyond that, he was a cocaine dealer. This guy was the type you see and think, Wow. That one’s beyond my powers. Not sure anyone’s going to reach him. But God is in the business of blowing us away. This young dude, looking like a Hollywood movie star, went to his local Blockbuster one night. He picked up Bill Maher’s Religulous, an open attack on and mockery of religious belief. This guy usually liked Maher’s stuff, but in this film he pushed too far and—even in the eyes of a fellow atheist—didn’t seem fair to Christians.

So, John got online, googled “Christianity Atheism debate,” and ended up watching videos of a spellbinding apologist named Ravi Zacharias. It was like Saul on the Damascus Road. John was struck dumb. He next came across Desiring God Ministries, which features the teaching of Pastor John Piper, and listened to sermon after sermon. In the course of this he was converted to Christ and transformed. He’s now a member of a strong church in Washington, D.C.

We could go on and on, my friends. What do we see in these and other testimonies? That God is great and merciful to sinners! That awesome truth aside, we see also that our witness is important. The work we do matters. Our preaching of the gospel is not dumb. We will feel that way; Satan will discourage in the moments when we do break free of fear and awkwardness. He’ll ambush us emotionally and cause us to doubt that we’ve said the right words. He’ll paralyze us by making us think that no good could ever come from our witness. If only God had sent someone else, someone who actually knows what he’s talking about.

These are lies from the pit of hell. But they will come. This is a natural part of a bold witness. Expect, as Jesus said, persecution. Plan for opposition. Ready your heart for it.

Keep pushing. Keep trying. Keep praying.

Your witness is important. You don’t need to be a super-Christian. You don’t need to be a missionary (though that is sensationally important work). You need to recognize the task God has given you, and invest where you are. It may not always be the case that you can share the whole gospel, either. Perhaps you take time in a certain situation to build trust and establish a friendship. Don’t condemn yourself in that case. When it is right to speak up, you’ll know. Sometimes we need to be direct, and sometimes we need to allow people to observe how we live and see how God works to redeem sinners.

Owen Strachan is executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and assistant professor of Christian Theology and Church History at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. He also teaches for the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Bethany and is the father of two children. Follow him on Twitter.

[This is an excerpt from Dr. Strachan's forthcoming book, Risky Gospel.]

Seth McBee 10/9/13 Seth McBee 10/9/13

I Hate My Church

Start answering these questions, and you’ll be well on your way of leaving, if it’s a must, in a healthy, God-honoring way.

People desire to leave their local church for a variety of reasons. Some are frustrated with their pastor’s preaching or someone in their community group. More often, people simply want to do ministry differently than what their church is currently doing. This frequently leads to frustration and even resentment.

For example, in training leaders around the globe, I often find that many people believe in the idea that gospel communities on mission should be a primary organizing structure for the local church. It excites them. They read the Book of Acts and believe that it describes these types of communities as God's desire for us as his people.

They go through trainings, they listen to resources online, they read articles, and they often come up to me after I teach and say, “I’m ready, but my church just doesn’t seem to get it. I think I am ready to leave and start something new. What do you think I should do?”

First, this is a big deal. This isn’t something that I, a mere human, can truly answer for anyone. But, instead of just staring at someone and making it awkward, I feel like something should be said. Plus, it seems that there is a mass exodus from local church families around the country. Instead of serving a local church, people are leaving to start stuff on their own, living life as a silo without the family of God at all. Some are leaving the faith altogether. (Check out this article on church attendance. I know this doesn’t speak to the issue exactly, but if people are giving up attending a gathering altogether, these numbers do speak into it in a general sense.)

I want to give you some quick insight if you are frustrated with the ministry approach of your local church.

Church Family Is Not an Option

When one wants to give up on the local church altogether and do it on their own, they’ll have to look back to the Scriptures and start asking some questions. At the very least, they must see how God has always formed his people, and for what reason.

We see from the beginning that Adam and Eve were in community with God, and that one of their main purposes was to be fruitful and multiply more image-bearers of God’s glory. Not only that, but God was the one who informed/formed Adam and Eve of their image (stating that they were "very good" before they did anything good or bad). He was their Lord.

When people became what they were not what God intended to be, he sent a flood to destroy mankind. You'll notice what he told Noah and his family afterwards:

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1)

God then called Abram out of his land, to be a great nation and to create a large family. Then, God made Israel a nation. In both instances, God’s intent was the furthering of the image of what he was like (not because they were great or large in number as Deuteronomy 7 points out).

