The last time I wrote anything was right after Christmas. To be honest, the reason I haven't written anything else is because I didn't feel I had much more to say at the time...and I'm not sure if I even do now.
Blogs are a funny thing. They put out there thoughts or ideas, but sometimes...many times...they don't deal with heart issues. Over the past several months (since the last post) I've actually chosen a different form of writing, one that's much more personal and helpful to my spiritual growth. I've been fairly diligent at keeping a journal over these months, and it's amazing how it's helped me grow in my relationship with Jesus. With each entry I have a chance to reflect in a deeper and more personal level on the ongoings of my own life which I really don't want to share with everyone. Writing it out also helps me reflect in new ways. It's been a discipline that's been incredibly helpful.
So I don't really have much to say. I belong to a great community of bloggers in the DailyScribe (if they haven't kicked me off yet!) and there are some others that check in every once and awhile. Nothing's wrong here, just different for me personally, hence the absence of any entries. I'll be back...when I have something worthwhile to say...maybe next month, next week, or maybe even tomorrow.
Peace...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
What is Present Day Discipleship?
The task of the church and all believers is to make disciples...in other words we are to make people look more like Jesus. The typical approach is information assimilation. If you give the people enough information from the pulpit and teach them enough through whatever type of education, then that will make disciples.
I'm challenged with this task because I'm not sure teaching does it. Discipleship deals heavily with transformation. It deals with the "new creation" of the person where the "old has gone and the new has come." This transformation doesn't always come about by information but rather by submission, and submission is not something you can teach as it is something you can model. It also takes willingness on the part of the person to submit to Christ. How then does the church model submission?
One of the ways I see this could happen is through what the church itself vests its time and resources in. The way to get your people to look more like Christ is to have the activities and ministries of the church look more like Christ. I suppose one challenge is not to have a ministry to help others learn to be like Jesus but rather to create a ministry where the ministry itself mimics Christ. The trap we fall into is creating a wheel where we become mice perpetually chasing the information to make us better disciples. After an undergrad and a graduate degree I still don't feel like I know enough. I've talked to others further down the line and more educated and they feel the same. While I don't want to underplay education or information as forms of discipleship I believe our task in making disciples is more than to just educate. Whatever we do should lead to and provide challenges and opportunities for transformation.
Another point to be made is that information can many times be taught one way and caught another, or vice versa. So we can talk ourselves till we're blue in the face about doctrine and such...and we may never come to agreement on everything. However, can we really disagree on loving people more? Can we disagree on giving our money and resources to those in need? Can we disagree that the elderly who are lonely need a friend or just someone to talk to, much like the orphan? Can we disagree that we've all got sin issues that Christ needs to deliver and set us free from? I'm not sure those are disagreeable points.
So then discipleship in the church could/should be the church itself being about the things it wants its people to be about. It's not only about equipping the saints, but it's about being an example for them giving them the opportunity and guidance toward greater submission to the lordship of Christ.
I'm challenged with this task because I'm not sure teaching does it. Discipleship deals heavily with transformation. It deals with the "new creation" of the person where the "old has gone and the new has come." This transformation doesn't always come about by information but rather by submission, and submission is not something you can teach as it is something you can model. It also takes willingness on the part of the person to submit to Christ. How then does the church model submission?
One of the ways I see this could happen is through what the church itself vests its time and resources in. The way to get your people to look more like Christ is to have the activities and ministries of the church look more like Christ. I suppose one challenge is not to have a ministry to help others learn to be like Jesus but rather to create a ministry where the ministry itself mimics Christ. The trap we fall into is creating a wheel where we become mice perpetually chasing the information to make us better disciples. After an undergrad and a graduate degree I still don't feel like I know enough. I've talked to others further down the line and more educated and they feel the same. While I don't want to underplay education or information as forms of discipleship I believe our task in making disciples is more than to just educate. Whatever we do should lead to and provide challenges and opportunities for transformation.
