Discipleship

I am currently reading the book, The Forgotten Ways. I will not bore you with the details, but it is a fascinating read on church history and what our current church is lacking in comparison. On the section about discipleship, Alan says this:

“the key to Methodism’s success was the high level of commitment to the Methodist cause that was expected of participants…(the Methodist movement) degenerated into mere religious legalism maintained by institution, rule books, and professional clergy.

For the follower of Jesus, discipleship is not the first step toward a promising career. It is in itself the fulfillment of his or her destiny… it seems as if we find little place for radical discipleship in our life together as believers.”

This statement really struck a chord within me. How serious are we about discipleship? How serious are you about discipleship? We are quick to get new Christians in discipleship groups or meeting one on one with someone. For some reason we are not urgent to disciple 10 and 20 year old Christians, or at least make sure they are disciples to others.

I believe intentional small groups can be about disciples and fill that gap. Although if we stop becoming intentional, our small groups turn into a social gathering that scatters a little bit of prayer in with a little bit of study, and a whole lot of food and conversation.

Are you serious about discipleship? Who are you meeting with on a weekly basis? Who is praying for you? Who are you teaching about the ways of Jesus? Meeting with a group of Christian friends once a month does not constitute discipleship!

Son of Encourgement

(Sorry. I realize I have not been very faithful in writing these posts as it has been over a month since my last one. )

I am leading a bible study called Invest In One Another. We are going through the books of Acts in order to take a look at the early church and how they lived, worshiped, and prayed together. This past week we talked about encouraging one another. I am not talking about a pat on the back type of encouragement. Joseph, whose peers changed his name to Baranabas, which means son of encouragement, serves as an example to anyone who calls themself a Christian.

This study has caused me to wonder if Barnabas had as much to do with the spread of Christianity as Paul did. Why? Because without Barnabas Paul would never have had the opportunity to minister. True. God could have raised someone else up in his place, but thankfully he didn’t have to. Barnabas put his reputation on the line as he encouraged and supported Paul (although his name was Saul at the time).

Read through Acts 4, 9, 11 and 15 sometime. Watch and listen to what Barnabas does and how others speak of him. This begs me to ask questions about my own life and ministry.

Who am I encouraging, so that they can do the work that God is calling them to do?

Am I willing to stick my reputation on the line for the sake of my ministry?

Am I willing to disciple and invest in them?

What if I did this for one person? And they in return did this for one person?

So, what changes you?

I love information. Especially information on church, culture, theology, etc. I collect this information through books, articles, blogs, websites, assessments, and conversations. I take in all this informationn to change or become transformed. Not just for the sake of changing, but to change in such a way that I can understand Jesus better. I want to understand him more so that I can better understand what it means to be His bride – as a Christian and as His body, the church.

But all this searching for change and transformation has left me feeling empty inside. That maybe I am looking in all of the wrong places. Rather than reading books, articles, etc.; maybe I should be searching Him?!?!? Interesting concept?

So, where do you turn to seek change in your life? What do you pursue to seek transformation in your small group? Are you relying on books, study guides, dvd’s etc.? Maybe go out on the limb for once and seek HIm, His Words, and His Spirit.

Jesus & Small Groups Part 2

So, why do we get together in small groups with friends & strangers? Why do we meet with these people outside of Sunday mornings? The answer is Jesus. As I mentioned in my previous post, small groups, by default, will become just another program.

So what does a programatic small group look like?

• Dominating personalities who take over discussion time
• Individuals focused on receiving rather than giving
• Social time, with more social time
• Lack of gifted leadership
• Passive Audience

This is not an exhaustive list and I could even list sub-categories under each of these.

But what about a non-programatic small group?

• Jesus is the head
• No one dominates, everyone participates
• Focused on giving
• Share about what Jesus has done to transform their life during the week
• Leadership who God has called to lead that group
• Leadership that allows everyone to use their gifts
• Active audience (see verses below)

Jesus must be the reason we get together. It’s important that each small group, beginning with the leadership, this simple yet profound fact. What are some practical tools to stay focused on Him? As well as to experience him? Paul gives us some instruction in his letter to the Corinthians (14:26-33). You will find other passages in Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:7; Heb. 10:24-25; 13:15-16; 1 Peter 2:5-9.

In these passages you will find that when people gather together

1. they acknowledge that they are the body of Christ gathering together.
2. they have the freedom to use the gifts given to them by the spirit of Christ.
3. they encourage one another, spurring each other on.
4. they have a leader, but each person is encouraged to give scripture, sing a song, pray, etc. and in no certain order.

Where is your small group? Are you a program? Or do you resemble the Body of Christ? What other similarities or dissimilarities did you find between Paul’s letter and your small group? What gifts are present during your meetings? Teachers? Encouragers? Prophets (prophecies don’t just foretell the future; they also “forthtell” or bring to light God’s word in a specific circumstance)?

Intentional Reading

I love books as you can see from the bookshelf in my office. I like to read, study, and keep the books as a future reference. But, I am not the type of person that can read and finish one book. No, not even two. Most of the time I usually have 4 or 5 books going at once. So earlier this week I decided to become more intentional when reading. I chose 6 categories that I am interested in reading about. I tried to narrow it down to 4, but couldn’t. Anway, here are the categories with the books I chose to read. I may or may not finish each of them, but hopefully this will help me somewhere along the line with something.

Spiritual Disciplines: Fresh Encounters by Daniel Henderson (Our staff is going through this book together.)

Worldviews/Cultures: Total Truth by Nancy Pearsey

History: Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna (Talks about the how the church got to where it is and why it does the things it does.)

Church: Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch (This is my study book meaning that I am taking my time to read, take notes, apply, and think about.