God then takes this same understanding into the New Testament. Jesus calls us his Church, his flock, his body, his new family to show off who God is and what he is like. Then we actually see this life lived out in the culture and context of the church in Acts.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

I love this passage because it speaks to what God intended for his people to be all along. Not only so, but it comes right after the Spirit comes upon his church at Pentecost. As we continue to read through Acts, and then the various other letters in the New Testament, we see this church life lived out among God’s people, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.

This understanding of being in community, empowered by God for the sake of the mission of God is all throughout God's story. And these are just a few examples.

Who is God and what is he like? One of the aspects of God is that he is triune in nature, meaning, he lives in community. One God in three persons. So, when we live in community, we are pointers to who God is and what he is like.

So, if you plan on leaving the church altogether, you have some serious questions to answer based on the Scriptures given to us by God.

My Church Doesn’t Get It

I started living out missional community life back in 2007 as a youth pastor. I didn’t know what it was called then, but the way I formed the group with our leaders and youth, it’s exactly what we were doing. We had the entire families involved, and the group was growing with believers and unbelievers. It was amazing. We did this for about a year and half, but then I was told by the Senior Pastor that the church didn’t support it because it wasn’t the traditional youth group he was used to. So, not only did they ask us to stop, but they asked me to step down. I was totally cool with it, because I told him I didn’t want to get in the way of the church’s overall vision for how God had called them to.

At that point, he asked me to head up our community groups to see how might be able to implement some of the aspects of what I was doing in the youth group for the church as a whole. I started to implement, but it just got out of hand. I started to get angry and I reacted in ways I wish I could take back. I was purposely preaching, teaching, and leading in ways that I knew was against the local elders’ views. Instead of taking them my thoughts and asking for their wisdom, I just acted. Even though I think the ways I was leading were more biblical, it was doing it in a way that was rebellious.

I’ve learned a lot from that experience. I’ve also learned a lot from others that have done a much better job than I have in submitting to their elders, as they desire to live as a gospel community on mission.

Here is what I’ve learned for those who desire to do ministry differently than their local church:

1. Go to your elders/leaders, tell them some of the things that you are learning, and ask them for wisdom. Most likely, the elders/leaders at your church love Jesus and his mission. They have a lot of wisdom for you to learn from. Seek it and take it to the Spirit. Do not go into any meetings with your elders/pastors as a know-it-all, but as a learner.

2. Ask them if you can start living in this way, under their leadership. Ensure them you do not desire to leave, or take people with you. You want to live in this way to see if God might use it to be a beacon of light to the church, rather than against the church. See how you can be a submissive servant to the church, instead of seen as a grumpy dissenter.

What if I Need to Leave?

There are times where you will need to leave the church to either start something new, or to go and join a new one. Even though I highly recommend going to be part of another church where elders are established, I know this isn’t the reality for many. But, if I may, and if you are still reading, allow me to give you some further insight on this process:

1. Do not dump a list of “why you suck” on the elders when telling them it’s time to part ways. I’ve seen many a people who keep everything to themselves for years, then dump the last 10/20/30 years of things that they hate on the elders, and then leave. That’s just not loving. That’s like your child coming to you at the age of 18 and laying out all the ways you’ve disappointed them and then walking out of your house. Be open and honest with your leaders, but give them time to take it in and time to change. Maybe they’ll give you insight on the ins and outs of why certain things are the way that they are.

Have you ever been around a child that walks all over their parents, are totally misbehaved and you can’t believe it? Then you find out that they have a major behavioral disorder? Sometimes context and insight help us understand. So, I’d tell you that if you plan on leaving, don’t make the decision alone, but take it to the leaders ahead of time and tell them your concerns. Be sure to give them time and space to speak into what you are thinking and seeing. What if God used you as a catalyst for change? What if God used the elders/leaders as a catalyst for change for you and your maturity?

2. If you leave, don’t speak against your church. Think of the apostle Paul in this. When he dealt with the Corinthian church that was seriously jacked up, probably far more so than your church, he had a ton to say about how much he saw the grace of God in them. Look at this:

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

Only after all this does he enter into correction. But, know this: People saw Paul as filled with grace for those he walked with. Most that leave their church are just the opposite. They have nothing good to say and sound bitter, spew slander, and are outright hateful against the church.

