The Shape of Discipleship

Over the last few years it has been my privilege to disciple numerous students and young adult believers toward a Christ centred life. The forms and methods of discipleship have varied from person to person as has the ‘content’. I have drunk eagerly from the now overflowing fountain of discipleship tools. They have been useful, but now on reflection they are little more than motivational tricks. I don’t want to deny their usefulness as a catalyst, but all too often they seem to usurp the bible in authority for many of the practitioners.

Discipleship needs to be more than an external process. Now may be the time we recognise discipleship has far more to do with the inward process (the spiritual life) of the one discipling than any of the clever tricks we employ toward the disciple.

Richard Foster speaks about the integrity with a which a prayerful person speaks. In doing so he inadvertently highlights the simple truth that for all our events and programmes geared toward a cognitive discipleship what matters most is our relationship with God.

This post is written by @littlewarrior. You can follow him on Twitter where he shares his passion for Jesus, Wales and good coffee.

Teach your kids about Jesus (part 2)

In my last post (which you can read at http://missionalrev.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/teach-your-kids-about-jesus/) I gave you some ideas to helping to disciple kids. In this post I want to briefly consider whose responsibility discipling children actually is.

Being brought up in the Church, and then being a Church Youth Worker for a number of years I have heard some things that make my toes curl.  If I had a pound or a dollar for every time I’ve heard the following I would have a small fortune:

“My kid comes to your group every week but they aren’t any closer to Jesus – aren’t you teaching them anything about Jesus?!!” (said the parent)

Just for the record, the answer to that question has always been “YES,  teach Jesus and the gospel in almost every session we have!

The question highlights an attitude towards discipling young people that pervades many Churches and families. It assumes that a children’s or youth worker (paid or voluntary) is the primary discipler of young people in the Church.

This is so off the mark, it’s in outer space! Actually it is a half truth. So who is responsible?

 

Primary Responsibility for discipling young people

The basic building block of humanity is found in family. A young person’s needs physically, emotionally, mentally and educationally lie primarily with family – essentially, with parents.  As a DAD I desire my kids to grow up strong, healthy, intelligent and spiritually alive to Christ. I do not wish to leave this to chance – I want to intentionally give my children the best foundations possible for building a positive life for themselves.

This was my reason for writing the last post – I believe in that  and I do it!

Yet so many parents don’t consider that they are the best positioned people to disciple their own children. You as a parent spend more time with your kids than any other person.  You as a parent know your kids best. You as a parent are modelling a way of life that your kids are observing keenly. You are the primary discipler of young children.

If you do not take up this parental responsibility you might just be leaving their faith to chance. Is that a gamble you want to take? Wouldn’t you rather your kids were led (but not forced) towards Jesus in positive ways EVERY DAY of their young lives?

Secondary Responsibility for discipling young people

Here’s where the half truth comes into play: The Church is meant to function as an extended family. We are meant to love, pray for, encourage, teach, and bless one another (look at the plethora of “one another” verses in the new testament if you’re not sure I’m right). This means we have a corporate responsibility for looking out for, and playing our part in discipling young people.

The youth or childrens worker at best will only see your kid 3 hours a week on average (that’s a high average!). This does not allow the time for modelling faith that a young person can see regularly. Many paid workers only see kids in the sessions they plan so the idea of a young person seeing them live “faith and life” together is largely not possible (although not impossible with a relational style of ministry). the influence they have is often limited to the teaching sessions or activity sessions they have.

But there is another way!

The Church in the new testament seemed to function in midsized groups similar to your extended family. Where Christian families share life and faith regularly with each other children and young people will have more opportunity to see members of the church exuding a living faith in Jesus.  My kids love the members of our Missional Community and are blessed at seeing and experiencing a deeper level of engagement with the wider Church. My kids are being discipled not just my wife and I, but also through interaction with other young adults in our missional community.

