I’m a sucker for humor.
I like to think of myself as relatively consistent when it comes to disciplining Baylor, my two-year old. But if her offense is funny enough, I sometimes can’t keep from grinning — or even laughing. And if my daughter can make me laugh as she breaks my rules, I feel like she’s somehow earned her own pardon. Continue reading
If you’re looking for a proper July 4th post, you probable want to go to this Fourth of July Primer, or this (somewhat controversial) essay from last year. This post is indeed about freedom, but is written more as a question about Christianity and life in general than a discourse on our American Independence Day. Continue reading
Only when we realize mission can not be accomplished by our own authority should we turn our minds towards it. Evangelism is Jesus’ responsibility. And our participation in his mission is only possible because of our participation in him. Jesus does, however, by his authority commission us.
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. – Matthew 28:19-20a
Perhaps it would be useful if we listed a few things to which Jesus does not call us in this passage. We are NOT commissioned to:
We ARE commissioned to make disciples. I’m not suggesting planting churches is wrong. Or that inviting a friend to worship with you on Sunday is a mistake. I’m only listing a few (a very few) of those things which have seemed to take precedence over disciple-making these days. Even my own mission team here in Tanzania is often referred to as a “church-planting team.” I much prefer the term “disciple-making,” because our focus isn’t on churches but on disciples.
So what’s a disciple?
Jesus, in this passage,* defines a disciple as a baptized person who is learning to obey all of his commands.
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You know Jesus never once used the word Christian? Actually, a pretty good (I think excellent) argument can be made that the word Christian, all three times it is used in the Bible (yes, a whopping three), is meant as a derogatory term for followers of Jesus — and was not how they referred to themselves. The term believers is used more often (I read 14 times), but never by Jesus.
Jesus only refers to his followers as disciples, students, or learners — all of those being translations of the same word (mathetes).** I wonder if there’s not something to that? Christianity has in many ways become about merely believing in Jesus, adhering to particular doctrines, and/or church attendance. Perhaps we’d be better off simply thinking of ourselves as students at the feet of Jesus?
Jesus’ description of a disciple is both straightforward and clear, but we must not confuse simple definitions with simple tasks. Jesus’ words absolutely necessitate obedience to his teachings — something many of our definitions of Christian don’t necessarily involve. I’m afraid we’ve so wanted to distance ourselves from works-based religion that we’ve muddled (if not ignored) the very words of Jesus.
Are we worried we don’t possess within ourselves the ability to be obedient to Jesus’ teachings? If so, I happily concede this point. This I see as one more reason it’s so very important we read The Great Commission within its context. Remember that Jesus couches our assignment (and his description of a disciple) in these words:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
and
“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Obedience to Jesus is assumed in the life of a disciple. But so is the presence and authority of Christ. Just as participation in mission is made possible only through participation in Christ, so is obedience to his words.
Filed under discipleship, evangelism, mission, musings on the Word, obedience
“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.”
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Danish Scholar
Filed under obedience
Application, Application, Application
A short but significant reminder to put into practice the words of God.
The Seven Deadly Sins in chart form to show what happens when they “crossbreed.”
7 Things You Didn’t Realize You’re Doing All Wrong
You should breathe into your stomach, you should squat while pooping, and a list of five other things you’re not doing correctly.
Time-Lapse Photography at the Touch of a Mouse
Use your mouse to control the sun. [That's kind of a funny sentence.]
360-Degree Reverse Photography
Since we’re on the subject of photography, these images are pretty remarkable.
Any fans of Bottle Rocket in the house? There’s got to be. This awesome fan-site has recreated Dignan’s 50-year plan for all to read. The larger site is worth looking at as well. And if you’ve not seen the movie, you’re really missing out.
“One morning, over at Elizabeth’s beach house, she asked me if I’d rather go water-skiing or lay out. And I realized that not only did I not want to answer THAT question, but I never wanted to answer another water-sports question, or see any of these people again for the rest of my life.”
If you’re a fan of linguistics, you’ll really enjoy this site. If you’ve ever wondered what percentage of Americans pronounce mayonnaise like you do, you’ll enjoy this site. If you say “vinegar and oil” instead of “oil and vinegar,” you’re definitely in the minority. And if you don’t call it a firefly or a lightning bug — but instead a “peenie wallie” — then you are just plain strange (and probably from Wisconsin).
Filed under just thinking, morning blend
I am amused.
While I am (mostly) in control of my own blog — I decide what subjects to address, how to write about them, when to publish my thoughts, which photos to accompany them, etc — it is ultimately the reader who decides how my blog will be used.
