TADB 028: Capturing Our Renewable Power

Up until the 1800’s, sailing ships of various shapes were the primary intercontinental mode of transport.  Although these ships came in a variety of designs, they were all entirely dependent on the invisible yet powerful force of the wind.  The skill of the ship’s captain was demonstrated in his ability to capture this free, renewable source of power that was productive only if the mast and sails were in good operational condition.  The captain’s first priority, therefore, was to repair any broken masts or torn sails as quickly as possible.   Without that happening his navigational and leadership skills would be irrelevant.

Sailing ships are a picture of our discipleship.  With the ascension of Christ, discipleship took on a new dimension.  His physical presence would be exchanged for the power of His Spirit.  This exchange was so important that Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Spirit’s arrival before they attempted to carry out their mission (Acts 1:8).  The book of Acts records the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s dramatic empowerment of the disciples.

That same power of the Spirit is available to us today.  It is the power to live as an apprentice of the Master, experience real life change, and fulfill our mission.   But just like the sailing ships are dependent on the mast and sails to capture the power of the wind, we too must raise our spiritual sails to capture the invisible wind of the Holy Spirit.  Otherwise, we will be like a row boat drifting on the cultural currents of the sea.  We must learn to raise our sails and tap into His invisible, renewable power.

I have suggested that authentic discipleship (discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross) is defined as a life of apprenticeship to Jesus and His kingdom (read more TADB025).  This involves the intentional pursuit of knowing, reflecting and sharing Christ    (read more TADB027) … by means of critical spiritual disciplines: the sails on our ship.

Masts are essential but not obvious

In order for a sailing ship to function it takes both a mast and sails.  The mast is the structure that holds the sails in place.  Masts do not capture the wind but give support to the sails so they can function effectively.  In the same way the spiritual wind of the Holy Spirit is captured as our mast of discipline (self-control) holds up the sails of spiritual practices (disciplines).

Discipline is the ability to do what we should do even when we don’t have to.  In my infantry training with the US Army, I didn’t have to be disciplined to do calisthenics.  It was a mandatory 5:00 am formation every day.  It took endurance but not discipline.  Now, however, to stay in shape physically, it takes discipline. I should exercise, but I don’t have to.

“Discipline strictly speaking, is activity carried on to prepare us indirectly for some activity other than itself.” *

Being disciplined does not mean being rigid, automatic, or mechanical.  A disciplined person is one who is able to direct his/her mind and body to perform a chosen action.  When a task is repeated over time it can become a habit or practice.  This is true for both harmful and healthy habits.  Spiritual disciplines are simply healthy habits of our heart and soul.

The focus is not the practice, but rather the anticipated result of the practice.  Spiritually, the anticipated result (the purpose of discipline and disciplines) is to grow in godliness just as Paul exhorted Timothy (1 Timothy 4:7)  This kind of discipline is exercising effort and commitment in order to bring the mind and body in alignment with Christ and His kingdom.  Paul’s own life was an example as he disciplined himself like a boxer or a runner so that he could finish his race well (I Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Tim. 4:7).

Could the lack of spiritual discipline in our Christian culture imply that we really don’t value the goal of godliness and finishing our race well?   Are we content with our current level of maturity or spiritual condition?  Do we get disciplined only when we are in pain or discomfort, but once the pain is gone, return once again to spiritual passivity?

If we are to live as life-long apprentices of Christ, we must learn to capture the power of the wind of the Spirit.  We must value His purposes for our lives enough to exercise self-control, intentionally raising our spiritual sails on the mast of self-discipline.

In the next blog I will talk about the actual spiritual practices that make up the sails on our ship.  Discipleship is not simply practicing but practicing the right things for the right reasons.

*D. Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, p120

TADB 027: Discipleship’s GPS

One of the benefits of GPS technology is the elimination of bulky road maps that once unfolded could never be returned to their original state, winding up stuffed in the glove compartment of our cars.  A cross country trip required several of these maps or a large map book that didn’t fit in the glove compartment and wound up forgotten under a seat or in the trunk.

Helpful as those maps were in showing the various routes and landmarks, they couldn’t tell you where you were on the map.  That took some crafty detective work, without which the map was irrelevant.  Many marriages were threatened (including my own) when couples, acting as driver and navigator, tried to negotiate unknown territory using a road map.   Now with GPS a voice from the phone is the final arbitrator and the focus of any anger and angst.

The USA GPS system became available for civilian use in 1980 and since then has become as much a part of our lives as the common toothbrush (don’t leave home without it).  The GPS is a system of 24 or more satellites, orbiting the earth 12,000 miles high, traveling at 7,000 mph.  When a personal receiver connects with the system, it can lock onto 3 or more satellites giving the three dimensional coordinates:  longitude, latitude, and altitude.

In addition to locating your own position, the GPS marvel is that it can identify the location of any place you want to go and give you a running commentary of how to get there.  Once your destination is locked into the system, no matter how many wrong turns you make, it will continue to guide you to your chosen destination.  (The older versions used to make you feel guilty for making a wrong turn by saying “Recalculating”.  The newer, guiltless versions just give you the updated instructions.)

