You Can't Teach Discipleship

You can't teach someone into a disciple, though many churches try.  In the "great commission" Jesus told his disciples to go and "make" disciples.  When we look back at how He made disciples we see many things.  First He made disciple-makers, not just disciples.

Teaching...certainly that is the beginning.  God's word should always be the foundation. One must have the information and fully understand it before moving forward without confusion.  This is however the extent of most of our discipleship training these days, if churches even have it at all.  If I teach someone what they ought to do and they can repeat the instructions correctly back to me, this is called learning.  At this stage many church leaders believe they have done their part to "equip" the people.  Discipleship is more than learning however.

Modeling.....the learners need to see and hear about examples of the desired behavior.  Leaders your people need to often hear examples of you facing situations and acting the right way.  Do you want your people to share their faith?  They need to see you do it and hear you tell stories about sharing yours on a regular basis.

Involvement.....Jesus included the disciples in His ministry.  He allowed them to do certain things while under His care.  Then came a time that He sent them out own their on to put what they had learned and saw into practice for themselves.

Accountability.....this is rarely found in church any more. Jesus held His disciples accountable.  He expected a certain behavior from them and rebuked and corrected them when the situation called for it.  We don't see anywhere in scripture where the disciples got mad and left the group when they were held accountable.

Cost.......spiritual growth always comes with a cost but it is always worth it.  First there is pride.  Are you open to being mentored?  If someone is serious about discipleship it will cost them time and a shift in their priorities.

It took three years and the Holy Spirit's presence to make disciples out of those men.  When a church is determined to make disciples many will not go with you beyond a discipleship class.  Only a few went with Jesus the whole distance.  We must take the few who are serious and invest all we have into them. Then instill in them that they are to do the same. This is how disciples are made.
  

An Open Letter To Will My "Former Best Friend"

Do any of you know Will?  I have been deceived for a long time, let me give you some advice from experience, WATCH OUT, he is not the friend he appears to be!

Will I have known you most all my life and thought you were my friend?!  I know we have known each other for years, and have even been closer than brothers but I have changed and am still changing and you are not.  Your logical explanation that any help you have given me in making decisions was in my own best interest made sense.  I know that you have always put me first and that somehow sounds commendable.   The fact is that your influence on me has been greater than anyone else I have ever known.  In recent years though those once easy decisions have become harder and often involves a struggle.  I question your advice more and more and this does not set well with you.  As a matter of fact at times you have given me headaches, loss of sleep and much stress.

This person who came into my life years ago and often tries to get my attention, has evidentially caused you some problems and seems to be turning it up a bit the older I get.  Is it jealously that I sense, fear that this new “Counselor” will take your place?  Don’t worry there is very little chance that I can kick you out of my life completely but then He is not leaving either. Can we call a truce?  If you care about me like you say how about granting a request?  There is one thing that would make it easier on the both of us.  Since He outranks you, how about coming on board with us?

The Team God Has Given You.

The number one reason pastors leave the ministry is discouragement and the biggest struggle that leads to that discouragement is the difficulty in leading congregations to follow the pastor’s God-given vision. I don't know of a single pastor who has not faced this at some point in his ministry. 

We must remember that God is the head coach and pastors are the offensive coordinators.  They get to call the plays but the Lord sends those He wants on the team.  As leaders we know our job is to "equip the saints" but many times much of the equipping has already been done by the time they arrive to the church.  The Holy Spirit has already given them gifts, God has blessed them with talents and abilities, each has a certain personality type, everyone has their own love language, their passions and many bring much life experience with them when they come.  While certainly there is a place for more learning and training, much of the equipping has already been done. 

Corporately, the church has one mission:  the great commission.  But individual churches may have specific ministries.  It is through these different ministries that we are given the opportunity to carry out the Lord's mission.  This is also why many times what works in one church may not work in another.  God has a specific purpose for a specific group of believers in a specific location.

Equipping the saints-at-large is helping them to discover how God has made them and uniquely gifted them—their specific place in the body, so to speak—and how this all comes together and is to be used in God's plan.  There is no greater feeling than knowing you are doing what God created you to do.

 
The Lord knows what kinds of players He needs to run His offense for your team.  When you have a team full of tight ends and run blockers and you try to run a spread offense there is not a lot of victory.  Have you ever taken the church through a complete discovery process?  There are several different ones out there and we are currently putting together our own to help the churches we serve.

Democracy: The Beginning of the End

Long have we felt that the United States has the best form of government in the world.  Oh it is not perfect but it has always been leaps and bounds ahead of the rest..... in our opinion.  Now in our form of democracy, we elect those who represent us but the people are supposed to have the final say...boy has that changed.  The majority of the people in several states have voted in laws only to have the high court trump them.

