Words that Change the World: A Vision for GCD in 2017

Somewhere along the line, I've heard it said that words have the power to change the world. Words themselves do not change the world. It is their power constructed together as sentences, paragraphs, essays, and even books. John Piper puts it this way, "One sentence or paragraph may lodge itself so powerfully in our mind that its effect is enormous when all else is forgotten." We've somehow forgotten that the pen is mightier than the sword. This reality stands all the taller when we realize that Christianity is a Word-based faith. The substance of our faith isn't banked on emotion, imagery, icon, or even religious ritual and tradition. The content of our faith is anchored on words; God-breathed, inspired words that tell us of the Word incarnate. The Christian faith is one that is utterly dependent on words.

The reality is this, if we don't have the Word of God, we don't have any clue of how to know or approach God. Furthermore, we know nothing real of our poor condition (except a twinge of guilt here or there), and we know nothing actual of our means of redemption through Christ Jesus. Without the Word, we are utterly doomed.

Even the concept of "gospel" requires words. Gospel means "good news." It is a proclamation of something exceptional, something transformative, beautiful and true. Good news is a declaration of love, hope, and joy!

To say we have a gospel means to say we have good words that will change everything. For that reason, gospel-centered discipleship requires formation through engagement with words. Making, maturing, and multiplying disciples of Jesus requires language; sentences and paragraphs that embrace the inspired and incarnate Word and by God's Spirit transform us into the image of Christ.

For six years now GCD has been about the work of publishing this sort of content. Our mission is to publish resources to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. More than just creating content, however, we've embraced the mission of cultivating the gifting and talent of developing writers and editors who can harness the power of words to change the world.

By God’s grace, we will not only continue in that mission but expand our means to accomplish that mission. In my opinion, the future of GCD is bright. Specifically, our vision reveals itself in three things:

1. New Releases

We are looking forward to releasing more books this year than we have ever released before. Our staff writers, as well as various other contributors, have written excellent resources for discipleship that we are excited to release in 2017.

Through our website, we will continue to publish free content on a regular basis that will be useful not just for individuals, but for leaders, churches, small groups, and overseas missionaries in the work of discipleship. Here are a few of the forthcoming titles to be released this year:

• ReNew: How the Gospel Makes us New by Jim Hudson
• Gospel Creativity by the GCD Staff Writers
• Pattern: Walking in the Ways of Jesus by Jeremy Writebol

2. Writer and Editor Development

Beyond just publishing books and articles we want to be on the leading edge of cultivating the gifting and voice of these writers. The publishing industry can be an impenetrable fortress in which only those with the key of prestige can unlock.

We believe that gifted writers exist outside of this fortress and want to see their voice and leadership cultivated to make more disciples of Jesus. Through our staff writer community, a developing writers forum, and other opportunities for cultivation we want to raise up thoughtful disciples who can use the gifts of writing and communication for the glory of God and the making of more disciples.

3. Gospel Impact

At the end of the day we do not merely want to publish books and essays that produce more information on the internet. My prayer is that beautiful gospel-impact would happen in the lives of our readers, writers, staff, and leadership. My prayer is that everything we publish this year would resonate through eternity with the depth and warmth of the gospel. I pray that God would use every article and book to transform lives powerfully.

If these ambitions inspire and excite you in making disciples, I would love to connect with you and walk together in the making, maturing and multiplying disciples of Jesus through the written word. Check our Contact Page where you can learn more about submitting an article and our guidelines or pitching a book proposal our way.

We’re adamant that the written word can change the world, and we’re eager to grow and flourish in seeing the word of King Jesus — the gospel — be the centerpiece of that transformation. Will you join us in praying for GCD and partnering with us to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus?

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Jeremy Writebol is the Executive Director of GCD. He is the husband of Stephanie and father of Allison and Ethan. He serves as the lead campus pastor of Woodside Bible Church in Plymouth, MI. He is also an author and contributor to several GCD Books including everPresent and Make, Mature, Multiply. He writes personally at jwritebol.net.

You can read all of Jeremy’s articles here.

Introducing Our New Executive Director, Jeremy Writebol

My work with Gospel Centered Discipleship started five years ago in the fall of 2012. When I came on board, we were a vibrant, adventurous, humble ministry that had published hundreds of articles and three e-books. Before I announce a transition in leadership, I want to celebrate what God has done through our ministry. Since then, we’ve published over 1,000 articles that address many practical areas of discipleship, from a uniquely gospel-centered perspective. We have also published 14 books, many of which have reached the top selling book in their category on Amazon.

Over the last two years, we’ve fostered a writer’s group to help prepare the next generation of writers, leaders, and practitioners. This developing writer’s team has created several influential series: Learning from Our Church Fathers, The Gospel of Mathew, The Word, and the Lord’s Prayer.

GCD remains committed to to creating and curating resources that help local churches, community groups, or discipleship groups to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus.

• Practitioner Created – All of our resources and articles come from people who actually make disciples. Their stories and wisdom come from the front lines.
• Long Form Articles – We are committed to writing long-form articles in a “short-form” age. Our aim is to foster thoughtful reflection in our readers.
• Writer Development – We see writers, not merely as content generators, but as disciples of Jesus who are honing their craft in service of the church.

So, what’s next? I’m excited to announce that we’ve hired Jeremy Writebol as our new Executive Director. Jeremy is the author of everPresent and has written numerous articles for GCD, Christ & Pop Culture, and For the Church. His experience as a pastor in established churches, church plants, and most recently as a campus pastor in a multi-site,  regional mega-church will strengthen our organization. He has a great gift for communication, administration, and vision.

Please join me in welcoming Jeremy Writebol (@jwritebol) as the Executive Director of Gospel-Centered Discipleship. I know he will serve you well. Be on the lookout for his vision for the future of our ministry.

—

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?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com.

Loving Refugees

None of the things God calls us to do are safe, in fact, almost all of his commands are dangerous. One, they require us to give of ourselves in ways that tear away our core ideas of value, security, and identity. Two, we become aware of the presence and grace of God which is overwhelming and troubling because he lovingly heals us of things we didn't know were sick, he touches wounds we didn’t know we had, and he showers us with grace that transforms.

Loving Our Neighbors, Including the Refugee

One of these dangerous commands is to love our neighbors as ourselves, including refugees and asylum seekers. Moses first delivers the command to love our neighbors, Jesus reiterates it through his words and life, and the Apostle Paul points to it’s utmost importance in Galatians 5:14: “The whole law is fulfilled in one statement: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

But who is your neighbor? How far does that command go? What does that really look like? Surely, he only means the people in my sphere of influence! Jesus was asked this very question in Luke 10:

“But who is my neighbor?

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

In this parable, Jesus describes how we become neighbors who love our neighbors. We see them, we have compassion for their pain, we go to them, we touch them, we use our resources, and we take care of them. We take our finances. We cover their expenses.

But Jesus also shows us who our neighbors are: the attacked, the naked, the beaten, and the left for dead. Not only are we are called to love the vulnerable, they are also the distant. The Jewish man and the Samaritan stood on opposite spectrums of worldview, ethnic background, culture, and most deeply religion. And yet, Jesus gives this vivid story as the answer to: Who is my neighbor?

Jesus, out of love for us, demands we love our neighbors (all of them, even the most difficult and different). This often appears in our lives as caring for orphans (all of them, even the difficult and different), caring for the widow (all of them, even the difficult and the different), and welcoming the refugee or stranger (all of them, even the difficult and the different). God has intentionally called us to step into present and physical ways of loving the different and the other. This is how we learn to receive the love of God, love God in return, and love one-another.

Loving neighbors is also how we participate in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Jesus is the good Samaritan. God, seeing a broken, beaten, naked, isolated, and dying humanity, sent his son into the world. Jesus, forsaking heaven, came into our peril.

Jesus saw us, had compassion on us, came to us, and took our wounds on himself. Jesus paid the price with his death, reimbursing sin with his own victorious resurrection. When we forsake the command to love our neighbors, we are rejecting the story of Jesus saving the world.

I'm not a foreign policy expert and don't know what a secular government ought to do, but I know what the Church is called to do, and we don't need the government to do it: sacrificially love the refugee (the old, young, Muslim, Arab, Christian). This is how Christ came to us, even when we were opposed to him.

Loving the Refugee as the Image of God

“We ought to love refugees because they are our neighbors, but also because the Bible teaches us to value them since, like us, they are made in the image of God.” — Seeking Refuge

Who are the refugees, asylum seekers, and strangers in your neighborhood, city, or town? They are overlooked, unheard, isolated, and pushed to the fringes of your city’s culture. Your city daily welcomes refugees and immigrants who are hoping to build a life and experience freedom. They arrive from the most severe trauma, persecution, and hardship. Refugees leave everything behind including family and culture. After years in a camp, they come needing to learn a new language, build a résumé, get a job, and care for their children in the process. These are the people your city uses and ignores—the poor and powerless.

Jesus pursued the stranger because they were created in his image and he loved them. These people were welcomed into Jesus’ community as his beloved and as his disciples. I believe Jesus calls his people to not only meet needs (cloth, visit, and feed) but also welcome into relationship. Jesus healed people and fed them, but the most powerful expressions of his love for them was when he invited them to his dinner table.

One of the big challenges (and big opportunities) with this loving pursuit is how far the vulnerable are kept away from many in the church today. Tim Chester describes this reality well in his book Unreached:

“Friendship evangelism is great, but it does not enable the gospel to travel beyond our social networks, unless there are intentional attempts to build friendships with people who are not like us.”

John Mark Hobbins, of London City Mission, adds:

“Many people live in networks which take precedence over their address, and many churches have grown because of this. But the reality for many people living in social housing or in cheap- er housing is that their address is very likely to define their daily life.”

In other words, if you were to engage in a life of mission to the marginalized, you would have to plan it, prepare for it, and strategically change your life to create avenues of engagement. All of that just to break through social, economic, and physical geographic barriers and get to a place where you could share life with the oppressed. To love a refugee in your city you would likely have to shift your schedule, change your commute, and start a relationship without verbal communication.

Mission to refugees and asylum seekers requires a concerted and collective effort towards unlikely friendships and distant neighbors. Loving the vulnerable also requires communities: you have to work at it and do it together. This mission requires a giving of yourself and a loving of the other in your city.

Actually Loving Refugees as Neighbors

There are many ways to begin (you can read about how our community built relationship with a Burmese refugee family for some ideas). A few things you should know as you do a basic google search:

• Every city has organizations to help settle refugees. They are underfunded and overworked. Their biggest need is people to show up and befriend refugees.
• Every city has English classes for people trying to pass the citizenship test, and for people wanting to improve their work prospects.
• Every city has children of refugees who need mentors, tutors, and friends to help them navigate a world and system their parents don’t understand.
• Many refugees are at risk of human trafficking, entering the foster care system, scams, and a myriad of other abuses.
• Financial help is an obvious way to begin loving people. World Vision is one of the best.
• There’s a lot to learn, one of the best non-fiction books to understanding refugee care is: Seeking Refuge by Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Dr. Issam Smeir.

Be Courageous in Faith

Christian ethic (loving God, loving neighbor, and loving one another) is profoundly based on God's care for us eternally. We can be brave with our love of the other because even if the worst happens, Jesus remains king, and we are heirs and citizens of heaven.

Our hope is in resurrection not in safe borders, immigration policy, or in our country’s desire to welcome refugees. Our hope is global because Christ’s power is globally working his redemption and restoration into every corner of society.

—

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?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start 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 Faith of a Church Unified

I remember parking at this enormous Episcopal church on an early Saturday morning thinking, “There are so many other places I’d like to be right now.” The rain was beating down so hard on my windshield that I honestly wondered if it may break through. I had a dress and black flats on, which is a terrible combo to run through the rain in. My faith was low and my self pity was high. I tried to keep telling myself it was an honor to be asked to speak here, but I was really hoping my counterpart would carry the weight in this one. I eventually approached the front steps and sloshed my dripping self in through the massive stain glass doors. As I found my friend, he looked like he had experienced a similarly defeating morning.

We were escorted to a room behind stage so that we could be prayed for. As we got closer, I could hear loud singing and prayers being spoken aloud. I giggled to myself, out of an awkward insecure place that didn’t know how to process my feelings. It was a jumbled mix of fear and shame for my current state that swirled into a hopeful desperation for whatever they were experiencing in there.

We got a half second to receive the overwhelming overflow of their faith before they broke into celebration of our presence, they pulled us to the center of the room and began praying over us. They prayed for our hearts to be unified as we spoke, for our minds to be engaged with the holy Scriptures and truth, and for our mouths to speak words led only by the Holy Spirit.

My eyes filled with joyful yet convicted tears as I was flushed with borrowed faith. This was the faith that showed itself later that day in front of a crowd. Our influence was a direct result of the fasting and prayer of these people. Freedom was experienced because of their selfless intercession for a couple broken vessels.

The Faith of the Community

This story is not told often, but people experience this same thing every day. It’s often someone else who gets us through whenever we’re face to face with defeat, sorrow, anger, or injustice. Their faith is what reminds us of our own, or better yet, their faith is what stirs up our own. When we forget who we are, what we believe, and how we endure—our people remind us.

It’s often how we have strength to keep moving. I’d even say, it’s one of the best ways we can share in Christ’s victory. That’s more than a reminder of the gospel; it’s an imitation of the gospel.

The Faith of Esther's Friends

This story is found in Scripture, probably more than once, but it’s often overshadowed by the glorious triumph. Esther is the victor of her story found in the Old Testament. We think of her as a queen of deep graceful courage.

We commend and celebrate her faith to beckon the King’s attention and command the freedom of her people. Her faith can’t be disregarded by any means, but let’s look at the text closer.

The Faith of Mordecai 

In Esther 2:5-7 we meet a man by the name of Mordecai. These verses describe his family line, but most importantly that he took Esther into his family—how he raised, provided, and shepherded her as his own daughter.

It was because of Mordecai, that Esther even had a safe place to call home. In verse 11, after Esther is taken as wife by the King, we hear of Mordecai again. We learn that he faithfully walks by the palace gates every single day to see and fellowship with his daughter. He doesn’t abandon his responsibility but he increases it.

The Faith of the Other Women 

Following this passage, we find Esther 4:12-17 where she is challenged to speak on behalf of the Jews. Mordecai has urged her to do so, and she finally relents. However, her strength here is rooted and grounded less in her own faith and more in Mordecai and the young women appointed to her.

As Esther struggles to accept the mantle given to her, the young women dig deep into fasting and prayer. It is my firm belief that they actually lay the ground for her to walk on. If Esther was not surrounded by these people, she would not have the audacity required to boldly approach the King’s throne.

