Tools for Making War Against Spiritual Warfare

If we are going to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus Christ then we must equip our soldiers with appropriate tools to do battle. Soldiers who are unequipped or even ill-equipped with no tools, or faulty tools, will do great harm to themselves and others. If we as disciples who make other disciples (this is, after all, our commission) are going to win the battle against the flesh and the enemy, we must make war.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 6:10-20:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Apostle Paul is not saying that we wrestle only against rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers, but that those powers are the bigger picture. This passage is a call to arms—a call to do battle against the enemy. Like a general getting his soldiers ready, so Paul wishes to get the Church ready for war. The entire metaphor is built around the Spirit’s work of providing protection for us on our way to glorification.

First, he says that we are to be strong “in the Lord.” There is much in the world to drive us to despair, so we need strength in God, not in self or anyone else. Christ has called us to do good works (Eph. 2:10), and we have access to the Father by the power of the Spirit through the work of Christ (2:18). The road won’t be easy, since we have to walk as wise people, not unwise people (3:15), knowing that evil abounds (3:16). There’s much at stake in this battle of sanctification. The enemy is real.

Part of what the Apostle Paul is getting at in this passage is that, yes, strength resides in the Lord (vs. 10), and because of that truth, we can be strong in His might, and stand firm (vs. 13). “Strong,” “strength,” “might,” “stand against,” “wrestle,” “armor”—these are all words that Paul uses to paint the picture. So what is the armor the helps us do those things?

THE WHOLE ARMOR

Paul says to “take up the whole armor of God” (vs. 13)—not part of it, not some of it . . . all of it. A soldier who leaves behind part of his armor will be vulnerable. Paul starts the metaphor with the belt of truth because the word of truth is the gospel (Jn. 17:17). The gospel takes central stage because, like a belt, you need your armor to fit together properly on your body. Nothing works unless connected to the gospel. The belt holds everything together. More broadly, the belt holds the sword. Our confidence, then, is in the truthfulness of God’s word; we can rely on it with complete faith, knowing that it will sustain us during war.

Paul goes on to describe these tools by telling us to having a breastplate of righteousness. The devil is a slanderer and wishes to inflict harm on our hearts. Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:6-11; Phil. 3:9), Christians can believe the truth of what the gospel teaches instead of the lies of the Liar who wishes to stab you in the heart with a false identity. What Paul is getting at is that because of Christ’s righteousness given to us, we can withstand the attack on our identity by relying on the truth that our pursuit of righteousness is driven by Christ’s righteousness given to us. The breastplate prevails against any effort of the enemy.

The next tool of the trade are shoes of peace. Paul has already alluded to Christ being our peace (2:14), Christ’s work as the fulfillment of the temple sacrifices, thus making peace for us with the Father (2:15), and Christ’s preaching of peace to those far off (Gentiles) and those near (Jews), in fulfillment of Isaiah 57:19 (cf. Eph. 2:17). Peace is central to the gospel, for Christ’s work on the cross brought reconciliation to sinners who were at enmity with God (2:1-3). Paul’s allusion to shoes is certainly Isaiah’s concern (52:7), and the apostle quotes that very verse in Romans 10:15. Like a Roman soldier with tightened straps on his sandals, so is a Christian who walks in the peace of God offered in the gospel. In battle, we need this stability in our feet.

Paul goes on to tell us to take up the shield of faith (vs. 16). In the ancient times, particularly for the Romans, the shield was big enough to cover the entire body. Faith does that for the Christian. Faith covers everything as it works to defend any attack from the opposing army. Though the enemy will send flaming darts, a shield protects against those attacks. The apostle John says it best:

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. —1 John 5:4

J.C. Ryle says that, “Habitual lively faith in Christ’s presence and readiness to help is the secret of the Christian soldier fighting successfully.” Faith overcomes.

The helmet of salvation is our next piece of equipment (vs. 17). Paul understands the past, present, and future nature of salvation (2:8; cf. 1 Thess. 5:8). The penalty has been paid, the power of sin is currently being subdued, and the future of the gospel at work will be a complete removal of sin from the planet. Salvation protects the head from thinking that any attack from the evil one will result in a change of mind. We have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). Protect it with the assurance and security of our salvation (Eph. 1:14).

It is impossible to win a battle when always in defense mode. Offensive strikes must take place if a Christian is going to make war on sin. Thus Paul tells us to take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (vs. 17). The word of God is sharp enough to cut to the bone (Heb. 4:12). Its precision is unmatched; its immutability unwavering. The word of God destroys all attempts of the enemy. When tempted by the Liar, Jesus uses Scripture to attack him (Matt. 4:1-11). Memorizing, studying, reading, contemplating, speaking, and learning God’s word is absolutely essential for the war. Use it often.

THE FINAL CALL

The equipment has been issued. The final call to battle is a call to militant prayer. Prayer is God’s means to shape His warriors. Prayer is a call to keep alert and persevere (vs. 18); praying for your friends, so that the gospel can be proclaimed boldly (vs. 19). Prayer is an admission that you are powerless to uphold and control your world. Militant prayer is for those who are needy—needy for the Lord of Glory to fight for us. These are the tools of the trade. If we are to make war on sin, we must prayerfully use this equipment.

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

Adapted with permission from Be Holy.

5 Integral Reasons Mature Disciples Sleep

We all have seasons of life where we might get less sleep than we should, but the right amount of sleep is integral for being a mature disciple. Mature disciples get sleep. D. A. Carson explains the importance of sleep:

Doubt may be fostered by sleep deprivation. If you keep burning the candle at both ends, sooner or later you will indulge in more and more mean cynicism—and the line between cynicism and doubt is a very thin one….If you are among those who become nasty, cynical, or even full of doubt when you are missing your sleep, you are morally obligated to try to get the sleep you need. We are whole, complicated beings; our physical existence is tied to our spiritual well-being, to our mental outlook, to our relationships with others, including our relationship with God. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep—not pray all night, but sleep. I’m certainly not denying that there may be a place for praying all night; I’m merely insisting that in the normal course of things, spiritual discipline obligates you get the sleep your body need. (Scandalous p. 147)

So why should mature disciples sleep? Here are five integral reasons.

1. Sleep allows us to be fully present in our home, work, and third places.

Being fully present means being ready to engage fully in whatever location you are. In Everpresent, Jeremey Writebol describes the importance of place:

“God has created this very place where I am writing. He has created the very place where you are reading. He has created it by his will. He has created it for his glory. Now, you might challenge that statement because you know some architect drew up the design for this building and a contractor came in and had carpenters, builders, electricians, and plumbers actually make this place. But under God’s authority, using the agency of humanity, he created and holds all things together (Col. 1:15). Place matters because God made it matter. You might feel indifferent to this place right now because it isn’t where you want to be or because it is somehow broken and in disrepair. This place might be a comfortable, quiet place for you right now. It might be a place that doesn’t belong to you; you are a visitor in it for only a season. Whatever the situation, because God has made it and made it for his glory, you are suddenly in God’s place.”

You cannot be fully present if you are half asleep. Mature disciples know this and get enough sleep.

2. Sleep allows us to work with excellence.

Springboarding off the point above. You cannot work with excellence when you are tired. Web MD says,

If you have a demanding job or are trying to get ahead on your responsibilities, you might be caught in a vicious cycle of skimping on or skipping sleep altogether to work longer. But it often tends to backfire, says Sean P.A. Drummond, PhD, director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Mood Disorders Psychotherapy in the Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System. "You're just not as productive when you lack sleep."

The article lists four ways lack of sleep affects your work:

• Attention and concentration
• Reaction time
• Decision-making
• Memory

You cannot do work that honors God and represents you well if you are tired. Because most of us spend a good chunk of our day at work, it’s also a primary sphere for missional endeavors. If you are constantly tired and doing bad work, it will make it hard to have a gospel witness and build strong relationships with co-workers.

3. Sleep makes this world our home.

God rested after six days of creating and ordering the world. In The Lost World of Adam and Eve, Dr. John Walton says God rested to make the world his home. As God was doing his creation work, the world was just a house, but when he comes down to rest in it—it’s his home. That backdrop should inform our rest. If God has commissioned our work to imitate his, then we must also imitate his rest. It’s one way we can honor God in the sacred spaces he has placed us in. They’re not just impersonal places. The world is our home. God has given us a certain number of hours in each day and its arrogant to assume we can fulfill the culture mandate as image bearers (Gen. 1-2) and gospel mandate as disciples (Matt. 28:18-20) without following God's ordering of creation.

4. Sleep allows us to demonstrate humility and dependence on God.

Sleep also shows dependence on God. We cannot do the work he has commissioned us to do on our own. We do not know better than him. We need sleep. We sleep to demonstrate humility and dependence. Furthermore as a parent, I have to remember I’m responsible to ensure my children get the proper sleep. They are disciples under my care. Douglas Wilson says, “Remember their frame (Ps. 103:14). Don’t skip naps, keep them up until 11:30, withhold a real dinner, and then paddle them for falling apart. Someone should paddle you for pulling them apart” (“Mechanics of Fatherhood”). Making sure our children get enough sleep prepares them to be mature disciples and teaches them dependence on God. Mature disciples get enough sleep and ensure those they shepherd get enough sleep as well. Humility and dependence starts in our beds.

5. Sleep promotes balance in life

Nothing is more practical than sleep. I have battled depression for most of my life. I had a break through 5-6 years ago—a good night sleep and a regular routine covered a multitude of sin. Several recent studies have linked too little or too much sleep with depression. Get the right amount of sleep. There will always be exceptions or a busy season, but the rule should be sleep is a priority. Sleep just keeps our bodies in good working order. Not everyone struggles with depression, but we all have our own issues. Doctors have made a connection between sleep and our overall health. 90% of people with insomnia have other major health issues. “[L]ack of sleep,” shows one study, “doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.” Yikes! A good night’s sleep will help your entire life balance and that will help you as you stay on mission as a disciple of King Jesus. So don’t neglect sleep.

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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!

Tired of Yourself? Jesus Will Never Tire of You

We crave affirmation and praise. This is so because we are made in the image of God, who is both the object and source of love, adoration, praise and wonder. Yet we are haunted because there is much about us that invites shame more than it does admiration. We miss the mark and we miss the boat, failing not only to measure up to God’s standard, but also our own. To make matters worse, instead of facing our deficiencies head-on, we self-medicate with cover-up strategies to make ourselves look OK even we are not. We clean the outside of the cup while leaving the inside untreated. We are imitators of Adam and Eve after they got caught. Rather than humbly owning and repudiating our quest for independence and obsession with self, we become defensive, shift blame, and avoid relationships that might expose us. We hide the worst in ourselves at every cost. But the “safety” that comes from hiding also comes at a cost. We become alienated because every self-protecting cover-up erodes intimacy with God, other people, and our actual selves. Rather than live free, we schlep through life carrying the cargo of vague guilt and shame-induced anxiety. If we are somehow awakened to our condition, we will cry out for healing from these painful realities. We need help—a kind-hearted rescue from outside ourselves. We can’t get there alone.

rescue from outside ourselves

Enters Jesus.

Although we are exposed and found lacking, Jesus moves toward us as a living hope and ambassador of peace. It is his peace—the declaration that through him, all hostility between heaven and earth, the infinite and the finite, God and humanity, has been demolished—that makes us rich in the truest sense. His peace resources us with an emotional wealth that lets us face our deficiencies more honestly, and in a way that does not crush us. In Jesus, all negative verdicts against us have been reversed. Our vague sense of shame, both illegitimate and legitimate, the shame that comes from outside of us and the shame that comes from inside of us, has been neutered.

We are fully known and fully loved.

We are exposed and not rejected.

We are seen and embraced.

No need to run for cover. In Jesus, there is nothing left to fear, nothing left to prove, and nothing left to hide.