Think of this, who does this describe more? God or Satan? Who are you pointing to when you take this stance against your former church? You are not helping the cause of Christ by calling them out and being bitter, but you are aiding the work of Satan in showing that we are just a bunch of embittered divisive haters, instead of a family of missionary servants who understand we all have flaws and are in need of a Savior. Speak of your former church as you’d speak of the very bride of Christ. See the best in them. I am not asking you to lie about them, but every church family must seek to give the same grace that has been shown to them in Christ. Point to that, not the reasons why you think that they are the very sons of Satan. Think through, “How can I further the mission of Jesus in the way that I speak about my former church to others?”

God-Honoring Departure

Listen, I know this is far easier to write than live out. But, we are here to make disciples of Jesus, not further aid the work of Satan to destroy the work of the Church. When we decide to make hasty decisions to leave the local church, or to speak against her, we do just that – we are aids for Satan’s work. This doesn’t mean that we don’t leave the church, but the way we leave can show how we can have healthy disagreements, part ways, and still love each other and hold Jesus high in our lives and words.

The decision is not an easy one when speaking of leaving. But, if you could ask yourself this:

How would I want my son or daughter leave my house when they get older? How would I want them to handle themselves? How would I want them to speak of us, their parents to their friends? What would I want the process to look like?

Start answering these questions, and you’ll be well on your way of leaving, if it’s a must, in a healthy, God-honoring way.

Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife, and father of three. He’s a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a finance degree. By trade. Seth is an investment portfolio manager, serving as President of McBee Advisors, Inc. He is also a MC leader/trainer/coach and executive team member of the GCM Collective. Seth currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Stacy and their three children: Caleb, Coleman, and Madelynn. He is also the artist and co-author of the wildly popular (and free!) eBook, Be The Church: Discipleship & Mission Made Simple. Twitter: @sdmcbee.

Jeremy Writebol 10/7/13 Jeremy Writebol 10/7/13

5 Ways to Landscape Your Heart

Over the last few weekends, I've been putting some muscle and sweat into the front yard of our home. The north portion of our front lawn has been a dust bowl and weed-breading ground over the last two summers, and the time came to put down a real lawn that will not be despised by myself and all our neighbors. According to the experts, fall is the perfect time to seed your lawn and get it ready for next spring. It's been a big task.

While seeding my lawn, I was inspired by how it relates to the work on the soil of my heart. In fact, there is an immediate parable or correlation between yard work and heart work. Here are five ways that we can landscape our heart.

1. Kill Off the Old

The work of replanting the lawn begins with the killing off of the old yard. My lawn was fertile place for every sort of dandelion, crabgrass, thorny vine, thistle, and bare patch known to man. Weeds, rocks, old grass, and all sorts of craziness had embedded itself in my front yard. To begin the process of a lawn redo, I had to kill off all the old growth. So I spent an entire day spraying the lawn with some pretty potent Round Up. Everything had to be dead and ready for removal.

In doing heart work, the starting place is the same. Killing off the old, deathly weeds of the heart. Paul spoke of this work as a putting to death what is earthly in you (Colossians 3:5). It is a matter of seeing that which is contrary to the Law of God, being repulsed by it and going to work in confessing, rejecting, and forsaking these sins. The Law of God is a helpful "Round Up" for us because it shows us that we are sinners. God's good and helpful Law exposes the sin in our hearts and make us realize just how far we are from him. Yet killing off isn't just acknowledgement that there is sin in our lives, it is rejecting and forsaking it as well. It must be removed.

Do we desire the roots of bitterness to grow in our hearts? Do we long for lust and sensuality to overcome our hearts so that we cannot perceive others with the dignity and worth that God gives them? Are we eager for the love of money so much so that we cannot rightly give and sacrifice for the advancement of a greater Kingdom and King? Unless we are repulsed by the sin of our hearts, we won't go to work in killing it off. We must hold our hearts up to the Law of God to see our sin, loathe it, and by repentance put it to death.

2. Make the Soil Ready

Killing off sin isn't the only step we must take, although it is a necessary step. Even though my front yard had become a brown and crisp deathbed of weeds and grass, it still wasn't at a place where new growth and life could emerge. I had to put some muscle into the yard and remove all the old growth. As I removed what was dead and decaying, I also had to till and break up the soil. It had to be ready to receive the new and better seed. I don't necessarily symbolize what many would consider a strong man, so spending an entire weekend raking and digging up the dead grass and weeds was a difficult task. Thankfully, I had a few friends come and help me dig up and remove what was unnecessary or harmful in the area we were landscaping.