Don't Forsake the Mission

This is so crucial to the practice of our faith, the value we place on community, and to the daily walking out of life. If we forsake the unity of believers, then we will eventually forsake the mission of God. It is one thing to make mention of how we need each other, but lives change when we begin to believe that we can’t accomplish the call of God without one another.

We must know one another deeply enough to encourage our giftings, challenge our weaknesses, and exhort us into God’s personal call. The truth is, even that’s not enough. We have to join together for the work of the ministry. The Church (not the gathering but the people) need leadership, gifts of mercy, prayer, service, evangelism, generosity, gifts of healing, encouragement, wisdom, worship, teaching, and the list goes on. If one of these is subtracted, then something is missing and needs will be unmet.

To be totally honest, that makes me fearful. It scares me to know that if believers aren’t walking in their God-given gifts and identity, then other people are going to suffer. If we aren’t functioning as a body, then we won’t be working as a body. We will be broken, lacking, and divided. And honestly, most of our churches look more like this then like healthy, fruitful, growing bodies. Numbers don’t do what gifting does.

The Freedom of Walking Together

Connecting these thoughts, if we humbly acknowledge our insufficiency then we can more confidently walk in our ability. We experience grace in the dependence and faith of God’s people. If we are walking like him, serving like him, and loving like him then we will look more like him too. This lifestyle leads to freedom, not just for us but for many. It happened for Esther, and it will happen for us. People will be set free when we live how the Church is called to.

First, know your gifting. Find an online test, ask your loved ones, seek wisdom from your church leaders, or even take a class. These tools will help you discover and grow in your personal gift set.

Second, it’s essential to know the gifts of your community. Where do people suffer and where do they thrive?

Third, seek and even create opportunities to practice your gifting with one another. How and when can your community come together to meet needs? These needs are more than service, but needs of prayer, leadership, healing, wisdom, etc. Look closely and ensure that the right people are flexing in the right ways.

Last, invite people into the folds of your community. Let disciples of Christ learn from watching your community share in the difficulty and the celebrations of life.

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Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) has served a ministry she helped start in the DFW Metroplex since she graduated from college. She received her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University in Communication Theory. She does freelance writing, editing, and speaking for various organizations and non-profits. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

You can read all of Chelsea’s article here.

A New Metric for Ministry Success

The life of a pastor or ministry leader is stressful. Many days when I wondered if the expectations of ministry are worth the effort. Often the stress self-induced or predicated on handed down assumptions of ministry success. The latest book saying my church wasn't big enough or multiplying fast enough. A conversation at a conference when a pastor convinced me numerical church growth was God's will. If the church wasn't growing something was wrong with my leadership.

In the daily grind of making disciples and helping people “mature in Christ,” there's added pressure in how to evaluate ministry fruit. What do we measure? How do we measure? Is it possible to measure the work of the Spirit and spiritual realities?

Some foundational and ultimate questions arise. Questions not always engaging the deeper realities of the work of the Spirit. How many people attend services on Sunday? How many members do you have? What is your facility like? How's the budget?

These metrics and questions can be helpful. But, don’t paint a full picture for ministry health and success. We can have hundreds of people coming to a service and not see any evidence of spiritual fruit in the attenders. Jesus attracted many crowds during his earthly ministry. But, the moment he began to talk about “counting the cost” (Lk. 14:28) of being a disciple the crowds thinned. Crowds are not always a good indicator for ministry success.

What if we have a small budget and are not able to pay a pastor or other staff? Is that failure? What if the ministry context is urban, rural, expensive, or transient? How can a church sustain a large budget if they don’t grow to a particular size? Jesus spent the bulk of his ministry homeless, no budget, and little resources. I think things turned out okay.

After fifteen years of ministry in church planting, established church, and student ministry contexts. I'm not satisfied with the typical metrics used in local churches, latest ministry books, and pastor conferences. Tired of getting the same questions asked of me at conferences and denominational functions. If I hear another question about the three B’s (bodies, budgets, and buildings), it will be too soon.

So what are we to do? Do we succumb to the 3 B’s and call it a day? Or, is there another metric we can use for disciple making, church planting, maturing people in Christ, and city renewal?

It all changed for me when a verse I read a hundred times stuck out like a sore thumb.

In the book of Acts, the disciples are scattered from Jerusalem because of persecution. A disciple Philip is doing the work of evangelism in Samaria. He preaches Christ, heals the sick, exercises demons, and people are coming to saving faith. It’s an exciting time in the early church as the gospel spreads from the Jewish epicenter of Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

Caught up in my own enthusiasm for the mission of God spreading to the ends of the earth (even the despised Samaritans according to Jews), I almost missed an important verse that simply read:

“So there was much joy in that city.” – Acts 8:8.

There was a connection forming in my mind between the gospel being preached, people responding to the good news, and “much joy in that city.” Samaria was literally becoming a city of joy because of the power of God in the gospel.

I began to wonder if joy was the metric for ministry success I longed for. If the gospel has the power to make an entire city joyful. If disciples of Jesus are to be joyful people because of the Spirit’s work. Joy had to be a way to measure ministry health and success.

The Bible is dripping with joy for God’s work on display. First, Nehemiah chapter eight gives an example of joy coming to a community. The people of God had lived in exile for seventy years in Babylon and now were returning to Jerusalem. The people were in spiritual and physical disarray and needed renewal. When Nehemiah arranges for Ezra (a priest), to read the Law, the people begin to repent of their sin and worship the Lord. Then we read these words:

“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10

It says, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” It is the joy we have in knowing God through Christ that will sustain us. The people of God were dislocated (spiritually and physically) from their homeland and longed to return. Their identity as God’s people fractured because of sin.

But, Nehemiah wanted to remind them of joy—an everlasting  joy found in knowing their God. This joy would sustain them through every circumstance.

Second, the Psalms teach a consistent connection between joy, salvation, and knowing God. In Psalm 4:7, we read, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”

When the Psalmist looks at all the good of his life. Grain and wine overflowing in a demonstration of God’s provision and goodness. It didn’t compare to the, “joy in my heart.” A joy that comes from knowing God.

In Psalm 16:11, we get the clearest example of joy being a metric for ministry health, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The path of joy, lasting joy, is found in the presence of God. If God holds the key of joy, we must go to him to find it.

Third, Jesus gives a clear explanation of his mission for the world. When Jesus is days away from the cross and ready to finish the mission given from the Father he says:

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” – John 15:11

Jesus’ entire life and ministry was dedicated to making people joyful in God. He taught, healed, and mentored his disciples to this end. He wanted them, and future disciples, to have “full” joy in him. Jesus designed the universe for his glory and our joy. People will not find lasting joy in their city but only in the city to come. As Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”

The joy quotient of a city spreads when it is found from an eternal source. Found in the joy-giving God Jesus Christ.

How does this tie back to the joyful city of Samaria in Acts? When disciples, churches, and communities come to grips with the realities of the blood-bought sacrifice of Jesus. When entire cities begin to see the fleeting joys of the best wine, food, and cultural experiences. When these “joys,” are nothing compared to the lasting pleasures found in Christ, everything changes.

So, if joy is a clear and definitive marker of a healthy and maturing disciple of Jesus. It would make sense to use joy as a metric for ministry health. But, how can we measure the joy and happiness of people in the church and our city? Let me use a couple probing questions:

• Do pastors and ministry leaders operate from the joy of the Lord? Or, are they motivated by power, money, and success?
• What do people talk about? Do people in the church have enthusiasm about Christ, the gospel, and Kingdom, as they do the latest movie and sporting event? Listen for evidence that Jesus is their greatest joy and treasure.
• How do people respond in trial and suffering? Is there indication Jesus is their greatest joy even in hardship, loss, and suffering? Are people, “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10)?
• In your gatherings are people making a “joyful noise to the Lord”? Is there evidence of deep joy in Christ? It is hard to fake robust Spirit-wrought singing when people are not filled with the joy of Jesus.
• What are the idols of the church and culture that are sapping joy? Are there political, denominational, cultural, ethnic, relational, or experiential loyalties trumping loyalty to Jesus? Can you identify where people are looking for happiness and joy in your church and city?

After reading one more book on church growth and getting blasted by a pastor for slow growth in the church. I went to the elders. Opened Acts eight and asked: what if we measured ministry success by joy? How joyful are we in the Lord and where is joy sapped in the congregation?

After a couple nods and puzzled looks, we knew joy had to be one metric for measuring effectiveness.  It won't be easy to use joy as diagnostic. But, it's important for the health of maturing disciples. That's why this matters. Disciples find their joy and strength in the Lord.

I believe that if Jesus is after our joy, he wants our cities to be filled with joy. A joy found solely in Him.

How’s your joy in Jesus?

—

Ryan J. Pelton is a husband, father of three boys, founder of The Gospel Marinated Life, church planter, writer, speaker, coach, and founding pastor of New City Church. My greatest joy is Christ and family.

Killing The Devil's Radio with the Gospel!

George Harrison of The Beatles was right when he referred to gossip as the “Devil’s Radio.” In an age of overabundance of information, it is easy to tune into the frequency of social media where news are often blown out of proportions. Perhaps, in no other generation like ours is discernment required to such a great degree. While the gospel calls us to confess our sins, gossip confesses other people’s sins. Gossip broadcasts people’s weaknesses and sins in a whisper while others tune into the frequency. But it is always wiser to put a hold on any given subject until we’ve gained a fuller picture. We are all transparent before the Holy Spirit who sees and knows all our thoughts. I am transparent to my wife and other elders who speak into my life biblically and truthfully.

Everything is naked and laid bare before God, to whom everyone must give an account (Heb. 4: 12, 13). I believe we are to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another as priests (Jas. 5:16).  I believe in the kind of transparency that Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (I Cor. 11:1).  But what is often passed off as Christian transparency is sometimes-

Faux-honesty so often used as an excuse for voicing various kinds of complaints, doubts, accusations, fleshly desires, and other kinds of evil thoughts.  This exhibitionistic “virtue” is often paired with a smug self-congratulatory sneer or a condescending dismissal of anyone who dares to suggest that propriety and spiritual maturity may sometimes require us not to give voice to every carnal thought or emotion—i.e., that sometimes discretion is better than transparency.

Sometimes discretion may be better than transparency precisely because it takes spiritual maturity to be entrusted with confidential information.  In some cases, you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone and the gossip had already started. What should you do in such a case?

1. Listen objectively without taking sides and hold back judgments.

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Prov. 18: 17).  Listen with sympathy about the person being talked about, knowing that the person being talked about is not present to be able to defend himself/herself.  Don’t chime in or endorse!

In some cases, the person may come crying. When that happens, out of love for the person it is easy to believe everything the person says.  Sometimes, people cry not because they are innocent, but their burdens have become too heavy.  In such cases, tears can also be manipulative.

Think about when Esau returned from his hunt, he wept bitterly.  Esau was the victim of his own foolishness. He sold his birthright eagerly for a morsel of food to his brother, and when the blessing was given to Jacob (the swindler), he blamed it all on Jacob with tears—without admitting his own foolishness.  We are all skilled self-swindlers.  Besides it’s easy to feel sorry for the one who’s crying rather than the dry-eyed one–because when people cry, they can look like they’re the victim.  We must listen well with compassion, without being prejudiced in our discernment.

2. Gossip can destroy respect for the person being talked about.

It is wise to refrain from arriving at conclusions based on what you heard about the person. Gossip is second, third, or fourth hand information and when a morsel of truth is passed on, truth gets distorted and is diluted.

Even an element of truth becomes disproportionate and mixed up with personal opinions and judgments on the person’s character and reputation (sometimes this is done by well-meaning people).

For example: Person A may really respect person B, and because person A eagerly believed what he heard about person C say of person B, now person A has lost his trust and respect for person B (which may actually be partial truth but poisonous nonetheless).

Nothing may be as poisonous and destructive as gossip is in a community.

The Apostle James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers” (4:10-11).  The word “speak against” is not necessarily a false report.  It can mean just an “against-report.”  The intent may be to belittle a person or be contemptuous.  It can mean to disdain, mock, or rejoice in purported evil.  These are subtler yet sinful forms of speaking against a person created in God’s image. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18: 21ff).  So we can either speak life or destroy a person with gossip.

3. Realize that chronic gossip is in itself a deep character problem.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The tongue, James says “is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (3: 8).  Proverbs says that those who gossip are untrustworthy: “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much” (Prov. 20:19).  In Asian cultures, group conformity tends to encourage people to avoid confrontations to the extreme, whereas in Western culture, individualism tends to  lead people to err on the opposite side of over confrontations (Mat. 18:10-15).  “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” (Prov. 11: 13).  Those who gossip to you will gossip about you because they are not “trustworthy in spirit.”  In any case, prayerfully discern when to avoid the gossiper next time, or gently confront the sin (recognizing the ugliness of your own sin and the grace you have received) (Gal. 6: 1-2).

4. Pour water (not more fuel) to the fire.  

In other words, refuse to become a channel of gossip and walk in love (Eph. 5: 2).  Leviticus 19:16 says, “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.  I am the LORD.”  Gossip is smearing a person’s character.  Gossip may involve details that are not confirmed as true.  It endangers a person’s credibility and can bring your neighbor’s reputation to ruins.  It is the opposite of the commandment to love your neighbor—who bear God’s image.  Even if the report being said about the person ends up being true, be hesitant to become a carrier of bad news.  Remember how instead of piling up all your bad records, Jesus has cancelled them on the cross (Col. 2:14).

Seek prayerfully for clarification; ask God, before you ask others, what to do with the bad report.  Proverbs 16:28 tells us how destructive gossip can become in relationships: “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”  Fight the urge to add more fuel to stir up “conflict” that separates close friends.  Satan is the master of division!

Someone once said that gossip is giving others some strife instead of peace.  It always brings more strife than peace! Gossip pours fuel on the conflict setting the entire community on fire.  It poisons relationships and multiplies misunderstandings.  Gossip never has positive outcomes!  Besides, there is a lot of truth that need not be passed around by people who are recipients of God’s lavish grace.

Gossip is always on the erring side because gossip is confessing other people’s sin without giving them the chance to repent.

Gossip is a like a terrible drug and very addictive.  For many, it is impossible to live without passing on bad news about someone, some churches or ministries because gossip has become a chronic illness.  Hence, gossip becomes an idol—something you can’t live with—something that gives you a false sense of superiority and self-righteousness over others.

The solution is not to simply try and control the tongue, because to be free from gossip an axe must be laid at the root of gossip.  “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness” (Jas. 3: 6).  Therefore, the root problem of gossip is in the heart: “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk. 6: 45).  Pray and give room and time for grace, repentance, healing and restoration to take place in a relationship that has been torn by gossip.

