The Connoisseur of Churches

One extremely devious scheme of the devil is to get a Christian to attend different churches every Sunday. He causes the believer to become unhappy with all the churches that the latter attends. With this justified excuse of the lack of joy and satisfaction, the old serpent sends the believer all over the city, looking for an ideal church that will ‘suit’ him.

Years will pass by and still no ideal church. The immature Christian will spend his whole life tasting and trying out churches without having the joy of becoming a part of a local congregation and growing spiritually. 

As the man grows older, he may even imagine himself to be a connoisseur of churches. Since rolling stone gathers no moss, this potential disciple of Christ is not able to receive proper spiritual nourishment and grow properly. Neither can he contribute consistently to the kingdom of God.

The worst scenario is that after having been to almost every church in the city, the believer may consider himself to be an experienced disciple cum accomplished church critic. The truth is that he is anything else except a disciple. He is able to give anyone, who is willing to listen, a running commentary about each church but he is not able to tell whether his life has been transformed while attending all these churches.

If left uncorrected, this believer will live in absolute spiritual poverty without even realizing it. He goes to church every Sunday but he is thoroughly useless for the kingdom of God. And sadly, after having lived a fruitless and ineffective Christian life, one dreadful day, he will just roll over and die. As for the commendation of Christ, “good and faithful servant”, he will have to leave for other faithful disciples to claim. AK

What is Wrong with Being "Discipled"?

 

"Being" Discipled

 

It’s a common phrase in Christian circles.  We talk of “discipling” someone, “being” discipled, or going where there is a strong emphasis on discipleship.

 

What’s wrong with this picture?

 

More than might meet the eye.

 

If you notice, the language itself puts the entire emphasis on someone, or something, “doing” discipleship “to” someone else.  The one being discipled is seemingly passive.

 

In other words, discipleship is something “received.”

 

But that is not the idea of discipleship in the Bible.  The word “disciple” is from the Greek word “mathetes” and literally means “learner.”

 

Stop there.  Re-read.

 

“Learner.”

 

If I’m not mistaken, that puts the action firmly into the lap of the one doing the learning.  The point is that you, as a disciple, are to be actively learning.  It is your responsibility to take up the mantle of self-development.

 

And yes, this suggests a teacher is involved.

 

And yes, we talk about someone going to college to “receive” an education.

 

And yes, Jesus seemed to fill the teaching/equipping role by inviting twelve men (and more than a few women) to do life with him for three years.

 

And yes, they were called “disciples.”

 

But reflect on those early followers.  Theirs was an invitation to learn, not to enter into a passive process of being fed.  We certainly know that not all of the twelve went to school on Jesus.

 

One in particular didn’t seem to learn much of anything.  If discipleship was simply something “done” to you, Jesus failed epically with Judas.  [I wonder if he ever said he needed to follow another rabbi where he could be better “fed.”]

 

No, growing in faith is something that can be served by others, but ultimately must be owned personally by ourselves.

 

This is decisive.  Too many followers of Christ view discipleship as something that is done to them and for them, akin to a personal enrichment program.  Yet the writer of Hebrews made it abundantly clear that people who keep getting “fed” in this way are in arrested development.  Once out of infancy, they should no longer need to be fed, but instead be feeding others (Hebrews 4:11-13).

 

But even more disquieting is how we have missed out on what it is we should focus on learning.  The back-half of the Great Commission exhorts us to teach new believers to obey what Christ has commanded.

 

And what has Christ commanded?

 

To live out our lives in mission to the least and the lost.

 

In other words, what we are to be “learning” is increased love toward others and increased faith for the task of serving them.  We are not to be in search for a feeding station that creates a culture of dependency and endless demand for head-knowledge, but a learning environment where an active life of faith is stretched and encouraged.

 

I know, knowledge is needed.  Doctrine matters.  We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.  But only when what is in the mind translates into obedience to the widow and orphan, the hell-bound and skeptic.

 

So what would that kind of discipleship entail?  In his book Deep and Wide, Andy Stanley states the practice of many seasoned spiritual leaders in detailing the five primary ways people experience growth in their faith:

 

*practical teaching

 

*private disciplines

 

*personal ministry

 

*providential relationships

 

*pivotal circumstances

 

In other words, faith is stretched by being in the game;

 

…where you are admonished by teachers/leaders, investing in connecting with God through prayer and the Scriptures, putting yourself on the front lines of the cause of Christ, mixing it up with other Christians who sharpen you as iron against iron, and being led by God into unique situations that challenge you at the deepest of spiritual levels.