Several years ago, the American Music Awards featured an arrangement of the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” but with one very significant revision of the lyrics—“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved someone like me.” Perhaps you identify with the revision because you find the original lyric (“a wretch like me”) offensive. Non-religious people especially resist the idea that there is a wretched tone to the human condition. To err is human, but deep down all people are basically good, the assumption goes. Believing in the inherent goodness of people, a non-religious person might counter the vague sense of shame by denying that shame exists. Live and let live. Or, as Billy Joel famously sang, “I don’t care what you say any more. This is my life. Go ahead with your own life. Leave me alone.” The problem, however, is that in this scenario, shame is suppressed and denied, but it is not healed.

There is also a religious form of denial. Some call it self-righteousness, others call it hypocrisy. In Luke 18:9-14, for examplee, a religious Pharisee hides behind a résumé of good deeds. He prays about himself, or, according to the original text, he prays to his own soul, “Thank you, my God, that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers, tax collectors. No! I am a devoted religious man! I fast twice a week! I give away a tenth of my income! I attend church!” In this prayer he mentions God only once and himself multiple times. Strangely, his “prayer” neither sees nor savors the grace, truth, beauty, goodness, glory, and magnificence of God. Instead, it is a narcissistic moment of self-congratulation. In truth, the self-congratulation is also a self-salvation strategy, a desperate attempt to medicate a shattered and terrified ego.

Not only does the religious man rehearse his own virtues as he sees them, he also uses his virtue as a basis for looking down on other, “lesser” people with contempt. Rather than humbly confessing his weakness and need before God, he separates the world into “good people” and “bad people,” assuring himself that he is one of the good people. What ensues is a counterfeit feeling of superiority that makes him feel, at least for a time, that his shortcomings are not nearly as serious as the shortcomings of others. The problem, however, is that the vague sense of shame is merely suppressed, but not dealt with in a healing way. In the end, his “I’m good, they’re bad, I’m right, they’re wrong” posture corrupts worship and kills community.

Jesus Gives Graces

But Jesus doesn’t separate the world into good people and bad people. He separates the world into proud people and humble people. What’s more, he opposes the proud, and gives grace to the humble.

The Jesus gospel, unlike the false “gospels” of the non-religious and religious, assures those who believe that all is well, and that we are OK, not because we are superior to others or because we have accrued an impressive moral record, but because of Jesus’ self-substituting love for us. Jesus lived the perfect life that we were unable to live. Then, he transferred the merits of that perfect life to our account. Because of this, God “reckons” every Jesus person as a perfect person, not because we have lived perfectly but because Jesus lived perfectly in our place.

What’s more, Jesus absorbed the horrific, alienating punishment that was due to us—death on the cross and the removal of God’s smile. Now, because of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross, God looks at every Jesus person with pleasure. He hasn’t a shred of disappointment or shame toward us, because Jesus took the fall in our place. He has taken every negative verdict toward us and turned it into a “Not guilty.” He has released us from our own, self-imposed prison and told us we can live free. He has shown mercy to those once called, “No Mercy.” He has said to those once called “Not My People” that “You are my people.”

Because of Jesus, everything that’s true about Jesus is true about us in God’s eyes. He leaped over the bar of God’s law in our place, then got crushed by the bar of God’s law in our place, so that the burden of both would be lifted from our shoulders. Now, we who trust in Jesus are embraced by God as radiant, beautiful, lovable, and guilt-free, all of the time, on our best and also our worst days.

Because it’s not about what we do for him.

It’s about what he has done, and continues to do, for us.

He who began a good work in us will faithfully complete that work.

What better reason to start getting honest about our lives—that we are incomplete works in progress on the way to being made complete—without fear of being rejected or dismissed?

Take heart. In Jesus, you are loved. In Jesus, there will always be a seat for you at the King’s table. Jesus, your Elder Brother, is not ashamed of you.

—

Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who are Tired of Taking Sides. You can connect with Scott at scottsauls.com or on Twitter at @scottsauls.

Originally published at scottsauls.com. Used with permission.

Free Easter Edition of Raised?

Happy Easter. To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we are giving away, alongside authors Jonathan Dodson and Brad Watson, and Zondervan Publishing, an extended excerpt of Raised? for free. This gift is the entire first chapter in which Jonathan Dodson explores both our doubts and our hope in the resurrection of Jesus by pressing into the plausibility of the resurrection. Download the 25 page pdf excerpt.

Watch the four part film, download resources, and purchase the full-length book at raisedbook.com

Anticipating the Infinite Good News of Good Friday

In anticipation of Good Friday and in remembrance of the Giver of the gospel, we offer this simple liturgy. God bless you and keep you all. May you live out the good news of God’s infinite love to those around you this Easter.

The Last Supper

The sun sank over the olive groves in the west, and across Jerusalem the doorways were smeared with sacrificial blood. This was Passover, the culmination of high holy week, and though the city was ruled by Rome—occupied by soldiers under the command of procurator Pontius Pilate—families gathered to remember how Jehovah had liberated their ancestors.

When the table had been set and all of His followers had assembled, Jesus—who had been their Rabbi, their Lord—took a towel and a basin of water and washed the feet of his followers. They questioned this: it was a chore for a servant.

But, Jesus continued the task, saying, “You are right to call me Rabbi and Lord, but I tell you a servant is not greater than his master. A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.”

Then the group took their places at the table, and as they passed the matzo, the unleavened bread, Jesus said, “One of you will betray me.”

His followers were horrified. It confirmed their fears. Hadn’t they heard rumors in Jerusalem? Weren’t the religious leaders conspiring in the temple? But, betrayal by a follower—this was unthinkable. Each questioned him, saying, “Not me, Rabbi. Tell me it’s not me.”

Jesus looked at Judas, who had already received his blood money from the conspirators.

He said, “Go. Buy what we need for the feast.”

And, Judas went out into the night.

Then Jesus took the matzo and blessed it and broke it and gave it to each of his followers, saying, “This is my body, broken for you. Take it and eat.”

He took the Passover cup of new wine and gave thanks to Jehovah God and offered it to His followers, saying, “This is my blood—the blood of the covenant, which is shed in atonement for many, for the forgiveness of sins.”

His followers did as he instructed, and Jesus said, “I will not eat or drink with you again until we meet in my Father’s house. After I’m gone, you will have each other. Continue to offer this bread and this wine in remembrance of me. You must love one another just as I have loved you. By this simple act, the whole world will know you are my followers.”

Prayer

Jesus, unite us in fellowship as we draw closer to you Unite us in communion by the power of your Holy Spirit.

Jesus, blessed is your name on high. Your love for us is infinite. Jesus, let us love one another as we know you love us.

To know this love, Jesus, to know the love of Your Father, to know Your Holy Spirit here among us now. This is eternal life. Hallelujah. Amen.

The Trial

That night Jesus walked with his followers through the olive groves of the Kidron Valley. Many of them were worried, and Peter approached him to say, “Rabbi, I will stay with you through any difficulty.”

But, Jesus told him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.”

The hour was late. They rested in a garden outside the temple walls. Jesus often came to this spot to pray, and this was where Judas led the mob. They found Jesus, surrounded by a group of drowsy followers who all fled when they saw the swords and clubs of the crowd. Only Jesus remained.

Judas walked up to him, saying, “Rabbi,” and kissed Jesus on the cheek.

Then the mob seized him and brought Jesus to the religious conspirators. They proceeded to accuse him without due process of the law. Jesus listened to the accusations but said nothing.

Caiaphas, the High Priest, asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?”

Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Caiaphas tore his garments and screamed, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy.”

At the first light of day, they hauled him to the Roman court. Pilate questioned Jesus and found him blameless, but the crowd began chanting, “Crucify him. Crucify him.”

To avoid a riot, Pilate washed his hands of the business and sentenced Jesus to death.

Jesus’ trial is troubling from a legal standpoint. Jewish law prohibited the opening of a trial at night. Jesus was assigned no defender. The allegation of blasphemy was not a capital offense, and trials for capital offenses required at least two days. Under Roman law, Jesus was found innocent, and yet he was sentenced with the most extreme penalty of the law simply to keep the peace. In other words, these proceedings were not merely unjust—the trial was illegal. Worse still, Jesus was abandoned by his closest followers. Even Peter denied him three times, cursing and insisting that he didn’t know Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus, You were a laughing stock to people who did not know you. Jesus, you were outlawed from human company. You were accused like a common thief.

Jesus, we have betrayed you to mockery, injustice, and disbelief. Jesus, we have belittled you. We have made much of ourselves.

We cry out to you, Lord Jesus. You understand our suffering and sorrow. Give us strength to remain in you Even in our own final dreadful trial. Amen.

The Execution

Following Pilate’s orders, the Roman troops took Jesus into the praetorium, stripped him naked, and forced a crown of thorns onto his head. They beat him with a barbed whip, flaying the skin off his back. As he stood there bleeding and trembling in shock, the soldiers laughed, bowing and calling him your majesty.

Once they were bored with this sport, the soldiers forced Jesus to march through the city streets, dragging the cross on which they would execute him. He was weakened by the beating. So the soldiers forced a passerby to carry the cross. In this way, they went to a rock quarry east of the city, a place called Golgotha because it looked like a human skull. There the soldiers tied Jesus’ arms to the cross and drove long metal spikes between the two bones of his forearms. His feet they pinned together with a single metal spike through bones of his ankles. Then they lifted the cross into the air, dropping the base into a hole, and left him there to die.

Death by crucifixion is slow. The body gradually suffocates. In order to draw breath, Jesus had to lift himself by the nails piercing his arms and legs.

A crowd gathered to mock him, shouting, “You’re the Son of God. Come down off that cross.” The carrion birds circled overhead. Dogs waited beneath.

After several hours of agony, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and bowed his head and gave up his Spirit. The soldiers thrust a spear through his abdomen into his heart and lungs, and he was officially declared dead.

Prayer

Jesus, You are the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For you Jesus all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things have been created through you and for you.

Jesus, you are before all things, and in you all things hold together. You are the head of the body, the church. You are the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead.

Jesus, God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in you. Through you we are reconciled. You made peace through your blood, shed on the cross. Jesus, in our sin, we were once your enemies. In your grace, we are now your Brothers and Sisters.

By your atonement alone we are holy in God’s sight. In you alone, we are without blemish, free from accusation. Lord let us continue in faith, established and firm, Lord Jesus, give us strength to remain forever in the hope held out in the gospel. Hallelujah. Amen.

—

Ben Roberts is a member of Austin City Life, and a follower of Christ. He rents in amazingly ugly house in Windsor Park where he lives with his wife (Jessica), son (Solomon), dog (Charles Bronson II), and two very angry chickens. A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers, he is currently working on a novel.

I Am Barabbas

Year after year, as Christians walk through the Passion week with Jesus, our hearts are knit to him. He is our greatest hero, at the climax of his greatest feat. As we relive the story with him, we pull for him, and against his enemies. We feel varying levels of disdain for Judas who betrays him, Peter who denies him, the chief priests who despise him, Herod who mocks him, the people who call for his crucifixion, Pilate who appeases the mob and washes his hands, and Barabbas who is guilty but gets to go free.

But wait. Barabbas — the guilty who goes free? Barabbas — the sinner released to new life while the death he deserves is paid by an Innocent Substitute?

Take careful note of where Luke is leading us in his carefully crafted narrative.

Jesus, the Innocent

Three times in Luke 23:15–22, Pilate declares Jesus’ innocence.

• First, in verse 15, he says, “Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.”
• Second, in verse 20, Luke tell us, “Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus…”
• Then, in verse 22, Luke says, “A third time [Pilate] said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death.’”

Three times in this short span of eight verses, Luke, through Pilate, points us to Jesus’ innocence. Jesus has done nothing deserving death. Pilate cannot find in Jesus any guilt deserving death. Our hero is innocent.

