Counting Chickens...or Something

The Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson once said,

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

 In Luke's account of Jesus' life we find the Parable of the Sower (8:1-15)  Take a few minutes and read it.  Go on, I'll wait for you.  Okay, done?  Good.  So what does Jesus tell the disciples the seed is?

That's right.

In case you didn't hear whoever just said it, the answer is: the word of God.

Does the word ever fail in this story?  No.  It does not.  The soil is what fails.  What is the soil?  Different types of people.  Some never believe because the word is taken from them.  Others don't allow the word to take root and fall away.  Still more are choked out by "life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."  (I had a good bit to say on maturity a few weeks back.  Read at your own risk.)

The last type of people are those with "noble and good hearts, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."  That one sentence has so much information on it.

Look at the actions:  Hear.  Retain.  Persevere. Produce.  (This will be another post in itself!)

In this story I believe Jesus is telling us that as his disciples we are to scatter the word of God.  He was doing it then.  The disciples did it after he ascended.  Now we are doing it.  You and me.

Now, the farmer doesn't have anything to do with the harvest.  At least not specifically in this story.  Usually the workers are the ones who are mentioned as doing the harvesting.  The point is that once the seed is scattered, the farmer can't make the seed grow.  He can water it.  Protect it from animals and other dangers, but a farmer cannot make the seed open, take root, push through the soil and stretch out toward the heavens.  It is beyond his control.  You and I cannot make the word of God grow in someone else.

We don't need too.

The word is capable of doing that on it's own.  That's not to say toss a Bible at someone and say, "Hey, here's a Bible, go be a follower of Jesus."  The word will grow in the right soil.  We are to spread it around.  And here is the best thing about the word being the seed...it can never run out!  Yeah, you don't have to go order more.  The Bible is it.  Jesus' words are it.  The only way to fail is if we don't keep taking it in.  It's still there, but we might not know enough.  (So read more.  Study more.  Spend more time with God learning who he is, that he loves us.)

So as we continue to let the word grow in us, we are to spread it about to others.  There are so many ways to do this.  If you attend a "church" regularly, check into their resources on how to do this.  Or talk with a leader or pastor.  There are many websites that you can go to also.  (M28 is one such example...and I had to plug it!)

Maybe it's meeting with a small group.  Maybe it's bringing someone with you to a service or gathering.  It could be anything.  The world, and closer still, your neighborhood is full of people who are the right kind of soil.  They are searching, hurting, desperate, and hungry for God.  They are out there.

So let us get out there and plant the seed.  Let God worry about what is harvested and how much.  The harvest won't happen with out the planting.  We can't plant the word if we don't go out to the field.  A farmer has a house he comes into for rest and food, but he works in the field.

If you're not catching my metaphor, as a follower of Jesus we probably have a "church home" to come to for rest and food, but we can't plant seeds inside the house full of other followers.  We have to step out of the house and walk to the field and start working.

Get off your duff.  Put on your muck boots.  Walk outside into the world.  Start planting the seed of the word in the soil of people around you.  It's something we all need to do.  Like Mr. Stevenson's quote says,

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Or maybe the old saying, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," is more to your liking...and now the title makes sense.

Until Next Time...

grace, peace + hope

-Jesse

Awaiting Further Instructions

As mentioned quite a few posts back I'm a fan of Lost.  I've been re-watching the series from the beginning with a friend who has never seen it.  Last night we got close to the end of Season 2.  I wont spoil it for those who have not seen it, but there is a small scene I would like to describe.

Two characters on a journey to find the meaning of something.  (I know this is the premise for many episodes but bear with me.)  Eko (a former Nigerian drug runner turned priest) and Locke (a former paralyzed box salesman turned great white hunter) trek through the jungle at the prompting of a dream Eko had.  As night closes in Eko tells John they are to make camp and await further instructions.

Have you ever felt like that?

I mean with your walk with God?  You're following him then you feel like you have to stop and figure out what is really going on.  What is the next step.  I know I've been there.  The problem was/is that many times we wait for further instructions and we never get them.  Or we don't want to hear them.  Or we were not supposed to stop to begin with.

Jesus told us a lot of things.  There were a lot of instructions and cues on how to live life.  Most of them were open ended.  Love one another.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.  Pick up your cross and follow me.  Love your enemies.  Remain in my Love.

Do it now...and continue to do it.

Read through the Gospels.  Look at the things Jesus told his disciples (an in turn us) to do.  Most of them are not a one and done thing.  He doesn't say "Get baptized."  He tells us to go baptize.  Not get a theological education but to go teach what Jesus taught.

Go.  Do.

The more we live our lives in connection with Jesus the more we hear his voice.  We can hear the audibles he calls out to us.  (I'm not saying literal audible instructions here) but the more we know Him, the more we know His voice.  The more we hear his voice, the more we can do through His power.

If you feel God leading you somewhere you don't need to wait for someone to tell you it's ok.  That's not permission to act blindly and recklessly.  What I'm saying is God speaks to us individually and corporately.  Don't wait to hear what God is telling you to do from someone else.  Pastor's and leaders are great.  But they are not substitutes for God.  There is a serious problem if your relationship with God is solely based on what a preacher tells you it is on a Sunday morning.

Hopefully none of your other relationships work that way.  Just imagine.  You're married.  You never see your spouse or hear from them.  The only way you communicate is by hearing what someone heard them say.  They can hear you all the time.  But you base your understanding of who they are by what someone else tells you.

Yeah.  That doesn't sound good to me either.

When I get married I want to be able to talk with my wife.  Hear what she is saying to me directly with my own ears.  I don't want to hear she loves me through my relatives or people she's known longer than me.  I mean I'll gladly accept that, but it's not enough.  I want to hear her say it.

God is the same way.  He is right next to us.  He can hear us.  He knows what is going on in our life.  We just have to open up and listen for him.  Learn his voice.  Learn to discern what he is telling us over what is just our own mind.  We do that through reading the scriptures and getting to know his voice.  Then we will know his voice when he gives us instructions.

Now don't get me wrong, pastors are incredible people.  The ones I've had the blessing of knowing.  I'm not trying to diminish what they do.  But I think it's time the Church woke up.  And listened to the voice of God himself and respond to him.

Jesus did tell the disciples to wait for further instructions at one point.  And I know there are times he tells us that too.  But remember that he gave us a lot of things that we can continuously do without waiting for instructions.

Feed the hungry.
Clothe the naked.
Care for the sick.
Visit the prisoner.
Love your neighbor.
Love your enemy.
Love God.
Take up your cross.
Follow Me.
Go.
Baptize.
Make disciples.
Teach.
Remember Me.