For many of us, preparation of the soil is best done in community. Not just in landscaping, but in heart work as well. I needed the manpower of my friends (and the truck power) to remove stumps, thorny bushes, and all sorts of vines and weeds to accomplish the task in a reasonable amount of time.

The heart work of dealing with our sin requires a good tilling, as well. Not only are we removing what is dead, but we must prepare the soil of our hearts for what is life-giving. In heart work this is often found in a few ways. First, we must create space for the gospel to be received. It may seem obvious, but if there is no dedicated room for our hearts to receive the good seed of God's word, we won't grow. A helpful practice is to set aside both time and place for heart work. If it has been some time since you've done serious heart work, taking a day out to cultivate the soil of your heart will be helpful. If nothing else, take a specific time daily to cultivate your heart.

Secondly, do this in community. Many prefer to do this sort of heart work alone and "get away" like a medieval monk for introspection and silence. That may be helpful to a degree, but I believe that the job is done even better with friends. Just as I needed my friends to make the soil work more accessible, so I need faithful friends to help do the work of cultivating my heart for the sake of Jesus. Sometimes we don't know where the sinful areas of our heart lie. We aren't aware of the imbedded stumps of pride and bitterness. We can't see (or feel) the thorns of distention and division in our lives. We can't pick out why that certain destructive vine of greed will kill everything. But our gospel-minded friends see it, and they can help expose and remove it. We need their community and fellowship to remove the sin of our hearts and prepare the soil of for the life-giving nourishment of the gospel.

We should set aside time to cultivate our hearts by engaging in gospel communities. Such people will lovingly hold up the Law and call us to repentance, helping ready the soil of our hearts for the planting of new and better seed.

3. Scatter the Seed

Killing and tilling is a good start in dealing with the restoration of a suburban lawn, but we can't stop there. Left to itself, the lawn would return to the pathetic weedy, thorn-and-thistle-producing lawn it had always been. If I want my lawn to produce a nice, lush space of grass, I have to actually put grass seed down. Contrary to my childhood beliefs, grass doesn't grow up from the center of the earth. So obviously I had to get the seed and distribute it on my patch of ground that at this point was merely a barren space of dirt. Even finding the right seed is important. Everyone who has experience doing this told me to get the "99.9% weed-free" fescue, otherwise I'd be back at steps one and two next year.

The process here was fairly simple. Put the seed in the spreader and go for a walk all over my future lawn. Distribute the seed everywhere and abundantly. Honestly this was my favorite part of the whole job.

Heart work requires the same sort of distribution and application. Lest we stick in the morbid work of mortification and exposure under the Law, we will become discouraged and despairing. We need a thorough and frequent application of the gospel to our hearts. Let me be clear here, the seed that we need is the gospel word found in the Scriptures. The "99.9% weed-free" application is the 100% infallible Word of God. We must apply the Word frequently and thoroughly.

Make it your aim to be in the Scriptures often, looking to Jesus and letting the life of the gospel cover your heart. Walk in every space of your heart and look to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for your life! Listen to the laments of the Psalms, the warning of the Prophets, the exhortations of the Epistles, the wisdom of the Proverbs, which will all point to the good news of Jesus over and over and over in your heart. Let his life-giving Word cover every area of your life and heart. Scatter the seed of the gospel-word everywhere. Pray and say, "I believe, help my unbelief!"

4. Supplement with Life-giving Nutrients

The ground has been prepared and the seed laid, and now we can anticipate a great yard coming in the spring. At least, that is the expectation. Most lawn-care experts, however, will tell you to supplement what's already been done. My plot of earth has some exceptional topsoil and I am sure that the grass seed will do fine. But I need to water and fertilize the seed that has been planted. So, I have my sprinkler system dialed in to deliver a fresh covering of water twice a day. After laying the seed I walked around the yard one more time with a starter fertilizer to help nourish the soil, move out any remaining weeds, and give some supplement to the seed that had been laid.

Some might have their religious radar going on red-alert at this point because of my potential heresy. I'm not saying that the Word of God needs any addition or supplement to make it better. Nor am I saying that the life-seed of the gospel is deficient and in need of a boost or it won't flourish. What I am pointing out is that these supplemental practices are helpful for maximum growth. The fescue seed in my yard is sufficient in and of itself to produce a nice, healthy lawn. But its growth is aided by the resourcing of water and fertilizer to strengthen the good that is already laid.

