How Discipleship Happens

Discipleship happens in small group Bible studies, at church functions and fellowships, around the supper table, out on the porch for coffee, under the hood with a friend, in the restaurant after Sunday morning church, over a friendly game of cards, at the ball field, in lots of different places and in lots of different ways. Discipleship happens through relationships. Discipleship happens as we intentionally connect with others and live out our faith before them and alongside them.

Discipleship happens as we help a new believer get started reading the Bible everyday. Discipleship happens as we use Scripture’s teachings to help a friend get through a rough spot. Discipleship happens when we get someone plugged into a Sunday School class where they can learn and connect with others in our church. Discipleship happens when we talk about the sermon with a fellow church member or friend. Discipleship happens when we pray together, serve together, plan together, grieve together and worship together.

Are you getting the picture? Discipleship is not about a program. It’s about “together.” Like I said, discipleship happens through relationships. You can’t chart it on a grid or measure it with statistics. It shows up in people who are learning and growing in the Lord. It shows up in people who volunteer to serve. It shows up as regular attendance in an irregular attender.  Discipleship is not about numbers. It’s about people sharing life and faith with other people. Discipleship is not a course, something that happens in a 6-week class. It happens over a lifetime of living our faith alongside others.  

Is Application Necessary in Biblical Preaching?

As one who is throughly convinced that biblical exposition is the best method of preaching, I do not have to be convinced of the value of simply taking a text of Scripture and explaining what it says. The power in preaching is not in my words but in God's Word. But, that still leaves another issue unsettled. Is it enough to just say what God has said and sit down? Is application something we should just leave to the individual and the Holy Spirit? Or, was Haddon Robinson right when he said, "Explanation without application is abortion"?

In order to answer that question to my own satisfaction I asked myself two more questions. The first was, "What is the ultimate goal of preaching?" If simply imparting biblical truth is the ultimate goal in preaching then perhaps we need not focus so much on application. Now, imparting biblical truth is most definitely a goal in preaching, apart from biblical truth we as preachers have nothing to say. However, the question is, is that the ultimate goal in preaching. Are we teaching the Bible just so people can be biblically literate? Romans 8:29 says that the divine destiny of all believers is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Somehow preaching must help believers move in that direction. Conforming to the image of Christ is not just about knowing. It's about doing. James spoke of the dangers of hearing the Word but not doing the Word. I am convinced the biblical goal of preaching is changed lives to the glory of God. That requires biblical truth. But, it also requires application of biblical truth. It doesn't matter how much biblical knowledge you have, you are not glorifying God unless you live out that truth.

I also asked myself another question. "What would the examples of preachers in the Bible reveal?" Jesus preaching was theologically rich and deep, but it was also intensely practical. How about Paul? The first half of many of his letters focus on teaching doctrine and theology. This is true, but the second half of most of his letters focuses on the application of that theology. His letters are not just doctrinal. They are also very practical. The same is true of Peter and his preaching of the gospel at Pentencost. He finished his message with a call to action. "Repent and be baptized." The prophets of the Old Testament also called the people of God to action saying essentially, "In light of what God has said your are to do this." It seems pretty clear, at least to me, that the preaching of those in the Bible included both explanation of truth and application of truth.

There are those who might say, "You are not leaving room for the Holy Spirit to apply the Scripture in a person's individual life in His own way." That's ridiculous. There are certain ways we know the Scripture should be applied. Certain applications are obvious. We should point those out. That does not mean the Holy Spirit cannot speak to a person in a more specific way. If I know a text of Scripture calls for a specific action on the part of hearers, I am negligent if I fail to point that out.

People tend toward extremes. Many preachers are either deeply theological but not very practical or intensely practical but shallow theologically. My conviction is that preachers should strive to be both deeply theological and intensely practical at the same time. I want my people to know the Scripture inside and out. But, my goal is not to produce armchair theologians. My goal is to produce disciples who walk, talk and think like Jesus. Being both deeply theological and intensely practical may not be easy. But, who ever said preaching was supposed to be easy?

Interviewed by the Ignorant, Part 2

This is the Part 2 of this article. Part 1 was posted quite some time ago. You will probably need to go back and read it to get the full benefit. Thanks!

2. God is the Creator and Owner of everything, including humans, and therefore has the right to do with it as He pleases.

Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”

Who are you to tell God what He can or cannot, should or should not do with His creation? Romans 9:20-21, But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” God has the right to do as He pleases with this world and those who dwell in it. For God to allow the tragedy in Japan to occur does not make Him uncaring. It makes Him God. That leads to the third part of my response.

Interviewed by the Ignorant, Part 1

“Which is it? Either God is all-powerful, but He doesn’t care about the people of Japan, and therefore they are suffering. Or, Does He care, but He is not all- powerful?”

