The sermon this morning touched on missions involvement and giving, pointing to the Matthew 28 and Acts 1 verses, and it got me to thinking. I read on Chip Ingram's website a week ago that Barna was commissioned to do a survey of spiritual growth among pastors and lay people. One point of interest is that pastors often do not put out a measuring stick of what spiritual maturity should look like, especially because they do not want believers to just become better "rule-followers." I totally agree...but still how to show lay members to focus of their growth.
This may be way too simple, but here's a thought:
If Christ gave us those three commands and a job description, why aren't those the measuring stick of spiritual maturity, both for individuals and for the church corporate?
1. How much am I truly loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
2. How much am I truly loving neighbors, those whom God has placed around me to influence, as I love myself?
3. How much am I leading others to be students of Jesus (regardless of my vocation)?
4. How much am I telling the story of how Jesus has impacted my life to those around me?
You cannot have 3 and 4 without 1 and 2 first. 3 and 4 can become "rule-following," but if you love God and others first, 3 and 4 become a natural overflow of your life instead of rules to check off.
I need to let this marinate a bit further to find real, practical application, but I do think there is something to these 4 items as a goal for spiritual maturity.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
New Start tomorrow
Tomorrow is a new beginning for my wife and I.
We began our first group in July of 2006. Since then, we stayed with that group through September of 2008, participated in another group from October of 2007 through December of 2008, and we started another group this past March that finished last week.
God has led us to lead a singles group (ages 19-36), sit under the leadership of a friend in a younger married couples group (early 20s through 30s) and then lead an intergenerational group, (late 20s through late 60s).
Tomorrow, we begin a new venture. Four married couples are coming together to form a new group. Two couples are coming from another group that also began in March but had a rocky start with leadership. One couple was in this last group with us. So, we are forming one new group out of two former groups.
As we begin, I have to say I am somewhat nervous. I know that my heart is in the right place, desiring to serve these couples. I want them to learn to love God and each other more, and I want to see their lives transformed as Christ works in their lives. I want to see God's Word prevail in our discussions and reactions. To be honest, I haven't had been a great leader. I have learned a lot in the experiences that God has provided, and I have had to learn humility, often the hard way. I have very strong convictions about what small groups should look like, but I can't like my convictions run over these friends.
I was blessed a couple nights ago. One guy from the other former group is a part of my accountability group. We were talking about the group coming together, and he specifically mentioned the idea of each group member using their gifts. I was (internally) ecstatic. In our first group, my wife and I were worn down and even burned out because we did everything. We led the discussion, did all the social planning, did all the communication, etc. We realized that we could never function in a group like that again. To hear him say that he realized that was important without me even talking about it, needless to say it was music to my ears.
I pray that God gives me the words to speak tomorrow as we meet for the first time. We are meeting for lunch just to get to know what each person wants and needs, and what we really are capable of providing as a group. It is in His hands for His glory.
On a church level, I was contacted today with a name for a couple that want to get involved in small groups. I realize, however, that I don't really have a group to refer them to. We just aren't far enough along in our structure. I pray that God gives me clarity in how to respond to those who are interested while I am waiting for God to provide in His timing.
We began our first group in July of 2006. Since then, we stayed with that group through September of 2008, participated in another group from October of 2007 through December of 2008, and we started another group this past March that finished last week.
God has led us to lead a singles group (ages 19-36), sit under the leadership of a friend in a younger married couples group (early 20s through 30s) and then lead an intergenerational group, (late 20s through late 60s).
Tomorrow, we begin a new venture. Four married couples are coming together to form a new group. Two couples are coming from another group that also began in March but had a rocky start with leadership. One couple was in this last group with us. So, we are forming one new group out of two former groups.