God did not intend that you disciple your kids and teach them about loving Jesus only in the context of your family – Church provides people and opportunities to see your kids grow in faith as part of a living and active faith community. The Church SUPPLIMENTS the things you teach and show your kids about Jesus. The Church should be a place where you are EMPOWERED and EQUIPPED to effectively live and share Jesus with your kids. God believes that YOU CAN disciple your kids – he gave you them knowing your every strength and weakness and he believes that you are the BEST PERSON to share Jesus with your kids – and he has placed you in his Church support you in this calling and task.

Don’t leave introducing your kids to Jesus to vain hope or chance – take up some simple ideas relate to showing them scriptures, prayer, worship and mission and begin to so something. If you’re ahead of us in this please comment below and share your thoughts on how you are sharing Jesus with your kids.

 

Teach your kids about Jesus

I have recently been thinking about how to teach my kids about Jesus. As a Father I take my responsibility for my kids very seriously. I want them to succeed in life; reach their potential; grow; flourish; achieve; love; enjoy. But above this tall order of nurturing my kids to be all they can be I ultimately want them to know Jesus personally. Not from a distance. Close up to God. I desire that my children will WALK with God and TALK with God even as they walk and talk with me. I know I cannot force or coerce my kids to know God – they need to make that choice for themselves – but I believe that parents need to lead their kids towards God.

This blog-post gives you some ideas on how we might do this. Feel free to add to this list in the comments below (share your wisdom with us!):

1. Let your kids see that walking with God is an every day part of your life. LEt them see you pray, read the bible, worship, talk about Jesus
2. Model Christ-likeness for your kids – live the teachings of Jesus (be kind, patient, giving, loving, etc)
3. Read the bible with your children (I read a small section of Mark’s Gospel with my two oldest kids – 7 and 5 years old – about 3-4 times a week and I’m amazed at the questions and observations they have)
4. Tell your Children the good news that Jesus loves them and has great plans for their lives – let them constantly know they are loved my God
5. Pray with your kids – encourage them to pray their own prayers and encourage them (even when they’re asking God to bless ‘Barbie’!)
6. Share answers to prayer with them – let them see God is at work
7. Encourage them to be involved in aspects of Church life and community
8. Hang out with other Christians so they meet a variety of different people who love and live for Jesus
9. Pray FOR your kids – never underestimate how important this is!
10. Make sure you do number 2 – your kids will be watching to see how real your faith is before they take their steps of faith!

How are you growing faith in your kids?  Comment below – I’d certainly love to hear your ideas!!

Called to Ministry?

A question we hear often in Church circles is “Are you called to ministry?”  I’m uncomfortable with the baggage of this question because it tends to mean “Are you called to a paid church position of leadership?”.   I remember at bible college being challenged while doing an assignment on the Epistles to the Thessalonians. It challenged me that St Paul showed that there were times when he worked a regular job while he was advancing the Kingdom of God through spreading the Good News of Jesus.  There I was training for full-time paid Church ministry and in the bible I read that it’s not the only way. I’m glad to say with Paul that I have had times of being paid to ‘do ministry’ and times when I’ve worked regular jobs. Ministry is more than working for the Church! It is all that we do in obedience to the leading of God’s word and Spirit over our lives. When we listen to God’s Spirit speaking to us through His word and we also listen to the world and people around us ministry just happens.

Yes, I am called to ministry!  Aren’t we all?!  I have become tired of the idea that we all need to be paid to do ministry.  Ministry is something we are all called to  – Luther might have called it “The priesthood of all believers” (it does include paid work, but not exclusively so! Thank God that God does lead some into full-time service for the kingdom – but be assured, God expects that you are working to equip the whole church to serve in whatever context he has called them to.).   I’ve always believed in the biblical basis for this doctrine (not many would disagree in theory) and long to see every follower of Jesus actively and intentionally involved in the Mission of God.

