The next step in the discipleship process is Connection. Connection, in my opinion, is where the modern church has failed most. Connection is that dynamic where individuals move from the basic level of commitment, where they simply worship together with other believers, to where they begin to invest in the lives of specific believers in the community. Connection is community!
I am a football fan. there is a difference between going to a packed stadium of 90,000 people all wearing the same colors and cheering for the same team and sitting together with some friends to watch the game in someone's living room. I like both venues but they are not the same. In the living room we a bonding whether we mean to be or not. In the living room we are interested in the game and each other. In the stadium we are interested in the game and the excitement. Living room = intimate. Stadium = excitement.
Scripture has much to say about community. The entire OT is the story of how God worked not necessarily through individuals but through a people - Israel. The gospels, though they are the story of one man - Jesus Christ, are about how he ministered in the company of twelve men in whom he had chosen to invest. The remainder of the NT is both history and instruction on how God worked and wants to work through another group - the Church. If you read almost every NT epistle you will find instructions on how we are to live with a focus on "one another." It's almost never about "me" and almost always about "us." Why is that? Because God values community.
God designed humanity to function within the context of community. In fact, God is the embodiment of community - the Trinity. The Christian life is to be lived in the context of authentic Christian community. When we are intentional about creating environments where authentic Christian community can happen and couple with that the study of God's Word we will find ourselves in an environment where we grow with and from one another. Step two in the discipleship process is getting people plugged into a small group of believers with whom they can invest and from whom they will be invested.
Step 1 - Worship
Step 2 - Connect
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Worship
The first thing I want to do is simply state what our discipleship process will look like and then I will come back and defend each one later as needed. I believe that in keeping with what God wants (Matthew 28:19-20 – making disciples) that we must structure the ministry in such a way that this happens – a mature disciple assembly line if you will.
The first step in the process is Worship. When someone comes into our fellowship as a believer or as just a curious observer we plug them into our weekly worship service. Our weekly worship service is a focused event each week where the body gathers corporately to celebrate their relationship with God and each other as believers and to be encouraged by the preaching of God’s word. New believers and non-believers can be introduced to life in the body in the most non threatening environment available and begin their discipleship journey with something they can actually handle.
Before we go to the next step, I think it is important to address how the worship service will benefit a non believer. Even though the weekly worship service is designed for believers of all levels of spiritual maturity, it also gives the curious observer an opportunity to see that Christians are really not the weirdoes that the world makes us out to be. They will come curious and they will be presented with opportunities to have their questions answered. Our goal is to share Christ’s love with them while they are here and point them towards a relationship with Him. Hopefully the unchurched that visit with us are here because you have invited them from a circle in which you have come to know them. You would then also be a tool to be used of God to answer the questions they might have.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Foundational Question - What do you want?
I said a couple of weeks ago that I would begin talking about what I believe the discipleship process looks like at Haven. I already introduced you to what, I believe, are 4 major life characteristics of a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and is growing in their faith. Worship, Connect, Serve & Grow. I believe that all 4 of these characteristics are clearly articulated in the Bible and we'll discover that together real soon. I also want to talk about what each of these 4 stages might look like practically or in the context of life in 2008 and beyond (but mainly in 2008). Before I do that, though, I believe it is important that each one answer the foundational question - "What do you want?"
To answer this question might seem easy and we might give the Sunday school answer; "I want what Jesus wants." But I wonder if we really mean that or not. For instance, we might think we want what Jesus wants but we prove otherwise when we consistently treat others unkindly or gossip about a brother or sister which is totally contrary to what Jesus wants as revealed in the Bible. We may even go so far as to justify our sin or minimize it in our minds. Think about it this way, what if you have decided to go out to eat and you are trying to determine where to go. Someone says that they don't care where they eat but turn their nose up at every suggestion. They might even agree to go to a certain place but complain the whole time they are there. Did they really "not care" where they ate? Of course they cared. They took advantage of every opportunity to display that what they said they didn't really mean.