When we lock in the coordinates for our spiritual journey of Christ and His Kingdom, God gives us a GPS system that will accurately direct us to that goal regardless of where we are or tend to drift off to.   The direction is based on three positioning coordinates:  knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ.

Discipleship on the resurrection side of the Cross must include all three if we are to attain a successful journey.  Each coordinate is connected to the others and, although unique, cannot work alone.  Our description of discipleship identifies each coordinate in order for us to participate and follow the voice of our Guide.

Discipleship is the personal, persistent pursuit

of knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ

by means of critical spiritual disciplines

in the context of supporting relationships,

resulting in the distinctive marks of an apprentice of Christ.

 Knowing Christ deeply

Most people find their identity in their accomplishments, titles or positions. Our lives are spent trying to prove our competence while living in constant fear that we will someday be found out and exposed. But what if our lives were based not on what we did but on who we know? Jesus said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

The Bible’s perspective is that knowing Christ is both our greatest privilege and our greatest challenge. God has put within the heart of every man the desire to know Him. The desire may be masked by callous indifference, the cloud of sin, or the compulsion of busyness, but it is there.

Paul fanned that desire by letting go of the fickle facade of status and achievement and focusing on knowing Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ…I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:8, 10).

Knowing Christ is the heart of our journey of faith. Everything else flows from this one relationship.  It is more than believing facts about Christ; it is the personal, progressive process of walking with Christ through all of life’s situations.

Knowing Him demands honest and consistent dialogue which leads to the incredible privilege of a personal friendship with the living God. In John 15:15, Jesus told his disciples, “I no longer call you servants …instead I have called you friends.” Friendship with God is not a relationship of equals. It is, however, the awesome opportunity for children to relate to their heavenly Father. As we learn, believe, and obey the will of God, He reveals more of His heart to us through His Spirit.

  • Reflect Christ authentically

Historically church leaders have agreed that the primary purpose of our lives is to glorify God. But glorifying God is not in its essence, the common practice of singing worship songs or thinking mystical thoughts. We glorify God as we reflect His revealed nature through our everyday, ordinary lives. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 We reflect Christ as we are transformed in character, values, beliefs, and behavior. This inside-out transformation shapes our new identity in Christ and makes us authentic. We are becoming who we really are in Christ.

As the moon reflects the light (glory) of the sun, so we are to reflect the light (glory) of God. We, like the moon, are dependent on an external source for light. As we grow to know Him our lives change to conform to His image, we become lights to those around us. “You are the light of the world,” Jesus said. God wants to display His nature to the world by transforming the lives of men and women of faith.

Reflecting Christ requires a partnership in which God’s Spirit works in us and we in turn cooperate with Him.  Our response to God’s Word is one of faith and obedience resulting in transformation to be more and more like Christ. We value what He values.  We make His ways our ways.  We make His truth our beliefs.

  • Sharing Christ intentionally

God’s plan for reaching the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ, is for people to reach people.  Each person is like a link in a chain connecting each spiritual generation to the next.

Jesus expressed it this way:  “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).  “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).  And just before ascending into heaven Jesus gave the final command to go and make disciples.

Those few ordinary men turned their world upside down.  Without the aid of technology, political clout or social status, they launched a world-changing movement and they did it one person at a time.  God’s strategy is the same today as it was then.  We have the same commission to invest spiritually in the lives of the next generation and add new links to the spiritual chain.

Questions for reflection:

  1. Is there evidence in your life that you have locked in the three coordinates of discipleship?
  2. If you have drifted off course, what is your next move to get back on track?

TADB 026: The Pursuit of Discipleship

Discipleship is the pursuit of Christ which makes it more like a verb than a noun.

Discipleship is the personal, persistent pursuit

of knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ

by means of critical spiritual disciplines

in the context of supporting relationships,

resulting in the distinctive marks of an apprentice of Christ.

Jesus broke with Jewish and Greek tradition in His concept of discipleship.  The contemporary leaders of Jesus’ time, called people to follow their philosophy or explanation of the Torah.  Jesus, however, called people to follow Him:  His person making Him the true North on their personal compass.  This timeless and universal invitation forms the common ground for all of His disciples; each one actively pursuing a personal and persistent relationship with Him.  This pursuit, with dependence on the work of the Spirit, is the life style of a disciple.

Pursuit   

The New Testament uses several metaphors to describe the effort needed to pursue and emulate Christ and His kingdom.     

  • Athletic:  to walk or run
  • Physical:  to grow
  • Warfare:  to fight
  • Architectural:  to build

Each metaphor implies the need to overcome elements that resist and impede progress: fatigue, enemies, even nature itself.  In like manner, spiritual progress is also resisted by our own sinful nature, the influence of the world and the devil (1 John 2:15-16).

Our efforts do not gain or sustain our position with Christ, but having been called and accepted on the basis of the merit of Christ, we now have the responsibility to work hard at training for and living out the kingdom life – not for acceptance but for victory.

