Developing Unshakable Faith

Which part of the news do you find disturbing? Could be anything from great to small: radical, Muslim atrocities or simply bakeries denied their right to a conscience; earthquakes in various nations globally or the riots in Baltimore or just the collapse of leadership in their Mayor's office; the US green-lighting Iranian nuclear development or else the massive scale of human trafficking. The list could go on, but are simply a brief sampling. These are only the early rumblings of shakings that must eventually take place.

As gradually more disturbing as the headlines become, we as Christians need to be able to put all these within the overall context of the shaking of everything that will ultimately occur:

 I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29, ESV)

It is with that in mind that we are to comprehend that our Father is lovingly using such events to begin a sifting in the hearts of mankind--yours/mine, theirs/ours--you name it, whether structures or ideologies or governments! Whatever shakes is not established upon God's Kingdom and is marked for removal...particularly things that shouldn't be in our hearts anyway!

Are we fearful? That must be replaced with faith.
Are we disturbed? That must be replaced with an awareness of the Presence of Jesus.
Are we confused? That must be replaced with knowing His Word.

I could go on, but I think you get the point.

In short, its time to seek the Lord and His Kingdom. Let's cooperate with God's Holy Spirit to remove the needless stuff He's revealing and to produce the beauty of His Presence in and through us! Great is our God and greatly to be praised!!

Isn't It About Making Disciples?

It's no secret to those who know me that the pursuit of discipleship and making disciples is a huge theme in my life.

I'm sorry, but I can't get around it! When I look at Jesus' life here among us, it's what I see plastered all over the pages. He modeled a supernatural lifestyle to portray how His followers were to live. His process was pretty straight-forward and uncomplicated: I do, now YOU do! It was like apprenticeship.

We learn by doing; by example. Now, true, we may know something by reading or studying but we don't really learn anything until we "do." After all, who ever earned their driver's license by just taking a class? Instead that class will always mandate a minimum number of hours spent with an instructor riding alongside you guiding you through the actual process of driving a vehicle.  Can you imagine what a disaster our roadways would be if just classroom time was really the entire process?!

But apparently, that process is just fine for the kingdom of God, if we are to judge by what most churches do! Ummm...look around folks. The wreckage of that kind of thinking is everywhere and has become a stench in our nation.

More often than not, churches teach classes or preach sermons thinking THAT'S what making disciples is. What gave them that idea? Why seminaries, of course!  Because that's what ministry students had seminaries model for them. Just ask any green pastor who walks out of seminary to go plant a church somewhere.  Does he feel equipped? No, but just ask him a good Bible question and he's ready for you! His education in ministry is only about to start!

So this weekend, I was at a men's conference and I have one of those occasions when the Holy Spirit begins speaking while the conference speaker was saying other things.  Here's the essence of what I got:

Men MUST engage in a spiritual life. They cannot leave it to "professionals." Why? Because a man will never really know how to be a father only until after he actually has children to rear. Because a man will never learn to be a devoted partner to his wife until after he's in a marriage covenant. Because warriors don't learn valor in bootcamp but on the battlefield. And disciples aren't made in church services but as they themselves are making disciples of others.

It was that last part that really got my attention. Interestingly, Jesus didn't invite his followers to go be good disciples, but to make some! Jesus commanded His disciples to themselves "go make disciples!" He knew that the they would all they needed to know was to teach someone else how to do it. He even told them there was so much they still needed to know, but not to let that deter them, He would send the Holy Spirit would help them carry on.

In my mind, the validity of any gathering of believers is how passionately they "do" ministry together. It developes a unity through comradery, brings scripture into stark focus, fulfills genuine needs, and more.

We each have much we can learn from each other and that's how the Body works together effectively--each doing what he or she does best and showing others how to do the same!

So what about it? How about we go ahead and start making disciples so that we ourselves would be the disciples Jesus envisions us to be?