A Consice Theology of Role Models

Paul gives a two-part command in Philippians 3:17—join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who live like us. This idea of imitating Paul and leaders like him is not unique to this passage (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; 1 Timothy 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:13; Hebrews 13:7). However, the Philippians 3:18 ground to the command carries a particular weightiness.

Paul tells us to imitate him and those who live like him, "for many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ."



Paul says that apostasy is the basis for why we should imitate him and those who live like him. Paul does not suggest the benefits of having a role model, he narrows the profile of who a role model should be and he declares its essential place in Christian discipleship. I think these two points from Philippians 3:17-18 make up a concise theology of role models.

Read more here.

HT: Desiring God

Five Ways the Early Church Practiced Discipleship

At the 2010 Verge Conference, George Patterson boldly announced that "discipleship is easy if we make disciples like the early church."  How? He said they did five things:

1. They presented the living, risen Christ, not just facts about Him.  Look at the Book of Acts for example;  over and over you hear the reality of the living, risen Christ proclaimed.  Patterson said that people today must experience the risen Christ and feel his presence in their lives.  How?  Through baptism, the Lord's Supper, loving, and prayer ... prayer for healing.

Is Age Segregation Biblical?

I'm looking forward to Dr. Kara Powell coming to town in a few days and in preparation for her visit I decided to look for examples of age segregation in the Bible. Guess what? You can't find any (however, I'd also like to point out that you'll have a difficult time finding these other things in the scripture as well: pipe organs, choirs & choir directors, worship leaders, Children's Church, female elders, debt ... the list of things that the current church embraces that is not mentioned in the Bible is actually quiet long, but we'll leave those sacred cows alone for the moment).

The fact of the matter is that age segregation is NOT in the Bible and there's a good reason for that - the Bible is about discipleship and very little discipleship can take place when you separate the young and inexperienced from those who are older and wiser.  It really is that simple.  So I'm looking forward to the conference and hope to learn about how I, as a youth pastor, can work toward connecting youth with the rest of our congregation in more meaningful ways.

However, I also have some apprehensions:

1)  I fear that I'm going to hear something like: "Age segregation is the main reason why teens leave the church after they graduate from high school."  Anyone who has looked at any of the research on this matter knows that that claim is complete and utter bunk.  Do you want to know the #1 reason teens leave their (parents') church?  It's because their parents live like hypocrites (call me if you ever hear that in a sermon).  If the church wants to be serious about passing the faith on to teens, then they'll shine the light bright on adult hypocrisy.  Here's the deal, the church may think that the nice guy on the deacon board that prays neat prayers is a mature Christian, but his kids actually live with him and they know that Christ is way down on his list of priorities.  They know he doesn't help anyone in need.  They know he doesn't pray with them (or his wife).  They know he complains about tithing.  They know he curses like a sailor when working on the car or when balancing the check book.  They know his Bible sits on the bookshelf six days a week.  They know that when they mess up, they don't receive anything resembling the kind of grace that they learned about in Children's Church.  And since they know all of that, they also know that when they leave home, they're leaving fake religion behind too.  I don't care if you surround a teen with fifty mature Christians, if a kid has a dad like that, more often than not he's not coming back to church when he moves out of mommy and daddy's house.

2)  I fear that Kara will say "age segregation," but people will hear "youth ministry."  It's become trendy to drop youth ministry because it's not working (see fear #1 above), but Children's Church is working?  If so, why aren't fifth and sixth graders in the pew with parents during the sermon?  Shouldn't older children eventually grow beyond what Children's Church has to offer?  How about Senior Adult Ministry, that's working right?  If so, why then do so many seniors look at retirement as their time to spiritually coast into the finish line?  Few seem to know how to finish strong and even fewer demonstrate even the slightest interest in discipling the younger generation.  Does the Great Commission not apply to 55 year olds?

Maybe the truth is it's okay to segregate children because they make more noise than teens, i.e., they disrupt the giving customers (I chose that last word intentionally)?  But here's the deal, I don't see any kind of age segregation in the Bible.  Adults, young adults, children, and even nursing babies were all together, I assume disruptions and all, but I don't expect that arrangement is going fly in the suburban, we're here to serve you so just sit back and relax, church near you.  In most churches in America today children and youth are considered to be better seen and not heard.  They're welcome to join the adults if they can stay quiet and agree to worship according to the preferences of adults (more on this below) - otherwise it's back to the basement with the children and youths!!