These are not items on a check list.  They are primary directives.  Stop waiting for further instructions and start on the ones we already have.

grace, peace & hope
-Bear

Hold On To What You Believe

Music is a powerful thing.

The same song can take different people to different places.  One of my favorite bands is Mumford & Sons.  I'm not here to advocate that they are for everyone.  But I find many of their songs to challenge me and encourage me on in my faith.  (If you want to discus "spiritual vs secular" feel free to email me through my profile.)

For everyone else curious about how this ties to discipleship, read on my friends, read on.

This week I stumbled upon their live album and a new song that wasn't on their debut release.  The title bears the same name as this post.  Hold On To What You Believe.  Everything about this song just gets into my skin.  From the swelling intro, the mellow yet pacing verses back to a swelling wave of the chorus.  The chorus is made up of two simple lines:

"But hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight"

I haven't been able to get those words and that thought out of my head all week.  When darkness robs you of your sight, hold on to what you believe in the light.  It makes me think of Joseph.  The seven years of plenty, followed by the seven years of famine.  Or maybe it's Jesus telling his disciples that he will soon be leaving and that their lives will get very difficult.  (John 15)

They need to hold on to what he taught them.  To how he showed them how to live.  To hold on to what they experienced in the light of his time with them, because the darkness was coming.

We've discussed before that being a disciple is essentially being a student.  Once we become a disciple, we are to make disciples of others.  Teaching them the things Jesus taught us.  That's the basis of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).  (Note - that's where our name "M28" comes from!)

Just before Jesus tells the disciples about the difficulty they will soon face, he tells them that they are branches, and he is the vine those branches belong to.  He encourages them to "remain in me."  Or if I may paraphrase;

 "Listen, there's a storm coming.  You're going to face all kinds of trouble because of me.  The world is going to hate you.  But that's alright cause they hated me first.  You don't belong to the world.  You belong to me.  And no servant is greater than his master.  If they persecute me, believe that they will persecute you too.

Think of it this way, I'm this vine here.  You are these branches.  If one of them is cut off, it won't produce fruit.  They have to stay in the vine to produce.  Just like you.  You have to hold on to me.  Hold on to what I've taught you.  Cause there is a darkness coming and soon I won't be here.  Hold on to what you believe in the light when the darkness robs you of all your sight.  Remain in me."

 In a way, the words of this song, especially the chorus come through my speakers or headphones as an encouragement from Jesus himself.  "Hold on to what you believe!  Hold on to me!  Hold on!"

So take that encouragement from me, and from Jesus, and if you have fellow followers of Jesus around you share it with them.  Encourage each other to hold on to Jesus.  To what he taught you.  And teach those things to others.

Hold fast, hold tight...hold on.

Grace, Peace & Hope
-Bear

On My Knees

In my last post we defined what being “lost” means. We also learned some easy ways to partner
with people and support them in their spiritual journey. But, sometimes it feels like we pray so hard
for an opportunity and yet, no one seems to cross our path. You are not alone in this! I believe as followers of Christ, we have a desire to partner with people and help them, with God’s help of course. We can’t change people, only God can.

Discipleship, as defined by the dictionary, is the making of a person who is a pupil or devotee of a doctrine (Christianity in this case), or a follower. At M28 we believe in the divine mission to find desperate or lost people. In fact, you will find resources and advice on the M28 website. Ok so enough about the obvious.

If you’ve been praying but do not have a disciple now, be continuously passionate in your prayer for the lost to cross your path.  We may never see the full harvest, but this is our divine mission. Pray continuously, and God will provide the right person in his timing, not our own.

I’ve been part of M28 since it began and I have not had the opportunity to partner alongside a non-believer. I pray continuously for God to bring the right person across my path. I keep asking God why, but then I’m reminded of some of the fruits of the spirit: faithfulness, selflessness and patience.
Am I truly being faithful in my prayer?  Am I praying for someone to cross my path because I truly want to lead someone to Christ? Or am I just doing what I’m “supposed” to do. I have to remind myself to be patient and faithful when I spend time on my knees in prayer for those that are desperate and in need of the Lord.

We all most likely know someone who is desperate.  Are they waiting for us, as believers, to make the first move? I pray that you spend time in prayer daily to complete the great commission God assigned to us. If you do this, God will provide opportunities for you to plant seeds. Maybe it won’t happen in the next month or two, but remember God wants us to exhibit perseverance and not give up because we haven’t had the opportunity yet. In 2 Chronicles 15:7 it says, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

We should want God to orchestrate the “how, who and when” of these opportunities. So be fervent and habitual in your prayer life. God is faithful and as he calls us to be disciple-makers, start with prayer, add a sowing of the seed, and pay attention to who may cross your path. God promises to be by your side and help lead you with the right words to say. God will provide and equip you to do his
work. His word says that he will never leave us or forsake us.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not for yourselves, it is the gift of God.” So get on your knees and pray fervently for those who are desperate, so that they too can receive this gift.

Lost

Lost

The season premiere for ABC’s television show ‘Lost’ posed this question; can people from
a plane crash survive on a (supposed) deserted island until they are rescued? After being on the island for several weeks, the survivors try to hold on to hope. However after weeks of no signs of being
rescued, they end up taking things into their own hands.

Jesus also tells us people are lost. But what did he mean? If you are familiar with the show Lost, you know that people on the deserted island were waiting to be rescued and returned back to their homes and lives.

I believe Jesus uses the word ‘lost’ to explain people who lost their way and are desperate to find their way home too. Have you ever been lost in the woods? I have. You wander around wandering what
direction to go to find safety. I can tell you that you get this panicky feeling because you have no idea where you are or where you are going. You lack control but have to rely on some hope that someone will find you and show you the way. It’s a risky situation but you hold on to hope that you will be
rescued someway or somehow.

As believers, we are assigned the divine task of showing the lost their way. But we must also acknowledge that most people don’t always know they’ve lost their way.  They must come to a personal realization that they need more and cannot do it alone. It can be nerve racking, awkward and risky for us to share our faith. We ask ourselves: Why won’t people listen? Why is it so hard to let
someone else show them the way?

People are stubborn, prideful and resistant to the idea that there is someone that can help them. Pride can get in the way and overshadow the true meaning of discipleship.  We can be our own worst enemies because we feel weak when we allow someone to help us. But, God provides strength, courage and wisdom in difficult times if they seek after his word.

So what do we do to help people find their way? First you need to pray that those who are lost
are put into your life (1 Tim 2:1). Then, they have to want to be found, as strange as that may sound. You know that if they aren’t desperate enough to find something or someone to show them the way, then they are not ready to hear how they can be helped.

