Discipleship

So I have been thinking a whole lot on discipleship, particularly the role of the local church in making disciples of Christ. There are so many questions surrounding this question. What is a disciple, what does a disciple look like? Furthermore, how do we make a disciple? How do we measure whether one is growing into a disciple and where they are in their growth? I have been discussing this with one of my professors who has made this his very intent in the church he is leading.

I began this by asking myself this question: what is the end, the goal, of discipleship? What is it that I am trying to become by being a disciple? To me the answer is fairly simple. After all we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and Ephesians 5:1 says to be imitators of God. Romans 8:29 says disciples are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the end of discipleship is Jesus Christ. (Maybe a topic for another post, but I find it interesting that the end of discipleship is Christ, but quite similarly, Romans 10:4 says Christ is the end of the law)

So how do we make a disciple? That can be found in the Great Commission itself. We must: go, baptize, and teach everything Christ has commanded. It seems quite simple, but how easy is it to teach anyone everything that Christ commanded? There has to be some outside help for this one, which would explain why Christ told the apostles to wait until they received power from the Holy Spirit, and THEN they would be witnesses. We need to submit ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit in order to truly make disciples. Let the Spirit work in our lives, so that He can work in their lives. However, we must also realize that this is a cyclical process. I consider myself a disciple. As a disciple, my job is to become like Christ. But this has to be in community because I must then help others begin to become like Christ. Therefore, we must continually be learning, going, baptizing, and teaching.

So how do you measure one's growth in this process of discipleship? How do you measure where one is at in this process? This is tricky. In order to truly observe someone, and to be able to measure their growth, you have to be close enough to them for them to be transparent with you. That can only happen if you are transparent with them. You can only measure someone's heart if they reveal it to you. I was told about an assessment that exists to this end. It is called the Christian Life Profile. It was developed by Randy Frazee, who was the pastor of Pantego Bible Church, but is now teaching minister at Willow Creek. It is a 120 question self assessment, but there are also 40 questions you give to three of your closest friends to assess you. This assessment will probably be best suited for a small group in which everyone has become transparent with each other. I like it, but I don't think it is the end all be all. I believe that this assessment, if administered to the leadership of a church once, and then again a year later, would be a great way for the church leadership to develop a well-suited way to measure growth in their own congregation.

The purpose of doing something like this is not to substitute for Biblical development of a disciple. We have gotten so far from understanding this that we need something to bring us back to it. The Christian Life Profile is a sort of step stool to get us back to where we can see the Biblical means for making disciples. In 1 Thessalonians 1&2, Paul says several times that the Thessalonians saw certain aspects of his life because he was among them. Is that not how we are to teach people, by example? It seems that it would make sense that only disciples can make other disciples.

So making disciples is the Great Commission. We must go (evangelize), baptize and teach (equip). Now Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor. It seems to me that making disciples incorporates these two commandments into one. Let's go make disciples! Only through Christ...Amen!

Books

So, as of lately, I've been on a reading kick. I devoured 4 books while on our vacation (3 of which were Francine Rivers), and just this past weekend, while I was sick with strep throat - I'm all better now! - I started and finished another of hers. I read Redeeming Love last summer, and that really stole my heart. She's just a really good author. I do have to say, though, that if I had read the one I read this past weekend first, I would not have been totally sold on her, like I was after reading Redeeming Love. The four books I read on vacation were: Elizabeth Clark Higgs' Thorn in my Heart, and then Francine Rivers' The Last Sin Eater, And the Shofar Blew, and Leota's Garden. The one I read of hers this past weekend was The Scarlet Thread. It was an interesting story, but I'm just not that into stories about women whose lives are completely falling apart because her husband is acting like a jerk, and she's too quiet and meek to communicate with him about what's happening. Then she discovers in the last third of the book that she's the one with the problem, and they realize that they both need to stop being so self-centered, and make God the center of their lives, and then everyone lives happily ever after... I read one of Karen Kingsbury's fiction novels, and that was the whole story - blah blah blah...
I realize that we all have problems, and yeah, life and marriage aren't always going to be grand, but I don't necessarily want to read about how another (completely fictional) couple can't communicate. I want to read about how God transforms peoples' lives, and about how they surrender their whole life to him. Leota's Garden was like that. I enjoyed Redeeming Love because it was a historical fiction in more recent times in America (mid-1800's) of the story of Hosea and his wife Gomer. So good!
Anyway, I've really enjoyed just losing myself in these books, and I hope to continue in this desire.
I also got quite a bit done on Gary's quilt this weekend. I almost have the top comletely done. Then, after that, it's just a matter of sandwiching the top, batting, and backing, and then quilting, and binding the completed blanket. It's been a long time in coming, also seeing as I messed up on one of the patterns, and had to rip out a whole bunch of seams and do lots more ironing. Needless to say, the quilt took the back burner for about a month, until I had the patience built up enough to pull it out and work on it again. Our quilting ministry's motto at Northside is "Not perfect, just forgiven..." That couldn't be more true. I can't wait for the time that I can finally post pictures of this (soon-to-be) beautiful quilt.

