The Characteristics of a Disciple:
Attribute #1: Abide in the Word
Do you like where you live? Now, don’t fall into the trap that we so often do and immediately think on a physical level! I am not talking about the house you live in or whether you like the neighborhood or community where you reside. I am talking about your spiritual walk! Do you like where you live?
One of the clear characteristics of a disciple of Jesus is that they abide in His word. Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). The first part of this statement by Jesus is really just common sense, isn’t it? How could you be a disciple (student, learner, follower) of Jesus if you are not willing to follow His teachings or use His word as the foundation for your life? “Abiding” or “living” in His word means we make it a part of our everyday living. It becomes the guide we use to navigate through the challenges of this life!
The context of these verses in John 8 is about the very trap we tend to fall into with religion. As people came to believe in Jesus (V. 30), He wanted them to see the constant seeking, learning and growing that needed to be part of their development. He was calling them away from becoming stagnate, thinking they had arrived because they were of the right bloodlines. They saw themselves as right with God and ultimately free because they were “children of Abraham” (V. 33, 39) however, Jesus challenges them to “do the deeds of Abraham”! You see, Abraham would recognize Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God because Abraham walked with God throughout his life. He was constantly growing in spiritual maturity and even in a land where he was a stranger, he was never enslaved! The Israelites, in contrast, had a long history of being enslaved by almost every nation who came down the road because they would stop listening to the word of God and would allow their lusts and the distractions of the nations around them to lead them astray.
The point is this: Too many Christians are not enjoying the fullness of life God wants us to experience because we are not abiding (living, dwelling) in His word. We become enslaved by addictions, dysfunction and bad habits that are not in line with the nature and will of God and then get angry at God when we are conquered and live in oppressive situations. If He was in control and truly loved us, wouldn’t He fix things and help me clean up my mess? (This is what the Israelites of Jesus’ time were waiting for!) But it is THE TRUTH that makes us free, not the MAGIC GENIE IN THE SKY who wants to follow after us and fix every bad thing we get into! We would be free and able to live lives of contentment, joy, peace and hope if we let His word be where we dwelled!
What does “FREE” look like? How about a marriage where you don’t have to worry about contracting an infectious disease or threaten one another with the D-Word (divorce) because you make your decisions based upon His Word on what marriage should look like and how it should function? Could it be that freedom is not having to worry about what you said or did in your past because you have lived as a true disciple of Jesus? How about the ability to not only overcome the addictions and dysfunction in your life, but also to then use what you have learned from those things to bless the lives of others who are struggling and looking for answers?
So, do you like where you live? If not, try moving into the neighborhood of God’s Word and see if your living conditions don’t improve.
-Scott
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Marks of a Disciple
A popular skit series from the television show Saturday Night Live was about an individual named Pat whose character was intentionally made to be gender neutral. The point of the skits were to put Pat in various situations in which one could try and figure out if Pat was male or female. However, things were left so vague that one was always left wondering. The cast of Saturday Night Live made people laugh at the absurdity and awkwardness of something that should be quite clear yet was hard to define in this one individual.
How much of life is like this? Imagine if my references from when I was trying out for the preaching opening here at Garden Ridge made glowing statements like, “I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine”; or, “I can assure you that no person would be better for the job”; or, “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.” Huh? What would they mean? Are these positive statements, or negative ones? (Go back and read each one again from both perspectives.)
I believe we have done the same thing with some of our different religious terms. One example of this would be the word, “disciple”. Ask a group of people what it means to be a disciple and you will get a lot of different answers. Some would be positive and some would not! Perhaps, the reason for this is because we fall into the trap of letting the world define what this means instead of allowing the Scriptures to provide its own definition. What was Jesus calling people to be and do when He invited them to follow Him and become His disciples? How much of what He desired from those walking with Him in His time applies to us in this present age? How much of what the first disciples were able to do in His name should we be able to accomplish?
One book that powerfully deals with the concept of discipleship throughout its pages is the Gospel of John! He begins his gospel on the very high plain of God creating through His Son, Jesus, and then sending Him to His creation to “explain” (the Greek term means to exegete) God. In so doing, His goal was not to bring God, His Father, down to the level of mankind, but to help mankind attain to the level of His Father! This is why John will make statements like, “there was the true light which, coming into the world enlightens every man”; and “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9, 12). Do you see by these statements that we are called to His level? He enlightens us, not vice-versa! As a child of God, I am to live according to the ways of my Father, thus proving I am part of His family (See John 8:39-47 for a scathing discussion on being true children of God).