Next, you need to take time and invest in them and do life with them. You need to be authentic. You need to be an example and show Christ’s love. People need this example, especially those who have bad habits and slip into old ways.

This takes a personal investment.

Lastly, once they have found Christ, then they need to help others find their way. Our job
is to plant the seed of discipleship into their hearts. Think about the multiplication and effectiveness that God’s word can have if those of us who have found the Lord take on this divine mission.

I know that sometimes this can appear to be a large task.  However, you already know that with God’s help everything is possible. It’s easy to pray for the lost to come into your life, but when they do, you need to be ready. Pay attention to the people around you.

The Arctic-Tropic Juxtaposition

It's story time again.  So put on your imagination caps and close your eyes.

No, don't really close your eyes cause you won't be able to read.  But, you know, mentally close your eyes and follow my lead.

You and some friends are on a gorgeous tropical island.  You're going for a hike to explore.  There is little human civilization around.  You're basking in the warmth of the sun and smell of the exotic flora, and you enter a small clearing with tall green grass.  Your companions are all chatting when you hear it.

A vicious roar.

Everyone freezes in fear for a moment.  Then you hear a crashing as a large animal approaches through the tall grass.  You can't really see it, but there is a white blur in the green.  Every one starts to run away.  Then with deafening bellow it emerges, and one of the guys shoots it with a handgun.  Suddenly it gets quiet.

Really quiet.

Someone in the group comments, "That's a bear."  You look at it, realizing what it is, but you can't comprehend.  You mutter, "It's not just a bear, it's a polar bear."  No one says it, but everyone thinks it.

What is a polar bear doing on a tropical island?

Let me say that again.  Polar bear.  Tropical Island.

Icebergs or Palm trees.


That is a scene from early in the first season of the show Lost.  If you've never watched the show, don't worry, this blog will make sense.  Hopefully.  I won't tell you why the polar bear was there.  That's not the point of the story.  The point is that after the bear showed up, everyone wanted to know why.  Why is this thing that doesn't belong here in this place at all?  It's not an "A-ha!" moment, it's a, "Huh?" moment. 

J.J. Abrams and the writers of Lost were extremely gifted in this.  Almost every episode, sometimes multiple times an episode there were moments like that.   Moments that made the audience wonder, now how in the world does that make any sense.  Those, "huh?" moments were a trademark of the show.

It seems to me that as disciples of Jesus we should frequently cause, "Huh?" moments.

Moments that really make people wonder what we are about.  Why would this person who doesn't know me come visit me in the hospital?  Why would they bring homeless people blankets?  Why on earth would anyone go into a prison and visit criminals when they don't know them?   How can she still praise that Jesus of hers when she lost her job, her husband left her, and her car got stolen?  Or even just, what are they smiling about?

Hours before Jesus' execution he prays to his Father for the disciples.  In turn I think that means he was praying for us too.  In John 17 he prays this,

13“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

He sent them into the world, they are not of the world.  The polar bear was not of the tropics, but he was there.  As we each follow Jesus and become his disciples, not just in our learning, but also in our doing.  We have to interact with the world around us.  If the bear hadn't come into the clearing, the group of people would probably have never known it was there.  .

Likewise with Jesus' disciples.  If we stay hidden, if we choose to not step out we might as well not exist.  So be out there, in the world.  Make the people around you say, "Huh?"  Now, don't dress up as a polar bear and run through the mall or anything as dramatic as that.  Be a living example of Jesus' life to those around you.  Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.

Last week Billy talked about finding the moon-walking bears, this week be challenged to be the polar bearBe the arctic juxtaposition in the tropics.

Thanks for reading!  If you liked this, and have a Google account, please +1 it below!  Feel free to subscribe and share us with others.  Don't forget to visit the M28 website!


Grace, Peace & Hope
Bear (the blogger formerly known as Jersey)

The Forgiveness Paradigm

Once again I come to you with an introduction from movies.

Imagine with me if you will...

You are the father.  A young man has just moved into the town.  You knew his father before he was killed and you are certain the son will be the same type of trouble.  Especially when he asks to see your daughter.  You refuse him at first.  Later you warm to him a little and tell him that if he can stay out of trouble he can see your daughter.

He seems to do just that.

Then one day your daughter was executed in the village square.  Your world crumbles.  Rage and anger sweep over you at the person or people who brought your daughter to that end.  Soon you learn that she had married this man in secret.  And for some reason they had attacked soldiers in the village.  You want vengeance.  You want blood.  His blood.

The next morning at your daughter's burial you see the young man.  He approaches the grave and weeps.  Then he stands before you and kneels.  You are ready to strike him.  To pour your anger and rage into hurting him.  Your hand reaches out.

You hesitate.

Your trembling hand convulses as it lingers above his head and you feel the anger and rage, but you open your fist.  and gently place your hand on his head.

You forgive him.

The anger and rage slip away.  The pain and loss remain.  Your tears come.  But the forgiveness washes away the rest.

This is taken from Braveheart.  The movie doesn't play out exactly like this because the perspective of the father is not the focus of the movie.  However the scene with him putting his hand on the young man, William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson,) is a scene that has stuck in my mind as an overlooked scene of forgiveness since I first saw the movie in 1995.

Now, how does any of that relate to biblical forgiveness and discipleship.  Stay with me a little longer and you will see.

Forgive.  To cancel or remit.  To pardon.  To cease feeling resentment.  Absolve.

Did Jesus ever mention forgiveness?  How about the time a paralytic man is lowered before him from the roof, Jesus tells the man, "Take heart son; your sins are forgiven."  Or when the woman who anoints his head with oil?  In fact there are many times that Jesus talks about forgiveness.

Another time is when he is teaching his disciples how to pray.  He says, "And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors."  He tells us to forgive not once but continually in Matthew 18:22.

So I think it's fair to say that Jesus thought forgiveness was important.  Something his disciples should know, understand, and practice.  So if Jesus taught it to his disciples, then we to should be using this concept.

All this comes before his death and resurrection.  Forgiveness was part of the total plan.  To absolve us from our sins.  To teach us forgiveness so we might show forgiveness to others.  Like the father in Braveheart.  He had every justifiable human reason to want to seek blood from Wallace.  But he did not.  He forgave him.  In a similar way, God has every reason and right to judge us.  But he offered forgiveness to all of us.

As his disciples we must put the practice of forgiveness into our lives.  From minor insults to big issues.  It doesn't matter what was done to us.  Jesus wants us to forgive.  If we are his light in the world, and we don't forgive...what light can others see?

Forgiveness is hard.  Because we must give more to someone who has in a sense already taken from us.  But remember, Jesus already provided a way to forgive all sins and wrongs.  When we forgive, we allow a little bit more of Jesus into our hearts, and his light shines a little brighter to those we forgive.