And it’s not only in these eight verses. Throughout chapter 23, Luke seems at pains to draw our attention to Jesus’ innocence. We might even call it the major theme of his version of the story.

At the beginning of the chapter, in verse 4, Pilate had already said, “I find no guilt in this man.” Then verses 14–15 reflect back on what has already happened. Not only had Pilate previously declared Jesus innocent (verse 4), but also Herod had. So Pilate says in verses 14–15: “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us.”

Then later in the chapter, the theme of Jesus’ innocence will be echoed again, by both the thief on the cross and by the centurion. The thief on the cross will say to the other thief in verse 41, “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And the centurion will say at Jesus’ death in verse 47: “Certainly this man was innocent!”

Why would Luke make so much of Jesus’ innocence? Why at least six clear declarations of Jesus’ innocence in this chapter? Why so carefully tell us that Pilate initially found no guilt in Jesus, then neither did Herod, then Pilate declared Jesus’ innocence three more times, and then not only the thief on the cross but also the centurion recognized this innocence? Luke is taking us somewhere.

Barabbas, the Guilty

Just after Pilate has said, “Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him,” Luke tells us in verses 18–19, “But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas’—a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.”

It is Barabbas who is the guilty, says Luke, “a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.” Barabbas is the same man called “a notorious prisoner” in Matthew 27:16, and Mark 15:7 tells us that Barabbas was “among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection.”

Murder and rebellion. Rebellion is the precise thing the leaders and the people are charging Jesus with when they say he is “misleading the people” (verse 14) and “saying that he himself is Christ, a king” (verse 2). And murder is an offense that makes it clear that Barabbas not only deserves to be in prison, but he deserves death. Genesis 9:6 taught, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” Barabbas is no mere offender in rehab, but a murderer on Death Row.

Luke then reiterates for us Barabbas’s guilt in verse 25. Notice the restatement of Barabbas’s guilt when he says, “[Pilate] released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder . . . .” In other words, remember Barabbas’s sin. He’s guilty as charged.

One way we could summarize Barabbas’s plight would be to say that he is guilty of rebellion deserving death. In contrast with Jesus, who Pilate says in verse 22 has “no guilt deserving death,” Barabbas is the guilty who deserves to die.

A Horrific and Holy Substitution

Not only is Jesus the innocent, but Barabbas is the guilty. Jesus is innocent and has done nothing deserving death. Barabbas is the rebel prisoner, carrying with him guilt deserving death.

But here’s where Luke means for us to not only identify with Jesus, our Savior, but also to identify in some sense with Barabbas who so embodies our plight as rebels deserving death and our need for saving. Verse 25: “[Pilate] released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.”

Jesus the innocent is delivered over to the punishment of death; while the guilty, deserving of death, is released and thus given new life.

Note Luke’s emphasis in the word “release” that appears five times in the story:

• In verse 16, Pilate first declares that he intends to release Jesus.
• But in verse 17, the people respond, “Away with [Jesus], and release to us Barabbas.”
• Then in verse 20, Pilate again expresses his intention to release Jesus.
• Then a third time, in verse 22, Pilate says he plans to release Jesus.
• But finally in verse 25, Luke tells us that Pilate “released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.”

And so the people are pleased to exchange Jesus, the innocent, for Barabbas, the guilty.

The First Substitution of the Cross

As we’ve seen through the stressing of Jesus’ innocence and Barabbas’s guilt, Luke is leading us sinners, in his careful telling of the story, to identify in this significant way with Barabbas. As Jesus’ condemnation leads to the release of a multitude of spiritual captives from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, so also his death sentence leads to the release of the physical captive Barabbas. It’s a foretaste of the grace that will be unleashed at the cross.

Jesus is manifestly innocent. Barabbas is clearly guilty—just as we also are clearly guilty before God. Rebels deserving death. Romans 3:23 says it’s not a few of us, or even many of us, but all of us who “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.”

So as Pilate releases Barabbas the guilty, and delivers over to death Jesus the innocent, we have here a picture of our own release effected by the cross through faith. In Barabbas we have a glimpse of our guilt deserving death, and a preview of the arresting grace of Jesus and his embrace of the cross through which we are set free.

Here as Jesus is delivered to death, and Barabbas is released to new life, we have the first substitution of the cross. The innocent Jesus is condemned as a sinner, while the guilty sinner is released as if innocent.

I Am Barabbas

So Luke, it appears, means for us to identify both with Jesus and Barabbas. Jesus in that by identifying with him, through being united with him by faith, his death is our death. His condemning of sin is our condemning of sin. And Barabbas in that we are sinners, criminals who have broken God’s law, guilty as charged, deserving death for our rebellion against our creator and the ruler of the universe. And Jesus, through the grace of giving himself for us at the cross, takes our place and we are released.

As we more greatly understand the depths of our sin, we see with Luke, “I am Barabbas.” I am the one so clearly guilty and deserving of condemnation but set free because of the willing substitution of the Son of God in my place. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick,” Jesus says in Mark 2:17. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for desiringGod.org, pastor at Cities Church in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, and adjunct professor for Bethlehem College & Seminary. He has edited several books, including Finish the Mission, Acting the Miracle, and most recently Cross, and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.

Originally posted at DesiringGod.org. Used with permission.

3 Easy Ways to Find Out If You’re Feeding Your Idols

In the summer of 1984, I accepted the idol of success into my heart. I remember clearly. I was ten years old, sitting on a ratty plaid couch, watching the LA Olympics. The gymnastic competition and the track and field events were mesmerizing. The athletes power, confidence, and dedication were contagious. I had goosebumps watching their tears flow at the medal ceremonies. In that moment, my heart divided and I invited self-made greatness to make its home in my heart right next to Jesus. Obviously, that arrangement was not going to cut it. And so a 25 year battle launched for the allegiance of my heart. Perhaps you are like me and are prone to let the idol of success rule your heart. Maybe your thoughts, like mine, war between two extremes—dreaming about your next achievement and the reality that your life is not yours to spend. It is an ongoing and confusing tug of war.

On one hand, God wants us to be good stewards of the gifts and talents he has given us. Yet, on the other hand, the temptation for self glorification is always lurking. For example, as I write this article, my desire is to write a great article to display Jesus’ glory and grace, testifying to his work in my heart. Yet, on the other hand, I'm tempted with self-affirmation and the resume booster.

So, how do we guard our hearts from dethroning Jesus as we work? How can we discern when we have turned from stewarding our gifts to feeding our idol?

Here are three questions to ask yourself as you dream, set goals, and make plans.

1. Have I switched roles with God?

As you dream, are you acting like God? Are you telling God what is best? Are you treating God as if he exists to serve you and support your dreams?  If the answer is yes, or kind of, then you are feeding your idol and not stewarding your gifts.

Several years ago I dreamed about becoming a physicians assistant. I believed it would be a great use of my gifts. Having a successful career was being a good steward. Of course, I humbly told God all the reasons why and how it was going to happen. Then I was mad, when God said no. I obviously knew better. At the time, I could have sworn I was honestly seeking God’s will. Now I know. I was feeding my idol. After all, I did have two small children and we were planting a church.

2. Who's story am I the most concerned with right now?

As you set and accomplish goals, ask yourself, is this about making my story a success? Or am I being strategic with my talents to promote God’s grand redemptive story?

This can be tricky. You may start with a noble goal, honing your talents for God’s glory, but then your motivation quickly becomes self-glorification. You know you have crossed the line and started feeding your idol when insecurity and worry take over.

This last year my goal was to publish a book. My motivation was to proclaim the good news of Jesus and make his story known. Yes, that was a noble goal. But, every time I moved forward, I became anxious about rejection and failure. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit would intervene and remind me of my role in the greatest story ever told. The story where the Creator-King of the universe is ultimately glorified.

3. How is my attitude towards God in a win or a loss?

When your plans don't go your way. Do you find yourself angry and bitter or trust in a loving heavenly Father? What if your plans succeed beyond your expectations. Do you treasure the warm glow of your achievement or praise God for the opportunity to use your talents for his glory?

My husband recently chose to shut down a plan that would have been a big win for him. It was hard for me to watch him grieve the loss but, I was encouraged by his surrender and confidence in the Lord. As we talked I heard him say, "God always does what is good and right and perfect." In this case my husband was holding his talents loosely, allowing God to decide how they should be used.

To those who succeed at making something of themselves, the world promises fulfillment. This message appeals to us because it offers to fill our longing to find our purpose, significance, and self-worth. But, we must vigilantly resist this temptation by focusing on the gospel—which reminds us why we live differently.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:5-11

Friends be grateful and encouraged! God appoints us gifts and talents to be used in his grande redemptive story. It is amazing God uses flawed humans like you and me to spread his glory and fame. Please join me in persistent prayer for a pure heart. A heart that stewards talents for his glory.

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Tracy Richardson (@alaskagospelgrl) serves at Radiant Church in Fairbanks, Alaska as the Church Planters Wife. She loves to study scripture, throw parties, and run trails. She has a B.S.S. in Fine Art and Literature. She is also Mamma Bear to two wild cubs.

Hoping in God's Promise in a Broken Here and Now

A Reason to Remain Hopeful

Sometimes the cancer is not cured. Sometimes the slum remains a slum. Sometimes the marriage fails and the friendship ends. Sometimes our hearts break. We suffer; we hurt; we experience loss; we ache. In the midst of these very real battles, Jesus speaks to us out of his own sorrow and grief to remind us that, in the end, hope will win. In the end, life will overcome death, joy will overcome sorrow, freedom will overcome bondage, and triumph will overcome loss.

Still, we wait.

When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” it wasn’t just a prediction about the future. It was also an identity statement. Whenever Jesus uses the words I am to describe himself, he is claiming to be God. I am is Old Testament language that Jews like Mary and Martha understood to mean one thing. They would instantly remember Moses and the burning bush, out of which the Maker of the universe spoke the words, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

The same God who created the galaxies with a breath, who split the ocean with words, and who calls a dead man out of a tomb is the God who is going to make all things new and whose words are trustworthy and true.

Yet we struggle to lay hold of these realities in a broken here and now.

Confronting Worst Case Scenarios

During occasional seasons in my adult life I have suffered from insomnia, anxiety, and panic attacks. Whenever these seasons have come, the anxiety was triggered by fear about the future. The triggers for me fall into three categories or questions. First, am I going to be alone? Second, am I going to get an incurable disease? Third, am I going to be able to provide for the people who depend on me?

Part of the way that I have confronted the anxiety has been to work with a professional counselor. Several years ago, during a particularly anxious season, my counselor observed how prone I was to meditate on worst-case scenarios. Instead of coming up with all the reasons why my fears were irrational and would probably never come to be, she challenged me to assume that my fears were true and face them head-on. She challenged me to think about, and then speak out loud, what the long-term, worst-case scenario would be if I ended up alone, or sick, or could not provide for my loved ones. “Let’s just imagine for a minute that each and every one of your fears was real and actual. Then, let’s fast-forward a hundred years into the future. Where is the worst-case scenario going to take you, Scott? You preach the answer to this question to others all the time. Let’s pause for a moment and see if you can preach it to yourself.”

If I end up alone, the worst-case scenario is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and those who believe in him, though they die, yet shall they live. God has set a place for me at the wedding feast of Jesus, and I will be part of the church, his bride, forever. He puts the lonely into an eternal family. He will never leave or forsake me. The long-term, worst-case scenario is that I will never be alone, that I will always be known, loved, and received.

If I get a disease, the worst-case scenario is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and those who believe in him, though they die, yet shall they live. Just as Jesus’ body has been raised incorruptible and will no longer be subject to decay, so will mine be. He forgives all my sins and will heal all my diseases and crown me with love and compassion and redeem my life from every pit. The long-term, worst-case scenario is that I will be happy, healthy, strong, and whole forevermore.