I love that my emphasis in ministry thus far has been to equip young people for missional living, but you know what? – I don’t need paid to do it.   I’m excited that I can work in the “market-place” to live missionally, and hopefully lead others into doing the same.  I love that I am not surrounded by believers every day and that I can have amazing conversations about spirituality, life and pain with people who are hungry for something more than they empirically experience.  We need to be out in the world, unshackled from the cloisters, living and sharing and speaking the good news that God loves the broken, the barren and the boring!!

May every minister of Christ’s glorious body arise to follow jesus and be ministers of the gospel in and around the world (rather than in the Church compound!).  Vive la revolution of missional living and ministry!!!

Essential Priorities in life and faith

There are moments in life when we are forced to stop. Forced to think. Forced to consider what is important to us. These times are few and far between, but they create a strong emotional, mental and spiritual response within us. You could refer to these moments as ‘wake up calls’, ‘defining moments’ or ‘kairos moments’.  What you call them is really not important. The important thing is that we heed their call to stop, think and realign our lives where necessary.  Ten days ago I had such an experience!

Driving home from a day of teaching, worship and fresh air in Whitby with friends I crashed my car. I clipped a verge, screeched into the wrong side of the road and was heading for a ditch in front of a hedge in front of a fence. I reacted hard and pulled the wheel to get onto the correct side of the road, but rather than correcting the car, I began tumbling in the car.  I braced myself for impact.  My mind racing. The noise deafening. Thoughts of death, injury and panic flooded me entirely. I shouted, or screamed, “JESUS HELP!!!” and waited for impact to happen. It was a moment, but ever nano-second seemed slow in that moment. I rolled with the car and eventually stopped. I had no idea what way I was facing. My heart was racing. I still gripped the wheel. I felt glued to the seat. I sat. Breathed. Sat.

I was fortunate – thank God for seatbelts! Always use yours – it might save your life! I came out with nothing more than achy body for a few days. The car was not so lucky. It will never be used again! Since that night I have been thinking about what is important to me.

My family

I sat at lunch with my family the next day and I almost cried. The thought that they could be without me was strong and I’d hate for that to happen. I want to invest my time and energy more in my family. I am father, husband, lover, provider, protector, teacher, discipler, and more, to my family. They need me… and I need them. As a family we need to function relationally strong together. I want that for my family. There are too many times when ministry agendas have negatively impacted on family time. This should not be the case and I want to ensure it is not for my family. When a Christian family follows God’s design for marriage, relationships and life they become a ‘missional’ force in their social circles and communities. Family is perhaps God’s original Missional tool. Often ministry replaces a minister’s primary mission – to their own family (cf. Paul’s writings on leadership requirements in epistles to Timothy and Titus).

Discipleship Priority

While teaching on the day I crashed I was teaching about discipleship with the Youth Group. In the adult session later I asked the following question:

If you had two hours to disciple someone before they shipped out to a part of the world with no Christians or Churches what would you teach them?

It’s a good question (I believe!) and I probably nicked it from someone else. While reflecting after my crash my thoughts came to this question again. This time I asked myself the following question:

If you had two hours before you died what would you teach those close to you about following Jesus?

I would teach what I taught in the youth sessions:

10 Commands Jesus emphasised in the Gospels

Repent & Believe – Christ-centred & Gospel-centred change

Receive the Holy Spirit – person, power, fruits & gifts

Be baptised – public expression of inward faith

Break Bread – remember Jesus (Cross-Centred participation)

Pray – relating to the Father, through Jesus the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit

Love – God, neighbours, enemies

Make Disciples – be active in the mission of God

Give – Time, treasure & Talents

Watch – be on your guard against false teachings/prophets

Do not worry/fear

All of Jesus’ teaching is summed up in these commands. Read through the Gospels and see how each section relates to one or more of these categories. Jesus’ kept his teaching simple. In saying this, he also explained that it was hard (count the cost; take up your cross and follow me; in this world you will have hardships; expect persecution; etc.). I’ve been around Church for 35 years (I started attending when I was 2 years old!) and I’ve seen trends come and go. Methods and strategies will come and go. Personalities and ‘christelebrities’ come and they go. Jesus’ teaching have lasted for 2000 years and beyond. The Church is strongest when followers of Jesus cling to HIS teachings. The early Church held fast to the apostle’s teaching(Acts 2:42), which was what Jesus had taught them. The Church needs to get reaquainted with Jesus and HIS discipleship methods of Glorifying the Father, Gathering followers and growing them in faith & life, and sending them out to Go in God’s mission of reconciling the world to himself.

