What Does a Christ Follower Look Like?

This Sunday we have the privilege of having Dr. Dan Heringer, Regional Minister of the Central Plains Region of the North American Baptist Conference, bring the Word of God to us.  Dan will be exploring discipleship as Christ spoke of it through Matthew 28:18-20 and John 15:1-17.  Below he gives us a sneak peek into his words for us.

“The Great Commission encapsulates God’s primary purpose for his church, for his followers. It provides personal and practical directives for us as individuals and the church. We know this – nothing new here – right?

“We know Jesus’ final command to his disciples is to make disciples. The participles, going, baptizing, and teaching are all subordinate to the main verb: the single command to make disciples.

“The purpose of each person who claims to follow Christ, the purpose for the church seems quite clear. It comes to us not by our own choice, but by command of Christ. So, if we are to make disciples we must have clear understanding of two issues:

·         What are the key qualities of a disciple? Would you know one if you saw one?

·         What will it take to develop these character qualities in the lives of people? I’d like to suggest that process matters.”

Pray for Dan as he prepares to bring us God’s Truth to us this week and pray that God would use his words to move those listening into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  

Taking the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

As happens every year at this time, the group which spent a week at Pine Ridge, SD will be sharing their experiences with the church.  This sharing time, though, is not about sharing photos, though pictures are nice and put faces to people we hear about.  It's not about sharing stories, though it is nice to hear from personal experiences.  What our time in Pine Ridge is all about is about God's work in the midst of hopelessness and His call for us to enter with these people into that same hopelessness.

I have heard many people make comments about the Native Americans and their issues.  They say things like, "They should just learn to adapt to the American culture" or "They are just a bunch of drunks who need to get over it and stop it" or "What they need is . . ."  The Lakota people of Pine Ridge don't need a "thing."  They need a person.  And his name is Jesus Christ.  Only Christ can change their hopelessness into joy and celebration.

When the group shares every year it is out of a hope that someone will heed the call to go next year.  Going on a mission trip once can be helpful to the growth of a disciple of Christ.  But to go to the same place year after year creates relationships that allow the disciple of Christ to share the love of Christ with people they know and see every year.  There are children who know us by name because we have seen them every year for the past five, ten, or fifteen years.

Is God calling you?  Don't hesitate to follow His call.  It will never be something to regret.  Come this Sunday to hear about God's work in the midst of the Lakota people and in the lives of those who heeded His call to go.

Pine Ridge: Final Day

Today will be our last day of Vacation Bible School with the children in Pine Ridge, SD.  On the first day most of the team was up by this time of the morning (6:30am) and ready to go.  Today, there is very little movement.  We are all tired and some of us are sore from work projects, but we are all ready for one last day (at least for this year).

This is our final day this year to speak the Truth of the Gospel Message into the lives of these kids.  After today, we can only assume that they will not hear the gospel as clearly again until our return.  So, our prayers go out to them.  May the Seed grow and flourish on good soil, changing the hearts and souls of the Lakota people, so that Jesus Christ, who is their only true Hope, will become great among them.

There is much history and animosity in this place.  And frankly, I cannot blame them.  We would feel the same way if our own history followed the path of their people over the last 150 years.  But as great as this wall of history is against the Gospel, our God is greater.  Pray that this wall is broken, the Truth is spread, and people are changed.

God is good!  God is strong!  God is our only hope!  God is our Savior!

For His glory and honor, forever and ever.  Amen.

(Can't wait until next year.)

Pine Ridge: Day Four

Yes, we are organized.  Yes, we have plans today.  Yes, we are all wearing the same t-shirt so that everyone in the world knows that we belong to the same group.  But, yes, we are tired.  Yes, we may be getting on each other's nerves a bit.  Yes, we may be feeling the weakest of all days.

This is normal.  Why?  Because today is the day where the gospel message is spoken the most clearly during Vacation Bible School in Pine Ridge, SD.  The gospel has been spoken every day, but today will be the day we call the kids to make a decision.  Who will they trust?  Will they trust the world and their own efforts to "make things right" or will they trust the only True Savior, Jesus Christ?

There is much spiritual warfare going on right now around us.  Satan is feeling the pressure and is not liking what he sees.  He's fighting us in every way possible.  And that's just the way we like it.  The enemy doesn't just have a foothold here.  He has thrown a whole block-party and is making plans to expand.  But we are here to say, "No more!"