If I cannot provide, the worst-case scenario is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and those who believe in him, though they die, yet shall they live. Jesus is rich. Everything in heaven and earth is his, and every square inch and every penny, nickel, dime, and dollar belong to him. But Jesus is more than rich; he is the true riches. Whether I live in poverty or wealth, I will always be able to say with the Puritan who was stripped to nothing but a piece of bread and a glass of water, “What? All of this and Jesus Christ, too?” The long-term, worst-case scenario is that I will inherit a wealth that will never spoil, perish, or fade—the wealth being Jesus himself. This inheritance will be not only for me but also for those depending on me who have anchored their own futures in his provision, not mine.

God’s Infinitely Real Promises

Is it any wonder that the most repeated command in the Bible is “Do not fear”?

God’s long-term promises are infinitely more real than any present, broken reality. It takes a God-given faith for us to see these things and let ourselves be impacted by them emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and otherwise. But with this God-given faith, we who are realistic about suffering can also live in hope because the broken reality in which we live is not the ultimate reality. Suffering, sorrow, and death will not be a part of life. All nightmares, imagined and real, will come to an end. Everything sad will come untrue. These words are trustworthy and true.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Thanks be to God.

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Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who are Tired of Taking Sides. You can connect with Scott at scottsauls.com or on Twitter at @scottsauls.

Taken from Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides copyright ©2015 by Scott Sauls. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

How to Multiply Disciples Like Jesus

Although mentorship is meaningful, we can’t expect for it to change lives the way Jesus did with his disciples. The disciples walked with Jesus through crowded streets, witnessing people be healed, abandoning their comfortable lives to learn from Jesus. They learned from Jesus so that they could continue his mission. That is a true disciple. And it is the model we should follow. Meeting once a week for a life update doesn’t lend itself to trust and accountability. We can discuss theology and talk through our struggles and heartaches without ever really experiencing life together. My prayer is that we would disciple by inviting people into our daily lives, schedules, meetings, marriages, and families—like Jesus did. Discipleship must push people towards their calling and mission.

Often the older generation doesn’t trust the younger generation because we have a very independent, entrepreneurial reputation. This reputation implies, “We don’t need you.” The reputation, assumptions, and demoralization is easier to look down upon than correct. Instead, the younger generation needs to be shepherded and empowered. The older generation can do this by opening up their lives as an example, and they should say, “Follow us as we follow Christ.” In this relationship, we are responsible to hold one another accountable to live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Paul Disciples Timothy

1 Timothy 4:11-16 deepened my understanding of Paul and Timothy’s relationship. Paul approached Timothy with trust, allowing Paul to disciple him with boldness. Paul trusted Timothy because he witnessed the prophecy of Timothy’s gifting; he witnessed Timothy stewarding that gift; and observed the elders laying hands on and praying over Timothy. He knew God had plans for Timothy, so in their relationship, Paul drove him toward his calling and the Lord

Also, Paul’s trust in Timothy affected his approach to teaching. He trusted Timothy to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). He treated Timothy as a fellow pastor capable of sharing the gospel with the same passion and conviction he had. For example, Paul wrote this in his second letter, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul had faith in Timothy’s gift to teach because he trusted his character, conviction, and passion to share the gospel.

Not only this, but Paul labored in prayer for his disciple.

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. —2 Timothy 1:3-7

We experience abundant life when we walk as the beloved bride of Christ, and we see the riches of his grace in this intimate place. In my own life, God has used discipleship as a way to reveal the great depth of my purpose and worth. The women who disciple me know my gifts and my calling, and they train me to live in a way that fulfills this calling. If they notice me failing to use my God-given ability, then they admonish me to examine myself and reprioritize. Most importantly, they fervently pray for me asking for the favor of God to be upon me. These women trust me, and they invest in me because they believe God has gifted and called me with special purpose.

From the Bible, Into Our Lives

This kind of discipleship is not normal, expected, or comfortable. I invite one of the girls I disciple to spend time with me in my workplace, with my friends, and in my home. I ask her to partake in more than a coffee date (although we have those, too). I’m not responsible for the fruit she bears or her rate of growth, but I am confident that God will work faithfully as we seek to make disciples like he did.

If you have a family, ask your disciple to help you cook dinner for your family. If you are a businessman, ask your disciple to help you prepare for a meeting. If you’re a student, ask your disciple to help you study for your next exam. The opportunities for mission, instruction, and purpose are endless when we’re doing life on life discipleship. Trust that the person you disciple has been gifted and called by God in a unique and intentional way. Pray like Paul, and receive wisdom concerning how to best steward your relationships.

This kind of discipleship will shift a demoralized younger generation into mature disciples of Jesus Christ who will go out to make, mature, and multiply more disciples. I eagerly expect a revival through the restoration of prayer and discipleship. May we boldly disciple the younger generation in faith—just as Paul did Timothy (2 Tim. 3:10-16). May we boldly ask God to fan the flame of our gifts, through prayer and devoted discipleship.

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Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) is a graduating senior at DBU and the executive director for Internal Relations at INITIATIVE. Chelsea spent her childhood overseas in Thailand, and her parents currently live in Australia. She knew God during these formative years, but truly grew into her Christ-given identity as a senior in High School. The influence of diversity and rich culture in her life has been transformational and a beautiful launching pad for her ministry in Dallas with INITIATIVE and Movement Day. She does freelance writing and editing for various non-profits, and hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

How the Gospel Comes to the City Through Community

Our cities remain the gathering place of culture, human capital, and change. Suburban flight is a reality as young educated creatives flock to cities for the opportunities and lifestyle they offer. All this comes on the heals of the American church surrendering property and influence in the urban core while finding its place as the religion of the suburbs. Evangelical Christianity doesn’t have a literal or cultural place in the city, we gave it up decades ago. Now, we’re trying to reengage in a context divergent from the orderly and homogeneous context of the suburbs the church has made its home. Cities need both worship gatherings and missional communities to intersect the people and needs of the city. This article will focus on the need for missional communities in the city. The gospel shines brightly, speaks clearly, and welcomes sojourners with questions and doubts in the context of relationships.

Good News in the City

Oddly, the first step forward isn’t toward cutting edge strategies or culturally relevant events. It’s pressing into the gospel—the thing of first importance. The gospel is the good news that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and evil through his own death and resurrection and is making all things new, even us. This is good news in the city and for the city.

The city is where death, evil, and destruction is obvious to all. The affects of sin, whether it is acknowledged as sin or not, is exposed in every neighborhood. The city is where the abused gather together. Where the enslaved, broken, and downtrodden end up. It’s where schools fail to keep kids safe. The city is where injustice is present on almost every corner. Where isolation from community, family, and others is rampant. Cities are settling grounds for fugitives and refugees. They gather orphans.

The city is also a place for hope. It’s where we hope in our humanity, ingenuity, non-profits, and creative solutions. The city is a place of beautiful artwork, music, and cuisine. Cities gather ideas. The city is where humans, created in God’s image, thrive in expressing some of God’s most beautiful attributes: compassion, mercy, creativity, and justice.

Despite the high volume of humans, each made in God’s image, our hopes and solutions always fall short. Despite the population density, we need loving community. Despite the creative capital, we need justice and healing. Despite the plethora of opportunities, we need lasting satisfaction, joy.

The gospel of Jesus is good news in the city. He defeats sin, death, and evil through the cross and empty tomb. Jesus isn’t just defeating he is recreating, making all things new. This is good news in cities of unfulfilled promise and expectation of complete restoration. This good news is what every mayoral candidate promises, but only Jesus delivers—not only a new city, but a new humanity. The gospel offers redemption, restoration, and renewal.

Community and Mission in the City

The gospel saves us from sin and death toward something: unity with God, unity with his people, and the ministry of reconciliation the gospel of Jesus offers. In other words, Jesus calls us to himself, to his community, and to his restorative mission. The gospel is the starting place. The cause for the gathering and scattering of his people on mission.

I’ve never been around a community that was centered on the gospel that wasn’t on mission. A gospel-centered people is a missional people. I’ve never been around a community that loves one another, that doesn’t have Jesus at the middle of everything they do. A gospel-focused people is a missional community. If the truth of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection isn’t woven into the fabric of everything a community does, it has no purpose outside of its own will to make their cities better. Without the gospel at the center, the community has no reason to endure and bare all things together other than its consumeristic pursuit of ideal community. This is no different in the city.

Our cities need the gospel to be made visible and audible. This is certainly accomplished on Sunday mornings in worship service throughout the city. However, the gospel must pervade the city through God’s scattered people. The city needs gospel communities on mission nestled into every crack of the city.

What is a missional community? The space of this article does not allow me to get into the depths and nuances of a missional community. But simply put, gospel communities are a group of people learning to follow Jesus together in a way that renews their city, town, village, hamlet, or other space. They aren’t fancy. In fact, they are almost always a messy community of everyday citizens who are devoted to Jesus, one another, their neighbors, and their city. This means they invest in each others’ lives, calling one another to repent and behold Christ daily. A missional community reorients their activity to center not on themselves, but on Christ. They struggle forward as in process sinners redeemed by the unconditional and infinite grace of God. They share meals, step humbly into the injustice in their city, welcome others into community, and take care of each other.

How to Become a Missional Community

Every missional community has three natural ingredients: qualified and called leaders, a clear purpose, and committed participants. These three elements are where you must begin as a leader. After these components are brought together your first task is laying a biblical foundation for missional community.

Qualified and Called Leaders

As you dream about starting a community, you must ask these important questions about leadership and prayerfully consider them:

• Am I qualified and called to lead a missional community? Do I have capacity to be a leader? (See this article on leadership roles and calling)
• How do I need to grow as a follower of Jesus? (See this template of personal development as a leader)
• Who will lead alongside you? How will you invite them into leadership? How do they compliment your gifts?

The Purpose of Your Community

Before you start making phone calls and sending out invitations to start a missional community, take some time to think about why missional community. Why do you want to start one? Be honest with yourself. How would you describe a missional community in your own words? It’s important you describe it well as you invite people to participate. Your definition of a missional community should include: shared life, the gospel, care for the city and neighbors, and making disciples.

Think through what you are passionate about and who you are passionate about. Is it a neighborhood, a group of people, or the specific names and faces you interact with everyday? What would a community that proclaims and promotes the gospel to them look like? What would it look like to welcome your neighbors into that kind of community?

A Committed Core

Begin to pray for the people God will bring into that community. Pray for people to come alongside you and help. Pray for co-leaders and for God to connect you with others who have a similar passion. Pray for God to bring names to mind. Think through the specific people in your life you want to join your new missional community. They’ll need to live or work close to you since its hard to commute to community. You aren’t looking for all-stars or elite Christians—they don’t exist. Instead, you are praying for people who will commit to the process of becoming a community. Who will be teachable, humble, and honest in faith and repentance?

As you invite people, give them a picture of gospel-shaped community alive in God’s mission. As you describe what you are prayerfully starting, avoid making your invitation tailor-made to each person, where you sacrifice your convictions. For example, you really want your friends who are struggling in marriage to join, so you tell them it will be a group that fixes marriages. Invite people into a community that isn’t centered on their needs, hobbies, or passions but the gospel of Jesus and his mission.

Start by Laying a Foundation on the Gospel, Community, and Mission

Spend the first chunk of your time as a missional community growing in biblical understanding of what these large topics are. You cannot move forward without laying this foundation. However, your community’s foundation will be the composite assumptions and ideals of each individual member. It is painfully difficult to lead a community that doesn’t have a biblical foundation on the essentials. You can do this a variety of ways.