So if you have need of forgiveness from someone, seek it out.  If someone seeks forgiveness from you, give it.  Jesus forgave.  He forgave all.  As his disciples we should also forgive.

Until next time,

Grace, Peace & Hope

-Jersey

Meant to Be

In my mind, one of the greatest moments in a character's story is when they are challenged to become what they were meant to be.

When Peter Parker swings across the page or screen in the blue and red tights for the first time.  Or Bruce Wayne pulls the cowl and cape on and leaps into the night as Batman.  Maybe one of the most iconic is when mild mannered Clark Kent rips open his dress shirt in the phone booth revealing the red and yellow 'S' shield of Superman.  There are hundreds more across books, film, and real life.

Please feel free to share your favorite "meant to be" moment in the comments!

For me, one of the most impressive "meant to be" moments is in The Return of the King.  (I'm talking the film adaptation not the classic book for this example.)  Aragorn, the long lost descendant of the royal line, is for lack of a better word, still lost.  He does not want to assume the mantle of king.  Why?  Because his ancestors were weak.  They failed the world when they were needed most.  They were seduced by power, and fell.


Aragorn does not want to be like them.  So he avoids the responsibility.  He is still noble, and brave and acts with courage and a good heart, but he avoids what he was born to be.  His moment comes at what would appear the worst time.  A massive army has been gathered to battle great evil.  He is looked at as a hero and captain among them.  In the night he is summoned to meet a mysterious stranger.  This stranger is revealed to be his foster father, Elrond.


Elrond holds in his hands the reforged sword of the kings, a blade that is rightfully Aragorn's.  It had been broken for generations, but was reforged for him, now.  With a simple statement Elrond challenges Aragorn,

"Put aside the ranger. Become who you were meant to be."

 A challenge he accepts, and rises to.  He succeeds where his ancestors failed and he becomes a good and just king.


There is a moment in every Christ follower's life like this one.  Where we are challenged to become who we were meant to be.  Jesus didn't come to earth, live, die and rise so that we could live our lives in quite exile, working from the shadows, and being less what he called us to be.


When he gathered his disciples he said, "Come, follow me.  I will make you fishers of men.  Leave behind your nets and boats and follow me.  Become what I am calling you to be, what you were meant to be."


I'm not getting into destiny and fate and all of that, but if you call Jesus 'Lord,' he has called you to be a fisher of men.  So put aside the accountant, the CEO, the janitor, the housewife, the athlete, the artist, musician or whatever you 'are.'  Put that aside, and become what you were meant to be, what you were called to be by Jesus.


A disciple.  A fisher of men.


Someone who follows after Jesus with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loves their neighbor as themselves.  Some one who does as Jesus talks about in Matthew 25: 35-36

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Becoming who you were meant to be is a life long task.  To follow after Jesus and learn what he taught, how he lived, what he did, and putting those things into action.  To feed the hungry, clothe those who need clothing, look after the sick and so on.

It's not just a magical moment, frozen in time.  The decision is.  But the becoming goes on long after.  You can't be a disciple if you don't learn.  If you don't learn how to disciple, you can not be a fisher of men.  If you can't be a fisher of men, you can't be what Jesus meant for you to be.

I'm not writing this as someone who thinks they've 'become.'  I'm still on the path, I'm still learning.  I'm still becoming who I was meant to be.  Who Jesus wants me to be.

So I challenge you to hear the words of the Messiah, Jesus, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." 

Put aside the _(fill in the blank)_ and become who you were meant to be.

Grace, peace & hope
-Jersey

Uninvited

Have you ever planned a party or event just to have no one you invited show up?

Yes?  Good then I'm not alone in that department.  If your answer is 'no,' well, keep reading anyway.

Jesus gave his disciples a parable that featured this concept.  It was an allegorical story painting a picture of the kingdom of heaven.  I want to point out that the phrase kingdom of heaven is lowercase here, so it's not a physical place we can go to.  It's more like a state of being.  A way of life.

In Matthew 22 Jesus tells this great story about a king throwing a wedding banquet for his son.  He sends out invitations and prepares the event.  When the time came he sent his servants to gather those who had been invited.  They refused to come.

So the king sent more servants.  They were to let the invitees know that all was prepared, the food was ready and all that was needed was their arrival.  The still refused to come and mistreated and killed the servants.  (They really didn't want to go!)

Then the king says to his other servants, "Those who were invited did not deserve to come, go out into the streets and invite anyone you find there."  So they went and brought anyone they found to the wedding banquet, good and bad, and filled the banquet hall.

Now the story goes on (follow the link above to read all of it) but I will stop there for now.

I know this parable is not directly tied to discipleship but it has a principle we can apply to that concept.  When we want to disciple, we might want to reach out to those we know, those we would invite to a party.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  We should reach out to those we know.  But they refuse to come, time after time, stop spending time trying to get them to come and move on.

Invite those you don't know.  Reach out.  Be bold.  I know that it's easy to say that sitting behind a computer screen, but it's not impossible.  To go with Jesus' parable, if you're the servant getting sent to invite someone to the banquet, you know it's going to be a good time right?  Of course.  So why not tell others about it?

The challenge is determining how to invite those you don't know.  How to approach them and share with them what you know to be good.  There are many ways to do so.  Check out M28's website for more info and ways to do this.

And for those who refuse the invitation, remember this, we are not the king.  We don't have the final say.  So don't give up on them in your behavior.  Keep praying for them.  Keep showing them love and kindness.  But you don't have to keep 'barking up the same tree,' for lack of a better expression.

Reach out to the uninvited.  You may be surprised what doors God opens up in their life, and your own.

Grace, peace and hope
-Jersey

COME IN…GO OUT…FIND PASTURE…GO! Part II

John 10:1-10 (NLT)………….They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

GO OUT…the sheep were never expected to stay in the sheep pen for ever. Food would become scarce pretty quickly because this was only designed to provide safety and rest for a time. Tempers could get out of control because of the limited space to move about or work. Chaos could even be a threat to the peace and safety of the pen.
Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”
The reason the laborers are few is the sheep pen has become too comfortable for the sheep. Routine and complacency replaces vision and energy. Rejuvenation comes to fulfillment. There is a sense of completion, purpose and fulfillment OUTSIDE the sheep pen…in the harvest field (the world).