I aim to live, write, teach and inspire  followers of Jesus to know, understand and live the key commands of Jesus through a love relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I guess the blog will reflect this as the days, weeks, months and years go by.

But what about you?

What are your priorities for life? What will you live? Will you teach those you are discipling? What are your Gospel priorities? Comment below and join the discipleship conversation

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How does God Speak to Us?

We are created to be in relationship with God, as well as to follow his design/plan for our lives.  But how can we do this if we are unsure about how he guides us and speaks to us?  Part of growing in our faith is learning to know God’s voice speaking to us and guiding us.  How many of us know people that say things like “God spoke to me”?  I’ve said that phrase many times.  Although it is true, perhaps it is not a useful phrase because it implies that God speaks to us in an audible voice.  Yet even in the Bible God rarely spoke with an audible voice – more often than not he chose to ‘speak’ in different ways.  Most of us do not hear audibly from God (although we should not rule out that he can, and may), so how can God speak to us today?

God is concerned about our lives and he loves us and wants to speak to us about what we should be doing with it – He has a plan for our lives; “I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and give you success” (Jeremiah 29:11).  So how can we know them?

The Example of Jesus

Jesus was “led by the Spirit” (Luke 4:1) and only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19).  Jesus shows us that even he had to depend on God the Father and the Holy Spirit for guidance.  In the garden of Gethsemane he prayed “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  Jesus trusted God.  He took time in prayer to know God’s will.  He was honest with God about his fears and weaknesses (Luke 22:42-43) – and God gave him strength.  If we are willing to do as God wants then we can expect him to speak to us.

He speaks to us through scripture (The Bible)

The Bible is the Word of God.  It is not just another book of wisdom – it is given to us by God himself so that we can know him.  The Bible shows us what God is like (Psalm 103:8-12; 1 John 4:8; Hebrews 10:30-31).  It shows us his purposes for our lives.  It reveals how much he loves us (John 3:16).  It is full of wisdom (Proverbs).  It instructs and guides, encourages and disciplines us, and we can place our trust in it because it is God’s own words to us.  As we read the bible we ought to read it prayerfully, asking God to speak to us from it.

Guidance through the Holy Spirit

Before Jesus ascended he told the disciples to wait inJerusalemfor the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5).  Jesus had told the disciples previously that he would send the Holy Spirit to them (read John 14:16-27).  He told them that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor (advisor) and that he was the “Spirit of Truth” (v16-17).  The Holy Spirit would remind Jesus’ followers (us too!) of the teaching they learned (v26) and that he would convict us of our sin  as well as lead us into righteousness (John 16:8-10) – the Spirit show us how to live in God’s will regarding right and wrong.  He shows us God’s will for our lives when we are willing to be led by him as Christ was.

Common sense

God gave us the common sense that we have and he does not expect us to abandon it because we are Christians.  As we are seeking God’s will for our lives we need to look at our decisions with intelligence as well as with spiritual eyes (true spirituality should embrace all the gifts, sensibilities and abilities God has given us).  As you think about the decisions you have at the moment, what makes the most sense?  What path allows you to use the skills and passions that God has given to you?  What do you enjoy?  God speaks to us in very natural ways, as well as supernaturally.  Are you good at sport, but not at literature? – Then look in that direction.  The natural gifts and abilities we have are part of how God prepares for the plan he has for us.  What has God already given to you?