Democracy really was doomed from the beginning.  We the people have always gone astray even from the very beginning.  When the Founding Fathers created the constitution and other documents that this country was supposed to be governed by, most if not all had one thing in common, their moral standard and guideline was the bible.  So long as most of the people used the same standard to live their lives, then democracy worked pretty well.  When that changes (changed) democracy begins to become worse and worse.

For the believer the times will get harder as the government begins to redefine more and more issues that God has already defined.  This will put the true believer more and more often on opposing sides of our government.  Will the church's presence shrink even more or will we fight?

In scripture the people always got off the right track and never returned on their own.  Will God raise up someone to lead the people back one more time or is this it?

Election Results & Sunday School

I did not follow the news on election night and was satisfied to find out the results early this morning over coffee.  I must say that it caught me off guard to learn that the country had voted to give Obama four more years.  One would think that in this "results oriented" world that we live in this would be a confusing move.  All day there have been many explanations of strategies and what ultimately gave the winning side the victory and maybe there is merit to much of this.  In my simple opinion however one thing sticks out more than anything else: perception.

There is a simple principal that I learned long ago from leaders before me and firmly believe to this day.  It is one of the keys to leadership,  "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care about them."  We will overlook some shortcomings in a leader if we really believe that they care about us verses a leader who is smarter and maybe more capable but does not connect.  Certainly as a Minister of Education/Sunday School Director the most important quality I look for in a Teacher is that they care about those they lead.  Teaching skills can be improved but caring about people comes from the heart.

I do not know President Obama or Mitt Romney personally.  From information resources, listening to others I respect and doing my homework, I am convinced that Mitt Romney has the better plan for American and is more capable of carrying it out. Perception is often stronger than reality and it sure appears to be the case in this past election.  The "perception" that was sold to the people is that Obama cares about them and Romney does not.  In my simple opinion this mattered as much as anything else.

The Sinner, the Sin, and the Struggle.

Many sins that used to be under the cover of darkness have not only made their way to the light in these times, but are even in the spotlight.  Our struggle with sin will never be over completely on this side of Heaven, though with the Holy Spirit's help, the power of prayer, and the assistance of other believers, we can win some of the battles.

Let's look at some tendencies.  The dictionary defines a tendency as a leaning or inclination towards something, almost like a gravitational pull in a particular direction.  A boy or girl growing up in a home where not much affection is shown may feel unloved and may seek to fulfill this natural need  for love later in life in a wrong way.  They may seek to have intimate relations (outside of marriage) early and often as a way to make them feel loved, and so a tendency develops.  Perhaps a person has always used food to comfort them during stressful times and now they have a weight problem that is difficult to overcome.

People may be raised in an environment where yelling and screaming and cursing is the norm and they acquire this habit which later becomes a tendency.  Having a parent that was a drunk might lead to alcohol experimentation early on that can lead to alcoholism.  Someone can be abused by a person of the same sex and end up confused about their own sexual orientation.  There are so many situations . . . and I am no psychologist.  The point is that these scenarios--and countless others--can cause possible weaknesses or tendencies in our lives that we may always have.

There are many sins I could use as an example here but I've chosen the sin of homosexuality because it has been in the news so much lately.  I pray for the person who has the tendency towards this sin, wherever the tendency came from; not because it is worse than any other sin but because I am limited in my ability to help as I cannot relate.  There are those out there however, who have been delivered of homosexuality and can provide help and direction. 

Please note that there is a difference in struggling with one's sin and glorifying in it. We all have our weaknesses.  There is a struggle when our tendencies come up against our will.  We know something is wrong but because of our tendencies, the pull towards a particular sin is strong. This battle may last a long time and come with victory and losses, but the war continues on.   When two people of the same gender decide to get married, then they are most likely not struggling with this sin any longer and have either just embraced it or tried to convince themselves and everyone else it is not wrong.  They are indeed committing to a sinful lifestyle.

It's important that we remember that lost people are going to act like lost people.  We should continue to reach out to them and try to help them find that one foremost thing that every person needs:  Jesus.  We should do this with love in our hearts but without condoning their behavior or compromising God's Word.    For those who choose to continue down this road and claim to be Christians, the Bible again tells us what to do.  In 1 Corinthians 5:11 Paul states, "But actually I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one." 

What if I Don't Agree With the Direction of the Church?

What if I don't agree with the direction of the church?  This question comes up in every church sooner or later, so what is the proper way to deal with the issue?  What should we do? 