Another point to be made is that information can many times be taught one way and caught another, or vice versa. So we can talk ourselves till we're blue in the face about doctrine and such...and we may never come to agreement on everything. However, can we really disagree on loving people more? Can we disagree on giving our money and resources to those in need? Can we disagree that the elderly who are lonely need a friend or just someone to talk to, much like the orphan? Can we disagree that we've all got sin issues that Christ needs to deliver and set us free from? I'm not sure those are disagreeable points.
So then discipleship in the church could/should be the church itself being about the things it wants its people to be about. It's not only about equipping the saints, but it's about being an example for them giving them the opportunity and guidance toward greater submission to the lordship of Christ.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Who is the Modern Day Prophet?
I had a fascinating conversation with my pastor the other day, and he posed a challenging question. He asked, "who is the modern day prophet?"
Let's first clarify what he meant and what we're looking for here. We're not looking for the date of the apocalypse. We're not looking for the moment when Jesus will break through the sky. My understanding of the prophetic voice is not so much one who foretells the future but more as one who interprets the current situation (of the church). The Old Testament prophets would operate in this way, confronting the injustices of the people of Israel and calling them back to the way of the Lord. In present day this person would see the injustices of the church and call us back to faithfulness to our God.
So who is this person...is there even one...or does there need to be? The initial question rose out of a conversation dealing with how to awake the church from her slumber and becoming so akin to the cultural norms that there is no longer distinction nor a desire to be a people called apart (a holy nation...a people declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light). This has been a conversation I've had with many different people over the past years. A similar response we've all come to is persecution...that persecution would be what wakes the church out of such a slumber.
I'm not sure. I almost think if we all tended to live a little more prophetically that in and of itself would invite persecution. This is a very broad read, but I think it's a just one. The times of persecution in the prophets and the New Testament were brought about by one of two things: idolatry or boldness. The Old Testament prophets were concerned with the idolatry of Israel...going after other gods, forming alliances with other nations, etc. This literally destroyed them as a nation and sent them into exile...indefinitely. The book of Acts reads like a similar prophetic book, although the suffering and persecution endured by God's people was for a completely different reason: because they were bold in their proclamation.
Boldness or idolatry.
So who is the modern day prophet? Who is calling us away from idolatry and to bold living? Is there anyone? Or perhaps is it a lot of people we don't really hear much about? In some ways I suppose that we are all called to live prophetically. Living boldly I believe is living prophetically. It's calling us to a higher Kingdom with a greater faith in the power of Christ and the Spirit no matter what the cost.
Ah yes...the cost...
Let's first clarify what he meant and what we're looking for here. We're not looking for the date of the apocalypse. We're not looking for the moment when Jesus will break through the sky. My understanding of the prophetic voice is not so much one who foretells the future but more as one who interprets the current situation (of the church). The Old Testament prophets would operate in this way, confronting the injustices of the people of Israel and calling them back to the way of the Lord. In present day this person would see the injustices of the church and call us back to faithfulness to our God.
So who is this person...is there even one...or does there need to be? The initial question rose out of a conversation dealing with how to awake the church from her slumber and becoming so akin to the cultural norms that there is no longer distinction nor a desire to be a people called apart (a holy nation...a people declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light). This has been a conversation I've had with many different people over the past years. A similar response we've all come to is persecution...that persecution would be what wakes the church out of such a slumber.
I'm not sure. I almost think if we all tended to live a little more prophetically that in and of itself would invite persecution. This is a very broad read, but I think it's a just one. The times of persecution in the prophets and the New Testament were brought about by one of two things: idolatry or boldness. The Old Testament prophets were concerned with the idolatry of Israel...going after other gods, forming alliances with other nations, etc. This literally destroyed them as a nation and sent them into exile...indefinitely. The book of Acts reads like a similar prophetic book, although the suffering and persecution endured by God's people was for a completely different reason: because they were bold in their proclamation.
Boldness or idolatry.
So who is the modern day prophet? Who is calling us away from idolatry and to bold living? Is there anyone? Or perhaps is it a lot of people we don't really hear much about? In some ways I suppose that we are all called to live prophetically. Living boldly I believe is living prophetically. It's calling us to a higher Kingdom with a greater faith in the power of Christ and the Spirit no matter what the cost.
Ah yes...the cost...
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