John helps define what a disciple is and what he does in three powerful quotes of Jesus found in John 8:31; 13:35; and 15:8. These are descriptive marks one must portray in order to truly be a disciple of Jesus. He calls His followers to: (1) abide (or live) in His word, which will set us free; (2) to love one another; and (3) to bear much fruit. Over the next three weeks I hope to take each of these statements made by Jesus and discuss what the implications are for our lives today. Following that, we will consider the cycle of maturity Paul prays for in Colossians 1:9-12 and how we can implement this in our daily living and ministries here at Garden Ridge.
Please recognize that the leadership at Garden Ridge is committed to searching out the truth of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and then challenge the members of this body to strive to live according to His high standard. We do not want to present a weak or impotent picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus to our community, or one another, so that it is abundantly clear what a GREAT thing it is to be a disciple of Jesus and a child of God.
-Scott
How much of life is like this? Imagine if my references from when I was trying out for the preaching opening here at Garden Ridge made glowing statements like, “I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine”; or, “I can assure you that no person would be better for the job”; or, “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.” Huh? What would they mean? Are these positive statements, or negative ones? (Go back and read each one again from both perspectives.)
I believe we have done the same thing with some of our different religious terms. One example of this would be the word, “disciple”. Ask a group of people what it means to be a disciple and you will get a lot of different answers. Some would be positive and some would not! Perhaps, the reason for this is because we fall into the trap of letting the world define what this means instead of allowing the Scriptures to provide its own definition. What was Jesus calling people to be and do when He invited them to follow Him and become His disciples? How much of what He desired from those walking with Him in His time applies to us in this present age? How much of what the first disciples were able to do in His name should we be able to accomplish?
One book that powerfully deals with the concept of discipleship throughout its pages is the Gospel of John! He begins his gospel on the very high plain of God creating through His Son, Jesus, and then sending Him to His creation to “explain” (the Greek term means to exegete) God. In so doing, His goal was not to bring God, His Father, down to the level of mankind, but to help mankind attain to the level of His Father! This is why John will make statements like, “there was the true light which, coming into the world enlightens every man”; and “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9, 12). Do you see by these statements that we are called to His level? He enlightens us, not vice-versa! As a child of God, I am to live according to the ways of my Father, thus proving I am part of His family (See John 8:39-47 for a scathing discussion on being true children of God).
John helps define what a disciple is and what he does in three powerful quotes of Jesus found in John 8:31; 13:35; and 15:8. These are descriptive marks one must portray in order to truly be a disciple of Jesus. He calls His followers to: (1) abide (or live) in His word, which will set us free; (2) to love one another; and (3) to bear much fruit. Over the next three weeks I hope to take each of these statements made by Jesus and discuss what the implications are for our lives today. Following that, we will consider the cycle of maturity Paul prays for in Colossians 1:9-12 and how we can implement this in our daily living and ministries here at Garden Ridge.
Please recognize that the leadership at Garden Ridge is committed to searching out the truth of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and then challenge the members of this body to strive to live according to His high standard. We do not want to present a weak or impotent picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus to our community, or one another, so that it is abundantly clear what a GREAT thing it is to be a disciple of Jesus and a child of God.
-Scott
Sunday, March 9, 2008
What is Our Purpose?
Imagine a shoe manufacturing plant that has been operating for two years without ever producing shoes. Employees have been hired; safety procedures have been approved; machinery has been purchased and tested and maintained; insurance has been bought; a cafeteria has been staffed and operated; even marketing strategies and shipping procedures have been implemented. However, what is the point of all this activity if the plant doesn’t manufacture shoes?
Do you suppose we have ever been guilty of going through the motions of religion without fulfilling the very things our religion is supposed to be about? Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples”! Of all the things we do as a church, if we are not doing this, we are not truly functioning as the “body of Christ”, are we? As His body, shouldn’t our main activity be bringing people to God; training them in His ways so they are equipped to stand in the battle for their soul? Shouldn’t reaching into the darkness to rescue the perishing and equipping others who already understand their need for Jesus as their Savior be our primary goals? All the church activities, charity and service projects don’t mean much if we are not helping people see their need to be in a deep bond of intimacy with God!
Indulge me in a very personal illustration for the Garden Ridge family. Suppose we had a Christian School we facilitated on our premises and a great amount of time, energy and financial backing were given to this effort. Suppose the school grew to provide training for over 200 students each year. Staff and teachers were hired; playgrounds were built and maintained; auctions were held to promote the school and to help with new programs; scholarship funds were started and maintained; etc. However, suppose the church family did not know the families who sent their children to school throughout the year and had very little contact with the students. Would they be missing out on a beautiful opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and make disciples?