3) I fear that the real reason that segregating teens from adults has become so popular in the church won't be addressed.  You may hear people say that this practice is done to help teens, but that's bunk too.  The real reason is because adults don't want teens messing with their church.  Adults don't to hear about what young people prefer (since their preferences clearly aren't as sophisticated and certainly not spiritually mature).  For example, some adults love organ music.  Why?  They'll tell you it's because the hymns are based on Scripture, to which I respond, "Great, I know a church that's reaching young people by belt out 'What Wondrous Love is This' with drums and electric guitars - let's do that and we'll all be happy."  The truth is organ music is their preferred style of worship music and teens are welcome to join in as long as they are willing to worship like everyone else.  I call that robot-discipleship, e.g., I'm sharing the gospel with you so you can be just like me.  By the way, those who think otherwise about organ music being just a preferred music style, you might want to read up on what John Calvin thought of your pipe organ.

So I'm looking forward to the conference, but I'm also apprehensive.  I pray that it's a good presentation of Biblical discipleship and is used to change churches into places that are about sharing the gospel with young people - even if they don't prefer to conform to adult preferences.

Red Flags of Discipleship

Great post over at Acts 29 entitled, "The Red Flags of Discipleship." I particularly like the first "red flag" listed:

Flag # 1 What: The goal is to make a copy of your self. “Yes the world needs more me. I need to make copies of me that are making copies of me.”

Truth # 1 What: The goal is to make copies of Jesus. I am not Jesus. I need Jesus. We need to repent of our self-righteousness and pride when thinking we are the finish line instead of Jesus.

Read the rest.

The Key to Discipleship - Catechism

"We need to rediscover this ancient word, catechism. In a way, it is very straightforward. Its purpose is to help people become the body of Christ and be incorporated into the church. And I don't think that the modern church can improve very much on what has already been given: the creeds, the great commandments, the Lord's Prayer. Those are the basic things that help the church develop its identity as the church of Jesus Christ. We can certainly add other training programs, but I think the catechism should be central to any training of disciples." - Simon Chan

Few people realize that Sunday School was first intended to reach out to non-Christians and was never meant to be utilized as the educational ministry for discipling those who have already committed their lives to Christ.  The church already had something for that purpose - it's called catechism.  Unfortunately the church as a whole has largely replaced Catechism with Sunday School, but we'd do well to get back to the creeds, the great commandment, and the Lord's Prayer as the foundation of our discipleship efforts.

6 Misconceptions About Discipleship

A disciple of Jesus is a person learning what it means to live their whole life in light of the gospel of Jesus. Through faith in the gospel of Jesus, Christians have been given a new freedom from sin, a new love for God, a new Spirit, a new heart, a new identity, a new power, and literally a whole new life. And living as a disciple of Jesus is learning how to live in the reality of this new life you’ve been given through faith in the gospel. Discipleship is the joyful and exciting process of learning to live out the new life that Jesus has given to us in the gospel. Not that it’s easy, or without pain or cost, but the joy and excitement of living in light of all that God is and all that God has done for us and promised us in the gospel certainly outweighs any pain or cost. And yet, if you were to ask a Christian how they’re doing at living as a disciple of Jesus or making disciples of Jesus, you wouldn’t encounter joy and excitement as much as you would confusion, guilt, and frustration.

Organic Discipleship: The Process

Organic Discipleship Process

The four points of organic discipleship are not a program or a curriculum; rather they are four essential movements that you can adapt and apply to your local church context and setting to rapidly make disciples in the 21^st century. Regardless of your culture or context these four foundations will help you begin to make missionally minded disciples of Christ who are committed to changing their world by reproducing themselves in others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel

The Gospel is the seed and foundation of the entire discipleship process from beginning to end. Without the gospel, discipleship will become works based and will eventually dry up and die. Each stage of our discipleship process should also be gospel-centered.

Missional

Missionality is the outreach impulse of making disciples. It is the force that compels us to go out and make disciples through word and deed. Without it, discipleship would be inward focused. There are groups who focus merely on inward spiritual disciplines without ever taking seriously the call to make disciples. Missional ministry moves us beyond ourselves to share the gospel with our friends, family, and neighbors.

Community

The third element of the organic discipleship process is to develop pathways for people to build authentic Christ centered community. Discipleship must take place within the context of the Christian community. Disciples are made in community not isolation.

Reproduction

Reproduction is the ultimate goal of discipleship. We need to rediscover the reproductive nature of the church. We are called to select, train, and send missional disciples of Christ out in the world who will be able repeat the process of discipleship. What we need in our day is an organic disciple making movement that will train and send men and women to be reproducing disciples of Christ.

