Life style | Discipleship at Messiah

Don’t Forget

Posted on 1/30/13 by On the road with Jesus.

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard. – Revelation 3:3

One of the constant warnings God issued to His people in the Old Testament was not to forget, often to little avail. One of His most common charges to them was that they had forgotten. Specifically they forgot: the “things they had seen,” “the covenant,” that they had “provoked” the Lord, “all his benefits.” Most of all they forgot “The Lord who brought [them]…out of Egypt.” In contrast, God would not forget them or His promises.

Human beings are subject to spiritual amnesia. We forget. We forget God’s blessings. We forget our sins. We forget our promises to God. We even forget God. Phillip Yancey confesses that when he takes a trip, gets out of his normal routine, “it will suddenly occur to me that, except for a cursory blessing before meals, I have not given God a single thought all day.” I don’t know about you but that “hits me dead center.”

At it’s simplest, living a life in the Spirit is living in remembrance of God. That is, to live our lives paying attention to God, with an awareness of living it before God.

However, that does not come easily or naturally. It takes the “D” word, the word which our nature and our culture want to banish. It takes Discipline which involves practice, focus, intention. We will slip back at times and need to repent, but as we walk with Him, we expect that our sense of his presence will be more constant and more important to us. So in the midst of so many distractions, which challenge us all, remember God.

Filed under: belief, Dedication, Discipleship, Life style, Obstacles, The Journey | Comments Off on Don’t Forget

“Prayer—Just Do It”

Posted on 10/30/12 by On the road with Jesus.

“I remember you in my prayers….pray…for all God’s people. And…me….” -Ephesians 1:16b; 6:18,19

Someone once said, “Ask a Baptist for $50—he’ll say, “let’s pray.”‘
‘”Call on a Methodist to pray—he’ll say, “here’s $50.”‘

The reason that is funny is that Methodists (at least the modern ones) are not noted for their praying. Most of us will certainly acknowledge the need to pray but look on it a little like the little boy who one day asked his grandmother to take him to the circus.

She replied, “I can’t, I’ve got to go to go to Prayer Meeting.”
He thought for a minute and said, “Grandma, if you’d go to the circus just once, you’d never want to go to prayer meeting again.”

Even preachers are not immune to a certain reluctance to pray. One Sunday morning, a preacher went to visit a neighboring church. The pastor called on him to pray and he replied, “Pray yourself, I’m on my vacation.”

Prayer is problematical. Even many who say that believe in prayer see it as getting in touch with your deepest self, or visualizing what you want and then doing it. It is associated with all kinds of strange notions, ideas, and even drugs. Timothy Leary (psychedelic drug guru) once said, “to pray properly you must be out of your mind.”

R. Gregor Smith says that a majority of “even conscientious church members” have given up the habit of private prayer in the conventional sense. If he is right and certainly there is evidence he is, we are in serious trouble. Because James Montgomery was right, when he echoed John Wesley, calling prayer the Christian’s “vital breath.” Prayer is the most distinctive Christian act. Biblically and historically, Luther was on solid ground when he said if one does not pray then he is not Christian.

In the Ephesian letter Paul begins by assuring the believers that he is praying for them. He closes by urging them to pray for each other and for him. All that he has called them to do is to be done in prayer.

“I find I am better or worse as I pray more or less…I can never be better in life than I am faithful in prayer…when prayer lags, life sags…If you know how to pray, you know how to live.” (E. Stanley Jones)

If we want renewal, if we want to be Christian, to be better Christians, then we must pray. There is no option.

Filed under: Discipleship, Growth, Life style, prayer, The Journey | Comments Off on “Prayer—Just Do It”

They Devoted Themselves

Posted on 8/8/12 by On the road with Jesus.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Isn’t it amazing the physical feats of which humans are capable? We are being treated to some stunning examples in the 2012 Olympics. We have heard stories of great sacrifice and costly commitment from runners, swimmers, gymnasts and others to compete as an Olympian. As we were talking about this with friends from our Small Group the comment was made: “Wouldn’t it be great if Christians were as devoted as these athletes?”

And I remembered. That is the exact term used to describe those early Christians in the book of Acts—devoted. We say, dedicated, committed, focused. Because that is what it takes to accomplish important things, especially doing one’s best. We do not become like Jesus automatically, by coasting or accidently. Being devoted speaks to priorities. Devotion ultimately is about lifestyle.

Of course Christians are devoted to God/Jesus. And that finds practical expression in devotion to the good news (apostles’ teaching), to each other (the fellowship), sacramental acts (the breaking of bread) and prayer. All these things result in “doing good.”

The surprising thing is that as popular as the Olympics is our culture does not like the idea of devotion/commitment. It is not a popular idea. But it is the driving force for those who belong to Jesus.