FIND PASTURE…The sheep don't leave the sheep pen on their own. The shepherd walks AHEAD of them and they FOLLOW by listening to his voice. As we go into the harvest (the world) we are fed and energized to continue doing the work God has called us…no, has MANDATED us to do. Together, we work the fields alongside the Owner of the field. Paul tells us “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. (1 Cor 3:7-9) We don’t have to wander aimlessly, confused, hopeless. People are waiting, ready to receive…but we MUST get out of the sheep pen.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? (Romans 10:13-15)
I find it interesting that immediately following COME IN, GO OUT and FIND PASTURE is the warning, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

…The thief will ALWAYS try to steal the results of the COME IN. Steal the release, the freedom from our past bondages, misconceptions, control, pride, indentifying our worth with our works. Confusion of God’s yoke (teachings) to be hard, unattainable rather than easy, times of doing at times instead of times of just being.

…The thief will try to kill the joy of “going out.” He will put fear into our hearts. Fear can kill. Fear can be masked as inexperience, I-don’t-know-the-bible like so-and-so, arrogance or condescension “they will never receive what I have to say, or they are too bad a person.” The enemy is the wolf that attacks the flock, scatters and kills it through jealousy or entitlement.

...If we listen and follow the doubts the enemy attacks us with, the pastures…the privilege of the harvest we have been called to could be destroyed. While we each are accountable for our actions and decisions, I fear the day I am chose inaction, when I should have spoken a word and I didn’t. What excuse could I give that is greater than obedience? This is destruction at its core.

This is the promise after the warning:
“I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL.”
The only way we are going to have life and have it to the full is to get out of the sheep pen EXPERIENCE
the energy and food of the pasture, EXPERIENCE the harvest.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore GO… Therefore GO… Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” MATTHEW 28

REFLECTION:
Our walk with God is a process, none of us ever "arrive" at a point where we can go it alone, we need each other. Where are you in this process and where do you want to be? How can we journey together out of the sheep pen and into the harvest?
A fellow sojourner who sometimes needs a kick to GO,
Kay

COME IN…GO OUT…FIND PASTURE…GO! Part I of II

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:1-10 (NLT)

Ever sense a tug or an aching in your heart that you just couldn't explain or get rid of? Ever sense a disconnection or possibly a disbelief of God or of Jesus? We have all felt this from time to time, you are not alone! The Good News is even before we were born God put the thoughts of eternity and the “chip” in our DNA that recognizes we belong and long for our Creator. God is pursuing each one of us however we tend to fill this longing with other things that only bring temporary satisfaction, never totally fulfill the missing pieces of our lives until we surrender. If you are like me surrendering in not easy! I want to be in charge, be in control of my decisions and life. Surrendering takes courage sometimes even desperation to be willing to lose control in order to gain freedom.
In the above verses the Gatekeeper (Jesus) has walked through the sheep pen prior to calling the sheep to follow him. We don’t have to enter with fear, because we have learned to trust the Gatekeeper. He has told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, “I am with you always.” In biblical times and even now in some places there are multiple shepherds who use the same sheep pen to protect their sheep. But the sheep will always recognize their particular shepherd’s voice. We live in a world sheep pen with multiple shepherds overseeing a variety of flocks. Not all shepherds lead with the same purity, sincerity and the best interest of their flocks as our Shepherd does. Some shepherds even delegate the privilege of leading to hired hands that run and abandon the sheep when they experience danger or difficulty.
The purpose of the sheep pen is not for the sheep to remain permanently but as a retreat for a specific time. At night, when the danger is more prevalent from wild animals a sheep pen provides safety and salvation for the sheep.
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
But he also said, “He (the sheep) will COME IN, GO OUT and FIND PASTURE.”
Let's look at these three actions:

COME IN… Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
Our COMING IN is a time of release from the past—its pain and bondage, from misconceptions, from the labor of our control, pride and our works. It is a time of leaving behind; a time of temporary and not permanent staying. We all need times of retreat, rest and renewal in order to go back out into the pastures. Throughout our lives there will be multiple COME IN’s. Jesus had multiple times of COME IN when He sought times of refreshing with God. COME IN is a preparation for......GO OUT.

(Part II coming......)
Blessings,
Kay

The Dagobah Perspective

I love Star Wars.  Yes, even the prequel trilogy.  But that's a different post for a different blog.

One of my favorite scenes in the original trilogy happens in Return of the Jedi.  (Warning, possible spoiler alert if you haven't seen them.)  Luke is in the middle of a swamp on a planet named Dagobah.  His teacher has just died and he is searching for answers.  It's then, that a translucent carbuncle of his previous teacher, Obi-wan Kenobi, arrives and explains somethings to him:

    Luke: Ben! Why didn't you tell me? You told me that Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father.
 
    Obi-Wan: Your father... was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin
        Skywalker and "became" Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father
        was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view.

    Luke: A certain point of view?

    Obi-Wan: Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own
        point of view...

 Now, don't get all caught up in words like Dark Side, Force, and Skywalker.  The concept we're looking at here is perspective.  Let me ask you a question:

Can truth be dependent upon your perspective?

I don't want to get into a discussion of semantics or existentialism here, but let's go to a simple example.  You and I are standing next to each other in the woods.  You're standing behind a tree.  I am not.  I tell you there is a bear running straight toward us.  You tell me, there isn't.  The only way I can convince you this is a truth (before the bear reaches us) is to somehow get you to move from behind the tree and see the bear.

What bear?

Let's put this in a different context.


You have a friend that is addicted to porn, drinks like a fish every night, and gambles whatever money they have left over.  They need to hear the good news, you want to share the love of Jesus with them, but they are confident they want nothing to do with him, or church.

Or maybe you know someone who volunteers at a soup kitchen three nights a week.  They don't do drugs, they are responsible with their money.  They are also devoted and faithful to their family, and help their neighbors out regularly.  They've heard the typical "Christian" spiel.  And are not interested.

What does the first friend need from Jesus?

Ok change your perspective and look through their eyes.  They are having fun.  Or at least think they are.  It's their money, their body, they can do what they want with it.

How about the second friend?  See it from their eyes.  Church has nothing to offer them.  They are as the expression goes, "good people."


So, what do we do about this?  How do we change their perspective.  How do we get them to see what we see?  Well, I don't have a solid answer for you.  My response is, change your perspective.

Leave your comfort zone.  See the world through their eyes, or at least closer to their perspective.  Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone start drinking, gambling or doing other things of that nature to better understand a friend.  Open up to them.  Hear what they are really saying when they talk.

For Luke, Darth Vader was the man who murdered his father Anakin.  For Obi-wan, Vader was always the man who had been Anakin.  But Luke had the wrong perspective.  In his example, that wasn't his fault.  It was what people had told him to that point to give him that perspective.