You know, I love coming to my blog because it gives me the chance to link up to the other blogs that our friends have. Seeing all of your blogs just gives me such happiness, and shows me just how amazingly blessed we are to have such wonderful friends with such beautiful families. I love to see how much you guys are adoring your beautiful babies (and older children) and how the Lord is working in and through you. I love to read the scriptures that God has laid on your hearts, and how He is working around and in you through His Word. Praise the Lord for His blessings on us!! What a wonderful God we serve!!

Thanks for reading!!
K

Late Night

I haven't had a late night like this in quite a while. Krissy is sleeping, and I decided that I wanted to finish my final project for my class, Interpretation of the Old Testament. I have been very distracted all day, but I seem to have been on a roll the last hour or so. Now I am distracted again. I figured I might as well be constructive somehow.

So I listened to a sermon by Paul Washer this morning. It's called "Did You Know You're in the Bible?" It speaks of the Great White Throne Judgment. He talks about how John mentions in Revelation 20:12 that he saw the dead, the great and small, standing before the throne. John gies on to talk about the book of life being opened, and thedead were judged by their deeds. The kicker was that John saw you before the throne. He saw you and he saw me standing there before the throne. Oh we are all going to be eternal beings...either in Heaven with God, or in hell being eternally tormented. Do you want that book to be opened? I don't think I do. How much sin do I have that I have not confessed and repented of? God please have mercy on me and may your grace abound for my sin.

That's the good news. There is grace. Grace is of God only, so it is infinite. Our sin is from us, so it is finite. Therefore, grace can cover our sin. However, Paul warns us that we should not continue in sin so that grace may abound even more. We are DEAD to sin, so how can we live in sin? Does this mean that a Christian, a truly regenerated person, will never sin again? Goodness no. However, regeneration is a changed heart. We no longer take pleasure in sin, we no longer live a lifestyle of sin. Now we live a lifestyle of worship toward God.

Romans 8 says that those God foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. May God fulfill this in my life as well as yours. Psalm 33:13-15 says God looks down on us from heaven, He sees ALL the sons of men. He knows you, me, our unborn children, etc. How can I not praise God for who He is? Praise the God who continues to conform me to the image of His son.

For you prayer warriors, Krissy has strep throat. I have not had a sore throat yet, but I tend to have a weak immune system. God does have control over my infirmities, though. I believe that Krissy will be fine, and that I will be fine as well. I am going to get back to my work now. God's blessings on you!

Church Discipline?

Have you ever wondered about the phrase Jesus uses in Matthew 18:18 about binding and loosing? It seems kind of strange and mystical doesn't it? I have been reading a book titled Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. He quotes this phrase from Matthew 16:19 where Jesus is talking to Peter. Jesus tells Peter (whose name means rock) that on this rock He will build His church in verse 18. What rock is he talking about? Is it referring to Peter, or Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God? Sounds to me like a bit of both, especially noticing the play on words where Jesus states Peter's name before making the statement. Let's get to the hairy part...So Jesus tells Peter He will give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever he shall bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever he looses on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

So Rob Bell takes the stand that Jesus is telling not only Peter, but all of His followers, that they have the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. Seeing as the same phrase appears in Matthew 18:18, let's see what it might be referring to in this passage, so we can have some insight into this phrase's meaning...

Verse 15 of Matthew 18 indicates that we are talking about sin here. If your brother sins against you, go reprove him in private, and if he listens, you have won your brother. If he doesn't, take one or two with you so that every word may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If he still refuses to listen, tell it to the church. If he still doesn't listen, he should be treated as a Gentile or tax collector (in other words, not associated with, not accepted in the church). Then he uses this binding and loosing phrase again. What is He saying?Is He referring to the decisions made by the church concerning people or is He referring to the actions of people?Seems that sin is the subject of the passage. More specifically, sin and the church. So what is being said by this phrase?

