Discipleship isn't sexy!

Francis Chan, formerly the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, is now living in an urban neighborhood filled with poverty and addictions. He spends most of his time building friendships, offering prayer, and pointing people to Christ. In a blog post bearing the title I lifted for this CWTW, Chan speaks about his ministry. “I wish I could tell you a bunch of stories of lives that have changed as a result. I wish I could tell you that hundreds have repented and are now serving the Lord faithfully. Instead, I’m pretty sad as very few of my new friends are ready to ditch their lives to follow Jesus. Some are not convinced they need to repent. Others are not convinced He is worth it.” I love his candor!

Too many sell us a Christian ‘story’ of perpetual victory, of miracle tales, of hearts that overflow with happy thoughts! These leave a lot of us wondering if our faith is faulty, our prayers weak, or worse; if God has chosen to ignore us.   

Sometimes, I'm one of those wonder-ers. I love the community in which I minister. I make no apologies for how hard I work and pray. Yet, to be as candid as Chan, the harvest is meager. Yes, I can tell you about moments of grace when my heart overflows with joy when a sinner is restored to his Abba or a prayer is unmistakably answered. But, I can also tell you about hard-hearted people who turn their back on Christ knowing full well what they are doing. I know more who love their stuff than who love God.  And, in spite of my prayers, I go to sleep some nights with this prayer of uncertainty on my lips: “Why, Lord, don’t you heal that marriage or restore that man’s health, or send a spiritual revival to our church?”

Why am I surprised at the hardship? After all, the Scripture is very clear about the state of the world in which He sends me. "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you." (2 Timothy 4:3-5, NLT) The Bible makes it plain that I am called to a war, not a party.  Then, too, I'm told that we’re not home yet. We are ‘aliens and strangers’ who are ‘looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.’

Discipleship isn’t sexy! It is hard work that only finds the final and full reward on the other side of time, when we are home with Abba. You want your pay-out now? Think twice about following Jesus. You want an easy life, an untroubled conscience, the freedom to fulfill your whims? Don’t give yourself to Him. He demands all of us, leads us into conflict with evil, and takes our time and treasure. He asks us to give up our privacy, to share our homes, to love those who are not easy to love, to take the side of those who are rejected by the powerful. And He warns, it will kill you. We know the words of this text, but do we understand the meaning? "Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)

This message won’t allow me to pastor a mega-church. After all, the crowds deserted Jesus when He told them about self-denial, and He was able to feed them with loaves and fishes and raise their children from the dead, something I have yet to see in answer to my prayers.  

You might be thinking that I am full of regret for how I have lived my life. You would be wrong. Do I think that I made a mistake in answering His call? Not for a moment. Here’s why. It’s not because I got rich (though I am blessed) or became a celebrity or found a life of unbroken happiness.  

I can see the horizon line that marks the end of my time here on earth. Were it not for Christ Jesus, I would be staring into an abyss, dark and fearful. But, because of His love, I am saved from death and share the promise of the resurrection life, first seen in Jesus, who was raised from the dead. "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8, NIV)

So, let’s embrace the challenge, stop looking for a ‘sexy’ life, and serve like soldiers. “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV)

I'm Exceptional. OH?

Henri Nouwen felt God leading him to live in a Trappist monastery for 6 months. This brilliant man, a university professor and prolific writer, sought the quiet of the monastic life until he was there for a few days. He found himself searching the mailbox, waiting for calls, hungering even for another monk to show him some attention. His mood darkened to depression and then anxiety. These were his thoughts, recorded in his journal. “My lifestyle became part of our contemporary desire for ‘stardom.’ I wanted to say, write, or do something ‘different’ or ‘special’ that would be noticed and talked about. ... you can even preach the Gospel in such a way that people are led to believe nobody had thought of that before. In all these situations you end up with applause because you did something sensational.”   The Genesee Diary

Nouwen’s experience with anonymity in a community dedicated to quiet sameness in contemplation and service of Christ led him to a new understanding of Christ’s own surrender which is described in the Scripture. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-7, NIV) This is not self-hatred. It is not a call to leave our gifts undeveloped. It is a revelation of a life that is content with being all and only who Christ makes us. "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3, NIV)

Does the moon pine for its own radiance? No, it’s function is to reflect the sun. That lump of rock in the sky captivates us only because of the glory of another heavenly body. When we give away our need for notice and become content to live to reflect His radiance, a deep peace settles over us, a contentment that is unattained by any degree or award man can give.  