Filed under: character, Dedication, Discipleship, Jesus, Life style, Olympics | Comments Off on They Devoted Themselves

Prayer: the Essential Tool (Part II)

Posted on 7/25/12 by On the road with Jesus.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:18a
I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 16:23 (NIV)

There is much I don’t know about prayer, especially what you learn by experience. But I know a lot about it. The problem is that my beliefs and my knowledge don’t always translate into practice. There is a great disparity between our belief (stated) and our practices. We give lip-service to the importance of prayer. We talk about it a lot. We request prayer—for ourselves, others, for events, ministries. We do pray (most of us). We have our prayer list, prayer teams, even occasionally special times of prayer, gatherings for prayer.

But I believe prayer is the weakest link in my discipleship. It is the chink in my armor. And I suspect, no I know, I am not alone in this. I believe in prayer. I am convinced it is the bottom line of discipleship. And as Jim Cymballa says, “We are not New Testament Christians if we don’t have a prayer life.”¹

Christians have always known that prayer is the essential tool of the Christian life. Listen to what they say about it:

It changes the pray er. “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives.”² “Prayer is designed more to adjust you to God than to adjust God to you.”³

God’s work is done. “Most of the people we meet, inside and outside the church, think prayers are harmless but necessary starting pistols that shoot blanks and get “things going.”^{4 “}Anything creative, anything powerful, anything biblical, insofar as we are participants in it, originates in prayer.⁵

We become recepients of God’s greatest gifts. St. Augustine said, ” God does not ask us to tell him our needs that he may learn about them, but in order that we may be capable of receiving what he is preparing to give.”⁶Kierkegaard insists, “The true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continues to pray until he is the one who hears, who hears what God wills.”⁷

Prayer is for everyone. Everyone needs to pray. Everyone can pray. Steve Harper tells about visiting at Sunday dinner. His hostess called on the youngest child to pray. The little girl says, “God is great….” Then mother turns to Harper and asks, “And now preacher would you ask the blessing for us?” “All children pray, until we teach them not to.” (Jean Grasso Fitzpatrick)⁸

Nothing should be more convincing than Jesus’ model for us. The great example is what Jesus said to his disciples on that last night with them (less than 1/10 of 1% of his ministry). This is recorded in four chapters in John’s gospel. One of those four chapts. is the prayer that Jesus prayed. Can you believe that is not significant? One fourth of what Jesus said that night is prayer, almost 5% of whole book of John. Not teaching about prayer but praying.

Don’t let the tool get rusty. Pray!

__________________________________________________________

¹Cymballa, Fresh Wind Fresh Spirit, 50.
²Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline quoted by Maxwell, Partners In Prayer, 74
³Blackaby and King, Experiencing God, 174
⁴Eugene Peterson, Working The Angles, 32
⁵Eugene Peterson, Working The Angles, 28
⁶Bloesch, The Struggle Of Prayer, 29
⁷Bloesch, The Struggle Of Prayer, 63
⁸Betty Shannon Cloyd, CIRCUIT RIDER, Nov/Dec ’98, 12

Filed under: Discipleship, Growth, Jesus, Life style, prayer, The Journey | Comments Off on Prayer: the Essential Tool (Part II)

Prayer: The Essential Tool (part I)

Posted on 7/17/12 by On the road with Jesus.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:18a
I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 16:23 (NIV)

On Sunday, as part of a Father’s Day/birthday present from my wife Alana, we attended a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in downtown Brooklyn, NY. What an amazing experience/place. Perhaps you know of the award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle choir. But there’s much more to the church than that. Four two hour high octane, spirit-filled services on Sunday to overflow crowds which total more than 8,000 fuel all sorts of ministries in Brooklyn and around the world. Pastor Jim Cymbala faithfully and powerfully delivers God’s word. As I witnessed the many ministries and life of the church highlighted I was awed by God’s powerful use of that congregation.

You might ask, “How does this all come about?” A lot of things certainly could be credited, but there is one thing that to me is the most crucial to all that church is. If you weren’t paying a lot of attention you might miss the announcement of a Tuesday night prayer meeting. You might not catch the fact that around 5pm when the doors open for the 7pm meeting people begin to gather. You might miss that literally hundreds of people show up each week for serious spirit-directed prayer. In his book, Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, Pastor Cymbala attributes this to be what, more than anything, triggered and sustains the growth and life of “BT” as they refer to it. This is consistent with the Biblical proclamation that prayer is the essential tool for God’s people.

More than 30 years ago as a graduate student in history at the UNC-Greensboro, I read a statement by historian Cain Brenton which I’ve never forgotten: “Once we we have put something into words, we think we have accomplished it.” He was writing about our substituting talk for action, discussion for accomplishment.

