Tuxedos and Wetsuits

Have you ever stopped to think about what a mature disciple of Jesus Christ looks like? Have you ever really stopped to think about what God expects from the church, the body of Christ on earth? Jesus made it very clear what the body is to be doing as we await His promised return - it's about making disciples. The evangelist Matthew records Jesus words for us at the end of his gospel. Jesus said, "go and make disciples of all nations." Unfortunately, much of the church, especially in recent history, has poured unbelievable amounts of time and resources into things or programs that don't really fit into any kind of strategy for making mature disciples. That does not mean that those "things" are necessarily bad, they're just out of place. It's kind of like scuba gear at a wedding. Nothing wrong with scuba gear - it's great for diving but probably not the best choice of attire for a wedding. In the same way, one would fail to achieve the maximum diving experience in a tuxedo or a dress.
Let's take it another step. In the area of scuba gear, think back to early days of underwater exploration. The suits were huge canvas coveralls, with weighted boots and a big, goofy helmet with an air hose connected to the compressor on the boat. What do divers use today? Slick wetsuits with plastic goggles, a small container of air connected to their suit and flippers (not weights) that allow them maximum mobility under the water. I would dare say that you could not find a diving school that would give you the option of using the old canvas suit and boots. The same kind of thinking needs to happen at church too. At church we need to ask ourselves the ever-important question, "What are we trying to do?" Then we need to ask ourselves the second important question, "What's the best possible method available to do it?" The answer to the first question, "What are we trying to do," is simple - make disciples. It's simple because it's what Jesus told us to do. We'll deal with the question about method in a later post. For now let's stay with "making disciples" and my very first question - what does a mature disciple of Jesus Christ look like? I believe that a mature disciple is one who:

1. Worships God
2. Is connected to the body
3. Is serving in the body
4. Is growing in their faith

I will try to deal with each of these 4 areas in the next few weeks but until then let's see these 4 areas as steps in the "discipleship process." What if the church said, "Jesus has called the church to go and make mature disciples and we are going to obey his command. We are going to put all our energy into a process by which people can begin and continue to Worship God, Connect to the body, be encouraged to Serve in the body and Grow deeper in their faith." Wouldn't that give a church the ability to evaluate every thing they do in order to see where and if it fits in the "discipleship process?" I believe it would. Remember those 4 words: Worship, Connect, Serve, Grow. I'll be saying a lot about them in the weeks to come.

If you are interested in seeing the foundation of my thoughts I would encourage you to read Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger.

Beijing 2008

I haven't watched as much of the Olympics this summer as I have in past years but I have watched a little. As a citizen of the United States I've had the opportunity to root for Michael Phelps in his run towards the history books, watch the men's basketball team attempt to reestablish our reputation as a power-house on the court and last night I witnessed little Shawn Johnson perform an almost perfect gold medal performance on the balance beam. I love being an American and I'm thankful for all privileges that being an American affords. What I was again reminded of last night was the grand international stage that the Olymipics always brings into view. I love seeing the athletes from different nations congratulate each other and communicate good will and fair competition on such a public stage. So many countries, so many languages, so many colors and cultures - One God, creator of all. It caused me to reflect on the fact that God does not prefer Americans over people from other nations. We are not special to God because we're Americans. Most American Christians would agree with that statement but few of us live that way. It's almost like we think that as Americans we get to fly first class on God's airline and everyone else is flying coach. We feel a sense of intitlement to the first portion of God's blessings. We would do well to see the world like God sees it. God values all of humanity and they are for whom Christ died. Regardless of the colors on the flag or the language spoken, God loves people and we have been called to do the same.

The first of many...

Good morning all. Or good evening, depending on when you do your reading. This is the first installment of many to come. I titled this blog "Life in the Process" for a few reasons. For those who attend Haven Baptist Church here in Winter Haven you will recognize that this is the title of the first series of sermons that I began preaching since coming here as pastor. The idea of "life in the process" came from a message that I preached from Jeremiah 18 where we looked at Potter working with the clay in order to make something both beautiful and useful to Him. The idea that we walked away with that morning was that we, as believers, can yield to the Potter because of (1) His person, because of (2) His process and because of (3) the product that He intends to make of us. This message was the springboard into the series "Life in the Process" which is a study of the book of James. In James we find the most practical instruction in all of the New Testament. James' letter gives us many lessons that we must learn in order to successfully yield to the Potter as we live our lives in His process.
The process begins for a person when they first yield to God Father through the person of Jesus Christ, God the Son. When we confess Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation by His death and resurrection, we begin our life in the process. God the Holy Spirit takes us and "baptizes" us into the resurrected life of Jesus and we become followers of Christ. God the Father then begins to mold us, like clay, into the product of his choosing for his glory. The process is not easy. The process is not fast. The process is full of pain and suffering and has little, if anything, to do with earthly comfort and pleasure. The process is life here on earth; God making me more like Jesus while we anxiously await His return to earth.
Though the sermon series will soon be over, the process continues. These posts will consist of the things that God is dealing with me about as I live my life in the process. My hope and prayer is that by sharing my thoughts and struggles with you, you will come to know me more but ultimately that you might know God more.