Discipleship | Discipleship at Messiah

Thomas Missed Jesus

Posted on 7/19/11 by On the road with Jesus.

But Thomas…was not with them when Jesus came. John 20:24

            It had been an emotionally exhausting and spiritually draining week. That evening, to get up and gather was like going to the funeral of a best friend after going through a tortuous process that led to death.
            Normally
                        energetic,
                                    strong,
                                                self-sufficient men
are more like wet noodles around a table. They are hardly able to think, much less, speak.  And they are filled with what is akin to terror that they will be next.
            It has been said it would be impossible to find a “more dispirited and unhappy people.”  Because, and this was the thing that really ate at their insides, they had failed Jesus.   On top of their fear and disappointment, their conscience was guilty. They had lost their self-respect.
            And, I suspect, there was a nagging feeling that Jesus had failed them and his promises were just empty words.  The dream he had given them “mocked them.”
            But they had learned one important lesson from Jesus–they needed each other–there was special strength, meaning in their being together. So they came–except Thomas.
            There they are, now minus Judas and Thomas (what happened to Thomas?) and most importantly, Jesus. How can they possibly make any sense of things?
            And then, JESUS WAS THERE. Have any words ever carried such impact?–“Peace be with you.” Leaving them no room for doubt, he showed them his hands and his side, repeated those first words, and added–“As the Father has sent me so send I you.”
            Suddenly everything had changed. He was saying to them:

I want you to know that whatever you have done and whatever you have been, I still trust you, and still believe in you; want you to take it in that God’s love is big enough to cover your case, your need, your sin; and God’s power strong enough to lift you up above all that. (Interpreter’s Bible).
Don’t let your past get you down. I have chosen you…receive the HS

            With that came power to do what they could not do… ability to know what is wrong and right, when repentance is real or false. Spiritual discernment given to the body of believers and the authority to declare it.
            Then John gives a dramatic illustration of how important the fellowship is in the story of Thomas.
            Some has called Thomas the courageous pessimist. William Barclay says, “The Cross was only what he expected.”
            He made a serious mistake. He withdrew from Christian fellowship and went to lick his wounds in private.
            It is a natural tendency when sorrow, or hurt, especially that connected to the fellowship which reminds us, to pull away. And as a result, he missed Jesus. Things happen in the fellowship which don’t happen alone (Barclay).  The shared experience of Jesus creates a fellowship which can not be understood by those who have not experienced it.
            Thomas’ unbelief was really a lack of trust. The word of the body should have been enough for him. The final effect of not being “with them” is the erosion of trust.
            How important trust is in the church. That doesn’t mean lack of accountability. But he should have believed until he saw otherwise. Adam Clarke said he was unreasonable, obstinate, and presumptuous.
            However, he had a saving virtue.  He would find out the truth, and when he knew it he would totally surrender. So next Sunday he was there and he met the risen Christ. But in Jesus’ mild reproof of Thomas, we are forever reminded that belief without sight—on word of those of the community is a higher spiritual plane than sight.
            And John closes this gospel on that note: “these are written that you might believe” Christ the Son of God and have life.

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The Over-the-hill Gang of the Christmas Story

Posted on 12/21/10 by On the road with Jesus.

A priest named Zechariah, … his wife Elizabeth, a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, [and] a prophetess, Anna. -Luke 1 & 2:

One of the fascinating aspects of the Christmas story is the people who are part of it. We all know about the Wise Men, The Shepherds, Herod, and of course Mary and Joseph, even the Inn keeper. But there are four others, which sort of like background scenery are there but seldom noticed. It is strange how little attention we have given to them in light of the fact that with Mary and Joseph they are the only ones named who are “in on” the meaning of Jesus birth. They are Zechariah, his wife Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna. You can read their stories in Luke chapts. 1 and 2.
            Zechariah, a priest and Elizabeth were childless. Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, perhaps a cousin. One day an angel visits Zechariah in the temple and promises them a son. That son was John the Baptist.
            Simeon was “righteous and devout.” He was waiting for God to fulfill a promise to him. The promise was an assurance that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. At God’s direction Simeon was sent to the temple where he met Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
            Anna was an 84 year old widow. She was close to God and never left the temple. There with Simeon she met the holy family. Along with Simeon she carried a special message about Jesus.
            These four shared two traits. The were all faithful people who lived close to God. But beyond that perhaps the most obvious thing they share was their age. They were old. We might call them “The Over-the-hill-gang” of the Christmas story.
            Because of that they provide an important reminder to our youth-worshiping culture—THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR MATURE SAINTHOOD!
            The younger are often busy—having a good time and making a living, occasionally touching bases at church.
            These old-timers—last of the Old Testament Saints (Godly People), held on hoping, trusting. And as a result they were visited by God. They are representatives of those faithful through all the years who did not live to see the day! I wonder: how much did they have to do with it being “the fullness of time”?
            Isn’t it strange how “golden agers” think the gospel, church, etc. are for younger (and vice versa). Too many have “folded up their tents” spiritually speaking—retired, stopped looking, hoping, anticipating. Instead they are often living in past.
            In my first pastorate after seminary, I was serving a Friends (Quaker) congregation. As part of my pastoral responsibility I was systematically calling on the members to “inquire about their spiritual health.” I was to ask one of the basic Small Group questions—“how are you doing?” with an added word—spiritually?
           Luella Jones was an old-time Quaker, approaching 90. She had served with The American Friends Service Committee, a ministry known around the world for their work for peace and justice. When I asked her that question, she looked at me and said matter-of-factly, “He talked to me today.”
            Now it’s good to say, “I talked to God today,” but to be able to say, “He talked to me today,” models a relationship with God to be pursued. One of Lulella’s common expressions spoke volumes about her. When relating some ministry, event or positive development to her this old woman would invariably respond, “Goodie!” Patience, vision (world-wide), enthusiasm! –near 90 years old.
            Age should not be a liability in God’s family. Of course we need the young, but where there are mature saints, there is a depth, a power that we cannot do without.
            You do not become an aged saint by deciding at 65 you want to be one. You do it by living faithful lives all the years. One of the wonders of the Good News is how it fits every age and how important each age is to the full picture.
            Thank God for the “Over-the-hill-gang” of the Christmas story. I want to be one of them. Don’t you?

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Americans connect to Jesus

Posted on 7/6/10 by On the road with Jesus.

We hear much about how Americans are turning away from the church and organized religion. But there is another side to this story. A recent study by the Barna group shows that Americans relate to Jesus in significant numbers and perhaps surprising ways.

Read about it.

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A Time for Silence

Posted on 6/17/10 by On the road with Jesus.

[God] said [to Elijah], “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence….Then the LORD said….” I Kings 19:11-12, 15a

The United States is probably the only country in the world where success is measured by how busy you are. Before the recent economic downturn Americans were increasingly working longer and longer hours. They are way in front of all industrialized nations. One UN report said they worked 2 ½ weeks more than Japanese, 6 weeks more than British and 12 ½ weeks more than German workers. An economist who oversaw that report said, “It has a lot to do with the American psyche, with American culture. American workers are eager to make the best impression, to put in the most hours.”

We fuss about being busy with too crowded schedules. We lament that we don’t have enough time for the important things like devotions and ministry for example. But it looks suspiciously like all our protestations are really a way of saying to people, “Look how important I am,” or “Look how successful I am.” Because we continue to make choices that keep us busy rather than enabling us to slow down, simplify, and prioritize our lives by what we say are the really important things.

One of the victims of our busyness is silence. I made a phone call about our long distance service and as you might expect was told something like all our representatives are busy serving other customers, your call will be answered as soon as possible. Then I was treated to silence!

I was reminded of that later when I read an article on silence in worship. Silence is a rare experience for harried, busy, successful getting-ahead-people. Chances are if you have an experience of silence it makes you uncomfortable, uneasy, irritated. Waiting for someone to answer your call is not an opportunity for silence but an irritation.

As one writer observes, even in worship, “Silence, it seems, is to be filled.” She continues, “I suppose we inherit this sense of silence as ‘dead air time’ from radio and TV, where every second of time not pulsing with a voice or image is ‘lost’ or ‘dead.’”¹

Silence is difficult to find in our daily lives even for those who seek it. We have become so accustomed to so called “white noise”–whine of refrigerators, idling motors, florescent lights, neighboring boomboxes, passing cars, etc. we are startled by silence. Our life style our technology all make it difficult to find stillness, silence. It is true that every new technology changes the way we live.

To be sure there are times in which it is sinful to be silent. To face evil and say nothing is sin. To keep silent when God is to be praised is sinful. We are told there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Eccl 3:7 NRSV). Yet, the Bible places a great emphasis on silence.

It is a sign of wisdom—If you would only keep silent, that would be your wisdom! (Job 13:5 NRSV) Jesus certainly demonstrated it was important to him. Do you regularly use silence as a part of your discipleship practices?

