Discipleship: Hey, How The Heck Does This Thing Work?

A man wanders off into the desert and soon becomes lost.  For days, he travels in the direction he is sure will lead him back home.  Unfortunately, each additional step only brings about the certainty that he is hopelessly lost with no clue of how to escape his dilemma. 

The outlook is grim.  No water, no food, no shelter, and no idea what to do next.  A terrible sense of despair begins to consume the man as he realizes without help, he will likely succumb to this harsh environment in the not too distant future.

Just when all hope seems to be lost, a figure appears in the distance.  The figure is walking in his direction.  Could it be?  Are his eyes playing tricks on him?  Eventually the person makes his way to the man and announces he has come to help.  Overjoyed, the man grabs hold of the ragged figure and hugs him tight.  Finally, rescue has come.  Soon the man will be home with his family again.

“So, which way do we go to get out of this horrible desert”, the man asks. 

The stranger replies, “Oh no dear friend, you must discover that for yourself”.

The man, now very confused responds, “But, I thought you were here to help?”

“Oh I am, indeed help is what I bring”.  Slowly the stranger pulls out a small bag.  “Inside this bag is a machine that will give you everything you need to survive in this desert.” 

“But why can’t I just follow you out of this desert?” The man replies. 

“Oh, I have no time for such things.  I must be on my way.  More lost souls, more machines to give out”.  The stranger hands the man the bag and before he can utter a single word in objection, the stranger disappears.

“Well, at least I have this wondrous machine” declares the man.  Slowly he pulls the strange looking device from the bag.  Immediately he realizes he has no clue how the machine works.  The man peers into the bag, but to his dismay, it is empty.  No instructions, no guide, nothing.

For several hours, the man works feverishly, trying to discern how the machine functions.  He pushes buttons, turns levers, and flips switches.  Over and over again, the man tries every possible idea he can think of, but to no avail.  Frustrated and completely defeated, the man throws the machine to the ground and cries out in a loud voice, “WHY?  WHY EVEN BOTHER GIVING ME THIS GIFT IF I CAN’T GET IT TO WORK?  WHY?”

Days turn into weeks, and weeks become months. 

In time, a ragged figure appears in the desert.  And there by a pile of sand worn bones he finds…a machine. 

“Pitiful fool, if only had used the machine”.  The stranger quietly walks away wondering how many others failed to use his miraculous gift.

Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"

Teach and man to fish and he’ll eat a lifetime.  Give the man a pole, tackle, and then walk away.

He’ll likely starve...or something like that.

Want to Teach? Hope You Have Big Feet!

If you’re a teacher, you’ll get this.  If you’re the parent of a student, you need to know the facts. 

Question:  If you moved to another country as a young child, and did not speak the language, what chance would you have of passing a standardized test in that country, even if you could understand the basics of that language?  You sit in class all year, the teacher works hard to help you, but he/she has a room full of students that must be taught "the standards".  You're intelligent, you do your best to pay attention, but the language barrier is just overwhelming and as you’d probably expect, you fail.

 

Surprised?  Of course not.  Not many educated adults could achieve success in this type of setting.

 

Now, pretend you are teacher here in America.  Let's say you have several students in your class that struggle with English.  Most can get by conversationally, but all struggle with context and meaning at some level.  Even though these barriers exist, these students are expected to achieve the same level of success as your native English speaking students using the exact same writing and content standards.  If they do not, you dear teacher have somehow failed.  Your "scores" prove your failure and may be used to make "decisions" regarding you and your school.  Not only did you fail, your school risks being judged as not being "adequate". 

Now slip back into the shoes of a child that does not completely grasp the language being used to instruct students in class.  Do you deem it to be reasonable or fair that you are being held to the exact same standards and expectations as your classmates? 

Do you believe your teacher is somehow to blame because you did not achieve success? 

Is it possible for a teacher with 30 students to overcome the hurdles of broken homes, poverty, language barriers, special needs, and still somehow ensure each and every student is able to meet "standards" that are one size fits all?  No problem…if you’re Jesus.  I’m afraid the rest of us have feet that are far too small to fill those enormous shoes!

Bottom line:  I am an educated man.  I "get" most things presented to me, but if you put me in a classroom  where everything is being presented in French, Spanish, German, or any language other than English, I can guarantee you I would fail miserably regardless of what the teacher does to help me. 

Houston, we have a problem.  It is not a local problem, nor can it be “fixed” at the local level.  If it was, you can bet we could and would fix it.  The problem finds its root at the state and more importantly federal level.  Our educational system in this country is wounded and bleeding and the Feds are handing out Band-Aids to deal with cut arteries.  The state takes the Band-Aids because they want the goodies that come with the Band-Aids, you know money.  And what about local school systems you ask? Ah yes, well they are handed the Band-Aids (with less and less of "the money") and told "make this work and by the way, good luck"!