In no area is this more true than in the Christian life. We talk a great game, but never actually do it. Prayer is especially susceptible to this problem. We can read books on prayer, preach sermons on prayer, have studies on prayer, develop great theories and never do much praying. I am especially susceptible to doing that. We actually have “prayer meetings” where little praying is done. They are filled with Bible study, formal liturgies, music, teaching, etc. but not a lot of prayer. Someone said that the syndrome of Protestant churches is that we have become “artful dodgers of a disciplined prayer life.”

I am sure what we are as a Christian or a church rises no higher than our prayer life. To be continued.

Filed under: Discipleship, Growth, Jesus, Life style, prayer, The Journey | Comments Off on Prayer: The Essential Tool (part I)

Christians Are Connected

Posted on 6/19/12 by On the road with Jesus.

John 15:1-17 I chose you …to go and bear fruit

          What does Jesus really want from you?
          One of the most important things Jesus had to tell his disciples in those last crisis packed hours was His purpose for them, what He expected from them and how it could happen.
            He does this by way of an analogy of the grape vine. As the purpose of a vine is to produce fruit—grapes so He says I have chosen you to bear fruit. It is this which will glorify my Father. For that to happen you must abide in me because without me you can do nothing. Just as the branches draw their life and ability to bear fruit from the main vain, so you get your life and productiveness from me I am the vine. “Abide in me”=keep my commandments(obedience), maintain your relationship to me, keep the connection. “Without me you can do nothing.”
            He pointedly told them He had chosen them to “bear fruit.” That fruit is a life characterized by love. He told them what was necessary and what would happen if they didn’t.
                      I don’t think this was exactly what Jesus had in mind, but Gerald Kennedy tells of an inquiry made of a Methodist bishop about a preacher in his area. “Why,” said the bishop, “He is dull. He is supernaturally dull…No man could be as dull as he is without divine aid.”
          So what are the results of being connected, of “abiding in Christ”?

EFFECTIVE PRAYER
            “ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”
            “so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
         We are inclined to read this in one of two ways:

If you can believe strong enough, God will give you whatever you ask for.
Little Johnnie was saying his bedtime prayers a week before his birthday. In a loud voice he listed all the things he wanted. “Don’t pray so loudly,” his mother instructed. “The Lord isn’t hard of hearing!” “Maybe he isn’t,” admitted Johnnie, “but grandma is.”
Or we ignore it, water it down, never take it seriously

The Bible and Christian history makes some incredible claims for the power of a believer’s prayer. Frontier Methodist preacher, Francis Asbury said, “Prayer is the sword of the preacher, the life of the Christian, the terror of hell, and the devil’s plague.”¹These statements need to be understood in the context. They are about believers being fruitful, that is producing more believers.

GOD GLORIFIED BY FRUIT
The measure of success is does it bring honor and glory to God. As my preaching professor, James Robertson, used to say, Christians “adorn the gospel.” Their lives are attractive and these lives attract people to Christ. The reason there is so little impact of some Christians is there lives don’t attract to Jesus. Richard Foster says, “People do not see anything to be converted to. They look around at these Christians telling them to agree to these little statements and say the enclosed prayer. They say, “But you aren’t any different from anybody else. So, what am I supposed to be converted to?” ²

JOY
       First Jesus’ joy is in us, in our fruitfulness. Then our joy will be full. We experience the joy spoken of so often in the Bible.
          I confess to you, I am troubled when I apply those three tests to my life. So I have to ask: How is my connection? Am I abiding in Jesus?
          How about you?

Filed under: character, Discipleship, Growth, Jesus, Life style, Religion, The Journey, Wholeness | Comments Off on Christians Are Connected

“Helpless No More”

Posted on 6/5/12 by On the road with Jesus.

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. –Romans 5:6

Did you hear about the plane that left Chicago bound for LA. As it leveled out at 40,000 ft., a voice came over the loudspeaker:

“This is a recording. You have the privilege of being the first to fly in a wholly electronic jet. This plane took off electronically. It is now flying a 40,000 feet electronically. It will land in LA electronically.
This plane has no pilot, no co-pilot, no flight engineer. But don’t worry. Nothing can go wrong…go wrong…go wrong…go wrong…go wrong.”