John Wesley was once advised to preach faith until he had it and then to preach it because he had it. I’m not there yet in regards to silence. But by God’s grace I hope to get there. I invite you to go with me.

Some reasons for silence

¹Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

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Small Groups: Problems

Posted on 6/17/10 by On the road with Jesus.

Here is a thoughtful article by Randal Neighbor, someone who has devoted his life to Small Group Ministry.

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Jesus Is Surprised

Posted on 5/11/10 by On the road with Jesus.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown,…And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:1a, 6a

I once was pastor of a church in Wall Lake, Iowa. Now Wall Lake is just a little place, as was the church, but they were proud of the fact that Wall Lake is the hometown of singer Andy Williams.

Towns make big deals of famous people who were born or lived there or had any connection. As a boy growing up in North Carolina, I knew of a town in Pennsylvania, where I’ve never been. But instantly, Donora, Pa. came to mind just now. The reason for that—it was the home of baseball legend, Stan Musial. Some towns even become famous—Plains, Georgia—home of President Jimmy Carter.

So when Jesus came home to Nazareth (pop.=500-2000), one could easily imagine that the local headlines would herald: “Local Boy Makes Good–Comes Home For A Visit” And what a home coming it should have been.

It follows some great success, remarkable demonstrations of Jesus’ power—the healing of the man of Gadera (demons), the woman cured of bleeding, the raising of Jairus daughter. He comes accompanied by his “disciples.” He has followers, an entourage. He is in fact recognized as a rabbi, an honored teacher.

He made his big début in the local synagogue and he “wows” the people. Many who heard him were amazed/astonished at his teaching and the wonders. They have heard about him. And then the surprise—Jesus is not welcome here—they took offense at him. The literal word is “scandal.” No ticker-tape parade for him.

There are, no doubt, lots of explanations for it but what it all “boils down to” is a lack of faith. And Jesus is surprised—amazed, astonished. In Jesus’ eyes unbelief is amazing. We should not be surprised at faith but the lack of it. God signs are everywhere—creation, works of grace, the life of Jesus and perhaps unexpectedly in His people—a community, the church.

We may be surprised at unbelief but it should not deter us. Jesus’ response was “to get on with it.” His work did not depend on acceptance, praise, recognition. Neither should we.

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Some Old Bones + A Breeze=An Army

Posted on 5/4/10 by On the road with Jesus.

a valley;…full of bones…. and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet–a vast army. -Ezekiel 37

“Some Old Bones + A Breeze=An Army”

In an article about a reunion of old time aviators, the lead read: “Two veteran aviators met here yesterday for the first time in 40 years and discovered that of all the things that fly, time is the fastest.” (RD,2/89,p.114)

A human being has dreams, hopes, aspirations. It is the soul and substance of life’s meaning. It is, in fact, part of the definition of human. This is best seen in the young before the corrosive effects of time take’s its toll. Lorraine Frontain, a kindergarten teacher, told about a little girl named Gina, whom she had warned several times, to pay attention. It was to no avail. Finally in desperation, she asked, “Gina, why are you so excited?” “I can’t help it,” she replied. “My daddy said I could have a horse when I’m 35.”¹

The anticipation of the young. Dreams, hopes, plans are laid for life. But as surely as we have dreams, we also have failure of dreams and hopes, set-backs and reverses. Dreams and hopes can be lost, abandoned and not replaced. It may be hard for youth to identify with that. For them, hope is easier. But few escape defeat which can lead to lowered expectations and hopelessness (loss of dreams). Sometime ago an article on social workers quoted one as saying, “I wanted to make a difference for the kids. Now I realize it was a totally unrealistic expectation.” Lost dreams, cynicism.

There is an interesting and mysterious story in the Bible which tells about a vision given to a strange man called Ezekiel. In the vision, Ezekiel sees a valley full of old dry bones. As he speaks God’s word to them, flesh and breath are restored and they come to life—a vast army.

It is a vision symbolic of a people discouraged, defeated, hopeless as bleached out bones in a desert. But God says he can and will bring life back to dead bones of shattered dreams and lives. When we lose, when we fail, when a dream goes up in smoke, when life throws us a wicked curve, what can we do?

We can pick up the pieces because what left is usable by God, even old bones. We can learn, we can adjust, we can “roll with the punches.”

In 1920, a young man by the name of Oswald Smith had a dream to be a missionary. He had prayed and dreamed for the opportunity and now stood before a board selecting missionaries. He was turned down. Did not meet qualifications, failed the test. Decided if he couldn’t be a missionary, he would build a church that could send missionaries. That church, People’s Church, Toronto, Canada became one of the greatest resources for missionaries in history, sending hundreds to share God’s good news about Jesus.