Our hearts will benefit from the supplementation of life-supporting resources to aid in our growth. Engaging in community with others is similar to watering the seed of the gospel. Not only does our community help us expose the sins of our hearts, but they also nourish and engage the gospel-Word in our life to help it grow. Community that only exposes sin and calls for repentance forgets the goodness of the gospel and is a terror to be a part of (consider why so many "accountability groups" are really liars clubs of self-righteousness). We need to engage a community of grace to remind and "fertilize" that grace within us. Gathering with others who will hold up the Law and then the gospel will cause the seed of that good news to flourish in our hearts. Paul shared exactly what this looks like by saying, "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" (Colossians 3:16).

Supplemental reading outside of the Scripture from faithful Christians is also a way to build on and benefit from the implanted Word in your heart. Books, both old and new, that reveal the glory of Christ, the depth of the gospel, and the nature of God will help us grow in the gospel. Sites such as this one are helpful places to consider gospel-centered life and discipleship. Reading through and reflecting from these sources are helpful ways to support and engage the growth of the gospel in our hearts. Be reminded, however, that these are not the life-giving gospel growth that we desire to see. They are merely the water and fertilizer to help the gospel grow. The gospel must be planted first.

5. Be Patient

My son has been an observer and somewhat causal worker with me in this whole process. After I finished fertilizing and watering the lawn yesterday, he asked me where the grass was. The next morning, he was still disappointed to see that no grass had come up in the spots we had planted. Where he longs to see immediate and verifiable results in my work on the lawn, I know it will be a few weeks before anything shows.

So it can be with heart work. We will long to see immediate growth and depth come from our labors of mortification and gospel planting. Certainly, we can expect to see some difference immediately. My lawn today looks nothing like it did a month ago. In some ways it might look worse. However, the growth of the seed will happen. And in the same way the growth of the gospel will occur, too. As we are faithful to work diligently by faith in exposing, killing, implanting, and watering the gospel into our hearts, so the Holy Spirit is faithful to bring the growth we long to see. In some cases it might be immediate, like a heart-change from an addiction or besetting sin. In some cases it might be a long obedience that takes time.

I encourage you to be patient. Continue to do the work of cultivating the heart in the gospel, and ask for the Lord to give evidences of growth and grace. Seek Christ as the source of your life and look for the growth of the gospel patiently. By cultivating the gospel in your heart the person you will be in three years will be different than the person you are today. And like the grass that is (hopefully) growing now in my front yard, the progress will be incremental, almost invisible, but it will be there. Lay hold of the fruit of the Spirit in patience and look for a harvest of gospel-life as you seek Christ.

Landscaping As Heart-scaping

It's no wonder to me that Jesus used agricultural metaphors and parables in teaching about heart work. There is much similarity in the process of death, removal, preparation, planting, and watering. As a pastor I don't often do lawn work, in fact I'd rather do just about anything else. Yet, by looking to best practices for the growth of natural things, we can discern some steps for cultivating the gospel within our hearts for growth. It seems that the "organic" growth of grass within the ground really points to the supernatural growth of Christ within our hearts. By faith, with the empowerment of the Spirit may we move forward into doing the work of heart-scaping so that the gospel may grow and flourish and be an abundant and glorious display of God's grace in our lives.

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.

Guest User 10/4/13 Guest User 10/4/13

What Sparks a Movement?

On a cold Halloween night long ago, a lone figure walked along the path near the Elbe River in what is now called Germany. As he neared the door of the Castle Church, parchment in hand, he knew his action in the coming moments would cause a stir. But he certainly could not have imagined the impact of the movement he was about to advance. Weary of the institutionalism and failed theological views of the established church of his day, this young monk had seen enough. He had written what became the manifesto of the movement soon to be called the Protestant Reformation.

The young monk’s name? Martin Luther. His document? The 95 theses. And his movement literally changed the world.

It Takes Clarity

Many besides Luther had problems with the Catholic church of his day. But his Theses proved to be the match the set ablaze a movement for the gospel of Jesus Christ, a movement that would go through various phases, to John Calvin in Geneva, the Anabaptists and the Radical Reformation, and Zwingli, to name a few.