Some may tell us that a week in one place does nothing.  It's not long enough to make any significant spiritual headway.  But I would disagree.  Would it be better to live here 24/7 in order to reach the Lakota people for Christ?  Absolutely!  As of right now we are called to be here for a week in order to once again speak the gospel Truth and to encourage the very small Church (1%-2% of the total population of Pine Ridge confesses to be believers in Christ).  But even in this short amount of time God can do a great work beyond anything we could do on our own.

Pray for us today as we fight an offensive against the enemy.  Pray that we would be united for His cause and that our focus would be directed to speak the Truth to spiritually dead and hardened hearts. Pray that God's kingdom would expand and that His name would go far and wide throughout this place.

Oh, and I am praying for you.  Because you are called to come here next year to fight with us.  Or perhaps you are called to move here and proclaim His Truth, Jesus Christ 24/7.  Do not resist His call to reach others for Christ.  And if that call leads you here, praise His name!

For His glory alone!

Pine Ridge: Day Three

Today is our third day of having Vacation Bible School in Pine Ridge, SD.  The focus today will be on trusting Christ, the pure and greatest Lamb, who sacrificed himself to defeat our sin.  Pray that today the children will hear, catch, and trust the Lamb.

If you have never been to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation I would highly recommend it.  It would be an experience you would never forget.  And it gets into your blood once you've come.  Yesterday we woke up to a man, Douglas, who wanted to have a cup of coffee.  It was obvious that he had been drinking already at 6:00am.  As I write this, he is sitting at the table talking with one of our team members about the past hardships of their people.  Wil, our team member, is African American, and to hear him try to explain how me, a white man, did not kill his people and did not distort the story of the Gospel.  The hopelessness that we find here and the very open wounds that still exist from the past are dramatic.  The church of the past has done a disservice for the work of Christ in the future.  It's a good lesson to learn for us today.

So, don't judge this man because of the still open wounds of his people.  Do not tell his to "get over it."  We all have some wounds that just won't heal.  It just that some are larger and deeper than others.  Now imagine trying to heal those wounds without the power of the Holy Spirit.  He blames me for the hardships of his people.  And in a sense he may be right.  But I hold nothing against him.  I'm just praying for Douglas' salvation and the salvation of his people.  Imagine what God will to through this great people do if He would give them over to the Great Lamb?  Pray for the revival of the hearts of these people.

Pine Ridge: Day Two

Today will be our second day of Vacation Bible School in Pine Ridge, SD.  Our focus yesterday was on how God created the universe and that it was perfect in every way, just like God.  Today we will focus on the sin of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God and how that disobedience brought death into the world.  Not just a physical death, but also spiritual.  We are all in this boat of death before God grabs our heart and saves our souls.

Praise His name today!  For He is good!

Pine Ridge - Day One

Today is the first day of VBS at Pine Ridge, SD.  We have made plans and everything is ready for the day, but as usual it will rarely go as planned.  Schedules will be ruined and plans will be thwarted, but  our first and foremost desire is that the gospel message is clearly spoken and understood by all who are here this morning.  Our God is good and if anyone can get someone to understand His saving grace and mercy it would be Him.

Pray for all of us as a team that we would unified in speaking the truth and loving the kids more than we love ourselves.  Pray that we would see the barriers and walls that have been built up for generations be broken and fall.  Pray that Pine Ridge would experience a revival and fire that only the Spirit can bring.

For His Glory Alone!

God's Work, Our Blessing

This week at First Baptist we have the privilege to witness and share in the incredible work of the Lord in the lives of twelve individuals through the act of baptism.  This seemingly simple act of descending into the water has a profound impact on the heart of every true child of God.  For as we willingly lower ourselves fully into the baptismal waters we are acknowledging the amazing, powerful, and beautiful saving work of God in our lives.  We were once dead in our sins, but through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are alive in Him. Christ commanded us to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And it is through the obedience to Christ’s command that we receive a blessing which is beyond ourselves and only from our Creator.

These twelve individuals have acknowledged before the spiritual leaders of this church the saving work of Christ in their lives and this Sunday they will do the same before the entire church family.  Praise God for His work upon their lives.  Pray for them as they willingly take this important step of obedience.  May others who witness their obedience be stirred in their hearts to follow their example.  Join us, celebrate with us, and witness God’s work through and blessing upon His people when they obey.