Nothing given to God is lost. A Christian, who gave money to build Baylor University, later lost everything he had. Someone asked him, “Don’t you wish you had the money back that you put into that school?” “Not at all. It is all that I have saved. If I had kept that money, I would have lost it too.”

We just need to let God breath life into what’s left. When you do, life is an adventure(not easy, comfortable, predictable) but adventure. We are too focused on winning or loosing, success or failure. We miss the pure joy of living. Gene Stallings tells of an incident when he was defensive backfield coach for the Dallas Cowboys.

Two All-Pro players, Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris, were sitting in front of their lockers after playing a tough game against the Washington Redskins. They were still in their uniforms, and their heads were bowed in exhaustion. Waters said to Harris, “By the way Cliff, what was the final score?”²

When you love and are immersed in the game, the score doesn’t matter all that much.

Walter Peyton was one of greatest running backs in National Football League history. During a telecast of Monday Night Football, one of the announcers remarked that he had gained over 9 miles rushing in his career. The other said, “Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!” That’s 3443 times!

Life will knock you down, wreck your dreams, but God is not foiled by that. Just remember WHEN YOU’RE DOWN, THE WAY OUT IS UP.

God’s word to Ezekiel was “Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

¹Reader’s Digest, Jan., ‘89, p.80
²Penney F. Nichols, Leadership

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A Burned-out Florescent Tube

Posted on 3/23/10 by On the road with Jesus.

          Theologian Myron Augsburger once told a story about a man who wanted to discard a burned-out florescent tube from his office. Past hours, he planned to dump it at a construction site on his way home. “He carried the seven-foot tube down the street, into the subway station, onto the train. But how do you sit down with a seven-foot tube in your hand? So he remained standing, holding the tube upright.
          When the train stopped at the next station, five people go on, and four of them grabbed hold of the tube. Now what? Pretty soon, it occurred to him that all he needed to do was to get off at his station and leave the pole.”¹That could be a parable of many of our contemporaries. We’re all looking for something to hold on to for some stability. However, sometimes what we grab, like that burned-out florescent tube, only has the illusion of support.
          Archimedes, a Greek mathematician and engineer, said, “Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth.” Blaise Pascal, considered to be one history’s greatest minds, left notes on a book intended to tell about a “center of stability” he had found.² Rick Warren, author of best selling book of all time (outside the Bible), The Purpose Driven Life, wrote, “You need an unshakable center.”
          Something to hold on to, a place to stand, what we can depend on—stability, certainty, trustworthiness are all necessities for meaningful life. In our chaotic world, the good news is that Jesus provides what we need for this life and eternity. Place your faith in Him and hold on for dear life.

¹Marguerite Shuster
² Elton Trueblood, A Place To Stand

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When Jesus says, “Follow me.”

Posted on 3/9/10 by On the road with Jesus.

Luke 5:1-11
v11 So they … left everything and followed him.

Empty nets
It has been a long frustrating, fruitless night for Simon and his two partners, James and John. All night long they have fished. They have let down their nets, time and again and gone through the back-breaking process of drawing the nets to shore—empty! They have tried different angles, different places, everything they can think of, every trick they know after many years fishing this lake. Nothing worked. Finally as the sun rises, exhausted and in a poor mood they pull their boats up on shore and begin the job of washing their nets—a final blow to their spirits—washing the nets which have remained empty all night.

Some nerve
As they go through the motions of this difficult and monotonous routine, out of the corner of Peter’s eye, a crowd appears by the lake. In the center is a man surrounded by people pressing to get as close as possible to hear what he is saying.

As they watch and strain to hear what he’s saying, he walks over to Simon’s boat and gets in it. “He’s got some nerve, Simon thinks to himself.” Then he realizes who it is. It’s the man Jesus he has been hearing about.

“Simon, could I trouble you to put your boat into the water and move out a little way from the shore?”

I’ll do it
For some reason, Simon does what he asks. And he listens to what he says. And he has never heard the likes of it before—no one every spoke like him. Nice words, but just words! Then he finishes speaking and Simon hears him speaking to him. “Go out into deeper water. Over there, cast your nets.” Simon is too tired to argue and senses the easiest way to get out of this is to humor him. Still he can’t resist protesting. “We’ve fished all night and caught nothing, but I’ll do it.”