First of all let's establish that disagreeing, just like anger, is not a sin.  When times of disagreement come up in the church--and they will, over and over again--a question we should ask ourselves is do we react or respond?  We are all emotional beings and without the Holy Spirit to keep these emotions in check at times we may react or respond sinfully.

God has always been a God of order, it is people who sometimes get it wrong.  The church was never created to be a democracy though we have brought this type of government into the church.  God has always called men to lead His people and then given those men a vision of what He wants them to do.  The leader then shares this vision with the body and they work together to carry out God's plan.

How to best carry out God's plan can sometimes cause a difference of opinion. I believe a good leader will first spend much time in prayer and then try to the best of their ability to present the vision, the plan to carry it out the vision, and the reasons for the vision and the plan.  There should be a time to answer questions and address concerns that the body may have, but not to change the direction God has revealed.

So if all this happens and we are one of those who still do not agree, what then?  We should respond by entering into a time of intense prayer ourselves and seek God's guidance.  God is not going to give the man He has called to lead the church one vision and then give someone else in the church a different vision; that causes confusion and that is not of the Lord. 

If we do not necessarily agree with the plan, then the next question we need to ask ourselves is do we trust the leadership?  Will God confirm the plan in our hearts later?  Can we remain a part of the fellowship without stirring up strife?  If not, it may very well be God's way of letting us know that it's time to move on, He has another place for us to serve.         

Church Conflict

Can a person be wronged and then be in the wrong? Church conflict is an age old issue that will never go away until Jesus returns. The early church had to deal with it and I've never heard of a church that has not. The question is not if conflict will come, the question is how we deal with it when it does come. Part of the problem is that as believers are all at different levels in our spiritual maturity. We may all have different ideas and strategies on how to respond when we feel like we have been wronged, and it is a natural emotion for one to become defensive when this happens. What we do or say when we feel like we have been wronged certainly is a spiritual marker in our life. 

Jesus was wronged and did nothing but ask the Father to forgive them. It is very hard for us to do this. However, instead of taking matters into our own hands when this happens, should we not see what the Bible tells us we should do? Matthew 18 deals with this beginning in verse 15. When we take matters into our own hands and do other things--such as spread our hurt to others--then we may find ourselves on the wrong side. Proverbs has a lot to say about those who stir up strife; in fact in Proverbs 6, God says He hates one who stirs up strife among the brothers. Scripture has much to say about reconciliation. One question we might ask ourselves?  Is my reaction and/or response making a possible reconciliation harder or easier?

Importance of Selecting Teachers

I would like to deal with some very good comments and a question that were recently left for me on the post Another Step.  The subject was dealing with SS teacher selection.

Quite a number of years ago our family joined a church which had won consecutive SS Eagle awards for church growth, four years running.  I firmly believe that what happened while we were there was the result of what the commenter was questing in my prior post.  The pastor was very evangelistic and a good friend of mine and the education guy was also a friend and a man I respected.  Their church growth was a case of a formula put into place for church growth, and new classes were created yearly to stick with the formula.  There reached a point when the church plateaued because the teachers of most of the classes were not even mature believers themselves and the principle of as the leader goes, so go the people or the student rarely rises above the level of the teacher kicked in.  As a result of the spiritual immaturity in the church, many petty problems came up and could not be effectively handled and the church spent many years at a standstill.  

Teacher selection is one of the most important responsibilities for the Minister of Education, Sunday School Director and/or Pastor.  The commenter referenced James 3 and I totally agree.  Many who aspire to be teachers should not or should not yet.  It is the responsibility of the overseer to help those in the church to find their place of service and then equip and even mentor them. 

A teacher should never be accepted just because they volunteer and solicitation should definitely not occur from the pulpit.  This should take place after much prayer and then after a one-on-one meeting.  I would also never allow someone who has not been a member of the church for at least six months (preferably one year), to fulfill the awesome responsibility of a Sunday School teacher.  This includes people who come to the church from another church who may have been teaching there for twenty years.

One notable exception to this might be the following:  if a teacher were involved in an accident or had an extended illness or family crisis.  There are times when it is necessary to serve (temporarily) out of need and not giftedness.  Too many times though, leadership uses this "time of need" situation as an opportunity to stop looking.

I will even go on to say that the best teachers, and the ones I always look for, are not those who necessarily have a degree or have great teaching skills, but those who are the best Shepherds.  The Shepherd/Leader is one who is concerned about those under their care and demonstrates this by keeping up with the lives of their class members and spends time together with class members outside the classroom.  Caring about people is not a spiritual gift but a fruit of the spirit.  It is a maturity issue.  Teaching skills can be acquired and taught, but caring about people is a heart issue.