Why am I thinking about this today? Because of yesterday’s post:
5 reasons kjv readers aren’t celebrating
It was a satire piece. I used the 400-year anniversary of the King James Bible to poke fun at some of the arguments conservative Christianity uses to combat Christmas, Halloween, and other popular holidays.
The post was intended as comedy. Humor. [And was accepted as such.] I suppose you could say there was a point. I was indeed speaking to some larger issues, but mostly I felt like laughing. So I wrote a piece that made me snicker.
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So why am I amused?
Because the post has generated intelligent discussion. Not concerning the issue I was parodying, but having to do with language constructs and the like.* That’s as funny to me as the post was to begin with. [This is possibly commentary, however, on how humorous the original post was -- or, rather, was not.]
I’m not at all upset with the discussion that follows the KJV post. I am, as I said, amused.
The writer in a public forum has complete control over his written words, but very little control over how those words are received. And even less control (practically none) over the discussions that flow from his work.
Is it any wonder, then, that we have myriad interpretations of practically every passage in the Bible? Are we surprised our churches read the same words but take from them wildly dissimilar meanings? So what’s a Christian to do?
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Scripture teaches that unity is a function of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit’s responsibility to “guide [us] into all truth;”** unity is his endeavor. It is our task, then, to be obedient to Christ’s teachings as the Spirit nurtures us, the body of Christ, to maturity.
While personally I believe modern Christianity places too much emphasis on the individual, personal saviors, and the like (surely a product of our American culture), the Spirit does play this role on both macro- and micro- levels. The church as a whole will be built up to maturity by the Spirit’s power and leading. But also we as individuals, the Spirit indwelling each of us, will become more like Christ as the Holy Spirit guides us into obedience to Jesus’ teachings.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35
We don’t love one another in order to be disciples. Rather, our love for one another is a symptom of our condition — that we are disciples of Christ.
I’m slightly uncomfortable, then, with the popular view that unity is equal to tolerance. Unity is not the result of broad-mindedness. It is the result of obedient lives, changed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Christ.
Seek obedience to Christ. Unity will come.
Filed under just thinking, musings on the Word
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Now that you have spent some time checking out the appearance/disappearance of the term “disciple,” let’s move on to consider one of the New Testament books where it does appear. I will confine myself to Matthew’s Gospel because of Brett’s recent focus on context. When different people use the same term, they often have nuanced connotations. This is why graduate theses and dissertations require their authors to define terms as they are being used. While the old adage, “Words don’t mean things, people do!” overstates the matter, there is a kernel of truth embedded into this memorable exaggeration.
“Disciple” appears 81 times in Matthew. Seventy-seven uses refer to people who have been called into a learning relationship with Jesus. The four exceptions (Matthew 9:14; 11:2; 11:7; 14:12) heighten this point because there the followers of John the Baptizer are being differentiated from Jesus’ disciples.
Matthew sub-divides his presentation of Jesus’ narrative into three sections by two uses of the phrase “from that time on Jesus began to” (Matthew 4:17; 16:21). The first section reveals the hidden identity of this man, Jesus. Yes, he is the son of David and the son of Abraham (1:1), but he is also the beloved Son of God (3:17) who brings much pleasure to his Father! His genealogy and birth narrative place him squarely within Israel’s salvation history and reveal that Israel’s amazing God has been known to work through women who were the objects of others whispers!
Until the narrative moves from the man to his ministry, there is no mention of disciples. The second section opens with the notice that “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’ (Matthew 4:17). His ministry was done “throughout Galilee” and consisted of “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good new of the kingdom of heaven and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
The first mention of “disciples” is found in Matthew 5:1 when they are differentiated from the crowds. Jesus began to teach the disciples and the crowds overhear this introduction to discipleship. The first gospel does not call chapters 5-7 a sermon. No, Jesus teaches on the mountainside. This is not a call to repentance. This is teaching par-excellence!
To this point we have only been introduced to four by name, who will later be explicitly called disciples. Peter, Andrew, James and John have left their boats, nets and Zebedee (father of the later two) to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-22). In following him they witness his teaching, preaching and healing ministry. They find themselves being called to a radical, life-changing application of Jesus’ amazing, authoritative teaching (Matthew 7:24-29).
Please note, “disciple” has only been used once (Matthew 5:1). A disciple of Jesus must do more than hear his three-chapter teaching! (The crowds hear it and are even amazed at his authority.) But Jesus closes by revealing that his hearers will either be wise or foolish (Matthew 7:24-27). They will either build on rock or sand. What is the actual point of delineation? Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
Matthew’s first and last texts using this word stress the importance of practicing Jesus’ teaching. His final directives are spoken to the “the eleven disciples” who put into practice his directions to meet him on this mountain where he had earlier told them to go. Now he will involve them in the teaching component of that three-fold ministry.