“For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” –Proverbs. 26: 20

With the passage of time, as the gospel takes root in the heart whisperers repent, and if no “whisperer” passes on gossip, quarrels and strife will cease.  John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”  Instead of kindling the fire of gossip, it must be killed.

While moralism flails at the branches, the gospel cuts to the roots of gossip.

Ultimately, Jesus was slandered on our behalf.  The Pharisees accused him of casting out demons by Beelzebul (the prince of demons) yet he was the purest of all (Matt. 12: 24).  All the accusations hurled at him were wrong.  Yet he endured them all on the cross for our sake.  He was accused of demon possession when he did not even know sin in purity.  Each one of us deserves to be put in His place, but we received what we did not deserve because of Him.

Even his most noble motives were challenged, yet in weakness he conquered the power of Satan, sin, and death. Jesus came not to condemn but to save sinners—which is the opposite of speaking against a brother or sister and hurting or destroying their reputation. In Christ, God offers us a clean heart, a new heart, with which we can honor our neighbors truthfully, and give praises to our God.

Do you struggle with gossip?  

1. There is nothing in our sinful nature that has not already been covered by the blood of Jesus, so confess your sins instead of other people’s sins.
2. Preach to your heart and say, “I am worse than what people think I am, but Jesus loves me more than I can ever imagine.  He already covered me with His own righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, I am free to discern the evidence of God’s grace in others instead of lending wood to the fire of gossip.”

—

Joey Zorina is a church planter in an artistic neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan.  He writes articles, essays and devotionals for Living Life, and blogs occasionally @regeneration).  He asks that you please pray for them and the Japanese.  You can connect with him at https://twitter.com/JoeyZorina

Embracing Christmas Again

No matter how much of a Grinch you are, most of us do not think Christmas is inherently evil. Ha! That is funny to write. That said, many of us might not like Christmas, slightly dread Christmas, or want Christmas to be over with already. Christmas has been hijacked. Black Friday, malls, online shopping, and family with the best of intentions have all hijacked Christmas. Instead of a time and season for us to reflect on the miracle of Jesus, we instead find ourselves running around like chickens with our heads cut off in a season controlled by busyness, consumerism, gluttony, spending, and a frantic circus of parading your family around from one event to the next where kids are trained not to be satisfied with one present or one candy cane but to quickly move on to the next present and the next candy cane and the next present and next present and next present as we train them to be greedy, selfish, and dissatisfied. Christmas has become a circus.

Let’s embrace Christmas again!

Let’s create traditions and goals to slow down and savor the wonder that is the Son of God coming in the flesh. Time for us to embrace the humility and simplicity of a God who was born in a small-town, in a barn, and in a feeding trough for livestock. A Savior and King who was homeless, carless, smartphone-less, and Amazon-less. What if his coming and his living held both principles and keys to not just surviving Christmas but thriving in Christmas? What if instead of Christmas leaving us with a materialism and people-pleasing hangover it left us refreshed and was used as a springboard for our faith in Jesus Christ?

That is why I am writing this. Below are a list of seven values and some practical ideas that my family is striving for. Feel free to borrow these ideas or create your own to help you best live out your values for this Christmas!

1. Keep the focus on Jesus.

We all have fun Christmas traditions. My family loves to watch Elf and Home Alone and walk through those crazy Christmas circle neighborhoods where ninety-nine out of 100 houses (there always seems to be that one dark house that is either Jehovah Witnesses or missed the memo that they live on candy cane lane) are insanely decked out with Christmas lights and inflatables.

These are all fun and valuable traditions but if they are only traditions we will wake up in January and realize we didn’t talk about, think about, pray to or enjoy Jesus for a whole month! The culture has replaced Jesus and we can easily do the same if we do not intentionally keep the focus on Jesus. We have to make it our goal to keep our focus on Jesus and on the wonder of the incarnation. We want to remember Jesus, reflect on Jesus, and celebrate Jesus while spending time with Jesus this and every Christmas season.

I want to share a few simple practices that can help us keep the focus on Jesus. The first is to celebrate Advent and have a daily reminder, short story, or key Bible verse that you read as a family that points us back to Jesus. Another is to make sure the Christmas story is read and celebrated on Christmas and/or Christmas Eve. Finally, listen to and sing Christmas songs during the Christmas season that are about Jesus and talk as a family about what these songs are really about and even compare them to Christmas songs that aren’t about Jesus and what message those proclaim as well.

2. Slowing down.

We must say “no” to some of our old traditions and some of the gift-giving and receiving to accomplish this huge value. Two practices can help us slow down to enjoy Jesus and family. First, take the week of Christmas off of work, hobbies, errands, and some of the normal routine to slow down and focus more on enjoying Jesus and people. Second, Christmas cards every other year to have more time to focus on Jesus.

3. Time with immediate family.

Christmas is a great time to spend with relatives, friends, and that one crazy uncle, but if we are not careful, we can miss out on having even a moment with our immediate family. Plan ahead and have time set aside for just our household to enjoy Jesus and one another.

4. Time with Church family.

For many, our relatives might not love Jesus, and there is something unique about enjoying this season with others who have trusted Jesus. Prioritize spending time with your church family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Spend time in your church communities to celebrate evidences of God’s grace together and pray thanksgiving for all the gifts Jesus has given us.

5. Time for mission.

Christmas reminds us that Jesus left his home to invite us into a relationship with him. The Christmas story is a story of mission and the best way to honor this story is to live the story by inviting others into this story! Pray through who you can invite over for a meal on or around Christmas. Invite neighbors and friends to Christmas gatherings and events that share the good news of Jesus.

6. Time for charity.

Giving and receiving presents is nice, but often we need nothing more than giving to others who are in need. Giving and receiving gifts are not evil, but there is an opportunity to remember those who need the basics—food, water and clothes. Christmas is a time to worship our charitable God who gave us everything we need by choosing one or more charities to give to or serve alongside as a family. We can use this season to give to real needs and raise awareness within our household, church, and even extended family of great opportunities to give to!

7. Taming the Grandparents.

Grandparents are a gift and some of us are blessed to have generous and loving grandparents who love to bless (aka spoil the living daylight) our kids with presents and candy. Sometimes, they can be so excited about Christmas that they go overboard in the presents and candy category and give more than any kids could possibly know what to do with and can accidentally enforce that Christmas is only about getting.

It can be helpful to thank grandparents for their generosity but also encourage them to give each kid one small gift or a group gift or best an experience gift (e.g., movie tickets, children museum passes, etc.) rather than a million toys. If you are going to pull this “taming” off you will have to set this encouragement earlier in the year and regularly remind as it could be a bit of an uphill battle.

There you have it. Seven values to help us embrace Christmas again! Now many of these values make sense not just for Christmas but for all of life. And that is the point. Taking Christmas back means once again using it as a season to remind us of what is most important and leaving us refreshed and encouraged rather than it being a cyclone of consumerism leaving us with a busyness hangover. Let’s enjoy Jesus and his people this Christmas. Let’s slow down and say “no” to materialism and “yes” to a minimalist Jesus who came and lived humbly and simply and let’s look forward to his return!

—

Jake Chambers is the husband to his beautiful bride Lindsey, and a daddy to Ezra, Roseanna, and Jaya. Jake is passionate about seeing the gospel both transform lives and create communities that love Jesus, the city, and the lost. He currently serves Red Door Church in San Diego through leading, preaching, equipping, and pastoring.

Discipling the Discipled

“Tis but a scratch.”

“A scratch? Your arm’s off!”

“No it isn’t.”

“Well, what’s that then?”

In this famous scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur fights the knight who will not let him pass. It’s a humorous example of denial and a lack of self-awareness. The knight was unwilling to admit his arm was missing!

The scene spirals from there as the knight loses the rest of his limbs and yet is still disinclined to acknowledge his ailments. I’m suggesting that this knight thinks about his former limbs much like many in the church think about discipleship. They are in denial and reluctant to acknowledge their need for it.

This reluctant crowd is not primarily made up of new believers, but rather mature ones. There is a temptation to become set in our Christian ways, even when some of those ways could use further growth in grace. One of the areas mature believers can do this is discipleship.

If asked about discipleship, some believers might answer, “I was discipled. I’m good.” The issue comes in that pesky past tense. It is not as if we can’t talk about discipleship as having happened, but as Christians, we must not only talk about it being in the past. If we see discipleship as something that has ended at some point in our Christian lives, then we are in trouble.

All new believers must be taught about the faith and helped in their discovery of reading the Bible. Simon the Magician needed some extended teaching on the Holy Spirit after having believed the gospel and being baptized (Acts 8:9-24).

Even someone like Apollos, who was teaching others, needed some extra help in better understanding the things of the gospel (Acts 18:26). New believers require assistance in understanding the things of God, just like kids need help in understanding and navigating the world as they grow.

However, at some point, kids usually don’t need explanations about what a bird is and why it flies or how to use a spoon. They have enough information to be able to push forward on their own. However, it would be to their detriment if they stopped seeking wise counsel and advice. Just because they know how to use a spoon doesn’t mean they will know how to balance a checkbook, buy a car, or get a job.

If people need ongoing help discovering basic life knowledge, why would it be any different for our Christian lives? A Christian cannot only talk about discipleship as a past event. It should be a continuous growth throughout all our lives.

But what if the people we are given the opportunity of discipling are not convinced that they need what we are calling them to? What if our “flock” lacks the temporary self-awareness to be able to see their need for discipleship?

What if that person that God has put on our heart to help grow up in the Lord is not interested in the concentrated time of study, prayer, and fellowship? I think there are few things that we can do to help turn this ship.

1. We Live It

Are we involved in regular discipleship relationships? This is the place to start if we desire to point others to this life-giving practice. We can be as convicted about the importance of discipleship as the next person, but if we are not ourselves living per our convictions, we cannot expect to have any success in calling others to have convictions we do not even live out.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes a case for regular confession between Christians in Life Together, but he warns that those who hear the confessions of others, must also be in the regular practice of confessing as well

“It is not a good thing for one person to be the confessor for all the others. All too easily this individual will become overburdened, one for whom confession becomes an empty routine, giving rise to the unholy misuse of confession for the exercise of spiritual tyranny over souls. Those who do not practice confession themselves should be careful not to hear the confession of other Christians, lest they succumb to this most frightening danger for confession,” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, p 116).

This same danger is inherent for those that do not themselves take part in regular discipleship but expect it of others around them or those that they lead. Bonhoeffer’s application of this warning as it relates to confession is just as relevant to the practice of discipleship.

Others will likely see a person who calls others to discipleship but does not practice it as upholding an empty routine. Therefore, we begin to make an impact with discipleship by being discipled.

2. We Model It

We need to show them what discipleship looks like. This doesn’t happen quickly. One of the most helpful ways to start this is to essentially disciple them without them knowing we are discipling them. Invite them into a group of people with whom we already meet for discipleship.

Another option is to ask them to coffee and talk about the Bible, prayer, and growth in Christ. We can spend time with them and intentionally ask them about their lives and pour into them. Their past experiences with discipleship have likely told them that when discipleship happens, there is an official start date, bugle sounds, and flags wave. They are most likely used to programmatic discipleship, which is where we can show them that it is not a program.

3. We Reinforce It

In our covert coffee meetings, we start to talk about biblical examples of discipleship. We can talk about informational discipleship scenarios like Simon the Magician and Apollos. We can talk about overarching examples of discipleship like Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35).

We can point to Paul and his relationship with Timothy (Acts 16:1-3; 1 Tim.; 2 Tim.). We can share examples how this process has been lived out in our own lives. By reinforcing this changeover in thinking about discipleship, we want to show that its biblical and we want to make them want it.

A more programmatic type of discipleship focuses on a short period meant to acclimate people to Scripture. It achieves this, rightfully so, through calling people to the need for understanding the basics of the faith.

However, if that is the only way we understand discipleship, we miss the blessings that this lifelong pattern produces. People that have only gone through this type of discipleship may be prone to thinking that discipleship is something they have to do instead of something they get to do.

I would call the “have to” discipleship, law discipleship, and the “get to” discipleship, gospel discipleship. A law commands something, the gospel fulfills and provides the desire to follow the law. Jesus does call us to follow him and to do so with our whole lives (Lk. 9:62).

If we work on promoting gospel discipleship, we point people to the power the gospel has in causing us to want to follow Christ with our lives. This way we don’t weigh them down with commands to discipleship, but point them to the blessings of discipleship.

4. We Multiply It

Once just one other person seems to get it, then we can encourage them to do just what we did. We can help them locate someone in their sphere of influence with whom they can spend intentional time. We can help them biblically reinforce discipleship as a lifelong pattern.

The lifestyle of discipleship continues for them because we are continuing to pour into them as they pour into others. This process of discipleship transformation in the life of a person, a group of people, or a congregation begins with someone taking the first step turning the ship.

Our efforts in changing the view of discipleship in those around us are well worth our time. Most likely, our first attempts at trying to right the outlook on discipleship in our environment may revolve around teaching.

If we serve as a pastor, small group leader, Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, friend, or coworker, we may be tempted to think that this will all be changed by simply teaching about what discipleship should be.

However, I would argue that unless it is modeled before it is taught in an informational sense, it will be rejected. It is true that the Bible comes to us with propositional truth that we are called to heed, but those truths are meant to shape our living.

This is a blind spot we can have without proper discipleship happening in our lives. If people can see the biblical vision of discipleship as a lifelong process rather than a programmatic system, it can also help with their regular consumption of the Bible.

If we can see God’s Word as already relevant to the small details of our lives and not just a list of truths we espouse, our communion with Christ will be all the more blessed. That, in fact, is the real payoff of the biblical model of lifelong discipleship. Our time with people, growing together in our knowledge of the Word and growing together in prayer, will only further develop our relationship with Christ.

—

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

Trusting Jesus to Grow the Church

In 2004, the Lilly Endowment one of the world’s largest philanthropic foundations invested money into an initiative to answer this question: “What does it take to sustain pastors in such a way that they will flourish in ministry over the long haul?” This initiative (“Sustaining Pastoral Excellence”) was birthed out of statistical data showing a rise in pastors burning out and leaving ministry more rapidly than ever before and a belief that the local church was too important for this to continue.

Covenant Theological Seminary, which was given grant money to help address this question, started the Center for Ministry Leadership, to explore how pastors survive and thrive in ministry. Over a five-year span the center held summits where they brought in seasoned pastors and spouses to draw upon their experience, talk about various struggles, successes, concerns, and brainstorm ideas.

One of the primary conclusions the Center came to was:

“Every disciple – and every pastor – must have a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and nurture that relationship in a regular and consistent manner. The dangers of not doing so are many, yet, for various reasons busy pastors often ignore or circumvent the process.”