As we begin, I have to say I am somewhat nervous. I know that my heart is in the right place, desiring to serve these couples. I want them to learn to love God and each other more, and I want to see their lives transformed as Christ works in their lives. I want to see God's Word prevail in our discussions and reactions. To be honest, I haven't had been a great leader. I have learned a lot in the experiences that God has provided, and I have had to learn humility, often the hard way. I have very strong convictions about what small groups should look like, but I can't like my convictions run over these friends.
I was blessed a couple nights ago. One guy from the other former group is a part of my accountability group. We were talking about the group coming together, and he specifically mentioned the idea of each group member using their gifts. I was (internally) ecstatic. In our first group, my wife and I were worn down and even burned out because we did everything. We led the discussion, did all the social planning, did all the communication, etc. We realized that we could never function in a group like that again. To hear him say that he realized that was important without me even talking about it, needless to say it was music to my ears.
I pray that God gives me the words to speak tomorrow as we meet for the first time. We are meeting for lunch just to get to know what each person wants and needs, and what we really are capable of providing as a group. It is in His hands for His glory.
On a church level, I was contacted today with a name for a couple that want to get involved in small groups. I realize, however, that I don't really have a group to refer them to. We just aren't far enough along in our structure. I pray that God gives me clarity in how to respond to those who are interested while I am waiting for God to provide in His timing.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
3 Commands and a job description
Jesus has given us 3 commands to direct the Christian life and a job description those commands fall under.
Commands:
Matthew 26:36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ' (1)Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: '(2)Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
This is restated in Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-37 (which is the Good Samaritan story). In Romans 13:9 and Galatians 6:14, Paul reaffirms Christ's teaching that loving one's neighbor is the summation of the law.
Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore (3) 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."
Job description:
Acts:1:8b "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
OK, so where am I going with this? I have been convicted recently that in order to love my neighbor, I actually might need to know who they are! I do understand that Christ talked about being available to seeing those in need as we go on our way in the Good Samaritan story, but I also believe that He has us situated in specific neighborhoods and specific jobs to be "witnesses" to specific people. If God is sovereign, and Scripture reaffirms that over and over, He does position us in the best place for our hearts to connect with those around us.
As I write this, I am ashamed to say I can only name one of the neighbors on my street. I recently read Randy Frazee's book The Connecting Church and was challenged by the idea of intentionally connecting with those whom God has placed around me.
As I reflect on these three commands and a job description, I have to ask how that affects leading and designing our small group ministry.
1) 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
If I am to love God, that means I need to spend time getting to know Him. I cannot love anyone I don't know. I am to allow Him access to all the joys, frustrations, happiness, and pain that my heart holds. He will choose to work on them in His timing, but I cannot hold my emotions back from Him. I am to seek after Him as sovereign in my life and allow Him to direct my acts of service, recognizing my humility before Him and my constant need for a Savior to redeem my corrupt human soul. God willingly has redeemed me through Jesus' death and resurrection. I just have live each day in acceptance of that gift. I also have to give God my intellect for His purposes. No godly idea is my own creation; it is a part of God renewing my mind to be shaped every day more and more like Him. In response to this transformation (Romans 12:1-2), I need to choose to follow His leading.
All of this is to say that any system that is developed for the small group ministry has to be centered on a reflection of who God is in His Word. A system must reflect emotions centered on God and reflecting His character (treating people with kindness, with no favoritism); it must reflect a leading of people's souls to become more God-centered and less self-centered; and it must reflect an intellect that attempts to see things through God's perspective rather than man's limited scope (understanding Scripture in context; training small group leaders to focus on the renewing of minds rather than the accumulation of knowledge).
2) 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
As I mentioned above, I have to know my neighbor in order to love my neighbor. This means small groups must work to build relationships, and that may mean teaching relationship-building to those in the church. It is very easy to work in the church, being very program-driven, and lose the exact people you want to reach as you keep your eyes only on achieving the goal. We must remember, as the Samaritan was, to be ready to change our plans to meet the needs God may place in front of us. We need to worry less about getting dirty (see Pharisaic "unclean") and more about showing love those in need. The priest and the Levite were more concerned with looking right and not being inconvenienced than helping someone that they obviously could have helped. I don't know that I can point fingers though. Are there times needs stare me right in the face and I just ignore them because I don't want to "get dirty" or be inconvenienced?