It is one thing to sense the need for change. It is another to be able to state what and how change should come. For a movement to captivate others who will join in spreading its message, clarity is essential.

It is one thing to see the need for a movement. It is another to clarify a vision to accomplish the movement. Luther could do both. And today we need both again—a gospel-centered movement led by those who can teach others how to advance that movement today.

For a movement to succeed someone has to articulate an idea in a way that is winsome and easily communicated.

Today that is much easier because of the internet and tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

It Takes a Tribe

But for movements to spread, it takes others. It takes, in the words of Seth Godin, a tribe. “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.”

And such tribes need to be led for a movement to matter: “Tribes need leadership. Sometimes one person leads, sometimes more. People want connection and growth and something new. They want change."

You have already made decisions about what you value. These decisions are reflected in how you spend your time and money, and how you raise your children. The importance of the gospel is seen in what you value. The “tribes” you associate with, and the level of passion with which you associate, grow out of your values.

Jim Elliot as a college student uttered these immortal words: “He is no fool who gives that he cannot keep in order to keep that he cannot lose.” Elliot understood the things of this life were not to be compared with the glories of the life beyond. That is why he could stand with his friends years later on the shores of a river in South America and be speared to death by those he came there to reach for Christ. The gospel mattered more than anything to Elliot and his friends.

If someone asked you the meaning of life, how would you answer them? If someone wanted you to tell them what mattered more than anything else, could you articulate for them how the gospel makes sense of everything?

Many movements have come and gone, some of which had clear statements of belief. Marx and Engel penned a Communist Manifesto, and the communist movement influenced much of the world. Today, however, no matter how well articulated communism may be, the only places where it is accepted are where totalitarian leaders rule with an iron fist. If the core values of a movement ultimately are shown to be wrong, the movement will ultimately fail.

But if the movement clearly speaks truth and gives a vision for living in light of that truth, it becomes an unstoppable force. When the gospel has been at the center of the faith of believers, Christianity has been such a force.

Godin grasps well the power of a movement clearly articulated and the possibilities afforded us through the internet today: “A movement is thrilling. It’s the work of many people, all connected, all seeking something better. The newly leveraged tools of the Net make it easier than ever to create a movement, to make things happen, to get things done.”

We stand on the gospel—the unchanging good news of Jesus Christ and the life that He provides. Sometimes our problem lies less with the assault from the outside than institutionalism from within which turns our attention from a risk taking, sacrificial mission to maintaining what we have.

It Takes the Master

We must take care to remember that the focus of our lives should not be on a movement, but on the Master of that movement. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He did not say follow a movement. Many have been led astray by zeal to follow a movement whose leader took them down a path of harm, from Islamic terrorism to the White Supremacist movement. We must consistently, clearly articulate what our movement is about and what it is not about.

It is about Christ. It is not about our preferences.

It is about worshiping God. It is not about a style of music.

It is about telling others the gospel. It is not about our political or other views.

Certainly the movement of the gospel will speak to preferences, style, and politics. But we too quickly lose sight of Jesus in our haste to issues of secondary importance. We would do well to heed the words of Paul, a notable advancer of God’s movement: “I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14)

“Jesus was the first missionary,” Addison reminds us. “What Jesus did was to found a missionary movement that would one day span the globe.” When we become followers of Christ, we become a part of that global movement. When Jesus walked the earth He did not go after the cultural elites of His time. He called the outcasts and the ordinary. Folks like you and I are the kind of people He uses to articulate the movement He calls us to advance.
_

[This is an excerpt from Dr. Reid's forthcoming book by GCD Books, Gospel Advance.]

Micah Fries 9/30/13 Micah Fries 9/30/13

When Being Cool Isn't Enough

Is it appropriate to communicate the gospel message in a way that's shaped by culture? This question reveals a certain naiveté about culture. The minute we open our mouths we shape the gospel with the cultural, linguistic forms, sounds, and meanings--language. Even the Bible contextualizes. The Bible is written in cultural language, reflects cultural forms of literature (Hittite treaties, Babylonian law codes, and Greek epistles). Everyday Christians swim in cultural forms: wearing pants, speaking in English, singing Amazing Grace (the original version, or Chris Tomlin’s recent offering). As my friend Dr. Alvin Reid likes to say, the very existence of four Gospels, written by four separate voices, to four distinct audiences, nuanced by the audiences who are receiving each message, shouts to us that God values the concept of contextualization. The question isn't whether to contextualize but how to contextualize?