HT: Winfield Bevins

Converts vs. Disciples

Some churches focus on evangelism at the expense of discipleship by seeking to win converts instead of making disciples. The goal of evangelism is disciple making. The Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28 is to make disciples who will follow Christ rather than simply win converts. When Jesus said, “make disciples” the disciples understood it to mean more than simply getting someone to believe in Jesus and they interpreted it to mean that they should make out of others what Jesus made out of them. Robert Coleman explains the Great Commission in the following way:

“The Great Commission is not merely to go the to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15), nor to baptize a lot of converts into the name of the triune God, nor to teach them the precepts of Christ, but to ‘make disciples’—to build people like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only follow, but also led others to follow his way.”

Superficial Discipleship 

The Great Commission compels Christians to focus on keeping people through discipleship as much as they focus on reaching people through evangelism. With the rise of the modern evangelical movement in North America in the 20th century came an over-emphasis on evangelism at the expense of discipleship. At the First International Consultation on Discipleship, John R.W. Stott called attention to the “strange and disturbing paradox” of the contemporary Christian situation. He warned, “We have experienced enormous statistical growth without corresponding growth in discipleship. God is not pleased with superficial discipleship.”

Read more here.

Read Winfield Bevins’ free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

 

HT: The Resurgence

How Our Children Come to Faith: Free Seminar in Des Moines, IA with Stephen Smallman

Conference Schedule

Friday September 18th // 6:30 to 8 p.m.
"Understanding Our Own Conversion Experience and the Place of Christian Community" (Matthew 18:3)

Saturday September 19th // 9 a.m. to 12 (Noon)
"How Our Children Come to Faith: Regeneration and Conversion" (Matthew 19:14a)

Sunday September 20th // 10:30 a.m. to 12 (Noon)
"For of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: Teaching and Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to Our Children" (Matthew 19:14b)

This conference is free of charge and child care will be provided. For more details please visit westkirk.org or if you would like to register, click here.

New Book By Stephen Smallman - The Walk

Stephen will be speaking at our church September 18-20, 2009 on the topic of how children come to faith. The conference is free and if you are interested in attending please click here.

Discipleship Begins at Home, Part 2

Start Early

You can and should teach your children basic Christian beliefs and how to memorize Scripture. This can be both fun and educational. You can choose short Scriptures to begin teaching your children. As you continue to learn the Scriptures, you can use longer passages such as the Ten Commandants and 23rd Psalm for when you and your children feel ready to go deeper. You can also use a short family catechism with questions and answers for you to discuss together that will help your children learn basic Christian doctrine.

Some Practical Ideas

Here are a few practical ideas that may help you disciple your children.

• Find a good children’s Bible.
• Remember to have fun with your children while learning the Bible.
• Keep the time brief to hold the child's attention.
• Recite the verse several times a day in your child's presence so it becomes familiar to them.
• Make flash cards with Scripture on one side and the book, chapter, and verse on the other.
• Put the verse to music or rhythm. Your child will enjoy singing and clapping their hands.
• Think of fun activities to make the verse fun and easy to remember.
• Tell them you are proud of them and have them recite it to someone else, like a grandparent or teacher.
• Pray with your children every day at meals and before they go to bed at night.

The Revolution Begins at Home

If we want a revolution of discipleship in our nation, it will have to begin in our homes. Discipleship begins in our marriages, by loving our spouses with the love of Christ. It happens by teaching, loving, and disciplining our children. When we bring the gospel back in the home, it will spread through our neighborhoods and into the communities where we live. If every family in every church got serious about making disciples in the home, it would change our world.

The great Puritan pastor Richard Baxter knew the importance of family ministry. He said, “We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and the duties of each relation performed. The life of religion, and the welfare and glory of both the Church and the State, depend much on family government and duty. If we suffer the neglect of this, we shall undo all…. I beseech you, therefore, if you desire the reformation and welfare of your people, do all you can to promote family religion.” Let us not neglect our duty to disciple those who are within our very homes.

HT: The Resurgence

Discipleship Starts at Home, Part 1

By Winfield Bevins

“A house is actually a school and a church, and the head of the household is a pastor in his house.” – Martin Luther, The Great Need

I am the lead pastor of Church of the Outer Banks, located in Nags Head, NC. I am the husband of an amazing wife and the father of two incredible little girls. More than ever before, I see the importance of integrating faith in the home every day. Statistics for divorce are rising at an alarming rate. Statistics also show that between 70 and 88 percent of Christian teens will leave the church by their second year in college. More than ever, it is time for us to step back and rethink the importance of discipleship in our own homes.

Don’t Neglect Your Family

What good is it if you make disciples of your neighbors, co-workers, and friends, yet neglect to disciple your own family? This is what Paul meant when he said, “If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim. 3:5). This Scripture is not just for pastors, but is also applicable for all Christian parents. The reality is that we are not putting enough focus on discipling our own families, and instead we tend to leave the responsibility to the church.