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Closed Doors and an Open Heart

This week we will be studying Acts 16:6-15.  Paul, Silas, and Timothy are on their way to a place called Bithynia but are thwarted in their efforts by the Holy Spirit.  This isn’t the first time God has closed a door on the group.  They desired to go to Asia and speak the Gospel Message but were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to utter a word.  All this seems strange until Paul has a dream.  This dream is the catalyst to a “chance” meeting with a woman named Lydia.

There are times in our lives that we are prevented from fulfilling what we believe to be the right thing.  Sometimes our own sinful nature gets in the way.  Other times the enemy and his dominion are hard at work.  But still other times God is the one stepping into the picture.  This seems counter to what we understand about God.  After all, doesn’t He want us to do good things?

We who are Christ’s disciples need to trust the Word of God and His guidance.  But to know, hear, and understand His will takes more than a dream.  It takes effort, sacrifice, and a willingness to let go of ourselves in favor of God’s will for our lives.

Do we know what God desires for our lives?  Are we willing to accept God’s will when He closes doors around us?  Remember that one closed door may lead to an open door where we may see the work of God in the heart of one individual.  We may be witness to the salvation of another.

May we be prayerfully ready to head through the open doors when they are revealed to us and may we be prepared for whatever the Spirit may speak to us through His Word.

Encouragement to be Missional

What does it mean to be missional?  What does it look like to be missional?  Christ makes it clear through the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 that we as His disciples are to be missional in all we do.

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 28:19-20 (ESV)
 

This week at First Baptist we will be hearing testimonies from the team who spent a week at the Pine Ridge Reservation.  These team members went to the edge of our state to a completely different culture in order to preach the Good News to a people with very little hope.  But we do not have to travel very far in order to fulfill the words of Christ above.  The idea of “going” in this passage is better translated “As you go, make disciples . . .”  This means that as we live our daily lives we who are disciples of Christ should be actively and purposely seeking out others to disciple.  This may be bringing someone to Christ for the first time or encouraging another’s growth in spiritual maturity in Christ.  Either way, Christ’s words are focused on His disciples living out discipleship on a daily basis.  This is what it mean to be missional.

 

May the testimony and witness of those who share this week be an encouragement to us all to fulfill the Great Commission and may we be prayerfully prepared for God’s dramatic call for our daily lives.

Go Therefore and Make Disciples

This week at First Baptist – Emery, Chuck Hiatt (former pastor at FBC) will be bringing the word of God from Psalm 90.  The title of his message is “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life.”  Pray for him as he brings the truth of the Gospel to ears that will hear.

The reason for Chuck preaching this week is due to my joining a group from Emery and Virginia heading to Pine Ridge, South Dakota to lead a Vacation Bible School, build relationships, and help the local church with any needs.  This trip has taken place for at least the past fifteen years and hopefully will continue for the next eighty (at least).

This begs the question, why do we go back to Pine Ridge every year, with seemingly very little “progress” or “success” in the realm of spiritual growth (Pine Ridge is made up of around 1% believers/disciples of Christ)?  To answer this question we need to look beyond what we can see.  Yes, there seems to be very little “progress” of the Gospel to our own eyes, but God is calling disciples of Christ from South Dakota, Virginia, and across the country to Pine Ridge to continue the work of fulfilling the Great Commission.  We are called to go and make disciples.  So, we go and each year we wait to see what God is going to do.  As long as he calls us to Pine Ridge we will continue to go.  We are disciples of Christ who desire to see revival in the hearts of those at Pine Ridge.  We cannot overcome the historical, current, and future road blocks of the Gospel message.  But God can.  And will.

One final question for you: What are you doing to fulfill the Great Commission?  Perhaps it is in another country or in your own neighborhood, but God is calling all of his children to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Please pray for the team heading to Pine Ridge this week from July 13-20.  Do not let your first prayer be safety (as Pine Ridge can be a very dangerous area), but let your first and most fervent prayer be for the Gospel Message to make its way to the hearts of those whose ears hear.  May we come back from Pine Ridge this year with stories of revival and repentance of those at Pine Ridge.  May we come back changed ourselves, more reliant upon Christ, and renewed in our own faith.