I'm not exactly sure what this relationship-building training should look like yet, but I think it should address some "elephants in the room," where we do avoid the inconveniences of those in distress. I think there are some other things to address too. Sometimes, we just have never learned how to connect with people who aren't like us. This may be because we're single and they're married, or we don't/can't have kids and they do have kids, or we have young kids and they have older or grown children, or we grew up in the church and subconsciously just "know" how church people are supposed to act and they never were exposed to "churchy" behavior upbringing. The list goes on. Many times, we are so driven by a need to find others like us that we miss out on connecting to people that are right in front of us, needing a loving shoulder to cry on or a friend to rejoice with.
3) "...go and make disciples of all nations..."
As we love God wholly, reserving no part of ourselves from His transforming hand, and as we learn to love on neighbors, we are to go teach others how to do the same. Much of this is "more caught than taught," as our Interim Pastor often states. We need to model to those around us what it means to follow Jesus Christ. We need to show others what it means to live a life of humility and service and suffering, so that Christ receives glory instead of us. John the Baptist tells us in John 3:30 "He [Christ] must become greater; I must become less."
Make disciples is a very active idea. It is something that must be done intentionally, with a purpose of using the influence Christ allows in your life to lead those around you to seek Christ more. Literally, it means to make students of Christ. If we love others, we will want others to experience Christ in the way that we have, as well. We will want them to experience incredible grace and forgiveness, so we will lead them toward the Savior who can show that grace and forgiveness to them.
In terms of developing small groups, our group leaders need to catch this vision: we want our small group members to influence their neighbors to become students of Christ. This can come through gentle words in times of sorrow, giving a helping hand, etc. As we show and talk about Christ, others will want to experience the same thing.
So I'm left with the job description.
"...you will be my witnesses..."
A witness tells what they have seen, heard, and experienced. It is not our job to convince others; Christ is the advocate, the lawyer. We just have to let them know how Christ has intervened in our lives for our good and His glory, and let the Holy Spirit change the heart.
My desire for small groups is that members build confidence about talking of their faith when they meet together; I believe God will use this and carry it into the overflow of the members' conversations as they go through their lives.
This was long, but it is what is on my heart, and actually the main idea of the website URL name. Love must be invested, not always seeing the return, for Jesus' name to be shared in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Lynn
Commands:
Matthew 26:36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ' (1)Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: '(2)Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
This is restated in Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-37 (which is the Good Samaritan story). In Romans 13:9 and Galatians 6:14, Paul reaffirms Christ's teaching that loving one's neighbor is the summation of the law.
Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore (3) 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."
Job description:
Acts:1:8b "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
OK, so where am I going with this? I have been convicted recently that in order to love my neighbor, I actually might need to know who they are! I do understand that Christ talked about being available to seeing those in need as we go on our way in the Good Samaritan story, but I also believe that He has us situated in specific neighborhoods and specific jobs to be "witnesses" to specific people. If God is sovereign, and Scripture reaffirms that over and over, He does position us in the best place for our hearts to connect with those around us.
As I write this, I am ashamed to say I can only name one of the neighbors on my street. I recently read Randy Frazee's book The Connecting Church and was challenged by the idea of intentionally connecting with those whom God has placed around me.
As I reflect on these three commands and a job description, I have to ask how that affects leading and designing our small group ministry.