This conclusion shouldn’t surprise us: think about Paul’s parting instructions to the Ephesian elders:

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” – Acts 20:28

The order is clear. Paul tells them to first pay careful attention to themselves then care for the flock. Yet, as the center concluded, most pastors get this out of whack at one time or another or worse get it out of whack continually. This is especially true in the nascent stages of church planting, when it feels like every aspect of the success of the plant depends on the work you put in. But as many pastors can attest to the results for establishing a practice of reverse priorities will lead to devastating results.

Listen to some of the comments from pastors who participated in the program:

“The sad fact is, for most of us in ministry, work for Christ comes before our relationship with Christ.”

“Our hearts are often thirsty for a word from God, but who has time?”

“I feel like Frodo. In the Fellowship of the Ring, he’s talking to Gandalf and says, ‘I feel like butter spread over too much bread.’ I just feel like I’m tired and running on fumes.”

“My relationships and ministry are presently taking place from a place of drought. No wonder I am tired, on edge, angry and restless.”

“I feel like a guy who is driving over the speed limit on a narrow mountain road without barriers. It’s only by the grace of God that I haven’t driven off”

Think about Acts 20:28 again and take a moment to list out some of the reasons why you don’t pay careful attention to yourself before taking care of the flock?

There are many reasons: We don’t know how, we’re lazy, we’re too busy, we have unrepentant sin, it’s hard to invest time, and so on. I remember that all of these “excuses” were at play early on in my own church planting experience. Although I knew I needed to rely on the Lord, I tended to only do this in areas related to my achievement rather than my affections or allegiance. In fact, as I’ve coached pastors over the years, I’ve found that this is one of the most common reasons we head down this path. Because we have an incessant driven-ness to succeed combined with a belief that it all depends on us, we often fail to pay attention to self.

Ambition and achievement isn’t always a bad thing. In John 15, we read that Jesus mentions “bearing fruit” seven times in a span of seventeen verses. It is good to accomplish much, to be fruitful and effective. This is clear from the passage. But it’s also clear fruit bearing must flow from abiding in Christ.

Peter Scazzero writes in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (p. 32):

“Work for God that is not nourished by a deep interior life with God will eventually be contaminated by other things such as ego, power, needing approval of and from others, and buying into the wrong ideas of success and the mistaken belief that we can’t fail.”

If we forget or ignore our identity in Christ and pursue achievement out of our own effort and ability, our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls will be unable to support the weight of this and we will crash.

Archibald Hart who is a psychologist writes, “Most ministers don’t burn out because they forget they are ministers. They burn out because they forget they are people.”

If we’re going to be faithful and fruitful disciples of Jesus who are able to effectively care for the church God is calling us to lead then we are going to need to live out of a relationship with Jesus that is nurtured on a consistent and ongoing basis. This practice needs to start at the beginning of your church planting journey or else you will develop destructive habits that will be difficult to overcome.

Consider the Apostle Paul’s words in Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Think about how you entered God’s Kingdom. It wasn’t through self-dependence, reliance, or righteousness. Rather entrance into the kingdom came through humility, admitting our inability to save ourselves from sin’s punishment and enslavement, through trust in Jesus alone as the Savior who can forgive and reconcile us to the Father and through submission to him as Lord, living under his rule, care, and will.

Although we entered God’s kingdom by relying on Jesus, we often move on from there and live as if we need him + something else or we just live as if we no longer need him at all and place our trust in other things altogether. But Paul is reminding us that this is a foolish way to live this life. Instead our lives should be characterized by ongoing humility, trust, and submission. This is the way we are to walk.

Paul’s adds to his instruction with four additional statements in verse 7.

First he says we are “rooted in him.” For a tree to flourish the roots need to be firmly planted in soil that can produce healthy and growth. Paul is saying that is exactly what has occurred with us. We’ve been rooted and planted in Christ.

I like how Sam Storms describes this in The Hope of Glory: “God has graciously seeded my soul into the soil of Christ’s unchanging and unconquerable grace.”

Second, he reminds us “we are being built up in him.” Have you ever walked by a property that has an unfinished building with a foundation but no structure? It’s obvious from all the weeds and trash that overruns the property that the owner was unable to finish the project.

This doesn’t happen to those rooted in Christ. At times, we might look a little trashy and overrun with weeds but God is not finished with us and is building us up brick by brick; grace upon grace. He is finishing the work he started.

The third statement he makes is that “we are established in the faith.” As God once opened up our eyes to the truth of the gospel so that we’d see it and receive it by faith, he is continuing to show it and confirm it to us. There are days we are on shaky ground; our faith is wavering, we have doubts, anxiety, and questions about our leadership or the viability of the church. Yet God is working in and on us to strengthen us in the faith.

Notice how Paul says God goes about doing this: “just as you were taught”. The way he roots us in Christ through the gospel is the same way he builds us up in Christ and establishes us more firmly in the faith.

In a sermon on this passage, Ligon Duncan stated:

“All growth and progress in the Christian life must be consistent w/its beginning. If we began the Christian life by professing Christ as Lord, our living of the Christian life must be consistent with that profession. If Christ is the object of our faith, if He is the one who saves us, then surely it is Christ who must be the sphere of our spiritual growth and development.”

As we walk, we need to continually immerse ourselves in the depths of the gospel, remembering our identity and the security, hope, and riches that accompany being united to Christ. We need to walk with others who remind us of the message we probably just preached. We need to daily address doubts, fears, dreams, accomplishments, efforts, and idolatries by running to Jesus and living a life of ongoing humble, trust, and submission.

Finally, and this is by no means an afterthought for Paul, he writes that we should be “abounding in thanksgiving.” All of this is and continues to be his work of grace in our lives. He has given us every reason to overflow with affection and worship and the interesting thing is that as we “abound in thanksgiving” recalling his gracious way with us, this practice increases our affection and allegiance to him.

If you are embarking on the church planting journey put this walk into practice immediately. Failing to pay attention to yourself before you care for the flock might be sustainable for a moment, but it will eventually lead to a disengaged pastor who is at risk of derailing their life and ministry. And if you are a pastor who has failed in this area, it’s not too late to correct the course. Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord start walking in him.

—

Jason Roberts is the founding Pastor of Crosscurrent Church, an Acts 29 church in Virginia Beach, VA.  Fourteen years ago while working for Spanish River Church in Boca Raton, FL, God began to lay the church planting calling on his heart and after some time of investigation and holy arm twisting, he packed up the family, moved back to “the Beach” and planted in the fall of 2002. For the past eight years, he has also given considerable time to coaching and training church planters and pastors. This past fall he transitioned into the corporate world where he now works as an Executive Coach for CACI, International, coaching senior and mid-level managers at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. He still lives in Virginia Beach, with his wife of 23 years, Aimee and his five children.

Faithful Today and Prayerful for Tomorrow

I have always been inquisitive, so much so that my mom couldn’t go an hour without me asking where she was going, what we were having for dinner, or when dad would be home. It’s not just curiosity, but it’s also an innate desire to prepare. I can spend hours thinking about what to make for dinner, outfits for the week, or a single conversation needing to be had. Right now, you are likely thinking, “She’s crazy. I should stop here,” or there might be a small chance that this resonates. This sincere determination to know what’s ahead and prepare accordingly. I can’t think of anyone who enjoys being caught off guard. We want control and composure, and ultimately to be prepared for whatever is coming. I think this must be why the scriptures repeat over and over again how we must focus on today, how Jesus has gone before us, and the significance of God’s sovereignty. This is the spoken and inspired Word, but we still forget it’s truth.

And in the entire thread of Scripture, we read how God sent Jesus to go before us to completely fulfill the gospel and prepare the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s faithfulness has never failed. It has been tested, it has been doubted, and it has proven unshakeable. Still, the question remains, why is it so difficult to trust God with tomorrow?

In Exodus, God led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He provided manna for the day, and only that day. He declared faithfulness and commanded dependence. The people knew only how to follow God for the single day ahead of them. They hadn’t a choice to ponder his provision for the next day, week, year. They weren’t planning for anything; they were just walking forward.

How would our lives change if we were faithful today and prayerful for tomorrow? We get more caught up praying for today and promising faithfulness tomorrow.

At the end of the day, it’s fear. We are so afraid of the possibilities, the rejection, the weight of responsibility that we end up missing things. We miss grand opportunities, meaningful connections, and simple yet glorious moments. God’s displayed glory is held back when we neglect to ask for it.

We don’t pray.

When I look at Scripture, I see a lot of stories that demonstrate God’s sovereign will through his people’s dependence. Moses wouldn’t have led the Israelites if he hadn’t been commanded by the Lord to do so. The way set before the Israelites is a direct representation of the God who sent them on that way. They walked in obedience because they listened to God’s direction.

If we did pray for today and just walk forward, I have a feeling that we’d be walking more restfully, joyfully, and fruitfully. Our minds would not be anxiously preparing each moment, interaction, and opportunity. Instead, we could restfully trust in God to be who he says he is and we’d get to watch him provide us with victories one day at a time.

Our hearts would not feel the burden of responsibility to accomplish more than we’re asked. Rather, we would be open to listening for a still small voice that leads to God’s work. Our spirits would not fall into self-sufficiency, which quenches the Spirit and results in nothing. Instead, we would abide in him who produces fruit and faith that leads to heart worship.

These distinctions of fear and faith lead us out of death and into abundant life. The spiritual discipline of prayer takes care of tomorrow, and next week, and next year. If we can pray, we can rest. And if we can rest, we can trust God with tomorrow.

This is so much more than letting go of control; it is believing that Jesus did become a man who died for our sins and defeated the grave. Because if the gospel is true, and Jesus did this, then how can we doubt tomorrow? If the Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared for our arrival, is not tomorrow readied too?

Bruce Wilkinson says, “Simply put, God favors those who ask. He holds back nothing from those who want and earnestly long for what He wants.” This is my challenge to you. Pray earnestly for tomorrow, and walk boldly today. After living like this, evaluate the desires, opportunities, and trust that God provides. My guess is that favor will follow your faithful prayers.

—

Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) has served a ministry she helped start in the DFW Metroplex since she graduated from college. She received her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University in Communication Theory. She does freelance writing, editing, and speaking for various organizations and non-profits. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

The Morning After the Election

As a white, educated, and west-coast city dweller I've been isolated from some of the pain and fears of many others. I want to spend more time listening. This election hasn't created a division; it has exposed it. It didn't create fear, resentment, distrust, or disrespectful debate. It showed us the mirror and pierced our echo chambers. I pray we move forward by breaking them down. I pray we can listen to each other without dismissing others as deplorable, vile, or subhuman. Our political debate this year was just like our Facebook walls not by coincidence. Our country is lost, lonely, powerless, fearful, hateful, prejudice, and spiteful (not just Trump and his voters).

It's not the moral decay that has me feeling we have an unChristian nation; it's our fears and the anger that expose it. A society that knows the love of a suffering God to make himself close to us doesn't live in anger. A society that knows the power of resurrection doesn't live or vote in fear.

In the coming days, we will hear cheap talk of unity and peace—cheap because it will not require the pain and burden of the love nor the power of the gospel. By unity, we will describe an ability to accept results. By peace, we will mean an ability to wait a few years before we have a public conversation and vote. We will retreat to our silos to plot revenge or conquest. The unity the gospel describes is not cheap, but costly. The peace of the gospel isn’t weak, but powerful.

Unity Comes From Love

The love of Jesus forms any true bond of unity. The central message and love of God to humanity, the gospel, is driven by unity. God must and shall live with his people. The story of Scripture is one of a faithfully loving God is the self-sacrificing pursuit of the healing, well-being, and life of his creation.

Humanity only finds life unified to the Triune God. The essential markers of the gospel, Jesus’ incarnation, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, sing to our souls the lengths, heights, and depths to which God will go to be with us—his love.

This is how, Paul, can so confidently write that this perfect love of the Father, Son, and Spirit drives out all fear. A human heart which receives the breathtaking love of God does not know fear. There is nothing to fear as an adopted child of God. The heart that has this love poured over it is no longer enslaved to our anger.

Unity with one another comes from receiving and extending this same love to one another. This extravagant unity comes with significant cost. We extend God’s love to others by obligating ourselves to them without prerequisites, without hesitation, and without limits to self-sacrifice.

Unity isn’t reached as a vehicle for improvement or as a goal to achieve as a society but as an outflow of the nature of God and his work with humanity. In this invaluable unity, Christ is the object of affection. Love displaces fear and anger replacing it with unity to God and the possibility of unity with others.

Love of neighbor in our society would create unity we’ve never known. Urban areas would love and sacrifice for rural areas. White men would weep with black men and fight for their good. The immigrant would be welcomed with hospitality. Women would stand up for justice. The elderly would encourage the young. The young would respect the old. Enemies would love and receive love. All because of God’s great love and presence with us.

Peace Comes From Courage

We need courage not to fight battles, but to have faith in the victory won in the resurrection. To have the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. While the resurrection of Jesus ensures eternal bliss, it also raises our lives from the dead today. We take courage not in having nothing to lose, but from having received everything—abundant life.

Resurrection means nothing steals, distorts, or deteriorates your life. Christ is alive. You are alive. This crucial courage creates the availability for costly peace. It’s within the confidences of a raised and eternal life that we can walk the harrowing road to the other, the enemy, the neighbor to seek peace.

Peace that does not come from this courage will always rely on a negotiation of emotions to create a sense of calm without discussing differences, like an awkward Thanksgiving meal. Peace that comes from resurrection courage will look differences directly. It will have the will to listen. It will have the boldness to confess pain, struggle, sin, anger, and resentment. True peace comes through brave humility. Above all, the peace won in through the gospel of Jesus brings us to the common path and journey of walking with God in the same space.

Unity and peace are walking with God together. True peace exists in shared worship, shared prayer, and the shared trembling before the sovereign and good God. How will we share our discipleship journeys beyond our class, education, geography, race, or employment? By noticing the powerful body of Christ, he has saved and made new. We fight for common life, common discipleship, and common liturgy.

Desperate Need for Diverse Discipleship Life

Today, for many we are invited to lament our way toward an understanding of the power and beauty of the gospel. For others, we are invited to break our idols in repentance. Still, to others, this is a day that demands we share the gospel life, gospel community, and gospel mission with people who are not like us. We can’t go back to our corners as the Church. We must press beyond dialogue and include each other in the essence of our lives.

—

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?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start 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 Other Blessing of Family Worship

My daughter and two sons are six, four, and two years old respectively. That means that I am now down to just about 628 more Saturdays with Gracie, 716 with Silas, and 836 with Elijah before they’re all out of high school and enjoying the next chapter the Lord has for them. If God does indeed give my wife and I eighteen summers with Gracie before she graduates, that means we've already enjoyed a third of these summers with just twelve to go.