Let me finish up by saying that when your people grow in their spiritual maturity then most often your church will grow as well.  Once a proper leader base is established, the church will never be short on leadership.  It should not be the goal for the church leaders to grow the church but to spiritually grow their people.  When that is done correctly, a steady, healthy growth should occur.

Is Salvation Too Easy?

Should we make salvation easier than the Bible makes it?  I am afraid in many cases we have and the results have produced very few disciples through the years.  Often I have heard a well meaning leader say all you have to do is believe...but believing is not enough, even sincere belief.  Is having faith enough?  I think that depends on how a person defines faith.  These days everyone seems to be defining what things mean to them which does not lead to the most accurate definition in many cases.

In the salvation experience and process the key lies in transformation.  This begins when a person truly gives their life to Jesus and never stops until they leave this life.  Could it be that there was a misunderstanding of faith after Paul preached it?  This is possible I am sure as there is a misunderstanding of faith for many today.  James comes back and further explains what kind of faith the Lord is looking for, the kind that leads to action.

Repentance is not always included in an invitation yet John The Baptist seemed to think it was important.  Many times in scripture we see where Jesus gives examples of the narrow doorway and how hard it really is to be His disciple.  Commitment is a word mentioned many times as well. 

Transformation is not just behavior modification, people do that all the time depending on the particular situation they are in.  Salvation should produce a transformation that has taken hold of and continues to mold a person's motives.  Our behavior should always be improving because more and more we are giving way to this new reprogramming of our thoughts from the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

  

Another Step

We have now been to dinner with most everyone in the church and we've truly enjoyed getting to know folks and their past histories (how couples met, about their families, how they found their way to Cornerstone, etc.).  As we serve together both in and out of the church this information will help even more to build our relationships and make friends. 

My wife began the women's ministry last week and had a great turn-out.  She has plenty of experience in this area and is very excited about her role.  They will be concentrating on building up and encouraging the women as well as partnering with the overall strategy of outreach for the church.

In the coming weeks my plan is to meet with each SS Leader in their home to further discuss our overall direction, curriculum selection, strategies for reaching out to visitors, and discovering new prospects.  Another concept I will seek to further explain is the need for "open" classes.  Furthermore, I will be seeking input on how I might best assist them in this ministry.

It is already clear that we need two more classes; a young men's class and a young ladies' class, so I will begin praying to see if those leaders might already be in the church. 

Building Relationships

Anytime a new leader goes into a church one of the very first things he or she should work on is building those relationships. In church life, unlike the business world, the church is filled mostly with volunteers so positional leadership is very short-lived and only gives one a starting place. People do not buy into ideas until they buy into the person. Trust is the number one character trait a leader must have and while it may be given in a small amount in the beginning, mostly it must be earned over time.

Over the last several weeks we have gone to dinner with six different couples in the church and I must say we enjoyed every single outing. No dinner has lasted less than three hours and the discussion topics were all over the place. I try to make it a point not to talk about church related things at all unless the other party brings it up. It is always interesting to hear about how couples met, what their hobbies are and how they found their way to the church.

In the men's class I am teaching we recently switched over to the Explore The Bible series curriculum, at least for now. Later other options will be considered. Curriculum choices should involve several factors and the experience of the teacher is a big one so knowing where they are in their spiritual journey is important.

We will continue to go to dinner with folks every week if possible until we have made one complete round. Also I will begin scheduling a time to visit each man in my SS class in their home for a short visit. In the classroom slowly we will begin the process from learning Biblical Truths to putting them in practice. By that I mean what we learn one week, a challenge will be given for those in the class to go out in the following week and put the truth into action with myself leading the way. I will then encourage my classmates to share their experience the following Sunday...though no one will be called on specifically. They will also have the option to share their experiences via e-mail, phone or text with me if they are more comfortable with that.

The church has sponsored a little league baseball team and both of the coaches are from our church so we will definitely be attending some of those games. We have invited the whole church out to the camp at the end of this month for a church-wide fellowship which we are also looking forward to. Stay tuned!

First Leadership Meeting

After everyone enjoyed pizza for lunch and the children were taken care of, the pastor began our meeting with prayer and then put in a video about leadership from John Maxwell.  I have long been a student of John Maxwell and was very familiar with the principles being taught, though I do not have the video that was being shown.  

After the video the pastor introduced me and I took about 20 minutes giving a broad vision of where we are headed in Sunday School.  I did introduce a few small changes that will begin on the first Sunday in April.  The first was introducing class rolls, which have not been used in the two months we have been here. I also asked the teachers not to think of these as class rolls but instead, to think of them as Ministry Lists (which is how they are officially labeled).  The people on this list are ones God has entrusted to our care.  Having ones name on this list does not obligate them to a class, bur rather obligates us to them.  