• Study a book of the Bible by asking these questions: what does this teach us about who God is, what he has done, who we are, and how we ought to live in our city? I would recommend Ephesians, Colossians, or 1 Peter. This helps a group of people see the connections between the gospel, community, mission while developing an understanding of the Scriptures.
• Go through an oral telling of the grand narrative of Scripture. This gives your community an understanding of the gospel and God’s mission for his people. It helps root a community in the big picture. An excellent version of this has been put together by Soma Communities.
• Use a Missional Community primer or curriculum. There are several options out there by the various missional community tribes. Jonathan Dodson and I recently released our eight week guide that spends considerable time unpacking the gospel, community, and mission.

Be Committed to the Process and Your City

Missional community is a mess and a process. A community leaning into this process is the ideal missional community on this side of new creation. A community that engages the journey of being conformed into the image of Christ is a dynamic picture of the gospel the city needs. Your calling is to start where you are and take steps forward, through prayer, study, shared meals, showing up to serve, inviting others in, and becoming increasingly present in your city. A great missional community is one that regularly asks: how are we allowing the gospel to shape us? What is God calling us to? How is God challenging us to be conformed into the image of Christ? This is the whole deal.

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Brad Watson (@bradawatson) serves as a pastor of Bread&Wine Communities where he develops and teaches leaders how to form communities that love God and serve the city. Brad is the author of Raised? and Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com

The Painstaking Way Jesus Empowers New Life

NEW MISSION: MAKE DISCIPLES

Matthew 28:18-20 is what Christians call the Great Commission, the dominant marching orders for all who have faith in resurrection. It can sound a bit militant: Take God’s authority and make disciples.” But remember, these orders are from the one who has laid down his life to save his enemies. Ironically, our orders are to invite through imitation. Our mission is to make disciples through our words and actions. Or, as Jesus said, “teach and obey.” In fact, it is when we experience the riches of renewal through Christ that we become, as Eugene Peterson says, “God’s advertisement to the world.”1 We make disciples by living resurrected lives and telling people about the resurrected Christ.

“There’s not a hint of coercion here. It’s a life of love. Jesus wants us to spread the gospel throughout the world by spending our lives for the sake of others. The power of the resurrection doesn’t end with us; it travels through us. Our commission is invitation. We invite others to join God’s redemptive agenda to restore human flourishing and remake the world. We are sent into the world to share the good news that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and evil through his own death and resurrection. Jesus is making all things new, and he calls his followers to participate in his work of renewal.

Distinctive Discipleship

Part of what makes this command such a “great” mission is its scope—all nations. When Jesus spoke these words, he was reorienting a primarily Jewish audience to a distinctly multiethnic mission. The Greek word used here is the same word that gives us the English word “ethnic.” It refers to the nations, not modernist geopolitical states, but non-Jewish people groups (Gentiles) with distinct cultures and languages. Our commission is not to Christianize nation-states, but to share the good news of what Jesus has done with all ethnic groups. Christ does not advocate what is commonly called Christendom, a top-down political Christianity. Instead, he calls his followers to transmit a bottom-up, indigenous Christianity, to all peoples in all cultures.

We should also note that this command is to make disciples of all nations, not from all nations. The goal of Christian missions is not to replace the rich diversity of human culture for a cheap consumer, Christian knock-off culture. Dr. Andrew Walls puts it well:

Conversion to Christ does not produce a bland universal citizenship: it produces distinctive discipleship, as diverse and variegated as human life itself. Christ in redeeming humanity brings, by the process of discipleship, all the richness of humanity’s infinitude of cultures and subcultures into the variegated splendor of the Full Grown Humanity to which the apostolic literature points (Eph 4.8 – 13).²

What we should strive for is distinctive discipleship, discipleship that uniquely expresses personal faith in our cultural context. Disciples in urban Manhattan will look different than disciples in rural Maehongson. These differences allow for a flourishing of the gospel that contributes to the many-splendored new humanity of Christ. Simply put, the message of Jesus is for the flourishing of all humanity in all cultures.

Jesus informs our resurrected life. He gives us a new and gracious authority, a new identity, and a new mission. With that in view, what does it look like to participate in this task of renewing the world? Where do we begin? Jesus has painted for us a great picture of the new life. Let’s turn now to the daily implications of resurrection life.

IMPLICATIONS: RISKING FOR HUMANITY

If Jesus did, indeed, rise from the dead, we have nothing to fear and everything we need. All that we strive for is fulfilled in Jesus. All that we seek to avoid has been resolved by him. For example, if Jesus rose from the dead, we no longer need to strive for acceptance because we are now accepted by him. If Jesus rose from the dead, we don’t need to fear death, because it has been defeated. This means that we are free to smuggle medical supplies into Burma, even at the risk of death, knowing that our eternal fate is already sealed. We can move to distant countries to invest in development and renewal because Christ did the same for the world. Like the early Christians, we can care for the poor and marginalized in our cities. If we have resurrection life, we will have courage to take risks in the name of love. . . .

This is the power of the resurrected life. Serving others is a sacrifice, yes. But that sacrifice is filled with joy. You won’t be able to imagine living any other way.

Why?

Jesus tells those who follow him to leave all they have behind, to give their lives to the poor, to love their enemies, and to be a blessing to the world. Let’s not pretend this is easy to do. Following Jesus will require your whole life. Not just part of it. Not just your leisure time. Not just some of your budget. No, it requires your whole life. It will feel like death and suffering at times. It will feel that way because you are laying your life down. That’s what the resurrection looks like in daily life. We do not hold anything back—our talents, possessions, or time—because we live with the certainty that death and sin have been defeated.

There is no sugarcoating it. You will lose your life. In its place you will find a vibrant, full, and eternal life. By dying to ourselves we become alive to the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead empowers us to live a life for Jesus. His death and resurrection have become our death and resurrection. Our old life is gone, and we now experience a new authority, identity, and mission. This is why we give, celebrate, and serve: we have died and have been raised again to experience new and abundant life.

—

Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of City Life Church in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Unbelievable Gospel, and Raised? He has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others. Twitter: @Jonathan_Dodson

Brad Watson serves as a pastor of Bread & Wine Communities in Portland, Oregon. He is a board member of GCDiscipleship.com and co-author of Raised? His greatest passion is to encourage and equip leaders for the mission of making disciples. Twitter: @BradAWatson

(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Raised? by Jonathan Dodson and Brad Watson available from Zondervan. It appears here with the permission of the author and publisher. For free resources and preorders, visit raisedbook.com.)

^{1. Eugene Peterson, Practice Resurrection (Grand Rapids: Eerd- mans, 2010), 13 – 14.↩ 2. Andrew Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996), 51.↩}

Why the Meaninglessness of Life?

Have you ever been struck by that feeling of pure meaninglessness? That deep down feeling in your heart of meaninglessness. Perhaps it occurs when you are at work or when you are alone. Does it happen occasionally or constantly? Some may not have any idea what I’m talking about. That’s ok. I must admit I have experienced this meaninglessness a number of times throughout my life. It’s never been fun, but honestly this meaninglessness has taught me something that is extremely important.

A Universal Issue

Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins says,

“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”

From continent to continent, meaninglessness seems to reign supreme. At first glance, it might not be easy to recognize because we tend to mask meaninglessness with busyness or pleasure. But it is there. We toil and strive to find meaning in this cold, dark universe every day of our lives, and if we are honest with ourselves we rarely find meaning. Sure, there are times when we might experience pure bliss and euphoric sensations, but that existential angst is still lives.

The Void

We all experience meaninglessness—a hole within our soul. This is what encountering the void is like. The void within our souls has been a part of the human condition ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3). This deep chasm of meaninglessness that we all find within ourselves searches constantly to be filled. This is why our search can sometimes seem like it’s complete. We temporarily fill the void with a number of earthly goods (relationships, sports, alcohol, work, drugs, etc). We may feel like there is no void within ourselves when we are intoxicated by earthly pleasures. Nevertheless, as time passes, the void will make itself more known. It is inevitable. You cannot escape it.

The Absurd

Albert Camus, philosopher and journalist, says, “Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.” The reason he could make such a statement is because he was willing to admit the absurdity of life. You might not know, but it was some of Camus’ views that contributed to the formation of a philosophical position that came to be known as absurdism.

The absurd is all about a conflict. The conflict is between (1) the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and (2) the human ability to find any.1 Isn’t that our struggle today? Don’t we wake up and face this absurd reality every day? So what is the solution to man’s perennial problem?

The Solution

C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” Perhaps this thought is just simply too good to be true. But just maybe, Lewis was right. I have never heard a Darwinian explanation that accounts for man’s constant search for meaning. How can unguided Darwinian naturalism account for our innate subjective desire to find meaning in life? How can Darwinism account for the desire that human beings deal with every day as we driven to find our place in this world?

This is where C.S. Lewis provides a solution to this problem facing humanity. When faced with the reality of living in a meaningless universe, experiencing the void daily, and facing the absurd constantly, man seeks meaning with something outside of oneself. Something to fully satisfy. Something that will make man feel alive.

The Answer

Perhaps you think that Christians are just wishful thinkers. Intellectually inferior people who must believe in some personal deity who cares for them because they can’t handle meaninglessness of life. Perhaps this really is the way world is. But maybe it isn’t. Maybe the one called Jesus was who he said was (Jn. 14:6). What if he did descend from his heavenly kingdom to redeem humanity (Jn. 6:38)? If he is who he claimed to be, it changes everything. It changes the way we view the universe, the void, and the absurdity of life.

Of course, I am not naive. If you come and drink from the living well, it doesn’t mean you will never struggle against meaningless in life (Jn. 4:14). I am a Christian pastor and I struggle with this almost daily. Even the most faithful Christians have struggled in this life. There’s little doubt that you would too. The ramifications of sin stretch deep and wide.

But Jesus is the answer to the absurdity of life. Why then do I feel like he’s not so often? Perhaps this is because my lack of faith. However, we must boldly and daily approach God and confess, “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). We must cling to the gospel during our darkest days. We must remember the promises of God. Maybe one day in the new Heavens and the new Earth we will all understand why we had to struggle. Until then, the struggle is real, and the feeling of meaninglessness still lives. Keep holding on, friends. You are not alone in this battle. We struggle together in Christ.

—

Matt Manry is the Director of Discipleship at Life Bible Church in Canton, Georgia. He is a student at Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He also works on the editorial team for Credo Magazine and Gospel-Centered Discipleship. He blogs regularly at gospelglory.net.

The Incredible Way Jesus Suffered in Selma

I saw the movie Selma with my wife in January. I was wrecked. I do not cry often, especially not in films, but along with the stories of the martyrs, the history of the struggle against slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation move on my heart. I wept as I have not wept in years. The kind of tears that wrench your gut and stick in your throat for hours. As I went home that evening, just thinking of the various injustices and degradations depicted threaten to bring on another torrent. I was exhausted with the grief and, yes, the heaviness of hope. I am no film critic, but the film was powerful. I strongly suggest you go watch it. It is not just Black history, or American history, but our history, as Christians and humans made in the image of God. The depth of human depravity, the height of human courage, and the slow, but inevitable coming of justice—however partial, however incomplete–is a story that will not sit easy, but builds you and blesses you nonetheless.

While I could profitably take up many spiritual and theological themes, I want to talk about Jesus and Selma. Or rather, I want to ask a specific question about what our Christology, our view of Jesus, has to do with our view of what happened in Selma and what happens in the suffering of God’s people around the world. Admittedly, this is not the only question, and maybe not even the most important Christological question raised by the film, and yet I want to briefly address it nonetheless, because I think there is comfort and challenge involved here.

Does God Cry?

In the middle of the film, when Martin Luther King Jr. is out of town, a small band of Selma protesters engage in a night march. The police get wind of it and decide to teach them a lesson by ambushing them with a wave of brutality and violence. In the middle of it all, one young protestor, Jimmie Lee Jackson, is shot and killed protecting his mother and grandfather. It is wrenching and heartbreaking. When he hears the news, King comes to visit Jackson’s grandfather and speak some words of comfort. King addresses him and assures him that Jimmie will not have died in vain, but the very first words he says, are something to the effect of, “I want you to know that when Jimmie died, God was the first to cry. He was the first to shed a tear.”