What a reminder of the value of every day with my family and the importance of spending those days well!

We only get a certain amount of time with our children and I believe that many desire more time with their family members, while longing for this time to be meaningful and consistent.

It seems people enjoy family time and want more of it. So how do we find this time and what should we do with it?

I believe the answer to both of these questions is found in the spiritual discipline of family worship.

FAMILY WORSHIP = FAMILY TIME 

Family worship is a call we see woven throughout Scripture, filled with blessings for the entire home. In my book, Gospel Family, I explore these blessings as a source of encouragement for the family considering times of family prayer, family devotions, and family discipleship.

But today, in light of the constant battle for our time and the time of our family, let us focus on just one of the many blessings that Family Worship brings—family time together.

A family that prays together, sings praises together, and enjoys reading the Bible together will inevitably find themselves blessed with more time together.

When we read the famous words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we not only catch a glimpse of family worship, but we also see that family time is assumed in any home that consistently enjoys family worship.

This passage describes a family that engages in family discipleship while sitting in the house together, while walking together, in the evenings before going to sleep, and in the mornings when first waking up.

We need to bring family worship through the front doors of our homes. We need to welcome this natural rhythm of family time and overcome the challenges we face while living in a culture that finds family meals uncommon and family conversations, free of smartphone distractions, just as rare.

Family worship cultivates a pattern of family time, inviting everyone in the home to push aside all distractions, take a break from all media, and just be still in the presence of God and one another for a few minutes every day. It simultaneously strengthens our relationship with the Lord and our relationships with our spouse and children.

MEANINGFUL FAMILY TIME

It’s not enough to just carve out time together, for some of the most stressed-out families are stressfully sprinting through life together, all-the-while, missing out on any profound connection or significant conversation. Just because we’re in the same room, at the same restaurant, stuck in the same traffic, or running the same errands, it doesn’t guarantee that we’re on the same page or growing together as a family at all.

Family worship doesn’t just produce family time. Family worship produces meaningful family time.

When a family engages the Word of God together, shares prayer requests together, or enjoys worship music together, there is a deeper connection as hearts are opened and real life, real concerns, real fears, real hopes, and real needs all begin to trump the ever-busy calendar.

Chores, meals, dishes, TV shows, video games, appointments, meetings, dance rehearsals, baseball practices, and even church events can easily hijack any given week, leaving us little meaningful, private, undistracted, family time.  But when we enjoy the presence of God together as a family while sitting around the house, while walking together, and before going to sleep, we protect the most important thing on every week’s calendar: family worship.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

This meaningful family time, our consistent time of family worship, doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. Even if your family has never practiced family worship before, you can begin now by implementing these three things:

PRAY TOGETHER

Just spend a few minutes each day, sharing prayer needs and then praying together. One person can pray or every family member can have a turn praying. It’s often helpful to choose a prayer spot in the house so that the family gets used to the routine.

READ THE BIBLE TOGETHER

Choose a family Bible that works best for your family, whether it’s a translation that everyone can understand or, perhaps, a children’s story Bible that is age appropriate. Keep this Bible near the dinner table and read one story every time you sit down for dinner together. Ask a few questions about the verse or story and begin to cultivate an atmosphere in the home where spiritual discussions are normal. This will overflow into the natural rhythm of your days as you’re playing at the park, driving in the car, or getting ready for bed, for in those times, your spouse and children will feel more and more comfortable discussing spiritual and biblical questions.

WORSHIP TOGETHER WITH MUSIC

If someone in your family plays an instrument, encourage them to learn some praise songs your family loves. Or, you can simply sing together after your prayer time or at night before going to bed. Another way to bring worship music into the home is by simply creating a worship playlist on your phone or tablet that can be playing in the house and car throughout the day.

It’s amazing how these simple practices can transform the flow of family life in the home.

—

Jonathan Williams is the founder of Gospel Family Ministries (www.gospelfamily.org). He is also the author of Gospel Family. Jonathan enjoys this ministry alongside his wife, Jessica, and their three children, Gracie, Silas & Elijah. With a heart for families and the church, Jonathan also serves as the pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Originally posted at Gospel Family. Used with permission.

Prayer is the Most You Can Do

One of the things that have always captivated me about the life of Jesus is his constant communion with the Father. In one instance, Luke writes: “When Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples came and said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples’” (11: 1). Jesus chose a certain place to pray, but it was not the marketplace. He had a habitual communion with the Father. If Jesus (who knew no sin) needed to pray “in a certain place,” away from the distractions around him, how much more do fragile and weak people in modern societies, with all of its distractions, need to pray?

Prayer wasn’t a religious to-do checklist for Jesus.  For him prayer was like breathing. This was not an isolated event.  Elsewhere Matthew 14: 13 tells us: “[Jesus] withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” And Mark 1:35 says, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

Or Matthew 14: 23, “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone.”

Again Luke 6:12 says that, “He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.”  Prayer is communion with the Father.  Jesus lived a prayer-saturated life during his ministry on earth.  So when the disciples saw him having communion with the Father in this way, they approached him.

Lord, teach us to pray

Looking up to the Lord as a much better (or more qualified) teacher than John the Baptist, they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”  The disciples had seen John teaching his own disciples to pray, and they had seen Jesus praying to his Father earnestly.

Therefore, when they saw the communion that Jesus had with the Father through prayer they wanted that more than anything else.  Ironically, they did not ask, “Lord, teach us to preach, teach us to lead, teach us to disciple and do ministry” although they did all of these things later.

Their ministry would flow out of their relationship with the Father in prayer.  And so the first thing Jesus taught was this: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name” (Lk. 11: 2).  We call God “Our Father” by His Spirit because of Jesus who went to the cross.  And so Jesus taught his disciples big God-sized global prayers. He taught them to pray for the hallowing of God’s name. And he taught them Kingdom-centered prayer (“Your Kingdom come”).

But why aren’t many of us confident in prayer? In Matthew 7: 9-11, Jesus awakens the disciples and us with a simple logic, when he said,

“Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Idols prevent us from praying

Sadly, many of us do not feel the need to pray until disaster strikes in our countries or homes; or unless  cancer, physical debilitation, or great destruction shatters our pride to our great need of God.  More often than not, it’s our idols that prevent us from praying earnestly, because idols distract us from the more important things— like prayer.

The greatest barriers to living prayerful lives are not always bad things, but good things.

Bad things tend to make us pray, but not good things because bad things are not our most darling idols– good things are.  And these good things are blessings from God that we look to in order to give us comfort, security, safety, convenience and ease.  We can pull off all our organizations with managerial skills because we are a pragmatic people.  But prayer is spiritual so we find it to be the hardest thing to do.

Prayer, as simple as it sounds, is not simple for the vast majority of Christians when it comes to actually doing it, because everyone struggles to pray.  Sometimes, we don’t know how unspiritual we are until we start to pray.  I sometimes struggle to have prolonged periods of tarrying in prayer unless there’s a desperate need.

By God’s grace, I try to make it a habit to pray silently while in the train, workplace and leisure.  And though early morning prayers are often a struggle, the time I enjoy it most is at dawn.  Nothing is as revolutionary in the Christian life than to become a person of prayer.  But unless we put in prayer times as part of our daily schedule in our calendar, it will become harder for us to pray.

A common widespread misconception

In times of trouble, I’ve often heard people say: “The least we can do is pray.” I have probably said it too. But as a pastor once said: prayer is not the least we can do, but the most we can do.  What does prayer do?  Prayer tears down our self-reliance, and increases our reliance and confidence on God.  As Martin Luther (the reformer) said:

“None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.  It is a great matter when in extreme need to take hold on prayer.”

And he went on to say,

“I know, whenever I have prayed earnestly, that I have been amply heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for.  God indeed sometimes delayed, but at last He came.”

Grace frees us from legalistic praying

Again, we pray not to become a righteous person, but because we are already declared righteous by God in Christ (2 Cor. 5: 21). We pray not because we have to, but because we want to. Resisting legalistic praying comes from an overflow of our confidence in Christ.  God’s grace frees us from legalistic praying. Grace frees us to come boldly before the Father and confess our sins to one another (Jas. 5: 16).  God’s grace frees us to pray for the hallowing of God’s name, as opposed to Pharisaical public praying that seeks to be seen by men (Matt. 6: 5).  We pray fervently not to become accepted by God, but because we are already accepted by him in Christ.  We pray not to feel better about ourselves and look down on others who don’t pray, but we pray so that we can lift up others who are in need, with love and humility.

Furthermore, we pray because we’re desperately in need of God’s intervention.  In Luke 9: 40  a father who had a boy with an unclean spirit approached Jesus with a great sense of helplessness.  He said, “I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” The disciples were not able to do anything with this particular case and neither could us.  Later on in Mark 9: 28-29 the disciples asked Jesus in private why they couldn’t cast it out, and he replied: “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” 

The point is this: we are helpless and powerless over the kind of work that God is calling us to do.  We’re constantly in the middle of warfare (Eph.6).   So even in our disciple making, no matter how many hours we spend with people, we cannot aid the work of the Spirit in a person’s life without prayer.  This is why: in all that we do, praying is the most we can do.

The purpose of earnest prayer

I Peter 4: 11 says, “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything (i.e., in all our speaking, disciple-making and serving) God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The purpose of prayer is that we may repent from self-reliance and be prevented from saying, “We did it with our strength; we were clever and bright.” Or, “We had the credentials and the educational qualifications.”  Or that, “We were smart and gifted” or that, “We had the money and power backing us up.” Or that, “We had cleverly devised ideas borrowed from the corporate world.”  Or that, "We had the latest strategies on how to grow church.”

We might never confess it out loud, but our attitudes and actions can betray us and reveal where our ultimate confidence really lies.  The ultimate purpose of prayer is that we may serve, speak, sing, teach and lead with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God alone may be glorified.

As Jonathan Edwards said, “There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ as by prayer.” God’s purpose for us is that we get the joy of seeing him at work in the world through all of our work and prayers, and that He alone gets the glory.

God’s means of recruiting and moving workers for active service

Jesus said in Matt. 9: 37, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”  Japanese, for instance, are the 2nd largest unreached people group.  And Jesus' solution for recruiting workers is verse 38, which says, “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  Jesus is sovereign! He is the Lord of the harvest.  There is a massive need for workers and our responsibility is to pray earnestly to God to send out laborers.

There is still a need for more workers, and so great is the harvest of souls around us that no single church, no single denomination, no single organization or a small network of Christian workers can accomplish the task.  There is a need for unity for a citywide, nation-wide Gospel-centered movement in Tokyo, Japan and the world.

Prayer is a God-ordained means for birthing that kind of unity and movement.

Moreover, we must also feel desperate in our prayers because there are desperate needs all around us. Desperate situation requires desperate measures and prayer is God’s means for us to feel desperate before him.  But when we pray we also rejoice with confidence knowing that Jesus is Lord of the harvest.  He’s the Great Farmer!  It is his harvest field.  The unreached peoples belong to him, and he is patient.  As we look around us, and the state of our times, prayer is essential more than ever.  With a great burden, Jonathan Edwards wrote in his day:

“The state of the times extremely requires a fullness of the divine Spirit in ministers, and we ought to give ourselves no rest till we have obtained it. And in order to [do] this, I should think ministers, above all persons, ought to be much in secret prayer and fasting, and also much in praying and fasting one with another. It seems to me it would be becoming the circumstances of the present day, if ministers in a neighborhood would often meet together and spend days in fasting and fervent prayer among themselves, earnestly seeking for those extraordinary supplies of divine grace from heaven, that we need at this day.” – Jonathan Edwards

All of us may not go to cross-cultural missions, though I hope many or most of us would. All of us may not be preachers, but all of us can pray “for extraordinary supplies of divine grace.”  We have been given the privilege to pray.  We’re told in James 5: 16, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  As a people who have been declared righteous in Christ our prayers have “great power as it is working.”  How comforting it is to know that some of the most effective prayers were prayers prayed by men with nature like ours, and God answered with incomparable power.

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not train, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (vv 17, 18).

The goal of my prayer is that God be glorified in sending many into his harvest field among the unreached people groups.  Would you join us in praying for the mission fields to bear much Gospel fruit?

—

Joey Zorina is a church planter in an artistic neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan.  He writes articles, essays and devotionals for Living Life, and blogs occasionally @outsidecampers and @regeneration).  He asks that you please pray for them and the Japanese.  You can connect with him at https://twitter.com/JoeyZorina

The Gospel Between the Lines: an Interview with Rommel Ruiz, Illustrator of Golly’s Folly

Editor: We are excited to share an interview with Rommel Ruiz, illustrator of Golly’s Folly. Described as:

“Everything is meaningless”, King Solomon writes in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Inspired by this message, Golly’s Folly is a thrilling, adventurous story, dispelling the notion that things can satisfy.

The vibrant illustrations will carry your child along on Golly’s rollercoaster attempt to fulfill his desires with stuff. Share this much needed story about what truly matters, perfect for reading aloud.

Sean Nolan, Staff Writer GCD: Tell us about yourself?

Rommel Ruiz: I was born in the Dominican Republic and met my wife, Anny, there. She moved to the U.S. to study physical theater about ten years ago. I followed a couple of years after and also studied physical theater, and we married in 2008. We have two daughters: Bel and Lyz and our church home is Reality L.A.

GCD: What path led you to become an illustrator?

RR: As many of us growing up, I drew since as early as I can remember. I daydreamed at school while doodling in the corners of my notebooks. I credit growing up in the Church with my interest in the arts. Going to school for theater, I was inspired by my Christian worldview to use my gifts and talents to express it. At one point [my wife and I] even auditioned for Cirque du Soleil.

I compare my early years in the U.S. to the “three paths” in Lord of the Rings. I was pursuing my passion at the time, theater; while working as a freelance graphic designer; and trying to figure out marriage. I only considered illustration as a backup plan if theater didn’t work out. Even though I went to school for graphic design (years previous to coming to the U.S.) I didn’t have a direction for it. Then when my first daughter was born in 2013, I knew my life would change. I started focusing on illustration and working in my home studio.

I also should mention that I was working as a visual arts teacher at a middle school during most of these events. That was the most stretching endeavor of my life so far. At some point, my brother, Eleazar, approached me about helping him create a character to be a mascot for his studio. This eventually turned into Golly and the book.

GCD: With your background in theater, and as a creative, what do you think of the “Christian” film industry that has arisen in recent years?