 

Advice from Christians

“A wise person listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).  Don’t be afraid to ask other people for their advice and opinions.   God often speaks to us through other people.  God intended the Church to be a community of people that pray, share, talk, worship and learn together – God will use other people to guide us because as members of his Church we are not meant to be alone.  We are meant to rely on those around us.  God may use other people to guide you, and he may use you to speak to other people.

Whom should we ask for advice?

The best people to ask are people that are walking close to God.  These may be older Christians who have much spiritual and practical experience in life – Perhaps a parent, a Church leader, a trusted friend.  It is important that we trust those of whom we are asking for advice.  God often speaks to us through other people, so aim to seek advice from people that have shown closeness to God and who are spiritually mature.  A word of warning – always ‘test’ words that people give to you.  Prophesy needs to be weighed up alongside other things God is saying.  Sometimes it confirms what God is already saying to us; sometimes it pertains to God’s plans for our future; sometimes the word is not from God – we need to exercise the gift of discernment.

God guides through circumstances

“In his heart a man plans his course but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).  God leads us one step at a time.  We do not need to be in a hurry and at times we may have to wait a long time for guidance to come.  Take time to look at your current circumstances – is there a reason to rush into so.   There are important times in life where our circumstances draw us to seek God’s guidance – preparing to leave school; thinking about our career; changes in relationships; etc. 

On the more day to day questions of life perhaps God just wants us to stay close to him; to listen for his voice; to seek his word in the bible; to enjoy the friendships we have (and expect God to work through them); to keep our heart and mind fixed on those things that please him. 

The Silence of God

There are also times when God is silent – periods when God does not answer our prayers; times when even God’s word does not seem to speak to our hearts.  These times can be a source of blessing in the long-run – although when we are in that place we may just feel broken and alone, lost and confused.  Let me encourage you to persevere through these times of silence – God will not stay silent.  He will speak to you.  He will continue to lead you.   Even Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”! (Mark 15:34)

 

Hearing God: Listening through the Bible

I am always amazed when I hear people saying they cannot hear God speaking to them.  I am sure that God is always speaking and that the problem is we have not yet learned to listen and hear His voice.  For me, when God’s voice is so small and so still that I am struggling to hear him I push into the Bible.  The Bible IS still God’s word for all peoples everywhere.  I still find that the Bible is God’s strongest way of speaking to me.  For a few years now I have tried to read the bible prayerfully using Lectio Divina, or prayerful reading.  I follow the standard format, but I have added a section at the end:

LECTIO DIVINA (Prayerful Reading)

Some 1800 years ago men and women retreated to lonely places to escape the stresses of daily life (i often wish I could do this today!) and developed Lectio Divina or ‘Sacred Reading’, a way of meditating on the Bible that people have found helpful ever since. Traditionally it involved a ‘slow reading’ of a chosen text from the Bible and allowing the words to speak in new ways. There are four recognised parts to a Lectio Divina exercise.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of God” (Romans 10:17)

Reading (lectio) – Slowly begin reading a biblical passage as if it were God writing it personally to you. Approach it reverentially and expectantly, in a way that savors each word and phrase. Read the passage once.  Read again asking the Holy Spirit to show you a word or phrase that touches you, resonates, attracts or even makes you uncomfortable.

I recommend reading a passage prayerfully through slowly three times

Reflecting (meditatio) – Reflect on this word or phrase for a few minutes. Let it sink in slowly and deeply until you are resting in it. Listen for what the word or phrase is saying to you at this moment in your life, what it may be offering to you, what it may be demanding of you – why does it touch, resonate, attract or disturb you?

Don’t rush.  Take time.  Repeat the phrase in your mind over and over allowing it to be etched in your memory and heart.  Ask God some questions about it…  …wait for responses from God.