Personal

The action verbs of discipleship (work, run, put off/on, take up, labor, follow, fight, build, obey) are all terms of personal responsibility.  No one can do it for us.  We have been given resources to use, but ultimately it will come down to personal choices.

We might think about our relationship and responsibilities in the same way a computer functions.  Computers complete complex tasks at incredible speeds by using a series of simple electronic switches based on a binary code of yes/no or on/off.  The binary code is the foundation for every computer’s operating system.  Designers make use of this simple combination to program everything from smart phones to space travel.

The revelation of God in Scripture also has at its core a binary code which is the combination of covenant/kingdom or relationship/responsibility.  This binary code has been the foundation of God’s dealing with His people from Adam to the present.  On one side there is God’s covenant relationship offered by grace to His people.  On the other side there is the responsibility to respond in acts of obedience.  This code could also be expressed as identity/obedience or grace/effort.    This binary code is the foundation for discipleship and could be called the “operating system” on the resurrection side of the cross.

The result is a life lived in the tension of these truths (seemingly opposing principles) without sacrificing one for the other.  The NT letters basically give instructions that say, “Here is who you are in Christ and now here is what you are to do as a result.”  Therefore, we must not abdicate our personal responsibility because of a distorted view of grace that leans towards passive irresponsibility.

 Persistent

The letter to the church at Ephesus in Revelations 2 gives helpful insight into our journey of discipleship.  The church was commended for her defense of the faith but rebuked for her loss of intimacy with Christ. They had substituted the thrill of the battle for their love/pursuit of Christ.

Two words that help describe persistence are fortitude and faithfulness.  Fortitude is not commonly used today, but it is one of the four cardinal virtues of antiquity.  It means strength, resilience, courage, endurance, determination, and boldness.  Persistence like fortitude involves determined action over time.  It means to run the race of life with endurance all the way to the end (Hebrews 12:2; 2 Tim 4:7).

Faithfulness is another aspect of persistence.  Faithfulness is a key virtue expected from the people of God throughout the biblical narrative.  Israel’s unfaithfulness created God’s displeasure and even wrath.  In the New Testament Jesus taught that we are to faithfully/daily follow Him even when we don’t feel like it (Luke 9:23).

Questions for reflection

  1. Think of a time in your life that required persistence/fortitude.
  2. Why do you think that so many people start their faith journey well but end poorly?

TADB 025: Our Navigational Compass

The compass was first used for navigation in the 13th century.  Since then it has been an essential tool for travelers of all kinds to find and keep their bearing.  Based on the earth’s magnetic field, the compass points to north no matter where you are on the earth’s surface.

I want to look at the first part of our description of a disciple:  The personal, persistent pursuit of …Christ.

When Jesus called the initial disciples in Matt.4:19, he gave them a compass.

                 Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.

 The implied subject is the potential disciples.  The action verb is “follow” but the direct object is “Me”.  Christ’s great invitation for us (as it was for the disciples) is to set our compass on Him: to seek Him wholeheartedly.  Out of that relationship He will make us spiritual fishermen.

This relationship makes being an apprentice of Christ very distinctive from the Greek model of discipleship.  The Greek teachers invited students to follow their philosophy or teaching, but Christ invites us focus on a personal relationship with Him and then His teaching and mission.

The writer of Hebrews identifies our spiritual North when he writes, “… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith” (Heb. 12:2).

If we understand Scripture as the revelation of Christ, consulting it consistently is much like checking our compass.  No matter where we are or the direction we are headed, we can always reorient ourselves and find North.

When Jesus invited the initial disciples to follow Him, there were several implications that came with it.

  • The focus was on Him as their ultimate authority and leader.
  • It would require personal choice to change the direction of their lives.
  • It would result in participation in the “family fishing business”.

This simple call to be His apprentice, is still in effect, but we need to consistently check our spiritual compass to void being pulled off course by sinful desires and complacent attitudes.

We also must be careful we don’t substitute even good things for what is essential. We can easily focus on mission, teaching, church, or even kingdom issues and lose our sense of North.

One way to check our compass setting is to ask ourselves why we follow Him.  Motivation has a great deal to do with keeping our bearing fixed on Him.  Scripture offers several possibilities:

  • Life is better when we live God’s way
  • A sense of duty and responsibility to be obedient
  • A heart of gratitude for all God has done for us
  • Desire to bring glory/honor to Him

Each of these is valid and at times effective, but the highest motivation, elusive as it is, comes out of a heart of love that desires simply to please Him.  Paul frequently reminded the early believers that pleasing Him was the ultimate “so that” of discipleship.

“… we have not ceased to pray for you … that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects… (Col. 1:9-10).

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2Cor. 5:9).

 “Live as children of light… and find out … what pleases the Lord” (Eph. 5:8-9).

 “Finally then brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more” (1 Thess. 4:1).