Looking at this in its context, it seems to me that Jesus is saying that any sin that is bound by the church has already been bound by God, and any sin that is loosed by the church has already been loosed by God. If a person repents, God has forgiven them, and so should we. However, there is another aspect to this. This is speaking to the disciples in THE CHURCH. Those who pretend to be the church may bind something that has not been bound in heaven, and may loose something that has not been loosed in heaven. So how did Rob Bell come to his conclusion?

He sights some excellent cultural background for understanding the language of this passage, but overthinks the interpretation. In those days, Rabbis were well respected teachers of the Tanakh (The Old Testament). Rabbis had what was called a yoke, or a set of interpretations of what the different laws meant. We see this in Jesus' day with the mention of laws that are not in the written Torah, but are part of the Oral Traditions. The permitted acts according to the Rabbi were considered to be loosed, but the forbidden acts were considered to be bound. So Bell takes this to mean we have the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. Hmmm.

So Jesus came to fulfill the law. He was the Torah in flesh and blood. So why would He give us the authority to bind and loose after He had come to show us what was really to be bound and loosed? He is THE Rabbi, and we can not make new interpretations of the text. We can only discover or come to an understanding of what Jesus showed us. The disciples are called to call other disciples onto the carpet when they sin. They should confront sin and should follow the pattern Jesus gave us in Matthew 18. If the person does not repent, then they should not be considered a disciple again until they have repented. Maybe that person that we thought was a disciple was never really a disciple at all, but a poser, a fraud. Are we to judge that? If we tell someone they are saved, can we tell someone they are going to hell? Do we have the authority to tell someone either way? Maybe I'll talk about that next time. We need to understand the terms "justification" and "regeneration."

Thank you Lord for being in control of your body, the Church. May we always remember that you are our head, and that you are sovereign over us. Thank you Lord for disciplining us through your Church. Amen.

What do you think about God?

Krissy says I am afraid to post on the blog, so here is a nice long post for everyone:

At the suggestion of a good friend, I decided to read The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. Though I am reading chapter 5 now (Krissy and I have been using it as a nightly devotional), my mind is still reflecting on chapter 1. The opening line of chapter 1 has captivated my attention, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." What do you think about when you think of God? He continues, "For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like...The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long; but even if the multiple burdens of time may be lifted from him, the one mighty single burden of eternity begins to press down upon him with a weight more crushing than all the woes of the world piled one upon another...Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration, and that civilized peoples are therefore free from it. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him...The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him - and her."

I don't know how to get past this, and maybe I am not supposed to. Tozer has done such a wonderful job of making sure that his readers understand the impact of what we believe about God. This is no small matter to be overlooked as long as we all claim to be Christian. This is essential to our faith in Christ. For if we believe things about God that are less than He is, we have diminished the gospel. What is the gospel but that we can come close to God. What better news is there? Yet we make assertions about someone going to heaven because they have given intellectual assent to the fact that they are a sinner and Christ will forgive their sins. Is God to be compromised for men? If God created the Sabbath for men, how dare we suppose that God exists for us? Not so, we exist for the glory of God, and whether we bow down before Christ now or later, He will receive that glory. He is worthy, and we will ALL hail Jesus as king, whether it be now or later.

As Paul Washer says, we seem to have adopted this picture of God looking more like Santa Claus than the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. I have come in contact with quite a few people lately who have studied and analyzed the Bible so much that they have taken God out of the Scriptures that were penned by His Spirit. So, is it Santa Claus or is it the Bible? Neither, it is the great I am. He is holy, holy, holy. There is none like God, completely uncompromising in truth, yet never ceasing to display grace. How can we wrap our minds around this God? Though we may see a few of His undeniable attributes, we will never, never, never arrive at the fullness of who God is. Even in glory we will be eternally seeking to know more about God.

I know that to some, these words seem hard, and I do not deny that they are. It is truth, and the fact that we can know truth is grace. So, what comes into your mind when you think about God? Is it worthy of Him? I will tell you the little bit about God that I know: Though the entire human race is sinful and has degraded God, He sent His son, Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach) to be a propitiation for our sins. While Christ was nailed to a cross, God crushed him according to Isaiah 53:10 so that we could once again be in fellowship (koinonia) with Him. According to Proverbs 17:15 it was the only way we could ever be in fellowship with the Father. Then Christ was raised from the dead as the first born from the dead of many brethren. He now sits at the right hand of the Father until God should submit all His enemies to be a footstool under Christ's feet.

Thank you Lord! May I reflect the love you have shown the world in everything I do! May I never compromise your truth or grace, but show both to the world that they may see you for who you really are! Praise you Oh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! Amen.