I've illustrated only one of the many challenges local school systems and educators face in this country.  A country where legislators are hell bent on standardizing every aspect of our educational system under a national umbrella that is held in the iron tight grip of…the federal government.  Surprise, Surprise!

Over the next few weeks, I will be addressing the results of what this nationalistic approach to education is doing “to” and “for” the students of this country.

So, hang on tight…it’s going to be a bumpy ride!  

Top 10 Good Things Obama Has Done For This Country

1.     ..................................never mind.

Question: Should I listen to Joel Osteen? Better Question: Should I Listen to You?

A friend of mine recently posted a comment about his change of heart regarding the validity of the ministry of Joel Osteen. I have to say that find it fascinating even amazing that so many believers are so very enamored with the words of men. Honestly, there are occasions in which I do enjoy messages from various “professional guys” who teach and preach from the bible, but I have come to recognize they are only men. Are their words inspired? Do they indeed speak on behalf of God? Maybe…maybe not.


Here is my response to my friend (plus a wee bit more):

At the end of the day, all men who choose to speak publically on behalf of God are just normal people. They are no better or worse than the average Joe believer working 9 to 5. They may exhibit great eloquence when speaking or seem to somehow be "elevated" spiritually, but they are only men. The greatest men I have ever known or had the pleasure of receiving wisdom from were common men. Not pastors, not evangelists, not "professional ministers" of any shape or form. They were all just average guys who all shared one common trait...humility. True humility. The kind of humility that caused them to pause before declaring anything on behalf of our Lord.

I’d take the time to name them, but you’d likely have no clue who they are. The list includes an accountant, a business man, a mill worker, and a sharecropper. Some would be considered more “successful” than others in the eyes of this world, but all had one thing in common, serious humility. In fact, most had no clue they were being used by God to shape my life. Yes some were successful, most not so much, yet to me, they were all giants.

If you think about it, Jesus was an average Joe. If fact, most of the folks around him missed out on much of what he had to say because he wasn’t a “somebody”. You often find the Pharisees and teachers of the law asking, “Who is this fellow?” Why? Jesus wasn’t a “big name” at the time. He was just Jesus, the carpenter’s son.

Can’t you hear the people? “Yeah he says good stuff and even seems to have power, but he’s just a normal guy, a carpenter. Who cares what a carpenter has to say? The “big name religious guys” say we need to crucify him…better stick with them. After all, we know they speak for God”.

Be careful who you give an ear to, but also be willing to recognize that all men have potential for good and bad. I'd dare say that most men, regardless of their “position” in this life, would not want you prowling around in the closets of their lives. You might not like what you find, but of course, we all have our own "closets" don't we?

So, should anyone listen to Joel Osteen? Well, if you care to, why not? I figure he’s no worse or better than the other guys that choose to speak.

Still, we might do well to remember what Elijah came to understand. God generally speaks in a still, small voice.

Anything beyond that might just be noise.



PS – If you saw this as some type of attack against “professional ministers”, you are likely one of the many who are mindlessly enamored with said individuals.

AND, you missed the point of this post…entirely!

Praying For God’s Help? Remember This Equation: Jesus - You = More Than Enough

Disclaimer:  Before you read this, please know that I am on a journey.  I have not arrived, nor have I fully grasped all that I’m about to share.  Honestly, this is all new territory for this “seasoned” child of God…and it’s scary.  If you somehow perceive from my ramblings that I feel as if I’ve “figured” it all out…figure again!  The following is simply my own reflections about what I feel God is trying to teach me.  If it somehow encourages or helps you…bondiggity!

 Lately, I’ve been reading a devotional by Steve McVey called “The Grace Walk”.  So far, it has really been great!  Yesterday, Steve talked about how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises in each and every situation we face in life.  He writes,

“You don’t have to “make” anything happen. You don’t have an end to hold up.  So, just rest in what He has done and give a loud and hearty “Amen!” to Jesus.  That and that alone is what brings the highest glory to God.”

He goes on to talk about how legalism tells us we must “do our part” to get our prayers answered, but in God’s economy, we have no “part” in the matter.  Every promise we seek to be fulfilled and every answered prayer is found in the sufficiency of Christ and what He did for us on the cross.

I’ve been a Christian for over 20 years.  I’ve heard hundreds (probably thousands) of messages, read books, prayed prayers, but this message of grace plus nothing has really never gotten through my thick skull…or my frail heart.