I also wanted all the Teachers from this day forward not to think of themselves as Teachers but as Shepherd/Leaders.  The most important characteristic I am looking for in a teacher--or make that Shepherd/Leader--is that they care about those on their ministry lists and demonstrate it.  There are some visitor/enrollment cards that will be included in their Shepherd/Leader packets on Sunday and we talked about how important this is.  I will also be handing out information sheets for all church members to fill out so we can begin a database.  We also briefly discussed the importance of keeping in contact with those on the the ministry list who are in-service.

We have now been to dinner with three couples in the church and have another one scheduled for Sunday after church.  There are some wonderful folks here and we are excited about getting to know them all better.  On another note Denise met with the pastor's wife on Friday and has been working diligently on launching the Women's Ministry which should kick-off in April.

Building a Dynamic Sunday School

Over the next year I have decided to use my blog to chronicle the process of building the Sunday School ministry within the church where we are currently serving.   While the entries will not be daily, I intend to make them on a regular basis.  It is my firm belief that when a Sunday School ministry is built correctly and is the foundation of the church, God is glorified, problems in the church are few, the gospel is shared on a regular basis, both physical and spiritual needs are met, worship is meaningful,  true disciples are made and there is never a shortage of leaders.

The Beginning

After several meetings with the pastor it is clear we are both on the same page on just about everything, especially leadership and Sunday School.  He prayed about us coming to the church and we prayed about it as well.  After attending worship services at the church we met with the Church Council to further explain what our ministry is about and to answer any questions they had.  It was decided that we could help the church so the following Sunday the pastor publicly announced us.  I will be serving as the Sunday School Director.

First Steps

The pastor and I communicate on a regular basis and one of the things I had mentioned to him that is a normal practice of ours when coming to a new church is to begin forming relationships with the people.  We have been to dinner with two couples in the church so far and another is planned for this week.  My wife is meeting the pastor's wife for lunch this week and I have already been to lunch a couple of times with the pastor. 

We have been here now for about four weeks and last week I became the Men's Sunday School class teacher.  This was a move agreed upon by all parties.  The seating in the class was set-up with four rows of church pews as seating and a lectern up front for the teacher.  Before teaching last Sunday I moved the lectern out and brought in padded chairs and arranged them in a circle.  I like it when everyone can see each other and it also works better for class participation, which I encourage.

Here is where we are starting from:  one adult ladies class, one adult men's class, one children's class (5 years to 5th grade), one youth class (6th to 12th grade), and a nursery class (infant-4 years).  No records are being kept presently, so there is no accurate record on attendance.  Our first Leadership (teacher's) meeting will take place this Sunday right after the service where we will provide lunch and childcare.  This will be mostly introductory and a vision of the importance of Sunday School and where we are going.  Class rolls have been created and will be included with a teacher packet which will be given to all teachers.  It will also include Visitor/New Member Cards (which are non-existent currently). My best guess is there around 55 attending the church.

The church just began a new ministry a few weeks ago that I think is a great idea; they sponsored a baseball team.  The children's minister here is the coach and another gentleman who helps out in the children's ministry is helping him as well.  I can already see outreach ideas popping up for this one!

One of the gentlemen who was in the Men's SS Class the week before I started teaching was absent last week so I asked the Pastor if he would like to join me on a visit to the man's house Tuesday night, which he did.  He is planning on being there Sunday.  I also spoke to another gentleman Wednesday night who has been coming to church but not to SS and asked him to join us on Sunday morning which he said he would.  I believe my first Sunday to teach we had a total of nine in the class.

There is currently no women's ministry at the church, but I have spoken to the pastor about this and how this is where Denise's heart is.  He is definitely in favor of starting this up and will speak with the Church Council soon.

We have no set/standard curriculum for SS but that will be changing soon as well.

Incomplete Strategy

One of the greatest mistakes of my generation, as leaders and teachers in the church, is that we have been satisfied with those in our care simply learning what has been taught. This is an incomplete strategy and does not lead to discipleship.  We are experiencing this lack of "true discipleship" all across the country.  We believe that it is our responsibility to equip the Saints so we teach and challenge our people but take lightly the area of follow-up and accountability.     Lifestyle evangelism and relationship building have taken the place of personal witnessing.  Now don't get me wrong, both of these certainly have a place in the believer's life but not at the expense of one on one sharing our faith.  It all starts with leadership in the church and for one reason or another we have dropped the ball in this area.  Certainly if leaders are not sharing their faith on a regular basis then they can not expect their people to do so.  It is important for us to see God at work.  If we want our people to invite folks to church, then they need to see and hear about those we have invited and are coming on a regular basis.  If we want people to share their faith personally, then they need to hear about our experiences and see God's saving faith in action.  Equipping is more than teaching and providing resources it is taking others with us as we go.  The Lord has convicted me first of the things mentioned here which is why I have put it in the blog.  I used to do these things when I taught a Sunday School class years ago and have made a renewed committment to get back to what I know should be happening. 