It is a powerful moment, especially as you watch Jimmie’s grandfather look at King with an expression of humility, comfort, and deep pain and say, “Oh yes, I believe that. I know that.” The words are so appropriately-timed and attuned to speak a message that provides balm for the soul. God knows your pain. He is not distant from your cares and woes. They are his cares and woes. Your tears do not fall to the ground alone but join with those shed from heaven above, by the God of all creation.

Of course, the question that struck me in the theater was, “Is that true? Does God shed a tear for Jimmie?”

A God Who Cannot Suffer Becomes A Redeemer Who Can

I asked the question because, as Wesley Hill recently reminded us, for most of her history the church has taught the doctrine of impassibility. The nearly unified confession of church history until about the 20th Century was that, strictly speaking, God does not and cannot in suffer passions—be overwhelmed by irrational or uncontrollable feelings—or be acted upon in his divine nature. The Triune God is the author of life whose own glory is that of perfect, unchanging glory. He is incapable of being overwhelmed or overcome in his divine life. So does God cry? Well, in a sense, no. God is spiritual, not physical. In himself he cannot be overwhelmed as we are, have an adrenaline rush with a flush of the face, a flaring of the nostrils, or an unbidden moistening of the tear-ducts. God does not cry.

At the same time, though, as Ben Myers reminded the attendees of last week’s LA Theology conference, for the Church Fathers the presupposition of impassibility is precisely the logic behind the cross. As I’ve explained before, God’s impassibility does not mean that he does not care, or that he has no emotional life—he does. It’s just that we should not think of it precisely as we do our own. In fact, this is the glory of the God of the gospel—we find a God who cares so much that the one who cannot suffer and die in his own nature, takes on human nature in order to suffer and die with us and for us. The impassible God loves so implacably that he overcomes the obstacle of his own perfect life in order to participate in our life, so marred with pain and sin, to redeem us from it. In other words, the God who could not suffer, became a Redeemer who could.

Jesus is the God who became human so he could shed tears with us at the tomb of Lazarus.

Eternal Mediator

What now, though? The Scriptures teach that this God-man is the one who, after his Resurrection, was exalted to the right hand of the Father in order to intercede for us even now. According to Hebrews, like Melchizedek, Christ “continues a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3). The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity is currently a human seated on the throne of the universe. If it is not too speculative, I would hazard the courage to say that Jesus is the God who can still shed human tears for his people in this world racked with sin and injustice.

I say this on the basis of Acts 9, when the Resurrected Christ comes to Saul, the marauder of the church and says, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” The Risen Christ so identifies with his people that any assault on them is an assault on him. Their suffering is his. Their tears are his. As Calvin writes about this passage:

[T]he godly may gather great comfort by this, in that they hear that the Son of God is partner with them of the cross, when as they suffer and labor for the testimony of the gospel, and that he doth, as it were, put under his shoulders, that he may bear some part of the burden. For it is not for nothing that he saith that he suffereth in our person; but he will have us to be assuredly persuaded of this, that he suffereth together with us, as if the enemies of the gospel should wound us through his side. Wherefore Paul saith, that that is wanting in the sufferings of Christ what persecutions soever the faithful suffer at this day for the defense of the gospel, (Colossians 1:24.) –Comment on Acts 9:4

Though impassible in his own nature, in Christ, God suffers in and with his people. Jesus is the God who cries for Jimmie Lee Jackson.

These tears comfort those suffering under grave oppression around the world. Whether it be the marchers in Selma, laboring for the justice of God’s kingdom, or the persecuted church around the world, God’s joy and impassible life does not mean he is separated from our pain and struggle. He is there in the heart of it, working to redeem it.

Yet the Gospel moves us beyond the tears of Christ to remind us that by his once and for all suffering on the Cross and victorious Resurrection, Christ has secured the day when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)

May we look forward to that day as we look about our world filled with injustice and pain. May that hope gird us up as we shed the tears that will inevitably come as we follow Christ in looking the brokenness of the world, in order to meet it with the gospel of our justice-loving God.

—

Derek Rishmawy is the Director of College and Young Adult ministries at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Orange County, CA. He got his B.A. in Philosophy at UCI and his M.A.T.S. (Biblical Studies) at APU. He also contributes at the Gospel Coalition, Mere Orthodoxy, and Leadership Journal, as well as his own Reformedish blog.

Original posted at DerekZRishmawy.com. Used with permission.

How to Successfully Argue Your Point But Miss the Gospel

Why are Christians so unkind to one another and the world? Why do we criticize, degrade, and dismiss? Why do we act like jerks? I have experienced the sting of Christian criticism many times as I’ve posted Scripture or encouragements online. I’m sure you’ve experienced this, too. Christians critique my use of the Bible and correct my theological positions. This happens so frequently on Twitter, there is now a hashtag, #JesusJuked, for Christians who use Scripture as a correction-weapon to tell others how they are wrong. This isn’t cool and this isn’t classy. Nowhere in the Bible has God given us license to treat each other like jerks.

If we continue to pridefully announce our objections to everything, we will soon lose credibility to speak the truth of the gospel. We will be known for our desire to be right and prove others wrong, instead of being known for our love for one another. The world will not believe our points about God’s love when they are delivered with disrespect and pride. Some Christians have been so busy trying to make their argumentative points, they have lost the opportunity to make a difference. It’s that kind of non-Spirit-led, fleshly preaching that turns people from the gospel everyday.

Again, why do we act with such pride and arrogance toward one another?

At the root, we are relying on our own intellect, ego, and proven arguments instead of Christ. We are prideful and think we can get people to see the truth in our own strength. We trust our smarts and wit more than Christ. With our eyes on our selves, we miss others and the gospel.

A Matter of Control

Today, we have access to the Holy Spirit’s power to control our lives. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live with “gentleness and respect” (1 Pt. 3:15) and be “the aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15) to the world around us. God has commanded us to walk and live by the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. —Galatians 5:22-23

Scripture tells us “when the Holy Spirit controls our lives” we will have certain characteristics that demonstrate his character. Through our words and actions people should see certain aspects of God’s character: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If we are speaking out of bitterness, anger, frustration, fear, we are not being controlled by the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are the picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus. If our actions do not display these fruits, we aren’t being controlled by the Spirit.

We often get confused into thinking our frustrations and bitterness are actually righteous obedience. The reality is, however, the righteous acts are those of peace, patience, and kindness.When we aren’t patient with our unbelieving neighbor and his journey with faith, we are not living by the Spirit. When we lose our temper when our co-worker asks another hard question, we are not living by the Spirit. However, when pursue peace among those quarreling in the office, we are living by the Spirit. When we sacrifice our Saturday to help our neighbor with their yard-work, we are living by the Spirit. As the Spirit controls our lives, we become a better picture of God’s character and the gospel.

We not only need to live Spirit-filled lives, but also Spirit-controlled lives. If you don’t know if your actions or words are from the Spirit, ask: Is this statement done out of joy? Done out of love? Done out of gentleness? Done out of kindness? If the answers are no, it’s not of the Spirit.

A Better Way Called Grace

Make no mistake. We are called, as Christians, to persuade others towards the gospel. It is one of our main responsibilities. Paul says: “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this too” (2 Cor. 5:11). We are to share the message of grace.

I’ve been asking myself a question lately, and it has been wrecking my heart: “How is the world supposed to see the grace of God if the people of God are not gracious?”

The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. —Proverbs 16:21

The writer of the proverb is saying: “Gracious words make a person persuasive.” It is not our arguments or our tight-doctrine that make us persuasive to people. It is the graciousness, love, and joy that only comes from a Christ-filled and Spirit-controlled life. If we walk in step with the Spirit and exhibit these characteristics to a world thirsty for grace, who wouldn’t want to be around us?

When we are gracious, we introduce a little more of the character of God to the world. God, more than anyone, has the right to banish us, to speak ill of us, to expose our heart’s motives, to reveal how wrong we are, and yet God is gracious. He doesn’t critique, jab, or #JesusJuked his children.

The gospel shows us that God is not running after us to smite us, but to save us. “God so loved the world,” and “God did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (Jn. 3:16-17). God lavishes us with grace.

The gospel is not our work, our rules, or our religious structure. It’s the news that Christ has come, died, and rose again for the sake of us sinners. God wants to reconcile people to himself and he’s given everything in his Son to reconcile people to himself. God has done it all for us and that is grace. That’s the gospel the world needs to hear. It’s this simple proclamation and the hearing of this good news that transforms the human heart.

This gospel preached graciously does something profound to the human heart. When we talk about who Jesus was, and what he did, and his great love and gracious covering for our sin—God takes it and drives it supernaturally into the human heart, and the Holy Spirit draws people into faith in Christ. As we graciously share this story of Jesus, the graciousness of God is evident and draws people to the grace of Christ that can save them. When we pridefully argue our points, the message of grace is lost.

—

Matt Brown is an evangelist, author of Awakening (2015) and founder of Think Eternity.

6 Essential Ingredients for Repenting of Pornography

Recently a new survey commissioned by a nonprofit organization called Proven Men Ministries and conducted by the Barna Group took a national representative sample of 388 self-identified Christian adult men. The statistics are alarming and paint a picture of the serious problem of pornography. The statistics for Christian men between 18 and 30 years old are particularly striking:

• 77 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 36 percent view pornography on a daily basis.
• 32 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 12 percent think they may be).

The statistics for middle-aged Christian men (ages 31 to 49) are no less disturbing:

• 77 percent looked at pornography while at work in the past three months.
• 64 percent view pornography at least monthly.
• 18 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 8 percent think they may be).

Even married Christian men are falling prey to pornography and extramarital sexual affairs at alarming rates:

• 55 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 35 percent had an extramarital sexual affair while married.¹

These statistics are alarming; in fact, they are downright discouraging. The porn addict lives in a world where they go through a cycle of feeling sorry for what they did, but never coming to see the gospel seriousness of what they have done. The statistics show we must help porn addicts understand the seriousness of their sin, the nature of true biblical repentance, and turning away from sexual sin to Jesus Christ. The great Puritan author, Thomas Watson, once said there are six ingredients for true repentance.

First, sight of sin

A person comes to himself (Lk. 15:17) and clearly views his lifestyle as sinful. If we fail to see our own sin, we rarely, if ever, are motivated to repent.

Second, sorrow for sin (Ps. 38:18).

We need to feel the nails of the cross in our souls as we sin. Repentance includes both godly grief and holy agony (2 Cor. 7:10). The fruit of repentance is showed in genuine, anguishing sorrow over the offense itself, not just the consequences of it. Sorrow for sin is seen in the ongoing righteous actions it produces. True repentance lingers in the soul and not just on the lips.

Third, confession of sin.

The humble sinner voluntarily passes judgment on himself as he sincerely admits to the specific sins of his heart. We must not relent of our confession until all of it is freely and fully admitted. We must pull up any hidden root of sin within our heart. “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deut. 28:19).

Fourth, shame for sin.

The color of repentance is blushing red. Repentance causes a holy bashfulness. Ezra says, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (9:6). The prodigal was ashamed of his sin that he did not feel he deserved to be a son anymore, but the Father wouldn’t have him back as a servant. He was his son (Lk. 15:21). Sin brings us low trying to shame us to despair, while godly shame drives us to repentance and moves our hearts toward gratitude to Christ. John Owen provides us an example in his On Mortification:

What have I done? What love, mercy, what blood, what grace have I despised and trampled on? Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Spirit for his grace? Do I thus requite the Lord? . . . What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus? . . . Do I account communion with him of so little value? . . . Shall I endeavor to disappoint the [very purpose] of the death of Christ?²

Fifth, hatred of sin.

We must hate our sin to the core. We hate sin more deeply when we love Jesus more fully. Repentance begins in the love of God and ends in the hatred of sin. True repentance loathes sin.