American Christianity has turned the Gospel inside out, making it a way to reach our highest personal potential, as if Christ came to fulfill all our fantasies and make us into little gods! Ponder the call of Jesus. He asks each of us to give up our life, to take up our Cross, to die to Self. Does that sound like a path of misery? Think again! His promise is true. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39, NIV)

How much of your time is spent on making your own life more pleasant, adjusting temperatures just to suit you, looking for some diversion to amuse you, seeking for some taste to delight your palate? Those who have the resources to buy attention or the power to make others bend to their will can, and often do, become more and more obsessed with protecting their place, burnishing  their reputation, noticing and craving the respect of others. Gradually, the person they are is replaced by a ‘person’ they become on the stage. Take away their audience and they are miserable shells of humanity. They cannot be alone for they do not exist apart from what they do in public. Christ offers to give us an inner life, to let us commune with Him. The paradox is that in Him we become real, content, and rich in that which cannot be taken away.

Here is a word from the Word - "Dearest friends, ... put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. Hold tightly to the word of life." (Philippians 2:12-16, NLT)

____________   

Enough

You're my supply, my breath of life,

Still more awesome than I know.

You're my reward, worth living for,

Still more awesome than I know.

And; all of You is more than enough for all of me,

For ev'ry thirst and ev'ry need,

You satisfy me with Your love,

And all I have in You is more than enough.

You're my sacrifice of greatest price,

Still more awesome than I know.

You're my coming King, You are ev'rything,

Still more awesome than I know.

More than all I want, more than all I need!

You are more than enough for me!

More than all I know, more than all I can say,

You are more than enough.

Chris Tomlin | Louie Giglio

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Who Lives in Your Neighborhood?

Who lives in your neighborhood?

In 1963 my father started his Christian ministry in one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods where crime and violence were an epidemic. After a few months, he realized that trying to create a traditional kind of church in a corner building was almost impossible. Why? Didn't the people need Christ? Yes, and they were responsive. However, when the Gospel touched a household the first thing they did was look for an opportunity to move out, to leave the old friends and temptations behind so they could make a new start. Dad's focus shifted to one of mission, going in to point people to Christ and to a whole new way of life.  

Recently I read of young families who are choosing to go and live in those neighborhoods. A group of Christians, often young and educated, go in together so that they can keep their lives intact, their faith healthy. They are practicing the 'salt and light' principle that Jesus taught, taking the Light to desperately dark corners; bringing the preserving salt of the Gospel to places where sin festers.

In the will of God some are called to get up and get out, to form new relationships that allow them to overcome old ways; while others are called to step down from privilege and go in. They go to create new Christian communities among people who need hope! In both instances, we see something powerful - that people influence people! The Proverb says: "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." (Proverbs 13:20, NIV)

So - who lives in your neighborhood?
What kind of influence are they bringing to you; are you taking to them?

A 'neighborhood' is not just the place in your town or city where your home is located.
Churches are a kind of neighborhood.
Places in which we work are a kind of neighborhood.
Even our extended families are a neighborhood.
Have you considered how God is calling YOU? Is He sending you as a missionary, or calling you out for your own good? This requires wisdom and responsiveness to the Spirit. In the 2^nd letter to the Corinthians in the very same chapter, we read of some who were told to "come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.""I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1, NIV) Others were urged to let the love of Christ compel them to become "Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV) God does not contradict Himself! He knows us; our possibilities, our frailties; where we can be both His own and in service to His kingdom. The one thing He does not allow us to do is to go it alone!  

All Christians are called to a common neighborhood called the Body of Christ. We are all called, by the Spirit and baptism, into His Church. The Word teaches us to "Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ." (Ephesians 4:3-8, NLT)

Yes, we are called out of the old neighborhood of sin and selfishness, into the new neighborhood of His wholeness, purity, and hope. So, in what neighborhood are you living? Who are you influencing? Who is influencing you? These are important questions, worthy of your reflection.

_______________   

A Glorious Church

   

Do you hear them coming brother,

Thronging up the steeps of light?

Clad in glorious shining garments,

Blood washed garments pure and white.

Do you hear the stirring anthems,

Filling all the earth and sky?

'Tis a grand victorious army,

Lift its banner up on high!

'Tis a glorious church

Without spot or wrinkle,

Washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Ralph E. Hudson

Public Domain

Do you cook the game you catch?