It is an amazing thing that we can actually bring joy/delight to the heart of God.  We usually think of our faith resulting in our joy but not so much His joy.  While it is certainly true that our motives are not pure and we may not even be conscious of them, our desire to give Him pleasure is an evidence of true discipleship.

Many years ago my wife and I were given balcony tickets to the musical “Phantom of the Opera”.  However due to a ticketing error we wound up seated in the front row on the far side.  Part of the stage was obscured, but we didn’t care; we had never been so close to the stage!

During intermission, I took advantage of our position to explore the orchestra pit that was directly under the stage.  This little world of musicians was interesting in that from their place in the theater, they could not see the stage or even the audience.  They were completely hidden from the main event other than a clear line of sight to the conductor.  It dawned on me that they didn’t need to see the stage.  All they needed to do was play their part and focus on the conductor who could see the stage.

We are much like that orchestra.  Our role is to play our part and watch the Conductor because He is our compass.  It is His pleasure, not the audience or the players, that needs to motivate us.  If He is pleased, nothing else matters.

Questions for reflection

  1. What are some common substitutes for North on our compass?
  2. Can you think of a time when you sensed God’s pleasure with your life?

TADB 024: Painting the Portrait of Discipleship

A definition is to a description as an outline is to a portrait.  The definition sets the boundaries or creates the framework into which the picture is painted.  Definitions tend to be concise, precise, and unexciting.  A description, however, gives the definition life, color, explanation, and illustration.  The definition is the title on the puzzle box.  The description is the picture on the box.

A disciple of Jesus should be recognizable in every culture and era.  Even the opposition identified the early disciples of Christ:

“Now as they (the religious leaders) observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus” ( Act 4:13).

To build a description of discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross, we need to take the foundation that is laid in the Gospels and develop it with the added implications of the ascension and coronation of Christ.  As we focus on Christ now we need to incorporate the fact that he is currently seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 1: 1-3, Heb. 12:2) and the Holy Spirit resides in the lives of each believer.  In the Old Testament the invitation was to “seek Him’.  In the Gospels the invitation is to “be with Him”.  Now the invitation is to “abide in Him” (John 15).

I will be painting a description of discipleship that will be developed in more detail in the future.  However, for now I want to explain what I mean when I use this term.  It is not necessary that you agree totally with my description, but only that you know up front how I use the term in this blog.  I invite you to take what I am presenting and wrestle with it against Scripture to see if it holds up.

Michael Behe in his book Darwin’s Black Box used the term “irreducible complexity” to describe the phenomena in nature in which even a simple organism cannot function without all of its essential parts.  If even one is missing, the organism is not viable.

With that idea in mind here is my (current) best shot at describing the irreducible complexity of discipleship:

  • Discipleship is the personal, persistent pursuit
  • of knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ
  • by means of critical spiritual disciplines
  • in the context of supporting relationships,
  • resulting in the distinctive marks of an apprentice of Christ.

The following is a quick fly over of the description to which I will add more in the blogs to come.

  • Discipleship is the personal, persistent pursuit…..

Discipleship is an individual concept.  There are no group disciples.  Discipleship is a personal pursuit that must be done by each individual.  Although it contains some elements of passivity, it is primarily an active pursuit that involves intentionality and effort.  It is not something that is happens to us without our cooperation and involvement.  Discipleship, unlike justification, is a pursuit not a birthright.  Discipleship fits into the doctrinal category of sanctification and transformation.

  • …of knowing, reflecting and sharing Christ…

Knowing, reflecting and sharing Christ are the coordinates of our journey.  It is our GPS setting.  These three pursuits are like a triad in which each one contributes and is enhanced by the others.

  • …By means of critical spiritual disciplines…

Discipleship cannot be separated from the means by which it is expressed or achieved.  These means can be called spiritual disciplines, habits, or practices.  They are the God ordained means by which his grace is experienced.  They are the way we “abide” in Christ so that by his power we bear fruit.  They are, in the words of Dallas Willard, “what we do so God can do what we cannot do”.

There is no comprehensive list of the spiritual practices, but certain ones have been practiced and promoted throughout Christian history.  The most common disciplines in our church culture today involve worship, connecting, and serving.  Although important they are not adequate to produce life transformation.  But there is a set of inner life disciplines that are historically effective for life transformation.   They are not unknown but unfortunately rarely practiced with any skill and consistency.  These inner disciplines involve connecting with Christ (such as prayer) and disconnecting from the world (such as fasting).

  • …In the context of supporting relationship…

Discipleship is not accomplished in isolation, it is not a phone booth activity.  In the New Testament, it is modeled and taught as a pursuit of Christ in relationship with others who are on the same journey.  Paul gave the most succinct description of these essential relationships in 2 Timothy 2:2.  He describes for Timothy the relationship of a mentor to a team of apprentices and their mentorees.  When any part of the triad is missing, the process suffers.

  • …resulting in the distinctive marks of an apprentice of Christ.