Sixth, the turning away from sin and returning to the Lord with all your heart (Joel 2:12).

This turning from sin implies a notable change—“performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ez. 14:6). We are called to turn away from all our abominations, not just the obvious ones or the ones that create friction with others. The goal of repentance is not to manufacture peace among others with perfunctory repentance, but rather to turn to God wholly and completely. This repentance most importantly is not just a turning away from sin. It also necessarily involves a turning in “repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Here is the joy found in repentance. “It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance” (Roms. 2:4). We rejoice that Christ has done so much for us and continues to do for us.

By understanding the seriousness of sin and biblical repentance, we can come to understand that the captives have hope and freedom in Jesus Christ. He came to set them free. While we live in a world that is full of bad news, in the midst of the bad news of our sin there is hope and healing from sexual sin. In the midst of your struggle look to the beauty of Jesus in the cross. Gaze at the wonder of the cross.

Look to Jesus—he is the cure for sexual brokenness. Jesus is in the business of setting the captives free through his finished work. No matter your sexual history, Jesus alone can make you pure again. Turn to him, and trust in him. He is all you need.

I urge you to heed the words of J.C. Ryle who wrote,

Look at the cross, think of the cross, meditate on the cross, and then go and set your affections on the world if you can. I believe that holiness is nowhere learned so well as on Calvary. I believe you cannot look much at the cross without feeling your will sanctified, and your tastes made more spiritual. As the sun gazed upon makes everything else look dark and dim, so does the cross darken the false splendor of this world. As honey tasted makes all other things seem to have no taste at all, so does the cross seen by faith take all the sweetness out of the pleasures of the world. Keep on every day steadily looking at the cross of Christ, and you will soon say of the world, as the poet does—

Its pleasures now no longer please,


No more content afford;

Far from my heart be joys like these,


Now I have seen the Lord. As by the light of opening day


The stars are all concealed,


So earthly pleasures fade away


When Jesus is revealed.”³

^{1. For more on these statistics please go to http://www.provenmen.org/2014pornsurvey and www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/↩}

^{2. Quoted by Timothy Keller, Romans 8-16 For You. The Good Book Company, 2015. 24.↩}

^{3. J.C. Ryle, The Cross of Christ, accessed January 5th, 2015. http://www.gracegems.org/23/Ryle_cross.htm↩}

—

Dave Jenkins is the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He and his wife, Sarah, are members of Ustick Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, where they serve in a variety of ministries. Dave received his MAR and M.Div. through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. You can follow him on twitter @DaveJJenkins. Find him on Facebook or read more of his work at servantsofgrace.org.

Adapted from Servant of Grace. Used with Permission.

Why You Should Care for Creation Now

Gnosticism was at the heart of much of the New Testament writers’ objections. At its root, Gnosticism argued that the material world was bad, and the spiritual world, or realm, was good. The majority of Gnostics, then, practiced a mix of asceticism and even philanthropy as they tried to divest themselves of material goods in an attempt to pursue knowledge through the spiritual world. The New Testament writers wrote in detail about the danger of Gnosticism, and we consistently affirm their objections, but when it comes to the underlying theology in Gnostic thought, I wonder if the church isn’t guilty of embracing its premise? Since I was a small child, I have been taught that our time here on earth was limited. All of history points to the return of Jesus Christ when he would call his children home to his eternal kingdom. Earth, then, is a temporary holding place—a place for us to live in such a way so we honor God, but a temporary home, none-the-less. Popular songs have been written for decades now celebrating this truth. The chorus of the old Southern Gospel song, “The Old Gospel Ship” seems to embrace that philosophy.

I'm a gonna take a trip In the good old gospel ship I'm goin' far beyond the sky I'm a gonna shout and sing Until all the Heavens ring When I bid this old world goodbye

I’m not trying to pick on musicians, but the church has been celebrating both the badness of this world and the goodness of some other, better, world for a long time now. We like the spiritual world off in the distance, and we diminish, or even discredit, this world—this physical world. Fundamentally, though, when I look at scripture I see a couple of things pointing to this being a thoroughly Gnostic—and thoroughly non-Christian—approach.

This World Is Not Our Home?

First, any theology viewing this world as bad and abandoned by God, conflicts with Scripture’s testimony that the world was created before the existence of sin. God declared of his created world, “It is good.” The created world is God’s good plan intended for our good and his glory. When we dismiss this world as temporary, we do violence to the biblical text. Scripture teaches God’s plan involved this good creation from the beginning.

Secondly, viewing the world as inherently bad and soon to be destroyed or abandoned is to ignore Romans 8 and its thoughts about God’s future plans for his creation.

For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. —Romans 8:19-21

Note creation itself is groaning for Christ’s return because it will be set free into the same kind of freedom that God’s children will experience. The point of the text is God moves toward the resurrection/restoration of his creation, in the same way he moves towards the resurrection/restoration of his children. When we treat this world as if it’s temporary we treat it in a way God himself doesn’t treat it.

I hear one primary objection to this. Some might say scripture indicates God will “burn up” the earth, as some translations describe it (see 2 Peter 3:10). However, seeing this text in context, we understand this burning not as destructive, but cleansing. 2 Peter 3:6 tells us this burning was foreshadowed in the flood of Noah, so indicates God’s use of fire to purify his creation—ultimately leading to its resurrection/restoration.

In light of all this, what are we to make of it, and why does it matter?

The Welfare of Our World

First, in light of God’s work to restore this world, we would do well to treat it as if it’s not just our temporary home. God is working to resurrect not only his people, but all of his created order. Secret agents that sneak into a country, accomplish their mission, and then get snatched up by a black helicopter to take them home makes for a great action movie, but for a bad gospel story. Let’s embrace the world around us as part of God’s good plan for his people.

Second, our behavior in this world, in this life, should model and foreshadow God’s work of ultimate resurrection/restoration. As current residents of the kingdom of God, whose allegiance lies with King Jesus, we are called to live now as we will live then—when his kingdom has been fully culminated. We are called to work in such a way so we model his work of restoration. This is why, for instance, creation care is a deeply biblical concept.

Finally, let’s be cautious of embracing any theology that encourages us to escape the world, rather than embrace it, love it, and work to see God’s order restored in and among it. As God reminded the Jewish exiles in Babylon in Jeremiah 29, our call is seek the good of our culture, not to isolate ourselves from it, or try to escape what’s around us. Instead, let’s recognize God has placed us here, in this place and at this time, to declare and display his gospel, working to bring his blessing—his shalom—to the places we call home, modeling in this time and place the ultimate restoration he will fully bring about in the day of his return.

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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.

Why Create Disciple Multiplying Movements

Historically, movements stop because they were primarily leader-led information dumps. Information isn’t a bad thing, but information-driven movements are limited in influence. Why should we create disciple multiplying movements? How can we create them?

It's What We Were Made For

In the garden of Eden, we see image bearers of God made to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:22, 26-28). By issuing his first great commission, God did not merely intend for us to have more people over for Thanksgiving dinner. Rather, he wanted his beautiful image to fill the entire earth through the multiplication of his image bearers. But through Adam, we sinned and were separated from God.

In the attempt to author our own story, we sought center stage—pushing God's goals for us aside. We sought to multiply our image for the sake of our own fame rather than God's fame.

When someone repents and turns to God, we must show them their new mission by pointing back to the garden. We must show how their mission is all about multiplying for the sake of God's glory, not multiplying a life all about them and their legacy.

Most small groups in churches believe their goal is to get to know each other or form a close bond. If this is the goal, multiplication will never be desired. Drawing close to one another is not the goal of missional community, but making disciples who make disciples is (being fruitful and multiplying images of Jesus). Drawing close to one another happens because Jesus has given us the same Father, and we are a part of the same family. So, forming a close bond is a bi-product rather than the goal of living together on mission as family.

This Must be on Our Lips

If our goal is to make disciples who make disciples (to be fruitful and multiply), then multiplication must be on our lips constantly. I tell those who aren’t even followers of Jesus yet, that we desire to see communities like ours across the world doing the same thing. So, when they join our community as a follower of Jesus, they’ve already been discipled to know that we desire multiplication.

But it doesn’t stop there. We continue to talk about it as a group and continue to seek to hear from the Spirit on his timing and his power to send us out. The best way I can describe this is by relating it to your child. Do you desire to see your child stay in your house until they die? Or do you desire to see them leave the house and have a family of their own? Do you then wait until they are eighteen and spring this on them and then kick them out? Or, do you continue talking to them about it, train them and seek for them to be ready when the day comes to leave your house and go and be fruitful and multiply with their new family? This is the same thing we need to be doing with our church families. We need to seek to see them grow in maturity and grow in the gospel so that they too can lead a family of missionary servants to live out the effects of the gospel with those around them.

People often ask me how I make it easy for our groups to multiply. I say the same thing every time—You must regularly talk about multiplication and train the next group for its certainty. It must always be on your lips and prayers, and always on your people’s lips and prayers. If it’s not, then it will be very difficult when it happens—like kicking out your unsuspecting child and telling them it’s healthy.

Transforming and Transferable

You will do well by building the foundation of multiplication. You will also do well by regularly talking about it and listening to the Spirit in the process. But what happens if you have no leaders to lead the multiplication? This is where many groups and movements fail. The reason is that people in the group look at the leader and think, “There’s no way I can do what he’s doing. This takes too much time and too much theological knowledge.” Not only that, but you’ve merely spoken about multiplication without transforming people’s hearts to seek it out.

Merely talking about making disciples is sometimes fun and it’s a great theological exercise for the mind. But mere talk and theologizing rarely inspire people to make disciples.

If you desire to see others gripped to make disciples, you must not only penetrate their intellect. You must also aim at their hearts. If you merely aim at their heads with theological reasons why it’s good to make disciples, people will always come up with reasons why they are not convinced of its realities.

I think of Jonathan Edwards when he spoke of God’s holiness and grace and compared it to honey.¹

In this way, he says, there is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness. A man may have the former, that knows not how honey tastes; but a man cannot have the latter unless he has an idea of the taste of honey in his mind. So there is a difference between believing that a person is beautiful, and having a sense of his beauty. The former may be obtained by hearsay, but the latter only by seeing the countenance. When the heart is sensible of the beauty and amiableness of a thing, it necessarily feels pleasure in the apprehension. It is implied in a person's being heartily sensible of the loveliness of a thing, that the idea of it is sweet and pleasant to his soul; which is a far different thing from having a rational opinion that it is excellent.

So, we must, as leaders, show others what it means to make disciples. When a follower of Jesus sees new disciples being made, and they are a part of it, their heart will rejoice. And like honey on the lips, they will desire more honey instead of merely talking about honey. Jesus did the same with the blind man in John 9. He healed him, so that the blind man would taste and see that the Lord was good. Then he supported that heart-transforming act, to theologically tackle the implications of who Jesus was afterward in John 9:35-41. Notice the way the blind man desired others to taste and see that the Lord Jesus was good—because his heart was transformed.

Not only do we seek to transform, but we must also make sure what we do is transferable. I have many things I can share from experience that are transferable for my people, but you must ask yourself these types of questions:

• Do I need a theological degree to lead the community like I do? Remember, not all people like to read and study as much as many of us pastors do. If we want to create a movement of disciple-making, then we have to move away from leading from a position of “trained” men, into leading like “untrained” men. (By the way, I’ve never been to seminary, nor am I paid by the church.)

• Do I need to be paid by the church to have the time to do what I do? See above.