          There is perhaps no human predicament more frightening or unsettling than that of
                   helplessness,
                   to be out of control,
                   unable to do anything,
                   to alter a particular circumstance,
                   to be at the mercy of events or another person.
          John Bunyan begins Pilgrim’s Progress by describing the despair of helplessness.
          Therefore it is particularly important to remember:
          It was hard to be a Christian under Roman Empire.
          It was hard to be a Christian during the time of Martin Luther.
          It was hard to be a Christian during the time of John Wesley.
          It was hard to be a Christian early in our history.
Well, we’ve moved beyond a lot of the problems of those times but it is still hard to be a Christian.
          I remember an Annual Conference (yearly regional gathering of our denomination’s leadership) when we heard a wonderful sermon during the ordination service. It was on being servants of God, how that is our calling—to express God’s love.
           The sermon was delivered with great zeal and in an inspiring way. It      was true. You could hear and see the consensus, the affirmation of those who heard it. My good friend expressed it—“It needed to be said.” There, however   is a catch.
          The Bible says we are helpless. And there is nothing more frustrating or discouraging than to be told what we ought to do or how we ought to live and not to be able to do it. It is hard to be a Christian—i.e. to live like one!
          But the good news is not first about what we are to do. It is about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. We were helpless/powerless but by now trusting in Jesus we have a new life that makes it possible to live as followers of Jesus. God’s love becomes the central driving force of our life. We are helpless no more.

Filed under: Discipleship, Grace, Hope, Life style, Obstacles, The Journey | Comments Off on “Helpless No More”

I Want You

Posted on 5/22/12 by On the road with Jesus.

             After the dramatic impact of Jesus’ resurrection, it is easy to see all the rest of the story as anticlimactic.  That is a mistake! What takes place here has great significance in God’s scheme.
            What bought them together? Stories they had heard? Their state of mind and atmosphere? They were talking about Him! He was there! And with the word “peace,” He calmed their fears, as He showed His side and hands. When they SAW, (the word of spiritual perception) “they were glad.” What a wonderful understatement!
            Then Jesus speaks words that forever establish the primary motivation of His disciples—“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And there you have in black and white: JESUS’ CHOICE. And I can only shake my head in wonder.
            Do you remember children choosing sides for a baseball game? It gets down to that last little boy. Jesus’ choice is like choosing that smallest, least capable player first.
                             OR
            Like an expansion draft when the only players are those left over from other teams. These people are “proven failures”, and they (we) are Jesus’ choice.
            One of the great truths emphasized over and over in this gospel is that the Son is sent by the Father. Now He sends His followers—commissions them. In the way He had been sent by the Father, He in turn sends them. William Barclay was right when he called it “The commission which the Church must never forget.” JESUS IS DEPENDENT ON US, you and me! Unless we do it….” as the Father has sent me so I send you.” WITH
______  THE VERY SAME AUTHORITY. We go not on our own initiative. But we are sent, backed up by God almighty.
______  THE VERY SAME SPIRIT. This Spirit equips them with what is needed to carry on.
______ FOR THE VERY SAME PURPOSE. The Primary reason for gift of Spirit is to witness to Jesus!
            There are times we need to soften our sense of self importance but as William Temple says, “it is impossible to exaggerate the greatness of our calling.”
            What about you—sister, brother? Even if you count yourself as a proven failure, Jesus stands before you today and like the Uncle Sam poster points his finger and says,

__________I want you

You are his choice! Go with authority, Spirit, and His purpose, to rescue from sin and death to eternal life. And live as God intends.

Filed under: Discipleship, Jesus' invitation, Life style, The Journey | Comments Off on I Want You

A Mouse and An Elephant

Posted on 9/1/11 by On the road with Jesus.

With God all things are possible.(Matt. 19:26)

Hudson Taylor is one of the great names in missionary history. He said, “Many Christians estimate difficulty in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt very little, and they always fail. All spiritual giants have been weak people who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and His presence to be with them.”

Taylor’s operating principle was, “Attempt great things for God.” E. Stanley Jones said, “I’m always trying something I know I can’t do in my own strength.”

The problem for most Christians and most churches is not that we try things that are too hard for us but just the opposite—we rarely try things we know we can’t do. So, we seldom see the wonderful things God wants to do in our lives and ministries.

John Maxwell tells the story of the mouse who crossed a bridge over a deep ravine with an elephant. As the elephant and the mouse crossed the bridge, the bridge shook. When they reached the other side, the mouse said to the elephant, “Boy, we really shook that bridge, didn’t we?” Of course a mouse can’t shake a bridge, but when it teams up with an elephant, yes it can.

What “bridges” do we need to shake? Of course we can’t shake a bridge, but when we team up with God, yes we can. Let’s shake some “bridges” for the Kingdom.

Filed under: Faith, Life style, The Journey | Comments Off on A Mouse and An Elephant

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?

Filed under: Christmas, Discipleship, Faith, Grace, Life style | Comments Off on The Over-the-hill Gang of the Christmas Story

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Discipleship at Messiah

Email Subscription

Seekers’ Class

Hurricane Relief

Helpful Sites