Disciple Your Children

The call to “make disciples” begins in our homes first. It is our spiritual responsibility as parents to teach our children about the faith. The Bible tells parents, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). As Christian parents, we should desire for our children to have a firm foundation and grow up to love Jesus and know what the Bible says about their lives.

Faith as Routine

Faith is not just something that we do once a week, but should be incorporated into the daily routines of the home. David Wegener said, “Reading and memorizing Scripture and the catechisms of the church results in incredible development of children, both spiritually and intellectually… What families regard as important is evidenced by the manner in which they spend their time.” How do we spend our time? Watching TV, playing video games, or shopping? Sadly, many families devote more time to these things than they do teaching their children about God, or just simply spending quality time together.

It’s Our Responsibility

It is not the churches’ or schools’ responsibility to raise our kids. Too often, we think that the church is more like a baby-sitting service to watch our kids for a few hours a week while we enjoy the worship service. While church is important, the Bible tells us that the home is the primary place of learning the Bible and moral instruction. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we read:

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

HT: The Resurgence

Discipleship Begins in the Home

It is time for us to step back and rethink the importance and value of the home.

What good is it if you make disciples of your neighbors and co-workers yet neglect to disciple your own family? This is what Paul meant when he said, “If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:5). This Scripture is not just for pastor, but is also applicable for all Christian parents. The reality is we are not doing a good job at discipleship in the home. Statistics show that between 70 and 88 percent of Christian teens will leave the church by their second year in college.

Disciple Your Children

The call to “make disciples” begin in our homes first. As parents, it is our spiritual responsibility to disciple and teach our faith to our children. Family and children are a gift from God. As Christian parents, we want to raise our children to grow up to love Jesus and know the Bible. It is important for children to begin learning about God and the Bible at home. Faith is not just something that we do once a week, but should be a part of our daily lives.

It is not the churches or schools responsibility to raise our kids. Too often, I think we think that church is more like a baby-sitting service to watch our kids for a few hours a week. While church is important, the Bible tells us that the home is primary place of learning the Bible and moral instruction.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we read:

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

You can and should teach your children basic Christian beliefs and to memorize Scripture. This can be both fun and educational. You can use short scriptures to learn with your children. As you continue to learn the Scriptures, you can use longer passages such as the Ten Commandants and 23rd Psalm for when you and your children feel ready to go deeper. You can also use a short Family Catechism with question and answers for you discuss that will help basic Christian doctrine with your children. Lastly, there are many family prayers and songs that can be used at various times of the day to help you disciple your family.

Some Practical Ideas

Here are a few practical ideas that may help you disciple your children.

1. Find a good children's bible, such as My First Bible, The Adventure Bible for Young readers, ESV Children's Bible.
2. Have a daily time for family worship (morning, afternoon, evening)
3. Remember to have fun with your children while learning the bible.
4. Keep the time brief to hold the child's attention.
5. Recite the verse several times a day in your child's presence so it becomes familiar to them.
6. You can make flash cards with Scripture on one side and the book, chapter, and verse on the other.
7. Put the verse to music or rhythm. Your child will enjoy singing and clapping their hands.
8. Think of fun activities to make the verse fun and easy to remember. Be creative.
9. Reward your child when he/she has accurately memorized a verse. Rewards could include small treats or prizes, a trip to the dollar store, or special time with mom or dad.
10. Telling them you are proud of them and having them recite it to someone else like a grandparent or teacher.

11. Pray with your children every day at meals and before they go to bed at night.

HT: Winfield Bevins

Practical Ways to Shepherd People

By Matt Chandler

Give people texts to read and then give them plenty of space to wrestle. I love strong, convincing theologically driven books. The Bible’s better.

Listen. Don’t listen to respond. Listen. You’ll find that people usually have an aversion to truth because it is affecting something or someone very close to them. If you’ll listen and see past a specific theological agenda, you can minister to their hearts. Let me give you an example. The Village is reformed in theology. A few weeks ago after an especially clear presentation of God’s sovereignty over salvation a young man came up to me after service frustrated with what I taught. It didn’t take long to figure out someone very close to him wasn’t a believer. We prayed for his family member for 10-15 minutes and asked the merciful God of the universe to save. After we prayed together, he told me he needed to “learn more of what the Bible says about all this.” After feeling loved, cared for and then prayed with, he was much more open to hear the scriptures unpacked. I have found this to be the case more often than not.
Be patient. Progressive sanctification is just that…progressive. Deep spiritual growth is far from a super highway; it’s more like a dirt path through a thick jungle. Encourage, pray, and be patient.

Work diligently and passionately concerning your own spiritual life. It’s easier to say “hard” things if your life is marked by humility, grace, hospitality and steadfastness.

HT: Dwell Deep