Band-Aid On A Puncture Wound

As the talks heat up a recommendation is surely coming concerning changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention/Denomination.  It seems to me just one more step down the road we have been on for awhile now.  Membership in most all religious groups is down and has been falling so the powers at be scramble to try anything to stop or at least slow down the skid.  How exactly will a name change help?  Oh I have read the articles and heard the arguments about how "Southern Baptist" carries so much baggage or other peoples preconceived ideas may turn their heads.  If the denomination continues to stand firm on their beliefs then all we are really doing is putting on a disguise until they get in the door then right?    Was there a survey taken somewhere that is guiding this issue?  Is this seeker sensitive taken too far?  What is on the horizon....if teaching and preaching that Jesus is the only way offends the majority will that then be toned down as well?  Where does scripture say that majority rule should guide the church anyway?

Our world is all about trying to fix the external things because fixing the internal problems are hard and take much time and effort.  When churches began changing the name of Sunday School classes to Life Groups and everything else under the sun, did the attendance rise dramatically?  The church has changed through the years and certainly our methods may need to if it will equate to reaching more people for the kingdom.  That being said I have witnessed so many changes that came about because it is what the people wanted and not necessarily what God had revealed to the leadership.  Where do we ever find in scripture the people staying on the right road on their own or coming back to God without a Godly leader who comes on the scene to lead them back?

There are many smart folks out there with all kind of degrees who would point to this or that as the reasons for the decline of the church.  In my simple view it really comes down to one main thing and that is collectively we have not been making true disciples.  Now for this to happen the church must be intentional and invest much of it's time, money and resources.  When done effectively though the tremendous results can barely be measured.  What are the by-products of discipleship?  People give without any arm twisting, evangelize by sharing their faith, serve out of love, minister to those in need, are readily involved in mission work both here and abroad and use their gifts to the fullest extent.

Do We Owe Anything To The Past ?

Do we owe the past anything?  As a believer I know scripture teaches that God forgives us of our sins and once that happens it is not Him who continues to bring those things up anymore.  I know also that there may still be suffering connecting with the consequences of past sins. There might be other things that may not have been sins but could have hurt others in our past.  I praise God for many people He has saved that have no dynamic testimony so to speak because He saved them from so many things......my children were fortunate to be in this category.  I was not. 

One of my spiritual gifts is prophecy.  It comes with an ability to quickly recognize, have a love for and desire to speak the truth.  The downside of this gift is that when I write, it sometimes may sound that I am holier than thou and have it all together.  This is not the way it is however.  I was saved when I was 21 years old and can still remember it clear as day, the place, how I felt and even the Preacher's name.  The church where my salvation experience occurred was heavily focused on Evangelism but not on Discipleship.  There were many struggles I was dealing with at the time and though my wants and desires had changed, there was little encouragement or support to help me in my new life.  After time I drifted away from church and never made it very far down the road of holiness at all.  About 16 years ago the Lord led me to join a small country church and I began to study scripture on my own and attend conferences and seminars and came in contact with some very Godly men who challenged me to grow in my faith.  It has been a long road, a slow road, a very difficult road even to get to where I am currently in my desire to be a disciple of Christ.  While I may not have much difficulty recognizing the truth, it is still very hard at times to make the changes necessary in my life required to line up with it.  Sometimes things in our past ignite our passion to help others, this has certainly been the case for me.  One of the big reasons our Ministry was created was that God gave me a desire to help others in becoming true disciples and not to have to struggle the way I did. 

So how much do we owe to our past?  Are there people from days gone by that may have been hurt by us, even unintentionally, that we need to go back to and ask for forgiveness?  I believe this is what scripture teaches.  If we think back there might be a few obvious folks that come to mind but what about others we don't even know about?   I have made attempts to meet with some folks from my past and extended invitations to others. Though this could be a painful process, it is the right thing to do and one I want to do.  There is no one I can think of I have ever hurt intentionally but there might be some who have been hurt unintentionally.  Sometimes the only way we can know, is if they let us know.     

Are You Contaminated And Don't Even Know It?

