It's Harder Than it Looks

"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).

I feel that James is talking about persecution in our everyday life, but I also believe that it can be applied to our spiritual journey as well. We can consider our struggles to follow the will of God in our life a joy. That seems like an oxymoron, but I truly believe that when our hearts are in tune to God's will and Satan and the world around us bombards us to turn away from God, we can consider it joyful. As the old saying goes: If you aren't being hounded by the world then perhaps you are just like the world.

But still one thing continues to bother me: James seems to give the impression that this will be easy. He does use the word perseverance, which is something that is very rare in today's society. Perseverance means "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement" (dictionary.com). But perseverance is much easier encouraged than actually done. But again, there is the saying: Anything worth anything is hard work. (Boy, I'm full of phrases this morning.)

So, here's the thing. When the world around us is striving for us to satisfy our sinful nature we will need to dig in our heals and persevere through our faith in Christ. There is no easy way around it. The more you persevere the more our sinful nature will rear its ugly head which means the more we will have to persevere.

Thankfully, the following verses in James 1 give us hope. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12, NIV).

What are we missing?

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

I am currently meeting on a regular basis with two guys from my church in a Discipleship Group. What that means is that we work through a study on discipleship, discuss scripture we read over the past week, hold each other accountable, and pray for each other. We have only met once so far but through that one meeting my view of discipleship has changed dramatically.

What is discipleship? The verse above is well known as the Great Commission, but for years I have read it and looked past some deep questions that I have to answer as a believer. Through our study we were asked a simple question: How is disciple-making to be carried out? Well, from the Great Commission it seems like we need to baptize and teach people. Unfortunately, we already do that in the Church but I don't believe that there are many disciples in the Church today. So, what are we missing?

Does the word baptism refer to something other than dunking people under the water? Does the word teach refer to something other than Sunday School and Bible studies? We do all these things in the Church, but over all the Church is still a mile wide and an inch deep. I believe that being a disciple is more than being dunk and going to Sunday School. Being a disciple is devoting your entire life to reading, studying, and LIVING out the Gospel message that Christ lays out for us in His Word.

So, I end with this question: Why is the Church of Christ full of mile wide, inch deep believers instead of mile wide, mile deep disciples? What are we missing?

Reaping the Rewards

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7)

I have made the decision to place this verse on the door to my office so that every time I open the door I am reminded that what I do today I will reap tomorrow or sooner. Isn't that so true.

It is not a secret that I am struggling with my weight. I will have to say that I have placed food so far above God in my life that it at times I hear the voice of God and I ignore it. Yes, I am a pastor and I am ignoring the voice of God. There, now it's out in the open.

But at the same time I am very aware that I am purposely ignoring God and I am ashamed of it. Every time I take put that extra piece of food in my mouth beyond the moment I am full is another piece of evidence that God does not have complete control over my life. And I am ashamed.

But the nice thing about God, He hasn't given up on my yet. The verse above is a conviction and a praise. If I eat poorly I will reap the rewards through heart disease, diabetes, bad cholesterol, or any other number of ailments that could end my life prematurely. But if I eat healthily, I will reap the rewards of a healthy body and having more years with my children.

I want to be here for my children, but even more I want my life to be a reflection of God's glory to those around me. As a pastor I will be held accountable for my actions. I will reap what I sow. But that doesn't have to be a thing not to look forward to.

Am I fulfilling my purpose?

The purpose of our church is to "Glorify God by Making Disciples." It's a great purpose, but unfortunately one we are terrible at fulfilling. But I do believe we are on the right course.

A wise, old, bald man once told me, "You can only expect the church to follow where the pastor is leading." It may seem like a heavy burden to have as a pastor, but I do feel we are called to carry that burden, with Christ carrying it with us, of course. But if as a pastor I am frustrated that the church is not making disciples and I look at my own life and realize that I am also not making disciples, then I cannot expect the church to go where I am not leading.

I am currently in the process of reading Transforming Discipleship by Greg Oden. I am only a few pages into it when I read this quote by Cal Thoman, a Christian syndicated columnist and social commentator. "The problem in our culture . . . isn't the abortionists. It isn't the pornographers or dug dealers or criminals. It is the undiscipleined, undiscipled, disobedient, and Biblically ignorant Church of Jesus Christ." In all honesty, I cannot agrue with him. And in the process of seeing an "undisciplined, undiscipled, disobedient, and Biblically ignorant" church around me I also see that I am not far off from the same.

As pastors, when we realize that the church we are called to shepherd is not making disciples of Christ, but consumers of Christ, then we also need to look at our own spiritual walk. I am currently not making any disciples, but that will change in a few weeks. Two men in the church I shepherd have agreed to meet with me every other week for one year. During our time together we will be reading Scripture, praying for each other, and becoming disciples of Christ. I can't wait for the year to be done because then the three of us will each ask two other men in the church or community and begin another one year process of making disciples. My hope is that through this we as a church will begin to fulfill the purpose that God has placed us in this community. We'll just have to wait and see what He does with us.

Full Disclosure

In 2 Kings 5:20-27, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, deceives Naaman and takes money and clothes from him. When he gets back home Elisha asks where he has been. Gehazi of course lies and tells him that he he has gone nowhere. Because of this lie and his deceit against Naaman Gehazi and his descendants had leprosy "forever" (vs 27).

I am still studying accountability and this week I will begin a type of accountability relationship with two other men from the church. I am very much looking forward to it, but I am also have a little trepidation because I am the pastor. There have been times in my past that I revealed a little about the things I need accountability for and have been burned.

So, here is my question of the day: How deep do I get into this accountability relationship? My devotional today reads, "Accountability without full disclosure is a waste of time." That sounds all good, but do I take a leap of faith, disclosing some personal issues that I may need accountability for with the full realization that it may come back in bite me in the butt? This issue is more difficult than I gave it credit for. If I don't give full disclosure am I even receiving the benefits of the relationship?