 

That’s not passive, but active.

 

It’s something that can be served, but never delivered.

 

It takes a church, but only goes so far as the person is willing to be,

 

…a true learner.

 

James Emery White

 

 

Sources

 

Andy Stanley, Deep and Wide.

 

 

Editor’s Note

 

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which he also served as their fourth president.  His newly released book is The Church in an Age of Crisis: 25 New Realities Facing Christianity (Baker Press).  To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on to www.churchandculture.org, where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world.  Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.

In the Valleys We Grow

In the Valleys We Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,

Full of sorrow, trouble and woe

It's then we have to remember

That it's in the valleys we grow.

If we always stayed on the mountain top

And never experienced pain,

We would never appreciate God's love

And would be living in vain.

We have so much to learn

And our growth is very slow,

Sometimes we need the mountain tops,

But it's in the valleys we grow.

We do not always understand

Why things happen as they do,

But I am very sure of one thing.

My Lord will see me through.

The little valleys are nothing

When we picture Christ on the cross

He went through the valley of death;

His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining

When I'm feeling so very low.

Just give me a gentle reminder

That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord

And use my life each day

To share Your love with others

And help them find their way.

Thank You for the valleys, Lord

For this one thing I know

The mountain tops are glorious

But it's in the valleys I grow!

GodVine

Three Steps to Enhancing Your Personal Performance

Three Steps to Enhancing Your Personal Performance

by Jerry Clark

1. Clarity of Outcome: Before you begin any endeavor, know in advance exactly what you expect your outcome to be. By getting clear on your outcome, you will be using the awesome force of what I call the "Future Pull.”

In other words, the future you create for yourself pulls you closer to it and empowers you to take the proper actions in the present. So before you do anything else as it relates to your personal or professional life, take time to get crystal clear on what your desired outcome will be. See it in your mind's eye until you feel really emotional about it.

2. Consolidation of Power: This is a fancy word I learned in 1982 while taking Martial Arts. It simply means Focus. Since you have a certain amount of time, energy, and money to devote towards accomplishing your outcome, it's important to know which activities you should direct your resources towards. If you don't take the time to determine which of the multitude of possible activities will provide you with the highest payoff, you may find yourself squandering much of your resources. Thus, apply the 80/20 rule here.

The 80/20 rule states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your activities. Therefore, it's important for you to concentrate your efforts on the 20% of the activities that will get you 80% of the results. Most people concentrate on the 80% of the activities that will get them only 20% of the results. 

In a nutshell, 80% of your time should be spent on the following activities: 

(a) Using and Sharing your products 

(b) Exposing people to your opportunity 

(c) Attending and Promoting events 

(d) Engaging in personal development and 

(e) Learning and Teaching the system your company and support team members have set up for you. 

These are the high payoff or revenue producing activities. You can file your product orders and clean out your desk after hours, i.e., during non-revenue producing time.

3. Commitment to Disciplines: This is where you actually execute your action plan... Once you know which areas you will be focused on, you can now get busy by moving ahead in those areas... It's important to remember that consistency is the key at this stage.

By doing the small simple disciplines on a daily basis, eventually the compounded effect will kick in and you will "Collect Your Outcome". Every day in every way, you're either performing simple disciplines or simple error in judgments. Apply this simple three-step process and watch what happens to your personal performance levels.

Reaping a Multiple Reward

For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That's one of life's great arrangements. In fact, it's an extension of the Biblical law that says that if you sow well, you will reap well. 

Here's a unique part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Not only does it suggest that we'll all reap what we've sown, it also suggests that we'll reap much more. Life is full of laws that both govern and explain behaviors, but this may well be the major law we need to understand: for every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.

What a concept! If you render unique service, your reward will be multiplied. If you're fair and honest and patient with others, your reward will be multiplied. If you give more than you expect to receive, your reward is more than you expect. But remember: the key word here, as you might well imagine, is discipline. 

Everything of value requires care, attention and discipline. Our thoughts require discipline. We must consistently determine our inner boundaries and our codes of conduct, or our thoughts will be confused. And if our thoughts are confused, we will become hopelessly lost in the maze of life. Confused thoughts produce confused results. 

Remember the law: "For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards." 

Learn the discipline of writing a card or a letter to a friend. Learn the discipline of paying your bills on time, arriving to appointments on time, or using your time more effectively. Learn the discipline of paying attention, or paying your taxes or paying yourself. Learn the discipline of having regular meetings with your associates, or your spouse, or your child, or your parent. Learn the discipline of learning all you can learn, of teaching all you can teach, of reading all you can read. 