In a blog I wrote a few months ago there was a section where I talked about being "Exposed or Contaminated".  This is a follow-up to that.  Simply put how to know if we have moved from being exposed to contaminated is that we have allowed the world to change us...in some cases to even set our standards.  Generally this is a gradual process, kind of the way tv has changed over the last 30 years.  Some of the things coming on tv today...even during prime time, would never have been considered years ago because the general population would not stand for it.  It happened little by little slowly over time, barely noticeable.   I think most believer's really don't understand what holiness and sanctification is all about.  Is this because we don't spend enough time in God's Word?  That could be it but I know several brothers and sisters in Christ who have and continue to spend lot's of time studying the scriptures.  We have plenty of knowledge but not as much change in our behavior?  When is the last time we made a change in our life because of what the Bible says or due to conviction from the Holy Spirit?  It does not happen near as much as it should I can tell you that.  Deeper Bible Study and knowledge of the scripture is not enough to grow in our spiritual maturity.  It seems to me that many believers have decided that it is my *actions* that count the most.  Wasn't this the same attitude the Pharisees had as well?  Jesus came along and dealt with the Spirit of the Law instead of the Letter of the Law.  I see fellow Christians out there everywhere that watch tv shows and go to movies that is riddled with profanity and lust (though there may not be any nudity).  Here is one test to see if we have been contaminated....do we look at the rating of a movie before we decide to go see it instead of finding out for ourselves what is in the movie?  Is nudity for "arts sake" ok with you?  Is it ok to watch programs with profanity as long as we don't use it?  Is profanity, "if used in a quote" acceptable?  How do tv shows and movies that are full of sexual humor, lying and deceit line up with Philippians 4:8?  Certainly books and magazines should be included as well. By overlooking or ignoring these things in our lives we get in the way of the sanctification process.  The good news is that we can change and are not stuck in a contaminated state.  With prayer, a commitment and some work we can push forward to being the kind of people God desires us to be!

Spiritual Guardrails

The Lord has blessed me with much patience and I am thankful for this especially when things come into my life that I don't understand. Our family has experienced much of this, (things we don't understand), on a big scale over the past year but on a smaller scale it happens all the time. Right now there are several things I could think of that leave a question in my mind. As I grow older and hopefully wiser the prevalent message to me from the Master is "I want you to trade understanding for trust, you are not meant to understand everything".

Sometimes I think my life is about meetings but have realized that this is one very important key to unlocking doors. As John Maxwell says "people don't buy into ideas until they buy into the leader".

In the last week I have been on three fishing trips with three different people and have enjoyed every one of them. All three were more than just fishing trips. Went to a fellowship at one person's house to watch a basketball game with a group of people and then out to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant with another group....some of the same folks. Worked side by side with folks who camp up to the camp to help out one day and then just hung out with another group who were on spring break another day. 

Coming up in the spring and summer will be conferences Denise and I will be teaching and others we will be attending. Our prayer is that our house will sell soon though the market does not look very good. Denise will be having another surgery in June and there is a job issue to decide upon as well.

We are becoming more and more involved with the folks at the new church start we joined recently Ignite City Church and seeking to build relationships and gain their trust. The Pastor has great potential is very doctrinally sound and a great guy as well.....there are many ideas and suggestions I would like to share with him and over time intend to do this.

One of the things that has disturbed my heart lately is the lack of believers out there who seem to have no desire to seek a blameless life. Now while we will never be able to live a sinless life while down here on this earth, a *blameless* life is obtainable.  Scripture says Job did it, Titus 1:6 says an Elder must live a blameless life, Psalms, Proverbs and Philippians all talk about it as well. 

So what is a blameless life? This is one where we are concerned more about others than ourselves. It is one where we chose to perhaps pass on or give up things that may not necessarily be a sin to us but others may struggle with.  When we are striving to be blameless, we seek to eliminate a habit or action that someone might could hold against us or cause them to question our ethics. 

It is one where there is a huge distinction between us and the world...it is often referred to in scripture as one filled with holiness. Paul refers to this in Acts 24:16 that it is his goal to have a clear conscience before God *and* man. We sometimes take the attitude that God knows my heart and that is all that matters, not so. I just don't see very many folks these days trying to go above and beyond the minimum when it comes to holy living and a large part of the fault rests with my generation.

Now I am sure not knocking other strategies in the church that have led folks to salvation but is this not how things are supposed to work? --> As the church we go out after the lost, not waiting for them to come to us, share the path to salvation, the Holy Spirit convicts them, they accept or reject and then those who accept are brought into the church where they find something found no where else......which is a group of people who love each other and take care of each other and teach them how to live radically different than the rest of the world and in turn share with others the path to salvation? The blameless life is a radical life and is full of sacrifice for the greater good. It is one more concerned with love and responsibilities than our rights and privileges. 

So what are "spiritual guardrails" and how do they come into play in the blameless life? These are habits or plans of action we put into place that not only keep us way away from temptation, but steer us clear of things that call our actions into question by others.