RR: Oh man. I often wonder what kind of message those movies send to those who don’t identify as Christians. So many of them seem unrealistic and oversimplified. I have a hard time relating to them—and I am a Christian! They’ll try and depict someone praying and having all their problems solved. That has not been my experience. The Christian life is not that black and white.

On the other hand, there are movies that don’t portray a religious theme but ask questions that are far more universal and compelling to those who embrace the gospel. Take Contact starring Jodie Foster, for example. I think a film like that asks more universal questions about belief and faith that people can relate to than a lot of the things in the “Christian” market.

Another movie along these lines is The Book of Eli. It makes no effort to be overtly Christian but gives us much to think and talk about. Even the recent “Noah” movie, had a lot of good content for discussion, regardless of the criticism it has received from the Christian community.

Francis Schaeffer once said “Christian art is the expression of the whole life of the whole person as a Christian. What a Christian portrays in his art is the totality of life. Art is not to be solely a vehicle for some sort of self-conscious evangelism.”

There’s not such a thing as “Christian” or “worldly art,” there is just “art.” What we express in sound, word, movement and hands it's our worldview, what we believe and live for is the real catalyst for art. Often, the Church is guilty of being really unimaginative.

Like we’re afraid of people with questions, who don’t think like us. But God is big enough to handle questions and thoughts other than our own. The more I read God’s Word, the more questions are raised. I’m not afraid of the unknown, in fact, and I believe God owns the unknown.

GCD: Along those lines, when it comes to the creative process, how do you see your faith influencing it?

RR: My desire has always been to affect culture. Even when I practiced theatre, I wanted to make art that appealed to people outside of the Church—humanity as a whole. Yet, I’ve been changed by the gospel, so that would always be my foundation. I wanted the quality of my work to be so good that the world couldn’t ignore it.

The world has seen a lot of Christian art that was a poor reflection of the God it claimed to represent. As image bearers of God, anything we create should be awesome. Not because we are awesome, but because God is. That’s part of what drives Patrol Books. We want to do good stuff. It’s pushed us out of our comfort zones, but God calls us to use our gifts and talents for his glory and to affect the culture at large.

I take comfort in following in the footsteps of men like Tolkien and Lewis; they weave faith in between the lines

When I dive into the process of creating something, I take comfort in following in the footsteps of men like Tolkien and Lewis; they weave faith in between the lines. Life is not straightforward, I’ve told God: use me as you want. In this season of my life, I cannot fully devote myself to do exactly what I want because of natural constraints from life, but I told him to use me to the full—I want to do that for him.

But I don’t see the whole picture. It’s his story—not mine—it’s not black and white. I want to make art that brings that struggle. That is real. I want to communicate a beautiful truth…but it’s a truth that has many layers. It’s not an A-B-C super organized truth, real life is messy. I am a Christian first, and then I make art.

GCD: When you have clients paying you to make artwork for them, do you find it difficult to incorporate your faith into the project?

RR: Interesting question. No, I always try to bring my best and work with integrity. Which in itself is an outflowing of my faith and obedience to Christ (Col. 3:23).

But, when I take paying clients, they’re paying me to make visuals that will communicate their brand and message—with excellence and honesty. I don’t see a conflict in making it for paying clients as a living.

GCD: Have you found other Christians in the art community you look up to?

RR: Wow, too many to mention.

I’m currently being mentored by Matthew Bates, animator and character designer who has worked for Disney Animation and many other studios. Another amazing artist working at Disney is Armand Serrano and painter, writer, and thinker Makoto Fujimura.

I get a great degree of inspiration by guys like them, not just because of their incredible skills but because of their humility, character, and testimony in and out of their industries.

Also, I love the work of Don Clark, of Invisible Creature, Luke Flowers, and Josh Lewis, among many others.

GCD: What other influences have affected your art?

RR: Ufff, this one is hard as inspiration comes literally everywhere. But here we go:

From the top: Epic fantasy from Tolkien, like The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Even though it’s used for horror, there are interesting elements of transformation in there. Anything by Dr. Seuss. And I love the book, Where the Wild Things Are.

I’m influenced a lot by mid-century design. I also like Charley Harper, Martin and Alice Provensen, Ronald Searle, Eyvind Earle, Mary Blair, Maurice Noble, Jim Flora, and a lot of 1940s/50s animators. A lot of illustrators are being influenced by this time frame of illustrators. I’d like to explore other styles as well in the future.

GCD: Well it shows in the final product. The artwork in Golly’s Folly is impressive and beautiful. How long did it take you to finish it?

RR: It took three years because I had a full-time job and a family. It shouldn’t take more than a year normally, but I wanted to do my best and not compromise quality due to other commitments.

GCD: What sort of influence does being a father have on your work?

RR: The other day I took my family to Disneyland, and it was breathtaking to see my daughters just marvel at this world. Bel (my oldest daughter) was elated when Ariel (a parade actress) waved and smiled directly at her. I said to myself: I want my daughter to melt at the beauty of the gospel. So I want to create work that points her towards the beauty and awesomeness of our Creator.

When it comes to children’s books, it’s sort of a new world to me, I’m just soaking it in. I didn’t geek out on children’s books prior to now. Having kids is what has thrown me into the world of children’s literature. I know of a few children’s books that are distinctly Christian and also amazing.

But I wasn’t overly impressed with the art. It’s hard to find ten children’s books that are all incredible. Not that I’m saying our book is amazing, but that’s what we’re striving for. We want to merge really good art with really good theology, that’s our aim.

Because the gospel is beautiful, there should be no divide between truth and beauty. That’s where the vision for this first book came from.

GCD: A few fun questions: If you got stuck in an elevator with one famous/influential person (living or dead), who would it be? Why?

RR: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. While it’d be cool to sit with CS Lewis or Tolkien, something about Bonhoeffer during such a dark time in history and his radical response of faith is awe-inspiring. His understanding of being a light in the dark is so interesting to me.

GCD: The kids want to know: who would win in a fight—the Minions or Olaf and Elsa?

RR: [Laughing] As a father of two girls, Olaf and Elsa for sure.

GCD: What projects are you currently working on that you’re excited about? What should we expect from you in the future?

RR: Right now, I’m working on several projects; one is a graphic novel. I’m also in talks with a couple of children books.

GCD: Since our interest here at GCD is laser-focused on making, maturing, and multiplying disciples, when you create artwork, how do you think it can influence your viewers positively or negatively? Do you think it’s possible to nudge people closer to God via visual mediums?

RR: It would be a little arrogant for me as an artist to say that I could accomplish that. You need that spoken word, to best encounter God (Rom. 10:17). You need all senses engaged to properly experience God. If you remember the brazen serpent in the wilderness for Israel, they weren’t saved by it; it was just a symbol to represent the God who did save them (Num. 21; Jn. 3:14). It’s a checkpoint.

To be sure, God can use a movie, theater, dancing, a photograph, a painting. Anything that engages your senses can connect you to the one who created you. It’s a form of communication, but people place way too much expectation on art for being able to speak to someone.

There was a time when I thought art could transform someone in a way that was unrealistic. And to be sure, sometimes that can happen, art can bring us to look beyond what can be seen, but I think that is the exception and not the rule. While art is powerful, it isn’t a means in itself. When used correctly, it brings people beyond itself and points us to something greater.

One reason I’d love to influence and disciple creative types is to help them see that their identity is more than just the art they create. I’ve been stuck in the performance trap and getting depressed when my production of art didn’t fulfill me. And I’d love to point other artists beyond what they create to the Creator that made them and the Savior that died to redeem them.

GCD: Rommel, thank you so much for your time and for the sweat and blood you put into this book. I look forward to reading it to my kids some day!

Note: Golly’s Folly is available Tuesday, October 18th worldwide. It is the debut release by Patrol Books.

—

Rommel Ruiz was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and strives to create good works with joy, imagination, and curiosity. He is driven by telling a memorable story and crafting powerful messages for clients and audiences.

With over thirteen years of experience working as an in-house and freelance designer/illustrator for a variety of industries, Rommel brings diverse talents and artistic perspectives to every project.

He is a happy husband to Anny (also a designer) and a thankful father to two joyful girls.

Why Missional Coaching

Coaching is essential for a sustained missional community movement. If you are committed to decentralized discipleship, you must make ongoing investments in leaders. We call this coaching.

Training has Limits

Classroom equipping and observation can only take you so far. Eventually, leaders have to start taking steps to lead away from the training ground. As they do this, they need accountability, encouragement, and equipping around real scenarios when they are in positions of responsibility and servant leadership.

I will never forget when our community sent Kory and Emily Oman out to start a new community in their neighborhood. The Omans were incredibly equipped through extensive experience and education. They had been to seminary, conferences, and read stacks of books on missional living. Furthermore, they experienced life on mission overseas and within our community for over year. They were prepared to lead. However, our conversations took on a whole new dynamic when they began to lead. We weren’t talking theory anymore. There were no hypotheticals. They had real people with real stories and real challenges to discuss when they came to coaching sessions. Kory and Emily didn’t have to think about praying and following the Spirit; they actually had to do it. It was in this environment that they began to listen and obey like never before and they learned to pray all over again.

They began throwing the books out the window. Their lives became messy as disciples came into their midst with issues. Their community ended up looking nothing like the ideal or any other missional community Bread&Wine ever had before. Their core consisted of families scattered across the suburbs. Their neighborhood and community wasn’t walkable. Their neighbors didn’t value BBQs, art camps, or any other previous strategies our community tried. Kory had to work nights four days a week. Yet, they took steps forward. They opened themselves up to the possibility of failure. They tried different things and prayed prayers like: “Help us be the church here . . . we want to be the church.” In the end, through prayer, patience, and listening to the Spirit, they established a thriving family of servant missionaries that cared for homeless teenage moms, foster babies, and they helped each other speak the gospel to their kids. They became a diverse community, declaring the gospel, and demonstrating it on the outskirts of the city. Their lives became immersed in the needs, pains, and blessings of community. They got started with books but moved forward through prayer, faithfulness, and processing with coaches. Coaching bridges the gap between books and real life.

EVERY MISSIONAL COMMUNITY AND LEADER IS DIFFERENT

Communities are not carbon copies. Every community is different because every neighborhood is unique, every group of people is unique, and every mission is unique. Each city has different idols, culture, and barriers to the gospel. The relational dynamics within each small community is special. Each missional community’s shared mission brings unique obstacles and opportunities for the gospel. In other words, disciple-making is not a reproducible formula or recipe. Forming and developing a discipleship environment like a missional community is very different from making a cake. Primers, books, and curriculum are all helpful in getting you started and laying a solid foundation, but you can’t just follow instructions. You simply can’t write a step-by-step guide and hand it to people.

Why? This is real life, with real people. The challenges, opportunities, and growth curve for every group of people is different. Furthermore, each leader is uniquely gifted and called. Missional coaches come alongside leaders to be a sounding board, source of gospel truth, partner, and real-time advocate for your missional community. That means a coaching relationship enables the leader to stay focused and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit forward through its dynamic hurdles and calling. Coaches help leaders discover and take the next step in faithfulness. Coaches ask leaders: What does God want us to do now? Coaching is a relationship where unique next steps are discovered and followed.

LEADERS NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE GOSPEL

Kory and Emily experienced barrier after barrier like all missional community leaders. Our job as coaches was to remind them of the gospel. Coachers are a voice calling leaders to remember who they are, what they are called to, and how discipleship is an act of endurance. As a coach, I spend a large portion of my conversations with leaders reminding them of Jesus, who they are in Christ, and what it means to be a leader of disciples. In the chaos and mess of community, mission, work, and family it is easy to forget where you are and what you are doing. It is also easy to forget what is in your control and what is not.  This is why some coaches feel their primary role is to remind leaders of their own calling and its limitations. Coaches ask the questions: Who does God say you are? Why are you doing this? What is true about God in your current situation?

LEADERS NEED TO KNOW THEY AREN’T ALONE

Leadership is lonely. While everyone shares the calling to be discipled and to make disciples, the leaders of communities carry a unique burden of shepherding, encouraging, and facilitating growth in the gospel. This often leads leaders to feel isolated. It is easy for them to forget they belong to a whole, and they are loved. It is even easier to believe they are the only ones that care.

Coaches meet with leaders, in part, to let them know they are not alone. Within the coaching relationship leaders are supported, cared for, and experience friendship. In a coaching relationship, leaders learn that someone else cares about these disciples, and prays for them. Without coaching, leaders experience burnout as they carry increasing burdens on their own.

COACHING IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE OBEDIENCE IS EXPECTED

Make no mistake, we are all called to live in obedience to who we are and what God has called us to. The gospel propels us into a new identity where our work doesn’t save us or make us acceptable. In the gospel, we are free to obey our one true Savior-King. The message of Jesus reshapes our entire life: our inner life, our schedules, our hobbies, and our vocations. The gospel changes everything and calls us into his grace in every situation; from the mundane to the spectacular. The gospel saves us into a life of joy that results  in obedience. This is clear throughout Scripture:

Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded. – Matthew 28:20

Being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts. – James 1:22-25

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Coaching helps leaders understand the things God has called them to do obediently and take steps toward faithfulness. Coaching is the crucial discipleship element of a missional movement that asks: What does obedience look like? What is required to obey? How can I help you? How will you obey?

–

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?, Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities, and Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com.

Excerpted from the final installment in our Together book series Multiply Together: A Guide to Sending and Coaching Missional Communities 

God’s Kingdom Come

In ahe heightened success of enlightenment thinking, individualism has ruled the day. This has expressed itself in renewed expressions of individualistic ethics, politics, and religion. Hedonism rules the day of ethics. Libertarian politics is the increasing majority opinion of young voters. Self-centered deism has become the political drug of western culture. This has become true of not only liberal Christianity but also its more conservative branches. In a biblical scope, generations are important. In fact, family is crucial since God establishes his redemptive relationship via families. The God of the Scriptures is the most precious family traditions:

“I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” – Genesis 17:7-8

We can thus draw mildly from human experience. Family heirlooms are a treasure. In my family, the gift of music is important. Nothing works into our veins like a good melody or rhythm. My children have learned this naturally. They dance in circles at the oddest hours. From the oldest to the youngest, music and movement boils in their blood. It is a family tradition. In a much greater and spiritually-grounded sense, the covenant kingdom of Jesus Christ is a long-standing family tradition.

In fact, all of God’s covenants are family traditions. For instance, the kingdom of David, via Judah, can be traced all the way to the concluding life of Jacob in Egypt (Gen. 49:8-11). It finds itself reiterated by even the pagan prophet Balak (Num. 24:17-19). In this instance, long before God’s promise to David (2 Sam. 7), God had prepared an everlasting kingdom as part of the covenant fulfillment to Abraham and Jacob.