Jesus changed his perspective for us.  He left the splendor that is Heaven to see the world how we see it.  To live like we live.  He came and felt the sun on his face, water at his toes.  He smelled the sweet and the pungent.  He felt with hands like yours and mine.  Philippians 2 says it like this:

        5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

        6Who, being in very nature God,

        did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

        7but made himself nothing,

        taking the very nature of a servant,

        being made in human likeness.

        8And being found in appearance as a man,

        he humbled himself

        and became obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

So, since you're changing your perspective to see life from a friend or neighbors point of view, try and see that same friend from Jesus' perspective.

Jesus didn't see fishermen, he saw disciples.  He didn't see a woman caught in adultery, he saw a woman to forgive.  He didn't see a lost cause, he saw his cause, that was lost, and he came to bring us back.

Try changing your perspective, and experience life with the people around you.  Remember what Obi-wan said (yes I know he's a fictional character but his words ring true,)

"...many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view..."

Then remember the truer words Jesus said, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:16.  Try to show them something their perspective can see.

Christ living in you.

Sent Out - The Rest of Us

Alright, the last post in this series.

In the last post we looked at Jesus sending out the 72.  This time we're looking at his last sending out of disciples if you will.  What has been called, "The Great Commission."

The scripture for this commission is found in Matthew 28, verses16-20.  To set this moment up, here's a quick recap of what led up to it.  Jesus has made is triumphal entry to Jerusalem.  He teaches, he heals, and continues on as he has done for the last three years.  He is then betrayed, arrested, put on trial, beaten, flogged, crucified, buried and raised from the dead!  So his disciples, the elven remaining, and all the other followers have been on an emotional roller coaster.  But he's back.

I think of things in terms of movies.  This is the final epic heroic moment.  It's Robert the Bruce leading the armies of Scotland after William Wallace is executed.  Only better.  Because the hero that everyone thought was dead...is alive!  He's there telling his "captains," and in turn us what's next.  So here we are in Matthew 28.  Jesus tells the women who came to his tomb to sent the disciples to Galilee where he would meet them.

16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^a the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

  There is no story on the planet that is this exciting!  Can you imagine!?  You're following Jesus, everything is awesome.  He's given authority to heal, and raise the dead, and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Then...he's arrested and killed.  Everyone saw it happen.  It's not a rumor.  That had to be the darkest hour of the disciples lives.

They weren't arguing over how communion should be served.  They weren't debating what songs to sing at their next gathering.  Their mortgages were not important.  They weren't worried about what shoes to wear to the funeral.  They were in fear for their lives.  They had been following a man that promised them so much.  They hung all their hopes on him.  He was taken, and executed.

All hope was lost.

But it wasn't!  Hiding in a room, waiting in fear for the soldiers to come for them.  Then Jesus is there among them.  He isn't dead.  There's nothing to fear any more!  He overcame death!

Oh.  Right.  He told us he would.

I love how in the gospels it's written something to the tune of, "but they didn't remember this until after..."

But that's a whole other post for another time.  Point here is...their leader, our leader, came back.  His death wasn't the end of his mission.  It was just part of the plan.  And it's not even the end of the plan.  It's more like the end of the introduction to his mission.  Ok disciples, training is over.   Go do it.  You don't need me physically with you.  But I'll send you my Spirit to be with you until the end.  Not just your end...but the end of the age.

And what does he tell them, and us, to do?

He tells them "All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me."  He's in control.

Of everything.

So, Jesus has the power over heaven and earth.  What does he do with it?  He tells eleven guys, who are about to become for lack of a better word, outlaws, to make more of themselves.  He gives them 3 instructions and a promise.

1.  Go, make disciples of all nations (note he doesn't say "in all" nations, but of all) 
2.  Baptize them (disciples)
3.  Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you

The promise:  And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

It's so simple.  But it's so hard.  We, as flawed humans, want to tamper with what it means to be a disciple, to put regulations on being baptized, to teach beyond our obedience.

The great commission, is a charge to Jesus' disciples past/present/future to crawl out from under our hiding place, to leave the safety and comfort of what we know, to remove the mask of self-righteousness and just follow him.

After all that's what being a disciple is.  Following Jesus, and bringing him to others.

And that wraps up our "Sent Out" posts.  Please leave a comment or question below.  Also, you can subscribe to the blog in the links to the right.

Grace, Peace & Hope
-Jersey

Sent Out - The Seventy Two

Last week I wrote about Jesus sending out the 12.  That is the 12 disciples he called to follow him.  This week we're looking at another time Jesus sent his followers out.  This time those sent number 72.

Read Luke 9:51-10:24 (links are to the full chapters)

Jesus is headed for Jerusalem.  He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare things for him, but he was not welcome.  So he kept going.  James and John (I imagine at this point are starting to feel pretty full of themselves) ask if Jesus wants them to call fire down on the village.  They've already forgotten some of the lessons learned from the previous outing.

They were told shake the dust of an unwelcoming town from their sandals.  Now they want to destroy the village.  Jesus also told them they would face opposition and difficulty.  Again, they were ready to call down devastation at the thought of not being welcome.

Jesus had other ideas.  He was about to send people out again.  Other disciples, but not the disciples.  Because the verse in most translations say "he appointed seventy-two others."  Now there may be a slight difference from 70 to 72 others.  Either way it was a larger group of people than the previous twelve.

This time they were being sent to towns Jesus was about to go visit.  He doesn't specify "the lost of Israel," this time.  Just the towns he's going to.

He again gives the same basic guidelines: 

1.  Go

2.  Proclaim the kingdom of heaven is near

3.  Heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead

4.  Don't take anything with you

5.  Rules for conduct in towns/homes

This time he adds not to talk to people they meet on the road.  Jesus tells them how to behave in the homes again.  Looking for a man of peace, and allowing it to rest on him and his house.  Stay in that house while there, eat and drink what they give you, "for the worker deserves his wages." (Luke 10:7)

The worker deserves his wages.  How many times has that been used in Sunday messages, or to explain payroll for pastors, etc?  When you read this does it seem like Jesus is establishing a guideline for his messengers to earn a full-time living doing this?

I don't think so.  They are going to these towns for short periods of time, because Jesus is coming.  They are there to get the town ready for his visit.  They are the "roadies" if you will.  They are only there briefly.  Then they return to Jesus.  While there, they are to heal, and proclaim the kingdom of heaven is near.  They are to stay with "a man of peace."  This person will serve the disciples while there in the way of providing room and board.  After a few days they return to Jesus.

When you read the scripture, it's the very next sentence.  Jesus gives his instructions, then "The seventy-two returned with joy..."  (Luke 10:17)

Jesus instructs.  They go.  They do what they were sent to do.  They come back.

And they were joyful.

Why?