Special Interests: Heaven by Randy Alcorn (We just started a series at church on this topic.)

Jesus: Secret Message by Brian McLaren

Jesus & Small Groups (Part One)

Why do small groups exist? Why do you participate in a small group? Why do you want to join a small group? These are legitimate questions that can be answered in a variety of ways. For many people and churches, small groups exist so that people can connect outside of Sunday Mornings, especially in a big church. Some people desire to belong to a small group to fulfill a relational need in their life. Other people desire to participate in a small group to study the bible through conversation. Others may want to use small groups as a means of outreach, so that they can introduce people to Jesus who would not step foot inside a church.

These are all good reasons to belong to a small group, but they should never be the sole purpose or even the primary purpose. If that was the case, small groups would become just another program of a church. A program fulfills a specific purpose, such as those described above, but programs do not transform lives.

If our small groups are or become void of Jesus, we have missed the point. It is important to remember that when Christians gather together we need to remember the reason as to why we are there.

What is that reason? Good question… ask it of yourself and of your group.

Coming Soon…

I will be committing more time to this blog. I want to become more intentional about using this space to diologue, think, put down ideas, etc. on a weekly basis.

welcome and intro

Here is my welcome and intro page to the statement and description of hospitality for county line. It is not final, but wanted to see how it reads.

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to read The Statement & Description of Hospitality for County Line Church of God. This document is more than a manual or list of ministries. Instead, this document builds theological and biblical basis for such a ministry and the importance for claiming hospitality as a primary component of County Line’s culture and environment.  As the speed of life appears to increase, we become so focused on reaching the next destination, completing the next project, fulfilling the next obligation, meeting the next business client, that we forget our obligation of living in the present. The present is where we now stand and live. The present is where our friends and family reside. The present is where we will find our new friends and acquaintances. Those who given the opportunity, may have a great impact on our lives. Not necessarily by what we can offer them, but what we can exchange with them.  Before we decide to approach a stranger, we are already sizing them up by the way they dress, talk, wear their hair, etc. If they appear to be “normal” or, better yet, “distinguished” and professional”, we will not think twice about approaching them. While approaching such a distinguished person, we may even wonder if there might be something in “it” for us. (The “it” being a friend, acquaintance, or even a new business contact.)  In essence, if the stranger does not pose a threat, then we are more likely to put our guard down and introduce ourselves to them.  When we stop looking at the outside appearance and open ourselves to see the inside of those we do not know, we will receive a gift. These gifts may even change our own life. We see this time and time again in Old Testament stories with Abraham and Sarah, Abigail, and the widow who gave Elijah all of her food. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg. Time and time again, God shows his favor upon those who own a spirit of hospitality. This document is a means for County Line to define and defend hospitality as a vital component of everything we do. As we allow space for strangers to become a part of our community, we then have the opportunity to witness the gifts and blessings from God that come with accepting strangers. Let me know your thoughts….

A Statement of Hospitality

As I begin to buckle down after acclimating myself to County Line, one of my first goals is to create a hospitality ministry. The good news is that all of the components are in place. My responsiblity is to create a purpose and vision in bringing all of these components together as we work on fostering a community of believers that welcomes and accepts everyone that walks through our doors. This will be an ongoing task, but one I am excited about as the ministry of hospitality is not just for our church, but for our own lives as well. We are so engrossed in our individualistic culture, that we find it difficult to open ourselves up to the stranger, who we are told from the beginning is dangerous. In order to create community presence at County Line, we must establish a spirit of hospitality. I believe that before hospitality can occer, we need to remove hostility. Henry Nouwen talks about this in his book, Reaching Out.

He brings up the point that until we invite a stranger into our life, there is hostility, even if its a small portion. Think about it… Do you make eye contact with that person walking towards you at the grocery store? Do you get beyond the normal exchanges with the gas station clerk? How well do you really know your Christian brother or sister, as you worship next to them on a Sunday morning? We cannot become hospitable until we remove the hostility between us and the stranger. If we are to move towards becoming a community of believers, we must remove the barriers of hostility and open up our hearts with a spirit of hospitality.

To help me build a foundation for County Line in the area of Hospitality, I am writing a manual. Actually, it is more like a statement of hospitality. The statement will then describe various ways that a person can get involved with the hospitality area at County Line. I will be placing the sections of the statement on the blog.

I have a dream…

I used to like doing yard work – mow the yard, work in the landscape, pulling weeds, digging in dirt, etc. – until recently. I am too busy to mess with the stuff. It is more work than relaxing (it was actually relaxing at one point in time). Anyway, there was no avoiding it today. The yard needed to be mowed, actually it looked more like a hayfield than a yard. But something always magical happens when I get out there on the mower – contemplation! I am alone and can easly zone out. I love to contemplate and think about life, the church, my family, etc. While I was out today my mind began moving towards the church, the early church actually, and what it must have been like. I began thinking about what principles the church today can learn about the early church. There is too much to write down, and I have not even attempted to write them down. But I wonder what if the small group ministry at County Line began to look like the early church? Is that possible? Can it be done?

 Why can’t we look at them as house churches rather than small groups? Where community takes place and people eat, talk, fellowship, break bread, worship, pray, and experience Jesus Christ together. Where the leaders exhibit gifts of a pastor and teacher. Where people are bold enough to pray for healing to take place on the spot. Where people share how the holy spirit is moving and working in their lives.

 When I think of small groups I think of curriculums, study guides, programs, etc. But when I think of house church I think of the Spirit, freedom, worship, alive, experiencing life together, etc. I think many people think of house churches as a farce, but I believe the opposite. I believe its worth pursuing.