Yes, he had earlier “called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness…preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’” (Matthew 10:1, 7). But only Jesus teaches in Matthew—until the final scene.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18b-20) Jesus declares.
The only teaching disciples get to do in the first Gospel is to obey all of Jesus’ commands. Disciple-making entails going, baptizing those being discipled and teaching them to obey everything the one with all authority has commanded.
Who is a disciple?
Filed under discipleship, guest posts
Last week I wrote about the importance of both spiritual leadership in the family and obedience to God in Bible study. [The two go very much hand in hand. That post is here: one obedient step.] I mentioned that Deuteronomy 6 is an abundantly practical instruction booklet on how to raise a Christian family.
Deuteronomy 6 — Very Abridged (and somewhat Christianized) and In My Own Words
What I’ve Learned
If you haven’t set a text for your next Bible reading time — or if you just want to read a chapter that addresses raising children — you really ought to work through Deuteronomy 6. It will be a blessing to you and to your children.
Filed under family, musings on the Word, obedience
I’m often found peddling the 3-column bible study method, or at least extolling its virtues — I suppose I’ve never taken money for my counsel. I am indeed quite the advocate, but I realize I don’t often share with you guys what I myself am studying and how I’m being obedient to those texts. [I don't intend to post an actual 3-column study here today -- though if you want to know more, please read this post on how to do a 3-column study and this post of an actual 3-column study. If you do, and you put it into practice, I believe you will be blessed.]
But I figure what better news for a Christian to share on his blog than how his life is being changed by God through Bible study? Setting my words to publish can be quite the accountability partner as well. Plus, it certainly doesn’t hurt to occasionally provide a testimony of God’s faithfulness as we read his word.
Two weeks ago I began reading from Deuteronomy 6. It is an incredible chapter. I won’t use this post to go into detail today about all it contains (but I will use this one), but instead will let it suffice that I believe Deuteronomy 6 to be an abundantly practical instruction booklet on how to raise a Godly family.
As I reflected on the passage written in my own words, I began to realize I was not doing a very good job of leading my family spiritually. My wife and I pray together every night before bed, occasionally discuss what we’re reading in the Bible, and sometimes sing praise songs with Baylor — but only the evening prayer has been done with any real intentionality. While I believe it is indeed my responsibility to be the spiritual leader in my family, it was not this issue of obligation or duty that struck me so clearly as I read the text. Rather, it was a question of opportunity.
Was I letting slip through my hands my chance to help my wife be all that God intends? Was I missing the occasion to teach my daughter how much God loves her? Was I, by not leading my family well, choosing for us to live uninspired lives, full of mediocrity instead of peace and joy? How many blessings of God might I cost my wife and daughter by not taking advantage of my role in our family? How many blessings might my grandchildren and their families fail to receive because of my inaction?
And so I came to my “I will” statements. In the beginning I committed to pray about my role in our family and that God would show me how to lead better. And I committed at that time to do whatever it was he would show me.
A few days later Christie and I spent an evening at the home of Sam and Nancy Shewmaker, missionaries in Rwanda. At the breakfast table in the morning, as we ate our meal of pancakes and fresh fruit, Sam read aloud from the Bible. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do, nor was it new or fresh or exciting. But he read the Word of God as we ate together.
Every morning, now, I make it a point to be at the breakfast table when Christie and Baylor sit down to eat. [That's new for me.] I read a section of scripture (we began in Matthew) and then, based on our reading for the morning, I pray for our family. It’s not a difficult thing to do. Nor is it always new or fresh or exciting. But I am being obedient to God, and I believe my family is being blessed as a result.
This is how God changes lives. One obedient step after another.
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Let me share with you with a few words from John King, one of the shepherds at our sending church:
Discipleship is a series of changes. It is a process of hearing from God in this one thing and being obedient. As that process of obedience picks up steam over time, we realize we’ve undergone significant transformation and even that realization motivates us to hearing more, obeying more and being more amazed at what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing.
I pray that you are being amazed at what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in your life. And if you’re not, I pray you will commit to working with him to bring that transformation. May your life be changed, and may our God be glorified.
This Sunday I’ll be preaching on John 14 in the village of Bilyahilu (I’m driving a truck this time). And this passage (vv. 30-31) in particular stood out to me during my studies:
I can’t talk with you guys much longer, because Satan’s coming; I’ll need to get going. It’s not that he’s more powerful than me — Lord (that’s me) knows that’s not the case. It’s just really important for the world to see how much I love my Father. That’s why I do everything he says, because I love him.
My Thoughts
What I’ve Learned
Filed under evangelism, musings on the Word, obedience