They were casting out demons.  That is what they took out of it.  I probably would have too.  Can you imagine?  You and I are walking to a village, probably near the cemetery.  Out jumps the crazy possessed guy.  You stare him down and command him to leave in the name of Jesus.  Suddenly the guy is back to normal.  I look at you and say, "Dude, that just happened!"  (No offense, but dude in my book is gender non-specific.)

Then we go back to Jesus all excited.  "Jesus!  Jesus, fill in your name here just cast out some demons!  It was awesome!"

Jesus looks at us and says, "You should be more excited about having your name is written in heaven."

And we are humbled.

Jesus reminds us that no matter what we do, in his name or not, it's not about us.  The mission was to tell others about Jesus, and proclaim the kingdom. 

I've come to learn that that hard way.  And I have to keep learning it.

Discipleship, mentoring, teaching, preaching, healing, and whatever else you want to add to that list, doesn't mean a thing with out Jesus.  What we do is not important.  It's our attitude, our heart, and motivations that matter.

Whether you lead a mega-church of 3,000-5,000 people or a group of 5,  if it's about you it's all wrong.

So if you're like James and John and ready to call destruction down on those unwilling to accept Jesus, or like the 72, on a spiritual power trip...take a moment and pray.

Stop.

Right now. (I'm doing it too.)

Pray.  Refocus on Jesus.  Cause He is what matters.  Not curriculum or lack of.  Not fancy tech or flannel graph.  It's about Jesus.  The Word.  Through him all things were made.  You.  Me.  The very Earth itself.

Jesus sent the 12, and then the 72.  He wanted them to be dependent upon him.  They took nothing with them.  Just the clothes on their back.  Jesus told them it would be dangerous.  Both times he compared them to sheep or lambs among wolves.

Sheep don't get lost or need to fear when they are with their shepherd.  Jesus is our shepherd.  He is with us wherever we go, whatever we do.  Get to know his voice.  Spend time with him in the word, in prayer, in worship, in fellowship with other believers. 

Remember, they were sent in pairs, not alone.  We are to help one another.  And we go with Jesus.

Next Week:  Sent Out - The Rest of Us

Read Matthew 28 and Luke 22:7-38

Until next time,
Grace, Peace and Love
-Jersey

Sent Out - The Twelve

M28 is all about embracing and living out the "Great Commission."  This was Jesus' ultimate command sending his followers out.  But it wasn't the first.  This entry and the next few will look at the different times Jesus sent out his disciples.

Luke and Matthew both go into detail about Jesus sending out disciples for the first time.

As mentioned in the previous blog post Jesus had more than the twelve disciples.  Yet the twelve had a closer relationship to Jesus.  It was to these 12 that he shared the meanings behind the parables.  It was with these 12 that he shared life with for about three years.  They heard his teachings and saw the miraculous healing he did everywhere he went.

They were the best candidates to be imitators of him.

They saw what he did.  How he lived and acted.   More so than anyone.  So it was this same group of 12 men that he sent out the first time.

He gave them some very vague and very specific instructions.  But before the instructions he gave them something else.  He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and heal every disease and sickness.  Matthew 10:1

After that he gave them the instructions.  Go to the lost of Israel, not the Gentiles.  The lost of Israel could be anyone.  The friends and neighbors of the disciples.  Their family.  Their former co-workers.  Fishermen, tax collectors, the zealots and others.  Or even strangers and those unknown to the twelve.

Next he told them to proclaim this message as they went, "The kingdom of heaven has come near."  This made the disciples heralds or messengers.  I like the definition of herald over at dictionary.com.

"a person or thing that precedes or comes before; forerunner; harbinger"

Forerunner.  Harbinger.  Intense sounding words.  But that is exactly what these guys were.  They went ahead of Jesus proclaiming the kingdom heaven was near.  This message they proclaimed to their fellow countrymen.  

The next thing Jesus tells them to do, is to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy and drive out demons.

Raise the dead?

I can just see Peter now.  He elbows Andrew, "Bro, this is awesome!  We get to go proclaim the kingdom is near, heal the sick, raise the dead, clean the lepers...whoa hold up.  Did he just say, 'raise the dead?'"

I mean can you imagine that?!  Try to imagine yourself in that position.  It's your turn to go out.  Jesus is sending you.  All you've really done up to this point is listen and watch.  Your first assignment is to go heal people, cast out demons, and raise the dead.  That is steep learning curve.

And that is where faith comes into it.  Jesus gave them the authority to heal the sick, and drive out demons.  The Bible doesn't specifically mention raising the dead in the authorities Jesus gave them.  But Jesus told them to do it.

If Jesus thinks I can do it...

Jesus goes on with a few more instructions.  They were not to take any money.  They weren't to pack any extra clothes or equipment.  They were pretty much told to go as they were.  Jesus wraps that instruction up with, "for workers are worth their keep."  In my translation that means, "if you do well, people will feed and clothe you as needed."

He also instructs them how to interact with the towns and villages.  Look for a "worthy person" and stay with that person until you leave.  When you enter the house, give it a greeting.  If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it.  If it is not, let your peace return to you.

If you are not welcomed, shake the dust from your feet when you leave that home or town.

And that is essentially it for Jesus' instructions.

1.  Go

2.  Proclaim the kingdom of heaven is near

3.  Heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead

4.  Don't take anything with you

5.  Rules for conduct in towns/homes

Then Jesus launches into a challenge for them.  He says, "I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves."  (Matthew 10:16)  He then proceeds to tell them that they will face all sorts of dangers.  They will be hated, persecuted.  There will be turmoil in families because of Jesus and the message the disciples bring.  Jesus tells them this and lets them know that they aren't greater than their teacher.  He is alluding to what is to come for him.  That, he too, will face persecution and punishment.

He then told them to not fear what may come.  That it is better to fear God rather than people, who can only kill the body.  He finishes instructing them, and he leaves.  He goes to Galilee to teach and preach.  He kept working.

I know there are all sorts of scholars and teachers who can dive deeper into the heart of all this instruction and how it would have looked through the lens of that Eastern culture.  I can't go into what the meanings of having your peace rest on a house are.

The best thing I can take away from this for us today is faith.

Faith in Jesus.

Without that, we might as well stay home.  If we don't believe in the one who sent us, we aren't doing any good.  Let's step back just a little and look at what happened right before Jesus sent out the 12. 

Matthew 9:35-38 

Jesus is going through town after town, teaching, proclaiming the good news, and healing every disease.  He sees the crowds and has compassion on them.  They were like sheep with out a shepherd.  He then says to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." 

We see this similar expression stated in Luke 10:2.  The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  So what needs to be done about that...workers need to be found and sent.  The harvest field is Earth, and it belongs to God because he is the Lord of the harvest. 