This is a question asked of Rob Bell by Martin Bashir on MSNBC. All Rob Bell had to say was this is a paradox that is better left alone. My next six posts will be my response to this question.   

To begin with, just asking that question betrays any true knowledge of God. Anyone who truly knows God would never ask such a question. This question is nothing but an attempt to have God painted in a bad light. Nevertheless, biblically there are several things that can be said in response.

1. God’s purposes and plans are beyond human comprehension.

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

For those who are finite in understanding, and finite in wisdom, and finite in knowledge to question the One who is infinite in understanding, and infinite in wisdom, and infinite in knowledge is foolish. You are saying that God must either be limited in power or uncaring. That is making an assumption based on very limited information. Imagine all you could possibly know is a letter in a book. You may know the letter, but only God knows the word that letter is a part of, the sentence that word is a part of, the paragraph that sentence is a part of, the page that paragraph is the part of, and the book that page is a part of. You cannot be critical of the Author of the book when all your knowledge is limited to one letter. You don’t know enough about God, His ways, or His purposes to accuse Him. Romans 11:33-34, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgmets and how inscrutable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?" Who are you to scrutinize the actions of Him who is inscrutable? You cannot even begin to fathom why God does all that He does. And that leaves you in no place to make foolish assumptions about God or His character.  

A Prayer

Lord Jesus, may Your beauty increase in my sight until You are all I see. May the fragrance of Your knowledge so captivate me that all other aromas fade out of recognition. May Your goodness grow ever sweeter to my taste until I hunger for nothing but You. May Your voice ring ever louder and ever clearer in my ears until all other sounds are drowned out by the roar of Your truth. May Your divine hand upon my life be more real to me than the touch of even my dearest loved ones.

May every step I take bring me closer to You. May every word I say exalt Your magnificence. May every task my hands undertake be by Your design, through Your strength, and for Your fame. May every conscious thought reflect Your unparalleled greatness.

May Your Holy Word be my most prized possession. May Your Holy name be the only banner under which I march. May Your Holy presence be that which I most long for.

 May every breath I take be in service of the Crucified King. May every beat of my heart be out of love for the God who robed Himself in flesh and died in my place.

 May You always have the best of me, and not what's left of me.           

We Better Go Home

How could we have let this happen? Is it really that bad? What can I do to begin to turn things around? These are all questions I asked myself as I listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham yesterday. The sermon was titled, "The Centrality of the Home in the Evangelization and Discipleship of the Next Generation." He preached from Ephesians 6:1-4. Just a few facts: 1) The church is losing 75-88% of teenagers by the end of their freshman year of college. 2) In the last 30 years: there have been more youth ministry degrees issued than in all of history prior; there are more professional youth ministers than ever; a multitude of parachurch ministries have been created solely to reach teenagers. Yet, we are baptizing less teenagers than ever in history and we are losing more teenagers than ever in history. There is only one conclusion at which we can honestly arrive. Our method of evangelizing and discipling children and youth is not working.

As I listened to Dr. Baucham expound the Scripture I could not help but wonder how we could have missed what seems so obvious in God's Word. The responsibility of evangelizing and discipling children belongs to the parents, particularly the fathers. So the question we have to ask is, Why have we created ministries to try and do it for them? When what we should be doing is equipping and asisting them to do it themselves. I know this presents lots of questions. And I'll be honest enogh to say I don't have all the answers yet. But this much I do know, we are losing the culture war and if parents don't start raising up godly, Christian children in the home, Christianity in America is going to continue to disappear one generation at a time.

Lost at Christmas

Somehow You’ve gotten lost at Christmas

between Santa Claus and gifts.

Our celebrations become consumer-driven

and the meaning subtly shifts.

What should be a time of worship and wonder

that God has come to earth

is used as an excuse to indulge ourselves

instead of honoring your birth.

Somehow You’ve gotten lost at Christmas

despite the Christmas carols and cards,

and the light up nativity scenes

that we put out in our yards.

These things are supposed to remind us

of Your glorious birth divine.

But if we’re celebrating Your birthday

why does it feel a lot more like mine?

Somehow You’ve gotten lost at Christmas

amid the decorations and the tree.

You can see lights brightly shine everywhere

except Your light that You’ve placed within me.

Happy Holidays replaces Merry Christmas

and we quickly make a fuss.

We say, "Don’t take Christ out of Christmas."

But are they any more guilty than us?

Please don’t get lost this Christmas

May we forsake any tradition or plan

until the heart, soul, and focus of the holiday

is once more Christ and not man.

May we not be satisfied with mere tokens

of worship we offer You each year.

May we live and declare the glory of Jesus

loud enough that the whole world can hear.

Somehow You’ve gotten lost at Christmas.

But I pray it never happens again.

Until You return may we celebrate

Christmas in the name of Jesus, Amen!