This is especially evident when trials come.  Each and every time I immediately begin to search out where I’m “missing it”.  Somehow, somewhere along the way, my sin must have tipped the scale and God now has to step in with discipline and straighten my fanny out.  In other words, when bad things happen in life, it is a sure sign I have failed God and now He must kick my rear…in love.  This is usually followed by an endless succession of prayers of repentance.  If confession and repentance doesn’t seem to “fix” the problem, I then begin the process of begging God to show me where I went wrong and what “I” must do to make Him “okay” with me again.  Like I said, if you’re going through a rough patch it must certainly mean you did, said, or thought something that didn’t quit jive with God and it’s off to the woodshed until you learn your lesson.  By the way, it’s true that our sin can lead to “icky” consequences and there are times God will discipline, but many times it’s just life being lived out in a sick and broken world.

There are so many problems with the kind of thinking that believes we must fix ourselves and our problems, yet I ALWAYS play that game…ALWAYS!  Let’s look at some of the flaws of that kind of mindset.

1.     When the “fix” finally comes (answered prayer the way I want it), I never know which of my prayers did the trick.  I’m glad the mess is over, but I’m clueless how “I” broke through to God.

2.     If I can fix the problem, I must be able to control God or at the very least there must be some magical way for us to get what we want from Him.  Of course, I never really know what that is.

3.     This thinking negates much of what the New Testament teaches us about our position in Christ and God’s sovereignty over every aspect of our existence.  I cause all my bad stuff to happen and I must find a way to get God to fix it.  (Problem:  Not in the bible)

4.     If I must play a role in fixing the bad stuff, then I’m part of the solution.  In essence, it’s on me to “flip the switch” to “get the lights back on”.

I could go on, but you can probably think of greater flaws than I’m listing here. 

The idea that Jesus accomplished everything on the cross is huge.  The fact that we have NO and I mean NO, ZERO, NOTTA part to play in any of this, our ONLY role is to receive is even more mind-boggling.  He does EVERYTHING because Jesus has done everything.  We receive…end of story.  This my friends, is a big pill to swallow and goes against every bit of pride within me.  I say pride; because it is my pride that causes me to actually believe I must somehow help or motivate God.  Which by the way…is ridiculous!

Please get what I’m saying here.  I’m not saying that this means every prayer works out the way we think it should, or even every promise is a done deal.  I am saying I don’t have to “try” to “make” something happen here.  It’s ALL in His hands and it’s ALL because of Christ.  You and I can add nothing.

I was thinking about Steve’s line that says, “That and that alone is what brings Him the highest glory”.  For me, it means that embracing Jesus as the only basis for answered prayer means that I bring Him glory by seeing Jesus as my one and only hope.  No plan B whatsoever.  My effort plays no part.  If it does (my effort), I have found a formula for manipulating God…and IT WORKED, and that means I “helped” God.  Well, we know very well scripture teaches us that we cannot help ourselves and we certainly could never help God do anything, nor would He allow it.  He alone gets the glory and it will not be shared with little specks of dust riding through the universe on a big speck of dust.

The good news is this:  He loves each and every little speck, so much in fact that He was willing to die for us.  This also means that great love He has for me is what “fixes” the bad stuff.  Again, not my performance or lack thereof, just Jesus. 

So what’s the big lesson in this for you Ken?  Well, I think it is that while I am called to pray, and those prayers matter to God, I can rest in the sufficiency of Christ and trust that He is enough.  I don’t have to talk God into anything when Christ has paid for everything.  The pressure's off!  I have no clue how anything will work out, but I can quit looking for the right "God button" to push.  That means I can go back to enjoying Jesus and quit trying to "fix" problems.  My problems became His on the cross. 

The bible says in Psalm 34, “Many are the troubles of the righteous man, but the Lord delivers him from them all”.  Jesus said we would have trouble in this world, but “take heart, I have overcome this word”.  Notice He said “I”…not you…or me for that matter.

So what now?  What about all the “poop” (my special word for trouble) happening in your life Ken?  Well, all I know is this:  I will pray, but I will not pray thinking I’ve got to motivate God somehow to help me.  Jesus has opened every door and I can rest in that.  Every prayer has been heard and God knows, cares, and is always listening.  His motivation is and will always be His own love for me through Jesus…and that is more than anything I could ever bring to the table. 

Will my problems be “fixed”?  Good question.  All I know is that it is in His hands.  I cannot “make” anything happen.  Jesus has done it all.  My hope is in Him and Him alone.

No plan B.

 

Save the World…Be the Parent

Dear parent, you have the right to control every single aspect of your child's life. You get to call the shots, because you pay the bills.

You have the right to tan your kid's rear when they talk to you like a dog and act like a fool. You deserve respect....and you pay the bills.