• What resources are available to give future leaders so that they don’t feel like they have to think of new topics to discuss and study in their Missional Community? I do not do any book studies in the Bible that cause me to do an immeasurable amount of study and reading on my own. If I do, then people will see the group as one that can only be led by someone with my capacity. Instead, I use easily transferable studies (e.g., check out www.bild.org)

• How can I model all of this, so that I am going to be able to transfer leadership, instead of being the functional savior for our groups? Make sure you lead as you want others to lead. Don’t do studies that can only be led by a seminarian. Don’t do so many activities that can only be done by those with a job inside the church. Remember, as you lead, you are discipling those in your group on what it looks like to lead a group of disciple-makers. You can’t say one thing and model another. They’ll see right through that.

Because I have worked hard to hear the Spirit’s leading in this, 80% of those that are a part of the Missional Communities in my expression within Soma Communities desire to lead MCs at some point. When I baptized a new disciple, he first desired to lead a group of disciple-makers. He saw this as the only option for someone who was a follower of Jesus and, that it wasn’t anything special. In spite of being a new disciple, he didn’t see this as some high calling only for a few.

Since we want to lay the foundation of multiplication, we regularly talk about making disciples who make disciples. We seek to do this by modeling it for them in ways easily transferable. New disciples often can’t wait to lead others in the making of disciples who multiply to make more disciples.

So, go! Be fruitful disciples of Jesus by multiplying his beautiful image everywhere.

^{1. Mongerism.com. “A Divine and Supernatural Light.” ↩}

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Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife, and father of three. He’s a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a finance degree. By trade. Seth is an investment portfolio manager, serving as President of McBee Advisors, Inc. 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.

Delegating Authority for Mission

The floor was remarkably dirty. And with the closet door opening and electrical outlet plugged, I was ready to rectify the situation. The colloquialism for all aboard in the Torrey House is everyone on the couch and our more agile child deftly made her escape from harm’s way. Judah is less deft and his poor legs could not get him to the couch’s safety. Without looking I started the vacuum and heard the emanation of cries from my little son. It is funny how things that should not be scary can be terrifying.

As I began to clean up the mess, the terror in Judah’s voice was matched by facial expressions and leg stomping tension. His eyes locked onto the vacuum moving seemingly on its own in conquest of the floor. His gaze was set. It took a stern “Judah!” to snap him out of his gaze and set his eyes upon me. Trying to be brief, I simply say “trust dad.” This is a little different from “trust me” but I’ll get to the importance of this distinction after a brief Biblical excurse.

Immediately upon seeing Judah’s face and hearing my words the text of Jesus walking on water struck me afresh (Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 6). Many people have latched onto Matthew’s version of the story because of the added details concerned with Peter,

24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:24-33)

More ink than could ever be necessary has been spilt on Peter’s behavior in this passage. Ranging from “getting out of the boat,” “keep your eyes on Jesus,” to “keep the faith,” pastors wax moralistically about the only character to which church members can seemingly relate. However, that focus loses sight of what actually occurrs in the text. In this text, Christ is relating to Peter. He does this by establishing his authority over the water, passing it to Peter, and doing it all merely with His voice (an important emphasis of Matthew’s marking Jesus as the new Moses).

In Judah’s case, my stern rebuke was meant to drive his attention from the vacuum to my hand which was guiding the vacuum. I was in control of the vacuum and no harm would come to him. In Peter’s case Christ had spoken peace to everyone in the boat. Peter seeking proof of the person before him requested from Christ a thing only Jesus could deliver—control of the water. Peter had faith in Christ. He had it before he stepped out of the boat and he had it when he asked Christ to save him. So why does Christ say that Peter doubts? Peter’s doubt was with respect to what Christ has bestowed upon him. Peter’s lack of faith was a smudge on Christ’s authority to delegate authority (something that gets addressed with finality in the Great Commission).

Judah responded much the same way as Peter. He looked at me and heard my words. He saw my hand pushing the vacuum. And then he ran away as fast as possible in fear of the vacuum attacking him in its conquest of the floor. Judah had misunderstood that when I said “trust dad” I was communicating to him assured protection and implied authority. Peter knew the identity of Jesus but was unconvinced about his ability to relate His authority.

The book of Matthew does not leave Peter here however. Throughout the Gospel Jesus is committed to delegating His authority. It is in Matthew’s gospel that the infamous “on this rock I will build my church” (Matt 16:13-20) is stated to Peter. Though debated across many lines, Christ here bestows upon Peter the authority and ability to accomplish the spread of the gospel in the book of Acts (not a permanent “vicar of Christ” role). Yet, Christ is not done with delegating the authority of His church. In the Great Commission Christ echoes 2 Chronicles 36:23 (the conclusion of the Jewish Scriptures) in delegating authority to his disciples over the entire earth. This authority has trickled down throughout the church age. The delegation of Christ’s authority remains with Christians today. Like Judah and Peter, the church is called to acknowledge the authority it has been given. This is the way we relate to Peter walking on the water of Galilee. We go out on mission with authority.

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Joshua Torrey is a New Mexico boy in an Austin, TX world. He is husband to Alaina and father to Kenzie & Judah and spends his free time studying for the edification of his household. These studies include the intricacies of hockey, football, curling, beer, and theology. You can follow him @benNuwn and read his theological musings and running commentary of the Scriptures at The Torrey Gazette.

5 Vital Ways to Seek the Welfare of Your Neighborhood

I have spent my entire life living in two inner city neighborhoods of Chicago (Humboldt Park and West Garfield Park). It is easy to believe that God has abandoned these two communities due to the poverty, crime, lack of education, absence of fathers, and hopelessness. While many would want to avoid these two communities, I have come to understand God’s sovereignty in determining the boundaries of my dwelling place. God has invited me to be his presence for those seeking him. God has invited me into his mission for those feeling their way towards him.

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28)

Has God abandoned the hood? Of course not! Have Christians abandoned the hood? Sadly, in many ways we have. We have abandoned God’s mission for our momentary well being. We have focused on our desires before other people’s needs. We do not realize that our well being is tied up in the well being of those around us. We do not realize that we actually find life through death to our individualism.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you…and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

Following are five simple ways that you can seek the welfare of your community (whether it’s an inner city neighborhood or not). This is not an exhaustive list, but my prayer would be that it sparks believers to understand God’s purpose for us in the exact places that he has sovereignly placed us.

After reading the five steps, feel free to give additional ideas that you may have. Let’s grow together as urban missionaries!

Step 1: Pray daily for your community

Take ten minutes each day to pray for the families on your block. As you see your neighbors, be purposeful in asking for prayer requests and then follow up with them on those requests.

Step 2: Spend time in your community

In today’s day and age when we jump in our car to go from here to there, this will take some intentionality. But let yourself be seen. Be friendly. As opportunities arise, get to know people. Walk your community, play basketball at the local park, shop at the local stores, eat at the local restaurants, volunteer at a community center or nursing home, worship at a local church.

Step 3: Asset map your community

Map out the resources available in your community and city. These resources might include job training programs, GED programs, sports leagues, after school programs, day camps, tutoring programs, and church service times. Include as much info as possible (Contact name and number, cost, address, etc). Print these lists out and distribute them to people in your community.

Step 4: Beautify your community

Pick up trash. Help your neighbors plant grass on their lawns. Begin a community garden that the block can own and enjoy together. Recruit skilled labor to do a service day in your community.

Step 5: Open your home to your community

Invite people over for dinner. Host a game night. Lead Bible Studies. If you have an extra room, invite someone in need to live with you.

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Brian Dye is a servant of Jesus Christ. Husband of Heidi Dye. Elder at Legacy Fellowship. Mentorship Director at GRIP Outreach for Youth. Director of Legacy Conference. Follow him on Twitter @VisionNehemiah

Originally published at Vision Nehemiah. Used with permission.

How to Shine the Light of the Gospel Into Public Schools

I’ve had the honor of writing a lot on evangelism, gospel-centered ministry, and spiritual awakenings. I’ve probably never been more excited about a project than a book that just released called Get Out: Student Ministry in the Real World (Rainer Publishing). Why? Because I wrote it with our son Josh, himself a student pastor now. It's a follow-up to my missional, gospel-centered student ministry book As You Go (NavPress). Filled with real-life examples from effective student ministers, this book challenges the church to get outside the church building into the community, and particular to impact the public schools with the gospel. The following is adapted from the Introduction to the book. The Western Church faces a significant change in culture in our time. Student ministry is in the heart of the vortex of change. “The combined impact of the Information Age, postmodern thought, globalization, and racial-ethnic pluralism that has seen the demise of the grand American story also has displaced the historic role the church has played in that story,” Researcher Mike Regele observed, continuing: “As a result, we are seeing the marginalization of the institutional church.”¹ Just because your student ministry has been effective in the past featuring events and personalities does not mean it stands ready to face the challenges to the gospel in our time.

Christianity in the West has been increasingly marginalized in our culture; many of us simply refuse to see it. We certainly have not lost all our influence, but on many issues that were once in the center of American society (protecting the unborn, the sanctity of marriage, heterosexual marriage only, to name a few) have now been pushed out of the mainstream of cultural norms. How do we respond? We must think less like Christians enjoying a home field advantage and more like Christians living as missionaries. In their excellent book Everyday Church, Chester and Timmis argue for a shift in ministry focus to meet the challenges of our time, and this shift especially relates to the front line of student ministry: “Our marginal status is an opportunity to rediscover the missionary call of the people of God. We can recover witness to Christ unmuddied by nominal Christianity.”²

Student Pastor Spencer Barnard summarizes how things have changed in student ministry on most public school campuses today:

I'm the Lead Student Pastor at The Church at Battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Campus Ministry is a huge part of what we do on all of our campuses. In my 16 years of doing student ministry my strategy has changed a lot. Just in the last five years things have drastically changed. The days of showing up at lunch with pizza for students are over in most places. You have to earn the right to be on a campus. There needs to be a reason for you to be on a campus. Where a lot of student pastors go wrong is that we show up and say we are there to hang out with students. We could do that in the past, but when 30-year-olds or even 20-year-olds show up on a junior high or high school campus, it’s just weird in this culture today.  It worked 10 years ago, but in most places it just doesn’t work any more. There needs to be a reason we are there: we should be there to serve and support the administration. Our role is to be there for the school, and not expect the school to be there for us. With that in mind we have to be careful to follow all the school’s rules and present ourselves in a respectful way.

Here are some of the ways we serve schools:

• We take food to the teacher’s lounges and teacher in-service days. One of the best things that has happened for us is the government cutting funds for the schools, because it gave us the opportunity to meet their needs first hand.
• We make our facilities available to them for meetings and banquets. We hosted 10 different sporting banquets this last year and it has earned us a great reputation with our schools and also showcased our facilities to students and parents.
• We talk with coaches and teachers about leadership training or become Chaplains for sporting teams. We found out that many coaches loved the extra help.
• We take drinks to the band, cheerleaders, and sporting teams.
• We are on the Substitute Teacher list. Also, some schools need volunteers to monitor testing.

Getting to know the Principal and the office staff has been huge as well.  We will take with us some Starbucks gift cards or Chick Fila cards to give away as we meet teachers, coaches, or administration.

The final thing we do, and probably one of the biggest connecting points for us with schools, is FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes.) FCA has a great reputation on all of our campuses. We have developed a great relationship with them and because of it they have allowed our staff to become huddle leaders at eight different campuses around our city. This gives us a huge opportunity to connect with students who normally don't attend church at all. We have seen our student ministry grow by about 50% over the last eight months and I would attribute it to how our team has shifted our work regarding campus ministry.

The public school campus is arguably the greatest mission field in America. With so many challenges to the Christian faith in the West today, we need to be reminded that the best way to respond to darkness is to turn on the light: the Light of the Gospel!

^{1. Cited in Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission (Crossway, Re:Lit: 2013) Kindle Edition, 14.↩}

^{2. Chester and Timmis, Everyday Church, 10. Italics added.↩}

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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.

Alvin L. Reid and Josh Reid, Get Out: Student Ministry in the Real World Rainer Publishing, ©2015. Used by permission. http://rainerpublishing.com/