Finally, Christ gave us the defining traits of his disciples in the Gospel narrative.  These traits or marks are what should distinguish his disciples from that of other rabbis or teachers.  There are five primary statements in the gospel narrative where Jesus specifically said if you have this trait, you are my disciple; if you don’t, you are not; He set the standard.

It is against his portrait we need to measure our own discipleship as well as how we mentor others.  We have not been commissioned to make cultural disciples but distinctive disciples that he would recognize.

Questions for reflection

  • Using the description given, how comfortable are you in helping someone fit the portrait?
  • Which aspect of the description do you need to develop? Who could help you?

TADB 023: Redefining our Picture of Discipleship

Over the years I have tried to pass on age appropriate wisdom to our children such as:

  •  In elementary school:  Never tie your shoes in a revolving door
  •  In high school:  It is not illegal to be stupid but it is expensive
  •  In college:  Truth flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana
  •  In marriage:  Words are stupid things, it’s meaning that counts

A friend of mine was explaining to his five year old son Charlie that in the summer the family was going to take a road trip to California, stopping along the way to see the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

“Do you know what a dam does?” he asked Charlie.

“Sure dad”, he replied, “it holds back water!”

“That’s right but did you know that a dam also makes electricity?”

Without hesitation Charlie responded, “Then praise God for beavers!”

Same word, different mental pictures.  We have the same confusion when it comes to the concept of discipleship.  The question we need to answer is, when Jesus used the word “disciple”, is the concept (picture) in His mind the same that is in ours?

For a moment I want to invite you to take the mental picture of discipleship that hangs in the gallery of your cognitive unconscious mind and bring it into the workshop of your conscious mind.  Now examine it in light of the following explanation.

Disciple is a word/concept that is uncommon in our current culture.  To understand it we usually go back to the Greek word (MATHTES) which means student, pupil, or learner.  The problem is that, although our New Testament was written in Greek, it came from a Hebrew or Aramaic speaking people.  Eventually it was translated into English.  The result is the word has not only passed through three different languages but a myriad of cultures as well.  If we are to understand the picture of discipleship that Jesus had in His mind, we need to go back to His culture and see how it was used.

“Disciple” is not an insignificant word in the New Testament.  It is used 264 times in the four Gospels and Acts. However, it is never used in the Epistles.  It is safe to assume that since it was a word/concept critical to Jesus ministry and commission, the concept would carry on even if the word drops from the biblical vocabulary.

 The Hebrew word for disciple is talmid (pronounced:  tal-meed).  In first century Palestine, the word disciple was used primarily for the relationship between a rabbi and his followers.  A rabbi was different from a teacher of the law (scribe).  A teacher of the law could interpret the books of the Law (first 5 books in our Old Testament), but a rabbi could interpret the entire Hebrew Scripture.

A disciple of a rabbi was not only committed to learn what the rabbi knew but to emulate his life in every way possible.  Rabbinical disciples followed their master 24/7 in order to learn how to live life as he lived it.  That is why Jesus said in Luke 6:40, “A pupil (disciple) is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”  From this statement we see that in the culture of Jesus’ day, a disciple was trained (not simply taught) and that it was a holistic approach, affecting every area of life.

The term apprentice creates a word picture that can help us capture the meaning of Jesus’s discipleship.    Even though it is not as commonly used as it was in past European days, it still carries the idea of learning skills or a trade.

In the Middle Ages commerce was done primarily through the family business.  As population and travel increased, a shoemaker and his family, for example, often found they could not meet the demand for shoes.  This led to hiring an apprentice to join him and learn the family business.  The apprentice learned not only about leather, dyes, and feet, but he was actually trained and equipped to make the shoes and run the family business.

There are several elements of historical apprenticeship that fit the New Testament concept of disciple:

  • It required information and skills
  • It required a skilled practitioner (model, coach, teacher)
  • It involved a demonstration of acquired skills
  • The training was over an extended period of time
  • The training or equipping was done by on the job training

Our culturally academic view of discipleship is based more on the Greek model rather than the Hebrew one.  Jesus’ “family business” was doing the will of His Father.  He recruited disciples/apprentices to take on not only His character but His kingdom mission.  This is what He meant by “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).

In view of the historical context of first century discipleship, consider the following definition.

 A Disciple is an intentional apprentice of Jesus and His kingdom (Luke 6:40; Matt 6:33).

Shifting from a cultural picture of discipleship to a New Testament one requires we move from discipleship as:

  • A destination to a direction
  • Programs to a lifelong process
  • Passive to active (pursuit)
  • Informational to transformational
  • “What’s in it for me?” to “How do I live for His kingdom?”

I suspect that as we gain a clearer picture of the discipleship Jesus had in mind, we will find it looks surprisingly more like Hoover Dam than a beaver dam.

*In the next blog I will explore a description of discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross that can help us both be and make His disciples.

**See Blogs 1-4 for additional discussion on the term “disciple”.

Questions for reflection

  • How do you respond to the statement: “NT discipleship is more like a verb than a noun”
  • What skills are needed to apprentice the King and carry out our Father’s business?