Fish and more fish
And then as they begin to draw the nets in they see fish—more fish then they’ve ever seen in a net. It’s more than they can handle. Some of the strands of the net begin to break. The call for help—the second boat comes and the weight almost sinks them but finally they get the catch to shore. They are astonished, frightened, elated, mystified. Suddenly they realize they are in the presence of the holy and they are reminded of their Un holy lives.

Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch people.
And they left everything and followed Jesus.

This story reminds us that GOD OFTEN INTERUPTS OUR LIFE—“Can I borrow your boat?” God gets our attention often in the middle of something else. It is not always when we would expect—in church, a Bible study, or even during prayer. It may be on the job (like here), on a journey (The Apostle Paul) or maybe in the midst of our sleep. A cousin of mine was on a business trip in a hotel room when God called him to ministry.

So it can be a little inconvenient. I don’t have time right now. Can’t this wait until later? Inconvenient, perhaps, but not all that difficult or earth-shaking—it’s something that stops us just long enough— for God to make Himself known—“Try again.”

I can imagine Peter thinking, “This won’t work. I’m a life-time fisherman, for goodness sake. I know how to fish.” I know how to live my life.

“Try Again.”

“For most people the disaster of life is that they give up just one effort too soon.” Carl F.H. Henry

There is no perfect set of circumstances. To wait for that is to never begin. Jesus often asks us attempt the impossible. This is the first step and when we take it, we find out THIS IS GOD. We have met the Almighty. And when we do, like Peter, we realize how unworthy we are.

Now the invitation…
Leave it all.
Nothing less will do. The issue is not everyone leaving your occupation or residence but making your self available to God. For most of us it is about living a new way where we are—job, school, neighborhood.

But make no mistake, God’s call is not to ease and comfort but to adventure/challenge/meaning. Some time ago I read this story:

The great explorer, Sir Francis Drake, was attempting to recruit a number of young men for an upcoming exploration. He gathered them around and told the group that if they came with him they would see some of the most marvelous things their eyes could ever behold—sandy white beaches, juicy fruits, foreign peoples, priceless treasures, and gorgeous landscapes. And he told them that this wild adventure could be theirs if they came with him. Not one of them enlisted for the journey.
The next day a different group came out. Drake told them that if they came with him they would encounter storms that would terrify them into tears. Tiger winds would hammer them and blow them off course for months. Water would frequently be scarce. At times they will be so thirsty that their very souls would cry out for simply one drop of water. In short, danger would always be their constant companion. Drake concluded by declaring that if they could handle these things, the joys of exploration would exceed their wildest dreams. Every single one of them in the group joined Sir Francis Drake that day, some did not even go home to say goodbye to their families, they just boarded the boat eager for the journey.

This is how God calls us. Jesus promises not ease and comfort but a cross and, in the end, incredible joy. He says, “Follow me.”

Picture from the Web Gallery of Art

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Tell Me More

Posted on 2/25/10 by On the road with Jesus.

whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. –I Corinthians 10:31

The Asbury Herald sometime ago had this story by J.D. Walt, Jr.:
“It was almost closing time, and the wait staff hurriedly prepared the place for closing. Upon seating our sixsome, the waiter dealt us our menus like playing cards. Taking our orders, he shot each of us an “I’d rather be home watching The Practice” look. We tried to engage the fellow in some friendly conversation. Upon learning he was a college student, we inquired if he had found a local church home. His reply, “Yeah I go to church…on Christmas.” We laughed politely along with him. My wife invited him to come to the college group at our church.

Suffice it to say, the evening did not improve. The food arrived cold, our glasses stayed empty, and the whole meal was a bust. One of the couples graciously picked up the entire bill and called it a night. As we continued visiting, the waiter approached our table with a puzzled look on his face. “Did your friend not want any change?” he inquired. “Apparently not,” we replied. A few minutes later he reappeared at our table. Still dumbfounded, he asked again, “Are you sure they didn’t want any change?” We began to wonder just how large the tip had been. Our waiter was being transformed before our very eyes. “Tell me more about your church’s college group,” he asked as he took a seat at our table….”

The Bible calls it grace, receiving what we do not deserve. That is the reason it is called “amazing grace.” It is what God has done for us by offering us salvation through Jesus. But it is also about how we are to live our lives as devoted followers of Jesus. When others see it, it can open doors so that we can “tell…more” about Jesus. One of my preaching professors, Dr. James Roberson, a Scotsman, used to pray in this rich Scottish brogue that our lives would “adorn the Gospel.”

Does my life “adore the Gospel,” that is , make it attractive? Does yours? As we move through the days of Lent toward Easter, let us pray and seek ways that it will be so.

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