Back to my personal example, this would not be unlike one of my grandchildren becoming a significant country musician because God has promised it to my grandfather. In my example, the promise of God himself is missing, but the genes and heritage have been in the works since my grandfather. In the covenants, God attaches his promises to offspring—even the new covenant,

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.” – Isaiah 59:21

So when Jesus Christ appears on the scene, he is the fulfillment of two millenniums and promises (Matt. 1; Rom. 1:3). He fulfills the promises to Abraham and David in a tied knot that is the New Covenant. Our God is fundamentally a cross-generational covenantal God. He chooses to work within families via his covenants. He binds himself to promises. He alone ensures those promises are fulfilled. He is not the abstract deistic god. He forever remains active in history. He manifests his kingdom in miraculous ways.

As C.S. Lewis alluded to, our God is no tame lion, but he is always good and faithful. His kingdom is a covenantal kingdom promised and decreed by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is also fulfilled in the birth and crucifixion of Christ. It is a tumultuous, not tame, history, yet the end is good. This is the covenant history, redemptive-historical, perspective of the Reformed tradition that the Lord’s Prayer alludes to in each of its petitions.

It should not surprise us that this covenant kingdom and promise were deeply ingrained in the conscience of Israel. It was these promises that were sung by Israel in their worship (Ps. 2:7-12). The whole identity of their culture and people were focused on these promises. When their covenant redemption was fulfilled in Christ’s baptism (Matt 3:17) and transfiguration (Matt 17:5), history was shaken. But their history does not stop that.

That this very covenant kingdom is passed on throughout the church is also a miracle – this is the primary emphasis of the book of Acts. Not only does the kingdom pass to the Gentiles, but it still remains passed to their children. The promised kingdom, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, is passed to our children’s children. They all become the covenant community under King Jesus. This is both refreshing and challenging. Our children do not become Christ’s possession at a time of confession; they belong to the Covenant Savior from the beginning.

In Proverbs, Solomon says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children” (Prov. 13:22). Would it not be foolish and shortsighted to exclude their spiritual, covenantal inheritance? Our Heavenly Father’s inheritance is very good. And the covenantal history of the Scriptures challenges us at every step to leave a great spiritual inheritance for our children.

This petition “Thy kingdom come” of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that our God has established his covenant kingdom from the foundation of the earth. Not merely over geography, but also over all of time and space. It stretches across nations. It also stretches across time within households. Our God will not be denied despite our unfaithfulness (Rom. 3:4; 9:6). God’s promises and election founded in Jesus Christ will be true. The gospel is not found in a nefarious god—who demands good works—but a covenantal Father who bestows out of his abundant blessings. This kingdom has come, and we pray it come in greater glory. A gospel that points to Christ’s kingdom glorifies God by acknowledging his promises to generation after generation. We pray for this kingdom to bring glory to God the Father. The fulfilled will of God is crucial to this kingdom.

—

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.

4 Ways to Love Your Wife

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR WIFE

When Peter encourages husbands, he begins with a call to simply understand them, writing, “Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way” (1 Pt. 3:7). The word for understanding is often translated as knowledge in the New Testament, so we’re left with this call to simply know our wives; to know her needs, to know her heart, and to continue to pursue her.

Far too often, there seems to be a tendency for husbands to get on the other side of “I do” and put the relationship on cruise control. The dates stop. The long conversations and sweet text messages stop. The flowers stop, and wives are left wanting. I’ve seen this play out to the point of wives seeking emotional support from another man, hoping that an emotional affair, an ongoing relationship through social media, might fill the emotional void. But men who love their wives will keep pursuing her and strive to understand her heart.

2. HONOR YOUR WIFE

Peter continues his Spirit-inspired wisdom with these words: “Husbands, show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life” (1 Pt. 3:7). We are to honor our wives, recognizing that a believing wife is an heir of the grace of life. Here, Peter is picking up on what he wrote earlier when he said that followers of Christ are born again, “To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pt. 1:4).

When we remember our wives are heirs of an imperishable inheritance, daughters of the King, that should affect how we treat them. All of the sudden, we are acutely aware of the inappropriateness of disrespecting, dishonoring, or ignoring this incredible woman of God who has the Lord of Lords preparing a place for her while we’re sharing life with her. The fact that our believing wives find their identity in Christ and have the Spirit of the Lord within them should move us to honor them in our words, actions, and attitudes, even when they’re not around.

3. PROTECT YOUR WIFE

As Peter is reminding husbands of the inheritance that awaits our wives, he, in the same breath, reminds us that our wives are the “weaker vessel.” Now at first glance, this almost seems like an insult. We usually associate weakness with inability or inferiority. However, this is a beautiful description of wives that should move husbands into action. The Bible is very clear that God made all people, men and women, and that he created them equal, in his image. And, the Bible is very clear that God beautifully blessed husbands and wives with unique roles and ministries within marriage and within the home. We read about these different roles in passages like 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, and Colossians 3.

When Peter refers to our wives as the “weaker vessel,” I don’t think Peter is saying that wives are weaker mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, or inferior in any way, but biologically men are typically stronger and that it should be common sense for husbands to, therefore, protect our wives in a way that recognizes their needs.

Now, full disclosure, I am writing as a man who is unable to beat his wife in one-on-one basketball and who finished a half-marathon a week ago only because my wife basically carried me on her back.

Even still, Peter is calling for men to take care of their wives and to avoid taking advantage of their role as the spiritual leader of the home. As Paul writes, “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them” (Col. 3:19).

When I think about how this is practically fleshed out within Gospel Family, I remember a story I read years ago:

In July 2012, there was a theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, during a showing of the Batman movie The Dark Knight. The Huffington Post reported the story of three couples that were in the theater that night: 26-year-old Jon Blunk who was watching the movie with his girlfriend Jansen Young; 27-year-old Matt McQuinn who was with his girlfriend Samantha Yowler; and 24-year-old Alex Teves, who was watching the movie with his girlfriend Amanda Lindgren.

As the gunman entered the movie theater and began firing his weapon, all three couples dove to the floor and hid underneath the chairs. And in each case, one shielded the other. One used their body to cover their date and protect them.

Even if you have never heard this story and even if I never told you who shielded whom, I believe you immediately picture the men protecting the women. Intuitively, we picture Jon shielding Jansen, Matt covering Samantha, and Alex protecting Amanda. And, if I told you it was the other way around if I told you that the women pushed the men underneath the seats and used their bodies to defend the men, something within you would think that wasn’t the way it should be.

The story of all three couples found the men instinctively saving their girlfriends, using their bodies to keep them from the bullets. All three men were shot and killed, and all three women survived.

This story is tragic and heroic and resonates somewhere deep within us, for we all intuitively know that in that situation, none of us expect the girlfriends to shield their boyfriends. We all, deep down, no matter where you land on feminism or gender roles, we all imagine those men protecting those women before we ever even hear the end of the story. I think it’s this deep place within us that Peter is speaking to here when he calls husbands to protect their wives as the weaker vessel.

4. PRAY WITH YOUR WIFE

Peter tells husbands to understand, honor, and protect their wives, “So that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pt. 3:7). Somehow, there is a connection between the health of our marriages and the health of our prayers.

While we know that our prayers affect how we live, we see the opposite is true as well. Peter writes about prayer three times in 1 Peter, and every time, he highlights the biblical truth that how we live affects our prayers (see 1 Pt. 3:12; 4:7). Wayne Grudem reflects on this passage writing,

So concerned is God that Christian husbands live in an understanding and loving way with their wives, that he interrupts his relationship with them when they are not doing so.

Specifically, Peter is talking, not just about the husband’s private, personal prayer time, but about corporate prayer between a husband and a wife.

Donald Whitney champions this view as he discusses this passage. He says,

Have you realized that the prayers here are those prayed together by husbands and wives? The text speaks of mutual prayer. Peter assumes that Christian couples pray together. He expected Christian husbands to conduct family worship.

Likewise, Charles Spurgeon writes,

This text would be most appropriately used to stimulate Christians to diligence in family prayer. . . . I esteem it so highly that no language of mine can adequately express my sense of its value.

Men have been called to lead their families. But we’re not to be just any sort of leaders. We are to live as shepherd-leaders who spiritually lead their wives by cultivating family worship, family prayer, and family devotions within the home.

What an opportunity, whether you’ve ever led out in family prayer or not, to begin today praying with your wife, seeking to understand her heart, enjoying her Spirit-led prayers as a fellow heir of the grace of life, and protecting her as you lead her to the one who can replace her depression with joy, her anxiety with peace, her needs with abundance, her complaining about contentment, her exhaustion with rest, and her insecurities with boldness!

—

Jonathan Williams is the founder of Gospel Family Ministries. He is also the author of Gospel Family. Jonathan enjoys this ministry alongside his wife, Jessica, and their three children, Gracie, Silas, and Elijah. With a heart for families and the church, Jonathan also serves as the pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Download a free chapter on “Shepherds in the Home” from my book Gospel Family.

7 Reasons Why Faithful Church Attendance Matters

Going to church every week, week after week matters. If we know Jesus, we should desire to be with his bride. For all those who believe, have a church home, but don't attend consistently, I’m writing for you. If you're one of those spotty non-attenders, I’m writing to you in love but also in truth. Come home! Regular church attendance is not just good for the ministry; it's good for your soul, and for mine.¹ So why is regular church attendance so important? Here're seven reasons:

1. Faithful attenders prioritize God and his Word first in their lives.

A call for regular church attendance begins in what are likely the first written words of the Bible, the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.”² How we spend our time is the truest measure of God’s place in our lives. If we are quick to fill the time set aside for worshipping God with visiting family, going to the beach, attending concerts, or just relaxing, we are unintentionally saying those things matter more than God (Matt. 12:48-50, Lk. 14:26).

Just like we set aside time to listen to our loved ones, we need to set aside time to listen to God. Throughout church history God has used one constant to communicate to his people, the public reading and preaching of the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells us,

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we want to prioritize God and what he wants to say to us, we need to prioritize church in addition to our own quiet times with him.

2. Faithful attenders demonstrate their love for Jesus and His bride.

“I love Jesus but not the church” is like saying to a new groom, “I love you but not your bride.” The Bible describes the local church as the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2 Eph. 5:24-27, Rev. 19:7-9, 21:1-2). It is impossible to maintain a thriving relationship with Christ while at the same time avoiding fellowship with a gospel-believing local church. When we commit to loving the church, we commit to loving Christ.

Parents should be especially driven to attend church regularly. The children of parents who do not attend church consistently are more likely to walk away from Christianity when they are old enough to decide for themselves. Why? Their parents demonstrated week after week that Christ is an add-on, an addition, and if life is too busy, it is okay to ignore him. Parents, please model for your children that Jesus is not only the Savior of your soul but the King of your life.

3. Faithful attenders receive the gospel anew every single week.

There is nothing more important than the gospel, than hearing anew that Jesus is a righteous substitute for sinful, broken, people—for you and me (Rom. 3:21-26, 2 Cor. 5:21). In Romans 10:17, Paul says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Even though we need to hear and believe the gospel every day, it is easy to go a whole week without giving this life-changing message a passing thought. One of the church’s roles is to boldly and lovingly tell us how bad we are and how great Jesus loves us week after week. When we love the church, we love the gospel.

One of the temptations in encouraging each other to go to church weekly is to do so from guilt, to say God won’t be pleased with you unless you go to church every week. That’s legalism, and it is death. So what does the gospel say? It says that in Jesus we already have a perfect record, and now we’re called to live it out week by week. God created us for good works (Eph. 2:10), one of which is worshipping with his body. Apart from Christ, I am nothing. In him, I am everything.

4. Faithful attenders help evangelize the lost and build-up new believers.

In the early church, the Holy Spirit used regular and passionate participation in the church in Jerusalem, a local church, to bring new people to faith in Jesus.

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

It is a miracle when the unchurched and non-Christians begin attending church. There are already a lot of new words, lingo, and patterns to learn. By not attending faithfully, we confuse the newly churched about what it means to follow Jesus. Not only is this a challenging time for a non-Christian attender, but there is also a spiritual battle taking place (Eph. 6:12). When we attend together, we fight the battle together.

5. Faithful attenders cultivate a heart-attitude of gratefulness.

Church attendance is good for the soul. If you’re someone who struggles with sadness or depression, find a church that has God-given joy and commit. It is easier to catch the joy when you are around others who truly have it.

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:19-20

One of the benefits of coming to church regularly is the opportunity to give (1 Cor. 16:2). Giving to God has the side-effect of producing a heart-attitude of gratefulness.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7

Worshipping regularly with fellow believers and giving to the local church can up-lift the soul and refresh us for our everyday life.

6. Faithful attenders encourage fellow disciples in their long walk.

The benefits of attending faithfully are enormous. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Regular church participation gives us the opportunity to use our spiritual gifts to build up the local church and bring God fame (Rom. 12:6-8, 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 12:28). The book of Hebrews says over and over how important it is for Christians to encourage each other and not fall away.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. – Hebrews 3:12-14

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

The potential consequences of neglecting church are serious—cultivating a hard heart, not sharing in Christ, turning away, and subjecting Christ to public disgrace (Heb 6:4-6).

Christ warned the Church in Laodicea they were lukewarm. In Revelation 3:16, the Apostle John says, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” If you are a lukewarm attender, chances are you are a lukewarm believer. God desires that His followers repent from a lukewarm relationship with him and truly seek him. The Holy Spirit wants to set us on fire for God and His glory. Strong attendance helps us heat up our ministry temperature.

7. Faithful attenders bring joy to their leader’s hearts.

Elders, pastors, deacons, and other church leaders face many unsung battles. One of them is shepherding the flock; guiding people spiritually. One way the sheep can make it just a little easier on their shepherds is to come into the sheep pen regularly. Hebrews 13:17 says,

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

You give your leaders great joy when you tell them church matters, and you are willing to submit to their authority (1 Pt. 5:1-11). Scripture tells us that Christ is the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4). When we submit to the under-shepherds God has put in place, we submit to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus. When the sheep show up, the shepherds rejoice, and I believe the Chief Shepherd does too.

Faithful church attendance matters!

If you're someone who doesn't attend regularly, I hope you'll be challenged to commit truly. It's time to step up! If you go faithfully but have a family member or church friend who comes and goes with the wind, feel free to share, but do so with love and kindness.

If you're a church leader, consider writing regular church attendance into your covenant or requirements for membership, then encourage your members to keep covenant.

Ultimately, this is not done for the sake of an institution or organization, but for the sake of our souls. We want to know and love Jesus, and he gave us his bride, the church, out of his deep love for us. Let's go to church!

1. Check out Matt Schmucker ’s “Those Toxic Non-Attenders” and Garrett Kell’s “7 Reasons Why Faithfully Showing Up Matters”—these two articles inspired this article which was originally written for my church.