TADB 022: The Cross and the Crown: an Essential but Fragile union

The cross and the crown of Jesus represent basically the two major aspects of His work.  The cross represents His humiliation which includes His incarnation, demonstration, and crucifixion.  The crown represents His exaltation which includes His resurrection, ascension, coronation, and revelation.  More specifically the cross has come to represent the crucifixion, atonement, and His role as Savior while the crown represents His coronation, kingdom and His role as King.

Historically there has been a fragile relationship between these two major elements of the Christian faith.  Due in part to our tendency to polarize what we cannot harmonize, the church has swung back and forth between these two truths:  a pendulum swinging reductionalism.1

During much of the 20th century there have been reactionary debates between those who focused on the cross and those who emphasized the kingdom/crown.  As mainline denominations began to emphasize the need to usher in the kingdom now, they either marginalized or dismissed the necessity of the atonement/cross.  More conservative camps reacted by emphasizing the cross and personal redemption thereby marginalizing the crown or relegating it to a future (eschatological) dimension.  The unintended consequence was a truncated gospel of sin management in which salvation is essential but discipleship is an elective.

The tension resurfaced in the latter part of the 20th century when there was a debate over “Lordship Salvation”.  It pitted the view that belief in Jesus as Savior was all that was required against those who stressed the need to believe in Him as Savior and Lord.

More recently the “missional movement” stressed the gospel through the lens of restoring our culture in light of the kingdom.  Much like the earlier movements, the focus on kingdom living polarized the discussion as it tended to marginalize the cross and the atonement.

A second contributor to this polarization is found in the overall theme we ascribe to Scripture.  Most would agree that the grand theme is the revelation of God, but what is it after that?  Various unifying themes have been promoted:  Atonement, redemption, kingdom, Christ, etc.  The chosen theme can unintentionally create a tension in the union between the cross and the crown.

A third contributor to this tension is the influence of symbols.  Throughout Christian and secular history the cross has survived as the primary symbol for the Christian faith.  It has not always been so.  The cross was rarely used as a symbol during the first four hundred years of Christianity.  Prior to Constantine the early church used various symbols of faith.

“Early Christians used a wide variety of symbols to express their faith. The second-century Christian teacher Clement of Alexandria identified a dove, a fish, a ship, a lyre, and an anchor as suitable images to be engraved on Christians’ signet-rings (or seals).” 2  Archaeologists have confirmed this in various discoveries.

“Among the symbols employed by the early Christians, that of the fish seems to have ranked first in importance.  Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym a word formed from the first letters of several words.  It translates to “Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior,” in ancient Greek.”3

 The symbol of the cross and crown together never quite caught on which is unfortunate in my opinion.  One reason could be that to draw a cross is much simpler than drawing a crown.  It is fairly easy to make the “sign of the cross” but the “sign of the crown” would take a lot more coordination!  So out of convenience we disconnected the theme of the kingdom of God and the atonement.

The atonement of Christ has both an individual and kingdom component.  Through the cross man’s rebellion to God’s authority (sin) has been dealt with and God’s wrath averted.  But the atonement has also set us free from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of God.  The atonement is both a substitution and a transference.  We have been brought into His story where we can now find our significance, identity, and responsibility.

I am sure the symbol of the cross originally carried with it the entire story of Jesus Christ the Lord.  But overtime and changing cultures, it has lost the context of the kingdom.  I am not crusading for a new, revised Christian symbol but rather a renewed union of the cross and the crown.  When the cross and the crown are united in our minds as the central theme of the gospel, then discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross will no longer be an elective but an essential and natural response.

  1. The practice of simplifying a complex idea, issue, condition, or the like, especially to the point of minimizing, obscuring, or distorting it. For more background read The Crucified King, Jeremy Treat, Zondervan, pg. 26
  2. Christianity Today, February, 2009, “When did the cross supplant the ichthus (fish) as a symbol of the Christian faith?” Everett Ferguson
  3. New World Encyclopedia “Christian Symbolism”

TADB 021: Kingdoms in Conflict

There are four characteristics of our culture that we can no longer ignore in our mission of bringing the gospel to our world.  Our audience is increasingly:
  • Biblically illiterate: They know very little of the basic story line of the Bible, the people, stories, or events.  They have heard of Jesus but know little of His basic claims and the story of His life.
  • Narcissistic: Beyond consumerism, narcissism is selfishness on steroids.  The prevailing question being asked is, “What’s in it for me?”
  • Humanistic: We cannot assume a historic biblical view of God or man.  The basic elements of a biblical worldview that has been a framework for centuries, is crumbling.  We cannot assume our audience sees God as the uncaused Cause: the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all that is (the cosmos).  In our present culture man is not the crown of God’s creation and the focus of His love.  Heaven and hell are part of a fairytale fantasy.
  • Feeling base: Facts and a logical pursuit to discover what is “true” is less relevant.  “What I feel is my reality.  You can’t argue or debate it.  Since I feel it’s true, it is.”

