All in Discipleship
Rather than beginning by convicting people of sin and its consequences, we need to begin by exploring the effectiveness of their present lifestyle in enabling them to have hope, peace, and purpose. From there we can move to the reality of failing to live by God’s principles for life (sin) and the need to be free from our failures (redemption).
This is the lesson we must learn. The gospel is good news for those who recognize themselves as sinners, not for those who trust in their own righteousness.
We are creatures of habit, myself included, but we can change our patterns. We can choose, like my elder friend, to be more intentional on Sunday mornings. We can pay attention to where we go, who we talk to, which classes we attend, and the patterns of behavior we exhibit. We can choose to become more intergenerational in our presence at church, and thus leave a different kind of wake.
Pray for workers. Pray for those who will talk about the Jesus journey. Pray for those who will invite others to hear the good news. Pray for those who will teach the good news of Jesus. Pray for those who will walk beside the new Christians.
As I’ve spent time sitting with the story of Jesus’ sending out the disciples, I feel a sense of urgency to take seriously not only the humility, trust and faith of the disciples but also the compassion, awareness and hospitality of the countless communities that received them along the way. I pray that you and I, in whatever our ministry may be, will be ready to respond with the trust of the disciples on the journey, and to show up with the compassion of the disciple who invites the stranger to become a friend.
Your testimony is not about being untouched by pain but about surviving it and finding God in the ashes. Healing is not about forgetting. It is about living differently because of what you’ve survived. The scar becomes a story. The loss becomes an altar. The former thing becomes a seed.
As ministers of the Gospel, may we always remember that no one is too far from God’s love and forgiveness! He is not far from each one of us, and he is at work through his Spirit, drawing all sorts of people towards Godself.
And for those of us who are tempted in these ways, let me offer a gentle reminder: You don’t have to force your way into God’s kingdom. You don’t have to compete for Jesus’ attention. You don’t have to prove that you belong. Your task is simply this: to accept that God accepts you.
I can’t help but wonder how we would each be shaped and formed by the idea of our prayers all beginning with us sitting in the long and loving gaze of the triune God. The idea that God delights in our being and the piece of Himself that He has placed in all of us.
Love is the ministry of presence. Love knew that I did not need to be alone. And yet, love understood that no words were needed. Love in the form of these two young friends who came into my home to simply be present with me in my pain. Love sat with me. Love listened to me. And it was powerful.
My first reaction towards someone who offends me is to take revenge, not to forgive— especially if the offense is serious or repeated. But when I consider what God has forgiven me, I understand the unpayable nature of my debt toward God, and I’m prompted to forgive.
We truly, sincerely, want to be more like Christ. But do we really? I ask this only because it seems our impatience and avoidance of others is truly impressive. We have perfected the art of being angry, passive-aggressive, inflammatory, and obnoxious gloaters when things go our way.
God didn’t just decide the color of my eyes or my hair or how tall I would be. He decided if I would be an introvert or an extrovert, if I would see the world through my thoughts or my feelings, if I would be funny or unusually perceptive. He chose my natural gifts and the gifts that would be developed with practice.
Take the opportunity. Tell the good news. Keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and God raised him from the dead. Ask God to keep you focused on the message. Ask to keep on task. Ask God to remind you of what you ought to do.
What is the problem with the wicked? Well, they have no fear of God! The lack of fear for God is reflected in a concomitant lack of restraint. Fear, at its best, can teach us how to control ourselves.
We should recall who God is and what He has done for us, remembering that our blessings are a result of His righteousness and not our own. Instead of puffing ourselves up pridefully and patting ourselves on the back for our good fortune in life as a result of being so honorable, we ought to stop comparing ourselves to others.
In ministry, there are times when we have to speak truth to power. We see amazing examples of this throughout Scripture: Nathan confronting David on his sin with a story, the three telling Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn’t bow down, Jesus conversing with Pilate…. But we must do so knowing that we don’t always know what the outcome will be.
Not that the kingdom of heaven is something we can literally buy, but its reception involves a renunciation, a personal sacrifice that not everyone is willing to make. So, are we willing to give everything up for the kingdom or not? That is the question.
In the face of much trouble, we must stand firm as a people who have been given the Way, Truth and Life that sets us free and grants us peace. It is getting more and more tempting for us to be swept into believing that the way to more freedom, more truth or a better life is a way that politics or culture try to prepare. This is not the truth we believe in, and it will not settle the fear or confusion we may have in our present circumstance.
The game of hide-and-seek changes when we stop hiding and start seeking. God has already called out to us; He is waiting for us to answer. When we step into the light of His presence, we discover that He is never far away.