This brings me back to the foundational question - "What do you want?" When it comes to how your church approaches ministry from a discipleship standpoint; "What do you want?" The answer to that question (the real answer) will effect how you see the process as I begin to lay it out for you as best I can. I would be lying to say that I didn't have things that I liked and disliked. Everyone does. What I can't do is allow my likes and dislikes to be the filter through which I see things when it comes to ministry and discipleship. So I go back to the question; "What do you want?"
What I hope to share with you is what I believe the Bible has to say about how God would answer our question to Him; "What do You want?" I believe that he has called the church to "go & make disciples." Simple right? It certainly demands a process - a discipleship process - a clear and measurable discipleship process - a clear, measurable and flexible discipleship process that is always asking the question; "Is what You want still being effectively accomplished by the tools we are using" and if the answer is "No," we change it. We change it and we're excited to change it because we want what He wants and we discover that what He wants is not being accomplished by what we're doing. Maybe it did (or maybe it never did) but we recognize that it (the tool) is not working now, so the decision is easy because it's not about the tool but about the process. It's about holding tightly to what we're trying to do (make mature disciples) but holding very loosely how we do it (the tools we employ). "What do you want?"
I believe that deep down every believer really does want what He wants. I think that deep down every believer wants to know that they are contributing what God has gifted to them to do what God has called the body to do. The problem is that many believers are confused about what to hold tightly and what to hold loosely. My desire and goal in these posts is to help everyone (at least the dozen that read this blog) understand that what God wants from a church is to be passionate and intentional about making a place where people (red, yellow black, white, ugly, pretty, fat, skinny, smart, not-so-smart, tattooed, not tattooed, pierced, not pierced, etc, etc) can get plugged in to becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and grows in their faith. That's what He wants. "What do you want?"
Next up to bat...Worship.
To answer this question might seem easy and we might give the Sunday school answer; "I want what Jesus wants." But I wonder if we really mean that or not. For instance, we might think we want what Jesus wants but we prove otherwise when we consistently treat others unkindly or gossip about a brother or sister which is totally contrary to what Jesus wants as revealed in the Bible. We may even go so far as to justify our sin or minimize it in our minds. Think about it this way, what if you have decided to go out to eat and you are trying to determine where to go. Someone says that they don't care where they eat but turn their nose up at every suggestion. They might even agree to go to a certain place but complain the whole time they are there. Did they really "not care" where they ate? Of course they cared. They took advantage of every opportunity to display that what they said they didn't really mean.
This brings me back to the foundational question - "What do you want?" When it comes to how your church approaches ministry from a discipleship standpoint; "What do you want?" The answer to that question (the real answer) will effect how you see the process as I begin to lay it out for you as best I can. I would be lying to say that I didn't have things that I liked and disliked. Everyone does. What I can't do is allow my likes and dislikes to be the filter through which I see things when it comes to ministry and discipleship. So I go back to the question; "What do you want?"
What I hope to share with you is what I believe the Bible has to say about how God would answer our question to Him; "What do You want?" I believe that he has called the church to "go & make disciples." Simple right? It certainly demands a process - a discipleship process - a clear and measurable discipleship process - a clear, measurable and flexible discipleship process that is always asking the question; "Is what You want still being effectively accomplished by the tools we are using" and if the answer is "No," we change it. We change it and we're excited to change it because we want what He wants and we discover that what He wants is not being accomplished by what we're doing. Maybe it did (or maybe it never did) but we recognize that it (the tool) is not working now, so the decision is easy because it's not about the tool but about the process. It's about holding tightly to what we're trying to do (make mature disciples) but holding very loosely how we do it (the tools we employ). "What do you want?"
I believe that deep down every believer really does want what He wants. I think that deep down every believer wants to know that they are contributing what God has gifted to them to do what God has called the body to do. The problem is that many believers are confused about what to hold tightly and what to hold loosely. My desire and goal in these posts is to help everyone (at least the dozen that read this blog) understand that what God wants from a church is to be passionate and intentional about making a place where people (red, yellow black, white, ugly, pretty, fat, skinny, smart, not-so-smart, tattooed, not tattooed, pierced, not pierced, etc, etc) can get plugged in to becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and grows in their faith. That's what He wants. "What do you want?"