2. All Scripture references are from the NIV

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Jonathan Romig (M.Div., Gordon-Conwell, 2013) is the Pastor of Cornerstone Congregational Church, a new church plant in Westford MA. He is also the author of the e-book, How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast.

Is Your Community Proximately Safe or Ultimately Safe?

While in college, I sat down with my dear Grandmother H. during one of my stays with my grandfather and her; we convened in their living room, which had a distinct Japanese esthetic from the items they collected over their years as missionaries there. Normally, we would have sat in her kitchen, playing Monopoly or Skip-bo, or I would have stood against the kitchen counter, watching her bake and cook while I pealed some of her small but satisfying cookies away from the Tupperware where I knew I would almost always find them. For class, I had been assigned to interview a woman whom I considered a mentor. There in the living room that day sat one. She is the kind of tried and true, faithful, sacrificial, and hospitable person you just hope you have a bit of (or more than a bit of) in you as a granddaughter. During our soudan—Japanese for conference—that day, she shared a quote with me that held with her through the years. It was from Corrie ten Boom, “The center of his will is our only safety.” My grandma thought those words were good; I thought of their life, taking an ocean liner over to a new country as a young family, raising children without other family anywhere nearby, seeking others’ benefit and teaching her children to do the same, and in terms of possessions, voluntarily not having much. So, yes, this phrase resonated with her, that the center of God’s will is the safest place to be.

She tucked those words of safety into my soul, something good that would not be pealed away. The initial sweetness that I received from her—like games or times together in her kitchen to teach me about how to make her pie crust from scratch—was accompanied by a different kind of sweetness too. The safety I gained at that pivotal time in my life and still gain through my grandparents is through their wise clarity about truth and through their uplifting affirmations about my own faith. Faith—what a wonderful thing to affirm in another person. I’ll always cherish their joy in my faith. They know that my only real safety is with God, and so, used the proximate safety of our times together to lead me, in various ways, to my true safety with him.

When reading the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, how fitting to think of them in terms of safety too—at least in part, considering the remainder of Revelation after these letters contains prophecies about a tribulation time in which believers will be anything but, in an earthly sense, safe. During that time, the church will want to stay as close to Christ’s will as possible, as close to his heart as possible. So must we too.

These letters gauge how I’ve understood the epistles and Gospels—like a check-in toward the conclusion of the Bible to help me know if I have done the work of interpretation correctly. If we understand what Christ has taught and since nothing is new under the sun, these letters address and report what our collective concerns are to be as well.

Christ’s remarks in these letters also give us an example of how to think of the presence or absence of truth in each other. Typically, he has affirmations and admonitions for each church. The act of teaching each other, directly or indirectly, to remember the truth in our thinking, loving, and doing—we are wise to view this not as being judgmental, but as being discerning and caring; we ought to promote each other’s true safety. Yet, if admonishing one another in the truth ever keeps us from freely and openly affirming one another as well—as Christ does both—well, I know that signals trouble in my own heart to repent of.

Now, through drawing our attention to the themes of Christ’s remarks in the seven letters, we are taught to how to have a safe community, bringing each other to the center of his will in our interactions.

Safe Community is Affirming

Christ is attentive to giving affirmations in these letters; where he sees deeds of righteousness and holiness, he is quick to speak it (Rev 2:2, 13, 19, 3:4, 3:8). Where he sees a cause for compassion, he is quick to speak words of care, and remind of his kind of riches (Rev 2:9, 3:18). Safe community follows his example and looks for every opportunity, every expression of genuine faith in Christ—even a glimmer—that seeks the Word and ways of God. This is an active pursuit, to search out in each other what is honoring to God—affirming each other’s faith, love, purity, service, and deeds. As we do, we encourage each other that to live according to his ways is to overcome and be rewarded (Rev 2:11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21).

Safe Community is Discerning

Safe community is also discerning about sin. Christ is concerned that we not tolerate evil deeds done by those in our communities (Rev 2:2, 6, 20). He also desires that we test those we follow to see if they are teaching us the truth; he is glad for the purity that comes when we can identify those who are not teaching his truth (Rev 2:2). He desires that we give each other opportunity, even generous opportunity, for repentance (Rev 2:5, 16, 21-22, 3:3, 19). And through this all, he desires that we be clear about the standard of sin versus goodness (Rev 3:17-18), and that we never lead each other or permit influencers to lead each other into sin or unfaithfulness (Rev 2:14). He desires that our deeds of righteousness and holiness continue to grow (Rev 2:19). He desires that we remember our motivation, our zeal for Christ, in everything we do (Rev 2:4; 3:15, 19).

Safe Community is Stretching

Throughout these letters to the seven churches, there is a theme of perseverance and endurance (Rev 2:10, 17, 25, 3:10). Safe community stretches toward our goal of Christ because we know that Christ’s sanctifying work in us is never done on this earth. There is always more to learn of him and more ways we can turn to his goodness. Scripture often acknowledges that we will suffer and be handed evil. So, safe community assumes the priority of encouraging each other to not grow weary in keeping his Word (Rev 3:8, 10), to be faithful—even to death if God should ever ask martyrdom of any one of us—to suffer without fear (Rev 2:10), and to suffer without denying him or his Name (Rev 2:13, 3:8). Safe community stretches us toward these ends, prodding complacency and encouraging active obedience to Christ in every somber or every mundane situation we are presently called to endure.

Safe Community is Scriptural

We find how to do each of these points in God’s Word—to know what is sin and what is good, to understand affirmations and rewards of faith, and to endure with zeal for him. Even when pursuing these, we are still left needing more than each other. We are called to each other, to the same faith, and to use our gifts in each other’s service. But we cannot perfectly understand each other even when we share in common the most important part of our lives. Even when we share in the priorities of Christ, we are not able to change each other’s hearts or give each other complete understanding. Further, each one of us answers to Christ. Note that he sees some in the church at Thyatira who are practicing evil and some who are not. He addresses both groups with a different message (Rev 3:24). So, in safe Christian community, we direct each other toward God’s revealed will in His Word because He understands our hearts and He is our final authority. So, safe Christian community directs each other to our God who understands us in his Word as our authority.

The resonant security I have found with my family and with my grandparents comes through having these same purposes—the same Lord. We desire to go back to his Word again and again. This is what they have done for me; and by being further ahead, they have afforded me much. In reflection, feeling understood by my grandparents is not what makes being with them one of my favorite places, though I am much understood; it hasn’t been the cookies or Monopoly games, though they have been much appreciated and are cherished. At the base, what makes being with my grandparents one of my favorite places to be has been our commonality and their unique role in my life to encourage me toward Christ, such that I am helped to find my safety in his will. This kind of safety in Christian community, whether in a soudan or in a coffee shop, transcends generations, cultures, and more.

It seems that we can be afraid of entering into this kind of community because of fear—that we will be quick to judge each other. We should make every effort to avoid judgment by increasing our affirmation of others’ faith and knowing we cannot see the church through a single lens, especially if Christ does not. But if God’s will is our safety, being judged by each other while pursuing his will shouldn’t be our worst fear. After all, if being judged results in helping us discover a way to be more faithful to Christ—then praise God that we have drawn nearer to our goal. Being judged is far from the worst that a fellow Christian can do to me, but I am grieved if we cannot share in Christ’s priorities together for fear of it.

Instead, we ought to be most concerned about Christian communities that we not set proximate safeties (i.e., not being judged) as ultimate safeties when, instead, proximate safeties can aid and accompany our growth toward the ultimate safety of God’s will. Setting proximate safeties up as ultimate safeties in Christian community means that our inevitable failures in judging each other or making each other uncomfortable, for example, will severely deter us from seeking the revealed will of God that Christ has given us in his letters to the seven churches. Christians, the only real safety is the kind that will matter in the end. Grow with me and bear with some proximate “danger” of undo judgment for the purpose of moving toward thriving in ultimate safety.

Christian, your faith is my joy. I have great gratitude to God for the faithfulness, love, and service in you. Persevere in discernment and clarity about sin; do not grow weary of doing what is good. Endure and you will overcome; suffer hardship well, for our King will come on the clouds very soon. And never forget his Word. See your greatest safety in the center of his will so that you can remain steadfast and be readied for his coming.

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Lianna Davis (@liannadavis) is wed to Tyler and mom to two girls, one who lives in heaven and one who lives on earth. She serves with Hope Mommies, a non-profit organization sharing the hope of Christ with bereaved mothers, and is co-founder at Of Larks, a blog for theologically-minded women writers and readers.

Getting Off the Cul-de-sac

I recently found myself in a conversation with a woman who is a staff member at a Christian summer camp. From what she told me, they do a lot of great things at this summer camp. But our conversation turned tense when she invited (pleaded might be a better word) me to enroll my toddler in their swim lesson program. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for her adamance that it was exactly what my family needed. I told her that we have a membership at the Y for just that reason. But, she insisted, he would reap much more benefits from her employer’s version—the distinctly Christian version—of swim lessons. And here in lies the rub.

The Christian Cul-de-sac

“I have a dream,” started one of the most famous speeches in Western history. The speaker, who needs not be named, then went on to describe a vision of, as his savior called it, “earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

And by that, I mean, a world where our differences in culture and custom were acknowledged and celebrated while all men and women were simultaneously equal and free. Here we are fifty-three years later (to the day, as of this writing) and this dream has yet to be realized.

If I were to contrast Martin Luther King’s dream with the unspoken dream of my new friend from the summer camp they’d be as different as day and night.

There is an idealized town in parts of the Christian West where one turns off the main road to a little street with a cul-de-sac at the end. This is not a thru-street, so traffic is minimal, and there are speed bumps to keep the children safe from SUVs and minivans turning into driveways.

The fifty neighbors living on the street all look alike, make the same amount of money, have two point five kids, and can be identified by the little fish on their bumper. It’s a neighborhood watch community too.

Everyone knows everyone, so if they don’t recognize you, the only logical conclusion is to assume you’re up to no good. You will be reported and deported to another neighborhood because “your kind is not welcome here.”

This cul-de-sac is where mission goes to die.

In this neighborhood, we take whiteout to the “[as you] go” of Matthew 28:19. We don’t go anywhere, we’ve got everything we need in the cul-de-sac. We go to Chick-Fil-A (and secretly wish they were open on Sundays for our benefit) for our meals where the instrumental hymns serve as a discreet reminder of our faith.

We go to a barber shop (also inconveniently closed on Sundays) who’s owner goes to the Wednesday morning men’s prayer breakfast. Our children are members of a soccer team comprised entirely of people who attend our church.

The moms “fellowship” together during the games and use the guise of “prayer” to gossip about a woman who may have lost her salvation by deciding to enlist her kid in a public school.

And, of course, our toddler’s swim classes are distinctly Christian (because the doggy paddle was likely invented by one of the Apostles and how dare we allow the “pagans” to take credit for it).

Forgive my sarcasm. I write and cringe knowing I’m guilty of variations of these ideas as well.

The sentiment isn’t entirely wrong. There is a time and place when we will spend all our time solely with those who worship Jesus. That time is still future. And that place is a new heaven and new earth. Until we arrive at that time and place, we have a mission to give our lives to.

The Off Ramp

The ramp off of the cul-de-sac can be disorienting. After all, when you continue to loop around the same circle of houses over and over again it becomes second-nature, it becomes safe. You drive it in auto-pilot, you don’t even think when you drive a little over the shoulder to avoid a familiar pothole.

But the disorientation can also be life-giving. Do you recall being a little kid and your parents expanding your boundaries? Everything was so new and exciting. Before I was allowed to cross the street and go to the park, I had memorized every square inch of my yard.

But I had done so almost as a captive, unable to leave the confines of the fence. It was like coming awake for the first time to walk over to the park by myself. To feel the wind in my hair as I swang on the monkey bars. I also saw older kids there. And they would smoke cigarettes and curse.

Those last two lines can cause a lot of us to check out. As a father, I don’t want my kid to be influenced by older kids who smoke and curse. But when I think back on my own childhood, I didn’t learn curse words from older kids at the playground; I’d heard my parents slip and use them. And when I first smoked cigarettes, I stole them from grandpa—not an older kid.

This is the inherent problem with the Christian cul-de-sac. It denies and is often blind to its sins while putting the sins (or often just differences) of those outside of it under the microscope of judgment. But if we can get on the off ramp and leave our zone of comfort long enough, we will find that those outside of the cul-de-sac are not all that different from us.

We are all afflicted by sin and suffering and, no matter how white we paint our picket fences, they won’t keep out the sins that dwell within. We need to escape the cul-de-sac not just to bring the gospel to others but also to further press it into our own hearts. We desperately need to interact with others so we can remove cataracts from our own eyes and realize that we are more like others than we initially thought (after all, we all bear the image of God).

We need to be awakened to our own need for the gospel by entering into relationships that may at times be awkward because they expose our own biases and bigotries. These relationships require dependence on God—the one thing those white picket fences do not welcome because they are a testament to the lie that “we’re doing just fine”—because they are uncharted waters.

Yes, the off-ramp can be disorienting, but it is essential that we go in order to be obedient to Jesus’ commissioning. But it’s also beautiful. Who knew that on just the other side of the highway there was a pool three times the size of the one we have in the cul-de-sac? Not only is it bigger but it has diving boards and a water slide. And a whole lot of people that don’t know my Savior or me.

Why would I want to miss out on this experience? Out of fear that my toddler might be exposed to a curse word? Or maybe—worse yet—out of fear that a non-Christian might get close enough to me to see my own imperfections and need for a Savior? God forbid that this keep me confined to the cul-de-sac and forsaking our mission.

Over time, I’m convinced, if we spend enough time outside of the cul-de-sac, even the bigger pools, diving boards, and slides will lose their glitter as they are outshined by the beauty of souls longing for a Savior. If we make disciples where Jesus was previously unknown, we also mature in our own discipleship, for it requires courage and strength foreign to human nature. The courage and strength to reach out to those who might not know our Savior, but the honesty to admit there was a time when we didn’t know him either.

Yes, we’ll enjoy the fringe benefits at that pool—but they are only that, fringe benefits—but they will take a backseat to the better benefit of accompanying God in the only story that really matters: proclaiming his glory and making disciples who will worship him in spirit and truth. I could share more on this, but I’ve got a toddler who’s late for swim lessons.

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Sean Nolan (B.S. and M.A., Summit University) is the Family Life Pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in Fallston, Maryland. Prior to that, he served at a church plant in Troy, New York for seven years and taught Hermeneutics to ninth and tenth graders. He is married to Hannah and is father to Knox and Hazel. He blogs at Family Life Pastor.