We are the workers.  The harvest is right there.  It's plentiful.

We just need to go. 

With faith in the one who sent us.  Jesus. 

What can you do?  Today? 

Well, the first thing you can do is believe Jesus.  Next, pray for the workers.  Then pray that you would see the harvest field around you, and begin to work in it.  If you don't know how to do that, pray some more, read the Bible.  Study Jesus and how he dealt with people.  Live and love like he did. 

Soon the M28 website will be up and running and there will be all sorts of resources available to help you live out the Great Commission.  In the mean time feel free to contact me Jersey via email and I can connect you to people or info that can help. 

Next week:  Sent Out - The Seventy Two  (Reading:  Luke 9:51-10:24)

know the Hope
-Jersey

Discipleship 101 - Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Disciple.

That one word summons up so many different images and meanings.  It makes me think of Peter, James, John and the other nine men who followed Jesus about.  Fishermen, tax collectors, the necessary and the unwanted.

It also makes me think of the crowds that followed Jesus.  They were also referred to as his disciples.  After rereading some of the gospels recently I now see this larger crowd of people that continually followed him.  Not the five thousand mind you, but more than just the twelve.  There were at least a few women as Luke tells us in his gospel. (Luke 8:1-3)

           

            “The Twelve were with him, and also some women…”

There are so many other images that disciple paints in my mind.  Some good some bad.  The difference is what teacher the disciple is following.

The word disciple comes from a Latin word, discipulus, meaning “pupil,”  This word came from discipere.  Broken down dis meaning apart, asunder, separate; capere to take, grasp, lay hold of.  So a disciple is one who takes hold of things that are apart.  They grasp things that are not together.  One who learns.  A student.

So what is discipleship?  The act of learning or teaching depending on which side of the proverbial desk you are sitting on.

Jesus was called “rabbi” or teacher.  His followers were called disciples.  His followers 2,000 years ago, and those who follow him today.

Disciples.

You.  Me.  That smelly guy at the end of the counter you passed entering a local diner for breakfast.  That guy in the shiny car and tailored suit.  The waitress I didn’t leave a tip for because she didn’t refill my Dr. Pepper enough. 

That’s the incredible thing about being a disciple of Jesus.  Anyone, anywhere could be one.  God doesn’t just teach people who walk into the halls of what is called a “church.”  Disciples can be found anywhere.  There is no one centralized place people go to become disciples of Jesus.

Disciples can learn in a house, a coffee shop, a tattoo parlor, a sun washed beach, a storm shattered house in the US Mid-West, a street corner in Europe, an Aids deathbed in Africa.

It’s not the place, the clothing, or the trappings that make a disciple.  It’s a soul yearning for a connection to it’s maker.  A heart ready to learn, grow, change, and give.  Discipleship is not restricted by age, wealth, social status, education, gender or what kind of music you listen to.

Jesus taught fishermen, tax collectors, people who had been demon possessed, rich, poor, young, old, men and women, Jews and Gentiles.  Israel and the Jewish people were his entry point, and when he left he sent his disciples to the world.  To continue on what he started.  To teach as he had taught and carry it into all the world.

We could get into all sorts of depth about the different meanings behind the four gospel commissions, and how they contrast or relate to the Creation command, but there are others who know more about that, and have already written about it.  (ie Jonathan Dodson - http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001678.cfm)

What I find to be the same in all of them, and at the very core of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is that we are to “go.”  No where does it say, “stay where you are and build up programs and palaces of worship and attract people to Christ.”  No.  Jesus tells us to go.  For some, that is down the street to mentor and disciple a neighbor.  For others it’s traveling to prisons, or schools.  For others still it’s getting on a plane and going to another country.

The Commission

There is a physicality and movement to the command “go.”  There is nothing sedentary about it.  The command is simple.  Matthew 28:18-20  (NASB)

¹⁸And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Go.  Make.  Baptize.  Teach.

Verbs.  Actions.  Jesus’ last words to his disciples, his students, were a call to action.  Some were still struggling with belief of what had happened after his death.  Yet he tells them to go out.  They have believed, in faith.  Now they were to teach, in faith.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.

Jesus’ students are told to go into the rest of the world and told to; wash, rinse, repeat.

Step 1:

Go, move, leave where you are to be somewhere else.  Next door, or around the world.

Step 2:

Make students.  People who will grasp things that are separate.  Like Sin and Grace.

Step 3:

Baptize them in the name of God:  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Step 4:

Teach them to obey, follow, adhere to, the commands Jesus gave.  Including, Go.

Step 5:

Repeat.  Because 11 people didn’t make disciples of all nations on the first go.

This isn’t meant to be a formula or code to follow.  I’m just breaking down the verbs of the Commission. 

Discipleship

Discipleship is not a 3 week class held on Sunday mornings for 30 to 45 minutes.  It’s not a book with a clever plan on “how to.”  As a disciple of Jesus we never stop learning or growing.  There is no graduation or achievement levels.  There is no standardized testing, with multiple choice and No. 2 pencils.

Discipleship is a way of living.  It is continual learning and growing in our relationship with Jesus, and others whether they share the same faith or not.

There are many books and teachings about how to disciple.  I won’t really recommend one over another partially because I haven’t read enough of them to offer opinions on the methods.

What I will tell you is this, discipleship is both simple and complex.  The way to do discipleship can be very simple and uncomplicated.  But there will be complex conversations and questions.  And the very nature of what is being taught is complicated.

Jesus was our example of how to teach disciples.  He pulled it off with out a single youtube video, powerpoint presentation, sporting arena, or even a megaphone.  He taught from his heart what he knew the Father wanted us to know.  It’s all laid out for us in scripture.

Making a disciple requires very few physical things.  A teacher, a student and a Bible.  It can be that simple.  There also needs to be a desire to learn and grow in both parties, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It’s the Spirit that makes the growth happen.  It’s the Spirit that opens up the complexities and mysteries of the Word to the hearts of both teacher and student.

Teach the Word.  Not traditions.  As one teaching, you must be as deep or deeper in the Word than the one being taught.  Dive in.  Breathe deep the fragrance of life that springs from it’s pages.  Teach others to be like Jesus by living the way Jesus lived.

You must first be a disciple if you want to make a disciple.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to take hold of the grace and promises of God and join them to what is separate from them, our sinful nature, our hearts, minds and souls.  This is only possible because of what Jesus accomplished for us through his death and resurrection.

Jesus didn’t wait for humanity to come to Heaven.  He left everything he was took on the pain and suffering of being human so he could be with us.  He wanted to be with us so he could teach us how to live, and love, and serve the Father.

He came to us.

And so those who follow him, must also go, make, baptize, teach…repeat.