Next up to bat...Worship.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
BEWARE the "Cyber-beast"
First, especially if you attend Haven Baptist and weren't at last Sunday's AM worship service, go to the sermon page and listen to it (if it's already posted). This will make more sense if you do.
I was going down the road last night talking about how people are often willing to say things in email or other means of communication that they might not say in person and it hit me what this week's post needed to address - the "Cyber-beast." This Sunday we looked at James 3:1-12 and dealt with his strong warning about the "Beast in our mouth" - the tongue. The tongue wants to control. The tongue will destroy. The tongue is unfaithful. We've got to be intentional about controlling the beast. One thing that I forgot to say on Sunday is that James tells us that all birds and beasts can be tamed but the beast in our mouth cannot. That means that our tongue will never be house broken. There will never be a time, prior to Christ's return, when we can let our tongue of the chain to roam free because it will ultimately control, destroy and act unfaithfully. Unfortunately, most Christian's tongues are absolutely off the chain and wreaking havoc everywhere they go. However, the Christian who controls his or her tongue, James tells us, is someone who is maturing in his or her faith.
So this brings me to the web, to your in and out box. How do you communicate, non-verbally speaking? What you say with your fingers on the keyboard is as much a product of "the Beast in your mouth" as would be the spoken word. It might even be worse. Spoken words can, at least, be blamed on the heat of the moment (though not at all excused or minimized). Electronic words, on the other hand, tend to be premeditated and calculated. Now, I realize they can be banged out on the keyboard during the height of a childish temper tantrum but they are certainly much more intentional than words spoken in haste.
The proposition for this past week's sermon was Bite your tongue before it controls, destroys or acts unfaithfully. I guess the call here is to Bite your fingers or whatever it takes. Before you bang out that nasty, hurtful, un-Christlike email or web post, deal with the beast - the one in your mouth with outlets in your fingers. Don't excuse your behavior that God's word clearly forbids. I know it feels better to be able to say all you "want" to say but it would be better to ask yourself "What does God want (or not want) said before you hit the "send" button. Beware the Cyber-beast!
I was going down the road last night talking about how people are often willing to say things in email or other means of communication that they might not say in person and it hit me what this week's post needed to address - the "Cyber-beast." This Sunday we looked at James 3:1-12 and dealt with his strong warning about the "Beast in our mouth" - the tongue. The tongue wants to control. The tongue will destroy. The tongue is unfaithful. We've got to be intentional about controlling the beast. One thing that I forgot to say on Sunday is that James tells us that all birds and beasts can be tamed but the beast in our mouth cannot. That means that our tongue will never be house broken. There will never be a time, prior to Christ's return, when we can let our tongue of the chain to roam free because it will ultimately control, destroy and act unfaithfully. Unfortunately, most Christian's tongues are absolutely off the chain and wreaking havoc everywhere they go. However, the Christian who controls his or her tongue, James tells us, is someone who is maturing in his or her faith.
So this brings me to the web, to your in and out box. How do you communicate, non-verbally speaking? What you say with your fingers on the keyboard is as much a product of "the Beast in your mouth" as would be the spoken word. It might even be worse. Spoken words can, at least, be blamed on the heat of the moment (though not at all excused or minimized). Electronic words, on the other hand, tend to be premeditated and calculated. Now, I realize they can be banged out on the keyboard during the height of a childish temper tantrum but they are certainly much more intentional than words spoken in haste.
The proposition for this past week's sermon was Bite your tongue before it controls, destroys or acts unfaithfully. I guess the call here is to Bite your fingers or whatever it takes. Before you bang out that nasty, hurtful, un-Christlike email or web post, deal with the beast - the one in your mouth with outlets in your fingers. Don't excuse your behavior that God's word clearly forbids. I know it feels better to be able to say all you "want" to say but it would be better to ask yourself "What does God want (or not want) said before you hit the "send" button. Beware the Cyber-beast!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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:
If you are interested in seeing the foundation of my thoughts I would encourage you to read Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger.
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:
- Worships God
- Is connected to the body
- Is serving in the body
- Is growing in their faith
If you are interested in seeing the foundation of my thoughts I would encourage you to read Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