I can remember years ago when the Holy Spirit placed on my heart one of these guardrails that I put into place and have remained committed to it ever since. I used to do some painting and often it meant I would be in a house doing a job when only the wife or woman was there. Never had I been tempted or accused of any wrong doing but the Holy Spirit said this was not a good idea. If a particular lady said I had done something with her or stolen something it would be only my word against hers. Also what if some other brother was weak in this area and saw that if it was ok for me to do it how could I say to him it was not ok?

A guardrail would be that Bosses, pastors, coaches or others which include dating couples, put a system in place and make the commitment that they will not meet with the opposite sex alone. Another one would be that an organization has more than one person handling their money.

There are programs that can be installed on our computers to protect us. Someone traveling alone staying in a hotel might ask them at the desk to turn off the cable to their room. Another guardrail might be someone with a debt problem cutting up all their credit cards.

There are certainly too many to list. Oh I have heard folks say these things are silly and I don't need to do these things....and every day another pastor or fellow brother or sister we hear about ruining their testimony because of sin. What is really being said when we say we don't need to do these things is I am strong enough on my own....when we are depending on ourselves that is right where Satan likes to have us!

Have You Been Exposed or Contaminated?

Through the years I’ve had several thoughts on this subject on more than one occasion and have even written them down a time or two. A week or so ago I heard a ten year old boy use a word in a sentence that took me back to this familiar subject. This particular child is a relative, raised in a Christian home, and one could tell that he used it freely and without remorse. Now in the last couple of years, even in my own family, I have heard this same word spoken. It really raises the hair on the back of my neck, as not too long ago it was considered profanity. Who moved it out of that category? The culture. The word I am talking about here is another word for urinating. The dictionary says in its slang form it means to anger. I believe the use of this word by believers is a symptom of another issue.

Years ago, not long after being hired on at the Fire Department, it was required of me to “rove” to many of the stations. Word came down from headquarters or from somewhere higher up that a particular person from one of the stations had been diagnosed with Hepatitis. Now I am not sure which one as there are five different types, but it was strongly advised that anyone who had spent any time at all at that station should be checked for this disease. I went to the doctor to be tested, very shortly after receiving the notice. Now while my memory is not completely clear as to how long this process took, I will never forget the conversation with my doctor. He called me into the office and said good news, while the test shows you have been exposed, you are not contaminated. While certainly I was relieved at the statement my immediate question was “what is the difference?” He said the test showed antibodies in my blood that are only present in people who had been around or exposed to hepatitis. He went on to say that with too much exposure contamination would occur. Well Doc, I asked, how much is too much exposure? He said that it was hard to say and that it varied with each person and that lots of factors figured into the equation. A person’s health and how often the exposure occurred were two critical things in how long someone could prevent contracting the disease. The last thing I remember him saying was the least amount of exposure the better, as even a person with the strongest immune system can only resist so long.

There are many things we as believers cannot prevent exposure to if we are to reach this lost world, but how much do we purposely expose ourselves to for no good reason at all? Scripture is very clear that we are to be in the world but not of the world, and this means to not be like the world. Jesus was radically different, Paul was radically different, but it seems in today’s world there is more and more gray area between who God’s people are and the rest of society. Do we really grasp the meaning of the Scriptures that say “our body is a temple”, or that “we are to be holy?” If we wouldn’t bring something into the church why would we bring it into the temple? I think sometimes we place way too much confidence in ourselves and how strong we are against being influenced. People often comment that just because they read something or watch a movie or a show on TV that doesn’t mean they will follow that example in their own life. Why does the Bible say to choose our friends carefully or to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers? God is concerned about them influencing us, not the other way around. Isn’t this another way of saying that with enough exposure you will be contaminated? Our thoughts become influenced before our behavior. Exposing ourselves unnecessarily over and over again to profanity, for example, eventually affects our spiritual discernment in this area. Our tolerance level for this creeps up slowly and without even knowing it. When is the last time we told someone who uses profanity that it offends us or that we wish they would not use that type of language around us? If someone opened a pornographic magazine in front of us would we say something? Would we be shocked, offended, or walk away? What is the difference? If we went to see a “Christian movie” and there was profanity would we be surprised? Would it bother us? Why? If the Pastor uses that kind of language in his message on Sunday would it bother us? Have we re-defined holiness instead of accepting what the Lord says it is? Aren’t we living our lives for Someone else now? Just because we are not committing a particular sin doesn’t mean we might not be hurting our Christian witness. We all have been exposed; the question is are we contaminated and if so what can we do about it? I’ll discuss this in the next post.