Lawns turn into weed patches, houses fall apart, cars become inoperable, lives go to wreckage – often because of one simple phrase: “I’m going to do that… tomorrow.”   As a pastor I spend a major part of my time helping people. By the time they are talking with me, what was a little issue has become a HUGE problem.  As we walk it back, tugging at the threads that make the big knot, often we discover something that could have been taken care of with very little effort that was pushed off to ‘tomorrow.’  Oh, it’s not that we don’t know what we should do.  We even promise ourselves and others we will do it, but – tomorrow never comes.

 
Why is executing our promises so difficult?

We 'over promise.' We do not think through the real cost and when we figure it out, we conclude that keeping the promise is just too expensive. Jesus warns: “Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?" (Luke 14:28, NLT)

We get distracted.  It’s easy to let today's urgent needs control us so that we never get to the important stuff.  If I allow others to manage my schedule I come to week’s end frustrated!  If I answer the phone ever time it rings, chase every email the moment it hits my inbox, Sunday’s sermon preparation keeps getting pushed back until on Friday afternoon I feel a sense of panic. (I don’t let that happen very often!)  Marriages get neglected, usually not because a spouse actually thinks, "I'll just ignore him, and my marriage will slowly die," but because the important need for intimacy is overcome by ringing phones, bills, and schedules that demand more and more time. The Bible teaches us a principle: "Choose today whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15) Take charge of your life and set priorities. “Do first things, first!”

 
We procrastinate! "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow; you're only a day away," sings Little Orphan Annie.  The hope of a better tomorrow can be buried by the accumulated 'junk' that carries over from yesterday! Lives, relationships, homes- go to ruin one day at time. A house that is full of dirt and in disarray, gets that way when today's mess carries over into the next day, and the next..... until the job of cleaning is overwhelming. Generally things don't just collapse, they disintegrate by one neglect that is piled on another.  St. Augustine observed that “God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.”   Finish a task before starting another. Of course, some things require more than a day to accomplish, but think of the promises that would be kept, if only we seized today's opportunities!

We are sinners. Paul, in that wonderful awful chapter 7 of Romans, says, "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18, NIV) The brokenness of our sinful nature wrestles against the spiritual nature.  Sin, at work in me, works to frustrate my best intentions.  We all know how well weeds flourish even in the garden. Flowers only grow if we pour on the attention- watering and cultivating. The Gardener must be invited into our lives regularly, so that He can do in us, what we cannot do for ourselves. At the end of our resources, He is our great Resource. Because of Him, we can say confidently, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV) That's no empty promise!  There is no shame in throwing ourselves desperately on Christ, praying for transformation of the Spirit. However, when the Spirit comes, He will summon us to work!

Here’s a word from the Word.  Though a challenge, may the Lord use to bless you.

"Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up." (Proverbs 12:24-25, NLT)

"Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find." (Proverbs 12:27, NLT)

Have you believed a lie?

Steve Saint, missionary and inventor, was seriously injured earlier this Summer while working in the lab at I-tech.  He was confined to a hospital and rehab for weeks. Finally, he thought the day of going home had arrived. After evaluation, the family and physicians agreed that he needed to stay for another week. The disappointment of that day broke his heart.  This man of fortitude and wisdom said, "I wondered why the injury could not have been just a little worse so I could have been spared the pain, so my wife could be spared the hardship of caring for me."  Death would have been easier than working for recovery.

On prayerful reflection, he came to see he had believed a lie - that the good life is the easy life! Struggle produces its own depth of character, draws deeper faith from us, and allows us a maturity we would otherwise never know.

We need not seek pain in some twisted pursuit of gratification, but when troubles come, so does a choice.  We can allow them to knot us into a snarl of bitterness or we can choose to authentically process our disappointment, inviting the Spirit to lead us through the dark. It is a mistake to think that faith will exempt us from suffering or anesthetize us to the ache of sorrow. Faith will form a bridge over those troubled waters!

One of the tragedies of our time is the choice that so many make - superficiality over reality. Many are content to merely 'look good,' because the price to actually be good is too high.

• Fake academic degrees multiply because some want a paper in a frame more than an education.
• A phony 'spirituality' based on emotionalism is preferred by millions who will not walk into true knowledge of the Holy through disciplines of the spirit.
• Because the costs of developing and maintaining a real relationship are so steep - forgiveness, tolerance, unselfishness - many choose the shallow relationships of social media.

In each case, and so many more, the lie is in play - the good life is the easy life!  God desire is our transformation, which begins with learning to think in His ways.  The Scripture reminds us of the truth. If you're facing a difficult day, read this passage with prayer and faith. Then, grow on.

"It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God?" (Hebrews 12:6-8, The Message)

So .... "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4, NIV)