For each discipline, multiple rewards. For each book, new knowledge. For each success, new ambition. For each challenge, new understanding. For each failure, new determination. Life is like that. Even the bad experiences of life provide their own special contribution. But a word of caution here for those who neglect the need for care and attention to life's disciplines: everything has its price. Everything affects everything else. Neglect discipline, and there will be a price to pay. All things of value can be taken for granted with the passing of time. 

That's what we call the Law of Familiarity. Without the discipline of paying constant, daily attention, we take things for granted. Be serious. Life's not a practice session.

If you're often inclined to toss your clothes onto the chair rather than hanging them in the closet, be careful. It could suggest a lack of discipline. And remember, a lack of discipline in the small areas of life can cost you heavily in the more important areas of life. You cannot clean up your company until you learn the discipline of cleaning your own garage. You cannot be impatient with your children and be patient with your distributors or your employees. You cannot inspire others to sell more when that goal is inconsistent with your own conduct. You cannot admonish others to read good books when you don't have a library card. 

Think about your life at this moment. What areas need attention right now? Perhaps you've had a disagreement with someone you love or someone who loves you, and your anger won't allow you to speak to that person. Wouldn't this be an ideal time to examine your need for a new discipline? Perhaps you're on the brink of giving up, or starting over, or starting out. And the only missing ingredient to your incredible success story in the future is a new and self-imposed discipline that will make you try harder and work more intensely than you ever thought you could. 

The most valuable form of discipline is the one that you impose upon yourself. Don't wait for things to deteriorate so drastically that someone else must impose discipline in your life. Wouldn't that be tragic? How could you possibly explain the fact that someone else thought more of you than you thought of yourself? That they forced you to get up early and get out into the marketplace when you would have been content to let success go to someone else who cared more about themselves. 

Your life, my life, the life of each one of us is going to serve as either a warning or an example. A warning of the consequences of neglect, self-pity, lack of direction and ambition... or an example of talent put to use, of discipline self-imposed, and of objectives clearly perceived and intensely pursued.

By Jim Rohn

Fruits of Our Salvation

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8)

What do I know about bearing fruits? Absolutely nothing! I have never been a farmer or even a gardener. All my dying plants in the backyard prove that I am a better preacher than a gardener. The only fruits that I ‘pluck’ are those out of fruit stalls and supermarket shelves. Even that can be a tedious task because I do bring back fruits, to the cringe of my wife, that are not so fresh or partially crushed on one side. I hope to do better by bearing spiritual fruits.

If buying fruits is tough, then I presume growing fruit trees must be terribly tough. The world of orchard management is a harsh one. Trees that do not produce good fruits are cut down. In the spiritual orchard management, the Holy Spirit is also onetough farmer.

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away" (John 15:2). 

However, Jesus comforts us that we are given chances to bear fruits before the ultimatum is being exercised.

A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?” But he answered and said to him, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down” (Luke 13:6-9).

Trees that produce good fruits are pruned to maximise their output. The word that comes to my mind is ‘pain’! 

To provide salvation for our souls, Jesus had to go through pain of the Calvary. The disciples went through the pain of torture and martyrdom just to share the Gospel. So why should you and I be exempted from pain as we grow in the Lord.  

The pain of discipline and abstinence is all a part of our Christian discipleship. Paul the Apostle admonished the Christians to "have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10).

This means that the fruits of our salvation are good works. We must clarify that we do not do good works to gain salvation but these fruits are borne as the result of the perfect work of Christ on the Cross. In another word, good works will not get us to heaven but they are the expressions and fruits of our salvation. Paul understood this well, "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful" (Titus 3:14). 

The Born-again believers are filled with the love and grace of God. With these, they learn to be sensitive and respond to the needs and struggles of the people around. The fruits of good work also include financial sacrifice. The early believers gave to the poorer Christians in Jerusalem and Paul mentioned this financial offering as a fruit. The spirit of sacrifice is also considered as a fruit (Philippians 4:16-17). Praising God and giving thanks to Him is also known as the ‘fruit of our lips’ (Hebrews 13:15).

Walking with the Lord through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will bear the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:16,22-23). 

All these experiences that the believers have the privilege of enjoying are desired by many in the world. Therefore bearing fruits is a form of lifestyle evangelism. Producing good fruits does not only glorify God but also show the world what the true love of God is all about.

Rev Albert Kang