You have the right to check your kid's cell phone, iPod, tablet, computer, or any other electronic device they use in life any time you choose. These items are privileges. They are wants, not needs. If they whine about "their rights" and "their privacy" cordially remind them of their position within the family structure and take their junk. Next time, they'll think twice before objecting to your "rude intrusion". Remember, you can because you bought their stuff and you...pay the bills.

At the end of the day, your child relies on you for every single thing in life. You have the right to say no to anything and everything. Contrary to popular opinion, they don't get a vote and they do not possess the wisdom to live the way they choose, or make their own decisions. So, feel free to say no as often as you like because you....pay the bills.

Most of the time, kids act like idiots because we allow it and put up with their stupidity. It does not take long for them to realize you are a sucker and will let them act like an idiot. Like I said, they're not wise, but they're not dumb! By the way, notice I said "act" like idiots. They can choose, but you must "guide" that decision.

We need to lose this sad idea that our job in this life is to keep our kids happy and smiling. It is not. First and foremost, your job is to be your child's parent, not their buddy. Love your kids. Love them with every fiber of your being and make sure they know it, but if you're playing "the sucker", toughen up. Will they like it? Heck no! They'll kick, scream, whine, and fight you every step of the way, but somewhere down the line, they'll likely thank you.

Folks, we have enough worthless, lazy people in the world that really believe the world owes them something. It does not, and most of them.....do not pay the bills!

Want to save the world from the prevailing freeloader mentality that permeates much of American society? Be the parent!

It’s Personal, it’s Intimate, and it’s Messy!

 

I recently read a blog posting from a pastor I know sharing his burden for the lost. In his post, he implores his congregation to bring anyone and everyone to church on Sunday with the hope that they might hear the Gospel and be saved.

Nothing wrong with that.

Still, I would like to play devil's advocate for just a moment and present a few thoughts.

Let's say you do indeed bring your co-workers, friends, and neighbors to attend services with you Sunday morning. At some point, they hear a strong presentation of the Gospel, leave their seat, and make their way to the front. Here, they are encouraged by the pastor or a counselor to pray a simple prayer and receive the free gift of salvation from the heart of a loving God.

Nothing wrong with that….BUT

What happens then?

At the end of the service, that man or woman will eventually make their way home and immediately begin to wonder, "What the heck just happened?"

Now, here's my point. IF there are folks ready to step up and begin the process of discipleship in that person's life, that question gets answered.

But…does that happen?

Many times, this new convert is encouraged to join a class at church and possibly seek out a small group….if they're lucky.

Unfortunately, more times than not, they are left to figure out what this Christianity thing is all about…all alone. The result is a person who feels as though they were duped into something that felt right in the moment, but now just seems very confusing. At this point, the person is left with two choices: Jump in and hope that somewhere down the line things will come together, or simply walk away.

Before you disagree, or dare I say become "offended", consider this:

A few years back, the Southern Baptist Convention cited a huge number of baptisms for that particular year, sadly they said little about the fact that statistics showed that almost the same number of folks had left the church that same year or were considered missing in action.

Question: Are we truly impacting this world for Christ if we're losing as many as we gain?

So, what's the problem?

Well, I believe it is the abominable failure of the body of Christ to make disciples. Yeah we're great at introductions, but not so impressive when it comes to walking this thing out with someone.

Please know that I do not consider attending church with others discipleship, nor should you.

I could say a lot about what it means to disciple someone, but I think the Bible does a better job. By the way it's no great mystery. Just pick up the book and read what Paul has to say about the subject, or watch Jesus in action. I would cite the following verse from 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8:

We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing MOTHER tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

 

Like I stated earlier, we tend to be great at introductions, but "imparting…our own lives"…not so much.

At the end of the day, I really believe we would rather just place blind trust in our programs and services and hope they will somehow get the job done.

Unfortunately, this will never do. Discipleship is personal, intimate, messy, and time-consuming. It requires far more than any slick program or well written Sunday school literature could ever hope to provide. It requires flesh and blood interaction…and lots of it.

Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and make "disciples" not just converts.

Consider this: If I told you I would like to take your for a ride in my plane, would you strap in if you found out my training consisted of a one hour introductory class on the basics of flight? I don't think so...unless you're a nut! And yet, we seem more than content to send folks out into a sin-rotten world with no more than a quick "Hey dude, you're going to Hell" message and a quick prayer.

In the end, I really believe this does far more harm to that soul and an unbelieving world than any of us truly realize.

So my dear pastor, please preach the gospel. The world needs to hear it. BUT, do not forget that babies need a lot of care. Leave them to fend for themselves, and you'll end up with a lot of dead bodies on your hands.

And yes, there's certainly something wrong with that!