Imagine if the church family became more intentional about making disciples and made efforts to make the most of a resource already easily accessible. What might happen? Suppose Life Groups adopted classes and held birthday parties and other fun activities for the students? How might that speak to their parents? Suppose children who graduated were presented with Bibles in the assembly of worship and their parents were treated as guests of honor. Consider what might happen if students were followed up on each year after they graduated to see how they were doing spiritually and if this church family could help them grow closer to God. Suppose families were contacted each semester to see if they had a church home and if there were any prayer needs they had that our church family could lift up before God for them. Imagine if parenting seminars with free babysitting were done specifically for families in the stage of life these families are at. Could these things open more doors to evangelize and train disciples?
If our purpose is to make disciples (and I firmly believe this is first and foremost what God calls us to do), then we must evaluate each ministry and activity we do as part of the body here at Garden Ridge and consider how we might make the most of the opportunities already before us. We must become more intentional about finding ways to reach out with the Good News we hold dear. God will provide the growth, but we must plant the seed! Are we ready to grow? Not if we lose sight of our purpose! There are a lot of shoeless people that need us to do our job.
What does it mean to be a disciple? Over the next several weeks my articles will provide some biblical insight into what God calls us to as disciples of Jesus. We will look at various characteristics of disciples and the process of maturation Paul prays for when writing Colossians.
-Scott
Do you suppose we have ever been guilty of going through the motions of religion without fulfilling the very things our religion is supposed to be about? Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples”! Of all the things we do as a church, if we are not doing this, we are not truly functioning as the “body of Christ”, are we? As His body, shouldn’t our main activity be bringing people to God; training them in His ways so they are equipped to stand in the battle for their soul? Shouldn’t reaching into the darkness to rescue the perishing and equipping others who already understand their need for Jesus as their Savior be our primary goals? All the church activities, charity and service projects don’t mean much if we are not helping people see their need to be in a deep bond of intimacy with God!
Indulge me in a very personal illustration for the Garden Ridge family. Suppose we had a Christian School we facilitated on our premises and a great amount of time, energy and financial backing were given to this effort. Suppose the school grew to provide training for over 200 students each year. Staff and teachers were hired; playgrounds were built and maintained; auctions were held to promote the school and to help with new programs; scholarship funds were started and maintained; etc. However, suppose the church family did not know the families who sent their children to school throughout the year and had very little contact with the students. Would they be missing out on a beautiful opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and make disciples?
Imagine if the church family became more intentional about making disciples and made efforts to make the most of a resource already easily accessible. What might happen? Suppose Life Groups adopted classes and held birthday parties and other fun activities for the students? How might that speak to their parents? Suppose children who graduated were presented with Bibles in the assembly of worship and their parents were treated as guests of honor. Consider what might happen if students were followed up on each year after they graduated to see how they were doing spiritually and if this church family could help them grow closer to God. Suppose families were contacted each semester to see if they had a church home and if there were any prayer needs they had that our church family could lift up before God for them. Imagine if parenting seminars with free babysitting were done specifically for families in the stage of life these families are at. Could these things open more doors to evangelize and train disciples?
If our purpose is to make disciples (and I firmly believe this is first and foremost what God calls us to do), then we must evaluate each ministry and activity we do as part of the body here at Garden Ridge and consider how we might make the most of the opportunities already before us. We must become more intentional about finding ways to reach out with the Good News we hold dear. God will provide the growth, but we must plant the seed! Are we ready to grow? Not if we lose sight of our purpose! There are a lot of shoeless people that need us to do our job.
What does it mean to be a disciple? Over the next several weeks my articles will provide some biblical insight into what God calls us to as disciples of Jesus. We will look at various characteristics of disciples and the process of maturation Paul prays for when writing Colossians.
-Scott
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Race
When everything is said and done, what will you have accomplished that is truly exemplary? When you reach the Finish Line of life, what accolades will be awaiting you? Could it be that there is an enemy running alongside of us trying to trip us up or lead us down the wrong path?
A story is told of two paddleboats that left Memphis at the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they were traveling side by side, words were exchanged, competition flared, and the two boats began racing to see who could reach their destination first. One of the boats began falling behind because it was running short of fuel. There had been plenty brought aboard for the entire journey, but not enough once they began to race! As the boat fell back, the captain took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the furnace. The response was immediate—the little boat picked up speed. The captain proceeded to fuel his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport down to New Orleans. He ended up winning the race, but burned up his cargo!
Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap when it comes to family responsibilities? One husband, out to prove his love for his new wife, swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. Unfortunately, she divorced him because he was never home! Too many of us get caught up in the rat race of life, striving to see, do and conquer more than any who have come before us. As a result, we often lose sight of the precious cargo that is right before us—our families! How many times have they been sacrificed in the quest for something truly amazing that winds up being only superficial and temporary?
Garden Ridge is a church that believes in the priority of developing healthy families according to the will and plan of God. With this in mind, the elders have seen to it that there are several tools in place to assist families in a variety of areas to challenge them and help them maintain proper priorities in all areas of family life. Programs such as Financial Peace, Dynamic Marriage, and Celebrate/Recovery are incredible tools for developing healthier families! “What are these”, and “How can they help me”, you ask? Consider the following:
Financial Peace University is a 91-day program designed to help couples learn how to pay off debt and build financial security through training and accountability. Several couples have already participated in this program and have paid off vast amounts of debt as well as started savings plans that have helped them become more responsible financially, and less stressed out emotionally.
Dynamic Marriage is an 8-week interactive marriage program in which the participants learn the plan of God for marriage and how to fulfill the roles He has designed husbands and wives to play. It is a communication training exercise in which couples learn how to speak love to one another in a way they will hear, and meet one another’s needs so they grow in intimacy.
Celebrate/Recovery is a Bible based recovery program designed to help people find and experience God’s healing power in whatever areas are stripping this away. This would include areas such as: overworking, divorce, food addiction, overspending, physical and/or sexual abuse, lying, perfectionism, fear and/or anxiety, sexual addiction, guilt, eating disorders, grief, hurtful relationships, rejection; control issues, insecurity, anger, gambling, alcohol and/or drugs, and co-dependency. In other words, this is a training, fellowship and accountability program for dealing with destructive behaviors or hurts that can adversely affect one’s family life.
Interestingly, as my mom used to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Good programs are not worth much if, like the paddle-boat captain, we forget what our mission is and get caught up in some other task or pursuit that actually destroys the core of what we are. Remember what will truly last and set your sights on achieving that so there will be no heartache at the end of the race!
-Scott
A story is told of two paddleboats that left Memphis at the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they were traveling side by side, words were exchanged, competition flared, and the two boats began racing to see who could reach their destination first. One of the boats began falling behind because it was running short of fuel. There had been plenty brought aboard for the entire journey, but not enough once they began to race! As the boat fell back, the captain took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the furnace. The response was immediate—the little boat picked up speed. The captain proceeded to fuel his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport down to New Orleans. He ended up winning the race, but burned up his cargo!
Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap when it comes to family responsibilities? One husband, out to prove his love for his new wife, swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. Unfortunately, she divorced him because he was never home! Too many of us get caught up in the rat race of life, striving to see, do and conquer more than any who have come before us. As a result, we often lose sight of the precious cargo that is right before us—our families! How many times have they been sacrificed in the quest for something truly amazing that winds up being only superficial and temporary?
Garden Ridge is a church that believes in the priority of developing healthy families according to the will and plan of God. With this in mind, the elders have seen to it that there are several tools in place to assist families in a variety of areas to challenge them and help them maintain proper priorities in all areas of family life. Programs such as Financial Peace, Dynamic Marriage, and Celebrate/Recovery are incredible tools for developing healthier families! “What are these”, and “How can they help me”, you ask? Consider the following:
Financial Peace University is a 91-day program designed to help couples learn how to pay off debt and build financial security through training and accountability. Several couples have already participated in this program and have paid off vast amounts of debt as well as started savings plans that have helped them become more responsible financially, and less stressed out emotionally.
Dynamic Marriage is an 8-week interactive marriage program in which the participants learn the plan of God for marriage and how to fulfill the roles He has designed husbands and wives to play. It is a communication training exercise in which couples learn how to speak love to one another in a way they will hear, and meet one another’s needs so they grow in intimacy.
Celebrate/Recovery is a Bible based recovery program designed to help people find and experience God’s healing power in whatever areas are stripping this away. This would include areas such as: overworking, divorce, food addiction, overspending, physical and/or sexual abuse, lying, perfectionism, fear and/or anxiety, sexual addiction, guilt, eating disorders, grief, hurtful relationships, rejection; control issues, insecurity, anger, gambling, alcohol and/or drugs, and co-dependency. In other words, this is a training, fellowship and accountability program for dealing with destructive behaviors or hurts that can adversely affect one’s family life.
Interestingly, as my mom used to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Good programs are not worth much if, like the paddle-boat captain, we forget what our mission is and get caught up in some other task or pursuit that actually destroys the core of what we are. Remember what will truly last and set your sights on achieving that so there will be no heartache at the end of the race!
-Scott
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