Expressing (oratio) – Openly and honestly express to God the prayers that arise spontaneously within you from your reflections of this word or phrase. These may be prayers of thanksgiving, petition, intercession, lament, or praise. If you use a journal you might want to note anything you sense God speaking to you through your reading and reflecting.

Pour out your thoughts with your words in God’s presence – pray, sing, write, draw (however you connect with God most freely)

Resting (contemplatio) – Allow yourself to simply rest silently for a time in the stillness of your heart remaining open to the quiet fullness of God’s love and peace.

Be still and know that he is God.  He WANTS to speak to us.  Let your mind listen.

These four movements of Lectio Divina may not always follow a linear progression. Allow yourself freedom. The aim is to move into the depths of silence and stillness where we can hear the Word spoken to us in love and respond to this Word prayerfully and practically.

A Missionalrev addition…

“faith without works is dead” (James 2:17)

Responding (respondio)

 

 

In lectio divina we should gain a sense of what God’s word demands of us practically.  Before ending your ‘prayerful reading’ ask God what he would like you to ‘do’ in response to it.  Is there someone to forgive?  Is there something to repent of?  Is there someone to serve or speak with?  Is there an act of love to be performed?  Is there a witness to be made?  Revelation of God always leads to a place of responding to God.

Mission is your mountain!

A disciple without a mission is like a mountain climber with no mountain to climb

If we do not step OUT in sharing our faith we run the risk of being disciples without a mission.    I maintain that a disciple without a mission is like a mountaineer without a mountain to climb – we learn how to be disciples by following Jesus into mission just as the first disciples did.

Essentially, it is Jesus who disciples us (albeit often through his church).  Mission is the disciple’s mountain upon which they will grow in their understanding of how to follow Jesus’ teachings in the reality of their particular life contexts.

Just as climbing a mountain can be a scary thought, so being part of God’s mission might be a scary thought for you.  Jesus did not promise us the comfort of a warm faith by the fire – he promised a cross we could carry and a joy that’s unspeakable.  He promised us struggle and hardships.  But he also promised that he would never leave us on our own.  He promised that he would be with us, and he promised us his Holy Spirit to lead us and to comfort us.

There is a mission to be done and a nation to be won.

There are lives to be saved and a god to be praised.

There’s an adventure to be lived and a faith to be shared.

For the UK Church, it’s time to climb a mountain, and from that mountasin of mission it’s time to rasie a shout about  the LORD who seeks and saves the lost.

Will you step into the mission of God and live your life in ways that let your neighbours know that Jesus loves them enough to save them?

Praying for Revolution in the UK

United Kingdom (Photo credit: stumayhew)

I live in the UK.  I’ve been here most of my life.

I am a follower of Jesus. I’ve been a follower of Jesus most of my life.

I am dissatisfied.  I have been dissatisfied most of my life.

I love the UK.

I love the Church.

I often feel that the Church does not love the UK.

This often makes me feel unashamed to be a Christian.

Why?

Because God loves the UK.

God loves every person in the UK.

God wants his followers to love the UK.

God wants his followers to love every person in the UK.

Regardless of all differences.

Regardless of race, colour cread, gender, age, sexual orientation…

…God loves everybody!

Why can’t we as the Church do the same?!

Sometimes I think we’re too busy fighting with ourselves – with Christians who differ from us – to stop and think about how much God loves the UK.

In a time of financial uncertainty will we meet the needs of our neighbours?

In broken communities where families are at war will we fight with love to bring reconciliation?

In the lives of our families and friends will we stand up for truth and love in Jesus’ name?

In a time when many people feel lost and alone will we lead them back to God the Father via the crosss of Jesus?

God is calling us to pray and act in love for the UK!

Will you pray every day for our great Britain?

Will you pray for your family, friends and workmates daily?

Will you respond to the voice of God and act in thought, words and deeds to bring Jesus into their lives?

Please pray.

Please join Jesus in loving the world.

Please seek and save the lost practically and spiritually.

God might just be calling you to be his hands, feet and mouth to the people you love.

 

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