The how of popular contextualization is often code for, "We want to be cool and relevant," a twist from its actual, missiological meaning. Ironically, the loudest proponents of contextualization often get it wrong. I am afraid that too often we seem to think contextualization is really an effort to make us and our churches into the coolest version we can create. The more I dig into God’s word, the more I am convinced that biblical contextualization is not a planned effort to maximize “cool,” but is a concerted effort to live out the gospel by “dying to ourselves” in order to reach those around us. No text seems to drive this point home more clearly than Paul’s words to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 9.

Great Freedom

Paul begins the chapter by pointing out that he is a man of great freedoms. He understands the gospel rightly that his adoption as a child of God is not dependent on his behavior. As a result, he is free to take a wife, enjoy the comforts of food and drink, and even receive financial gain for his labors. These (and many others) are among the freedoms that are now enjoyed by every Christ follower. However, in spite of his freedoms, Paul advocates for the voluntary restriction of those freedoms for the sake of gospel advance. This passage is a strong reminder that there can be areas in our lives, which are not sin, but which can, at some point, be detrimental to gospel advancement. In order to make this voluntary decision, however, we ultimately must value God and his gospel more than we value our personal freedoms. Verses 14 and 15 expand upon this as Paul offers an explanation for why he gives up his income in his pursuit of the gospel.

Paul explains that his justification for this kind of voluntary restriction is because he has been given a stewardship of the gospel. Faithful contextualization is necessary as we grasp the weighty responsibility of the gospel that is entrusted to us.

Slaves to God

Paul points out that those who love God and love the gospel are slaves to God, and so we preach, as slaves, in an effort to see others respond in faith to Jesus. Verse 19, in particular, is helpful to this end. Paul specifically uses slave language to refer to his relationship with those who do not yet know Christ. We are often comfortable using slave language in respect to God (i.e. a slave to God) or even righteousness (i.e. a slave to righteousness), but the idea of using it in respect to those apart from God is a bit foreign to most of our vocabulary. Yet, this is exactly what Paul does. “I have made myself a servant to all,” Paul says, in a statement that is speaking specifically of the larger group of humanity who still do not know God. Paul’s efforts to contextualize the gospel rests under this presupposition that he is a slave to God and man as he endeavors to advance the gospel.

Paul points out (v. 20-22) that his efforts at contextualization come out of an understanding that he is voluntarily restricting his freedoms. By doing so he is a living example of the gospel on display. Luke 9:23 says, “And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'”

Biblical contextualization is an effort to live out the gospel call in the ministry setting that God has placed us.

Beyond Comfort

Finally, Paul notes that this effort to contextualize the gospel is not easy. Notice his language in verses 24-27 concerning his efforts. Paul exercises “self-control,” he “disciplines” himself. He keeps himself “under control.” Often we use this verse in an effort to inform our attempts at discipleship, but by doing so, we miss the point. These are Paul’s attempts to describe the process of dying to self that is implicit in biblical contextualization. The act of contextualizing the gospel is an act of self-sacrifice as we die to our own identity and speak faithfully the gospel in a manner that is most easily understood by our surrounding context.

Biblical contextualization is absolutely necessary, but anyone who understands it as an effort to see how far we can push the boundaries with the gospel is engaging in a theological exercise of missing the point. Contextualization should be an exercise in living out the gospel, allowing your comfortable identity to die as you find your identity in Christ. This may not result in a church full of indie rocker wannabes, but rather a multi-cultural church. Instead of a hip, cool leader that stands on cutting edge of fashion and music, a faithful contextual leader may look like a bass fishing, pearl snap wearing, southern gospel listening, country boy. They might even be a guy who wears a lemon yellow sweater vest, drives a Vespa or a Prius, and listens to Genesis or James Taylor.

The point, ultimately, is that who we are, and even who we want to be, should not really matter. What matters is that we are walking with Christ, loving those around us and dying daily, as we live out the gospel. We must speak the truth in a manner which may be uncomfortable to us personally, but which communicates powerfully to those around us.

Know your audience, know the gospel, and die to yourself as you preach the gospel faithfully to those around you.

Micah Fries is the Vice President of LifeWay Research. He has served as a Senior Pastor in Missouri and a missionary in West Africa, prior to coming to LifeWay. Connect with Micah on Twitter.