1) 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
If I am to love God, that means I need to spend time getting to know Him. I cannot love anyone I don't know. I am to allow Him access to all the joys, frustrations, happiness, and pain that my heart holds. He will choose to work on them in His timing, but I cannot hold my emotions back from Him. I am to seek after Him as sovereign in my life and allow Him to direct my acts of service, recognizing my humility before Him and my constant need for a Savior to redeem my corrupt human soul. God willingly has redeemed me through Jesus' death and resurrection. I just have live each day in acceptance of that gift. I also have to give God my intellect for His purposes. No godly idea is my own creation; it is a part of God renewing my mind to be shaped every day more and more like Him. In response to this transformation (Romans 12:1-2), I need to choose to follow His leading.
All of this is to say that any system that is developed for the small group ministry has to be centered on a reflection of who God is in His Word. A system must reflect emotions centered on God and reflecting His character (treating people with kindness, with no favoritism); it must reflect a leading of people's souls to become more God-centered and less self-centered; and it must reflect an intellect that attempts to see things through God's perspective rather than man's limited scope (understanding Scripture in context; training small group leaders to focus on the renewing of minds rather than the accumulation of knowledge).
2) 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
As I mentioned above, I have to know my neighbor in order to love my neighbor. This means small groups must work to build relationships, and that may mean teaching relationship-building to those in the church. It is very easy to work in the church, being very program-driven, and lose the exact people you want to reach as you keep your eyes only on achieving the goal. We must remember, as the Samaritan was, to be ready to change our plans to meet the needs God may place in front of us. We need to worry less about getting dirty (see Pharisaic "unclean") and more about showing love those in need. The priest and the Levite were more concerned with looking right and not being inconvenienced than helping someone that they obviously could have helped. I don't know that I can point fingers though. Are there times needs stare me right in the face and I just ignore them because I don't want to "get dirty" or be inconvenienced?
I'm not exactly sure what this relationship-building training should look like yet, but I think it should address some "elephants in the room," where we do avoid the inconveniences of those in distress. I think there are some other things to address too. Sometimes, we just have never learned how to connect with people who aren't like us. This may be because we're single and they're married, or we don't/can't have kids and they do have kids, or we have young kids and they have older or grown children, or we grew up in the church and subconsciously just "know" how church people are supposed to act and they never were exposed to "churchy" behavior upbringing. The list goes on. Many times, we are so driven by a need to find others like us that we miss out on connecting to people that are right in front of us, needing a loving shoulder to cry on or a friend to rejoice with.
3) "...go and make disciples of all nations..."
As we love God wholly, reserving no part of ourselves from His transforming hand, and as we learn to love on neighbors, we are to go teach others how to do the same. Much of this is "more caught than taught," as our Interim Pastor often states. We need to model to those around us what it means to follow Jesus Christ. We need to show others what it means to live a life of humility and service and suffering, so that Christ receives glory instead of us. John the Baptist tells us in John 3:30 "He [Christ] must become greater; I must become less."
Make disciples is a very active idea. It is something that must be done intentionally, with a purpose of using the influence Christ allows in your life to lead those around you to seek Christ more. Literally, it means to make students of Christ. If we love others, we will want others to experience Christ in the way that we have, as well. We will want them to experience incredible grace and forgiveness, so we will lead them toward the Savior who can show that grace and forgiveness to them.
In terms of developing small groups, our group leaders need to catch this vision: we want our small group members to influence their neighbors to become students of Christ. This can come through gentle words in times of sorrow, giving a helping hand, etc. As we show and talk about Christ, others will want to experience the same thing.
So I'm left with the job description.
"...you will be my witnesses..."
A witness tells what they have seen, heard, and experienced. It is not our job to convince others; Christ is the advocate, the lawyer. We just have to let them know how Christ has intervened in our lives for our good and His glory, and let the Holy Spirit change the heart.
My desire for small groups is that members build confidence about talking of their faith when they meet together; I believe God will use this and carry it into the overflow of the members' conversations as they go through their lives.
This was long, but it is what is on my heart, and actually the main idea of the website URL name. Love must be invested, not always seeing the return, for Jesus' name to be shared in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Lynn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)