“Authority has shifted from what is true to the feelings and beliefs of the individual.  Feelings now trump truth.”1

Past generations understood a biblical worldview regarding God, man, sin, and Jesus.  We could simply add to that background clarity on what it meant to believe the gospel or receive Christ.  People had the raw material with which we could build on.  People had pieces of the Gospel but just had not put it together.  They basically knew, understood, and accepted the back story.  We can no longer assume this is true.  We will need to present an accurate and complete picture of who Jesus is and what He came to do.  We need to set the gospel in its context if it is to be the gospel that transforms and transfers (Romans 1:16, Col. 1:13).  This gospel is more than a promise of sin management, a fire insurance policy, or a promise of the good life.  It involves a radical transfer of kingdoms and the personal transformation of lives to fit into that new kingdom reality.

We cannot risk presenting an abridged gospel to this generation.   We need to revisit how the gospel was presented in the book of Acts when the early Christians took their counter-cultural message to a skeptical and even hostile audience that also lacked a biblical framework in which to understand it.  What they did and we must do is focus on the revelation of the Son of God (His story) as the good news.  His story embodies the truth that will set people free.

We also need to resist the temptation to “sell” the gospel or try to make it attractive by putting it into the values of the current culture e.g. fast, easy, and fun.  We need to present what is accurate and true including the aspects that may be hard to accept.  We need to recognize it will always be a counter-cultural message.

1.  The Bible presents God as the eternal uncaused Cause: the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos (our universe). Out of his sovereignty God created man as the crown of His creation, uniquely made in His likeness (image) and designed to live in relational harmony with Him.  

2.  We are all born into an existing conflict of two kingdoms (God’s and Satan’s). We have chosen to reject God’s authority and replace it with our own.  The result is a distortion of the original design and plan.  Our default condition is now:

  • Spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1; Rom 6:23)
  • Alienated from God (Eph. 2:12)
  • Stuck in a cycle of immorality (Eph. 2:3)
  • Under God’s disapproval (Eph. 2:3, John 3:18-20)
  • Captives in the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 2:2)

3.  Out of a heart of love God intervened, providing access to His kingdom of light through His Son who is called in the Bible “Jesus Christ the Lord” (Rom. 1:4). His story is reveled in the New Testament historical records.  The defining moments of His life are:

  • His incarnation (John 1:1-5, 14)
  • His demonstration (John 5:30; Phil 2:3-7; Heb. 2:17)
  • His crucifixion (and death) (Rom 5:6-8; 1 Peter 3:18)
  • His resurrection (Luke 24:1-12; Romans 1:1-4)
  • His ascension (Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:50-53; Heb. 4:14)
  • His coronation (Heb. 1:1-3; Rev 5:11-14; Matt 28:18)
  • His revelation (John 5:25-29; Acts 17:30-31)

4.  The kingdom of light (also called the kingdom of God or heaven) offers freedom from our default condition in the kingdom of darkness. It offers a brand new life and identity (2 Cor. 5:17) substituting what we have by default to what is possible by God’s grace through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:18)

Jesus is referred to as the Doorway to a new dimension of life in His kingdom.  He claimed to make the kingdom of God possible.  He also claimed that He was the only way into that kingdom (John 14:6).  His kingdom offers a:

  • New dimension of life (Eph. 2:5; John 5:24)
  • New relationship with God (John17:3; 1 John 5:11-12)
  • New moral record (Eph. 1:7; Rom 8:1)
  • New spiritual power (Acts 1:8; 2 Tim 1:7)
  • New kingdom citizenship (Eph. 2:19; Col 1:13)

5.  The kingdom of light is a present potential, offered by means of the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ the Lord. Its access requires a response of repentance and faith.  (John 1:12, John 3:16).

  • The Bible is clear that there is no way we can earn or merit all that he offers us in His kingdom. The offer is out of his love and grace.  He, however, does not force it on anyone but allows each one a chance to accept or reject it. (John 1:12)
  • The response requires we recognize and turn (repent) from our current condition of independence from God.  Then by faith accept as true all that Jesus claimed to be and what He claimed to do.  In the Bible this response is called “faith”, “accepting Christ”, “surrender”, or simply “belief”.  (John 5:24)

The gospel delivers us from more than the issue of sin.  It delivers us from the kingdom of darkness that is now in opposition to the kingdom of light.  Becoming a citizen of His kingdom means a new identity with a new passport

 1Sean McDowell, PhD, assistant professor of Christian apologetics, Biola University.  Article in Christian Research Journal, Vol 40 Number 04.

TADB 20: Now Playing: Jesus Christ the Lord

The gospel (the good news, His story) is summarized in the three names most associated with the Son of God:  Jesus + Christ + Lord.  From Acts through Jude the New Testament writers use this composite 85 times in various orders:  the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the Lord, etc.

There is a correlation between the defining moments in the story of the Son of God and the three names that form this triad.  “Jesus” is mostly associated with His earthly life from His incarnation (Act 1) through His demonstration (Act 2).  It is in the name Jesus that we most clearly get the concept that God has taken on flesh and blood, taken on our likeness.

“Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form” (Phil. 2:6-7)

The name Jesus or Joshua was a very common Hebrew name that meant savior.  Although there was a prophetic meaning that the angel gave it in his announcement to Mary (Matt 1:21), it was generally used to designate the man who was from Nazareth in Galilee, the son of Joseph and Mary, the man who became a great rabbi.  God could have selected it not only for its spiritual implication but for its commonness:  the One who lived among us.  The name Jesus clearly summarizes the initial story line of the gospel:  God now lives among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

The name Jesus is used twelve times in the book of Revelation beginning in the first verse with “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ”.  The name Jesus clearly links the incarnate Son of God who walked on earth to the one who is now in the heavens retaining his identity with humanity.

The name Christ adds more to His story.  Christ, the anointed One, the Messiah, brings the Old Testament expectation of a Deliverer, a Restorer of Israel into the picture.  The name Christ or Jesus Christ was a very common way to refer to the Son of God on the resurrection side of the cross.

The Jews, although anticipating a Messiah, were not expecting him to be divine.  Certainly anointed by God, this deliverer was to be a nationalistic figure that would bring peace and prosperity back to the nation of Israel.  The Jewish antagonism towards Jesus increased as they realized the kingdom to which he referred was not a physical one.   It really escalated when they understood that He was not only claiming to be the way into a new kingdom but making a claim to deity.

The defining moments of His story from the crucifixion (Act 3) through the resurrection (Act 4) and to the ascension (Act 5 is certainly wrapped up in the name Christ.  In the name Christ we have Savior, Deliverer, and final High Priest captured in a name.

The final name in the triad, Lord (although present in the Gospels) was amplified with His ascended coronation (Act 6) and his final Examination (Act 7).   Without the Son of God as Lord, the gospel is incomplete.  It is as much a part of His story and the gospel as His incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Paul in writing to the Philippians focuses His story on the final scene of history:  the universal confession that the Son of God is Jesus Christ the Lord.

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW…and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11 NASB)

From the beginning to the end of the book of Acts, those that carried the gospel to their world told the story of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Peter

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

Paul

“And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters … preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered” (Act 28:30-31).

With an increasingly biblical illiterate culture we cannot assume that when people think of Jesus they think correctly.  We may need to start a dialogue with questions like:

  • “What do you know about the Jesus of the Bible?”
  • “If I said the Jesus of the Bible is the most significant person in all of history, would you like to know why?”
  • “Have you ever personally explored who Jesus is and what He claimed to be?”

The gospel is in the name.  It is in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that:

  • We are to believe and find redemption.
  • We discover the heart connection that has been lost
  • We can boldly approach the throne of grace for help
  • We live in victory over the forces of darkness including death
  • We will one day live with Him in the new dimension of heaven called “home”

TADB 19: His Story-The Examination (Act 7)

Act 7:  The Examination

The angelic audience, witnessing the epic drama of His story, now shift their focus from what is happening to what will happen.  For Act 7 they have been given the script for the final defining moment of the Son of God.  The details of their role are not yet complete, but they see enough to anticipate it with a combination joy and sorrow:  joy because they will get to announce His return and sorrow because they will help execute divine justice.

They are also amazed as they read the script to find people, especially those who read the Scripture, so cavalier about this final defining moment.  The angelic audience observes that people are living as though there is no continuity between their current life and the next.  They marvel that God’s people live as if there is no accountability for their lives…as though grace has wiped out personal responsibility.

The angels are especially perplexed that some would claim that the love of God will “win out” as if there is a competition within the nature of God in which one trait could trump the rest.  Considering the scope of Scripture, why would they have such a compartmentalized, mechanistic view of the nature of God in which certain traits can operate independently from the others?  The angels can only shake their heads in befuddled confusion.

In the scene yet to be played out on the stage of history, the music crescendos to a climax as the Son of Man (the previously invisible King) now takes his place as King Triumphant.  Accompanied by the hosts of heaven, He is announced with great power, splendor and glory for all to see.  When He returns, the living and the dead, the righteous and the unrighteous…all will behold Him (John 5:28-29).  No one is excluded.

Not only does He return as the visible King, but also as the righteous Judge.  It is this part of His revelation that brings sorrow to the angelic army.  They know that their task is to separate those who have a “kingdom passport” from those who don’t.  Every person’s passport will be checked identifying their picture, date of spiritual birth, and country of citizenship.  There are only two options: the domain of darkness or the kingdom of light.   They are tasked with the sobering role of escorting one group into the eternal presence of God and the other to a destiny without Him.  There is no second chance and annihilation is not an option.

It is this display of the righteous wrath of God that is most sobering.  Sobering because despite the clear evidence around them, people refused to believe, choosing darkness instead of light and slavery instead of freedom.  They were warned yet rejected the message.  They blew it off, rationalized it away, creating a caricature of God that made sentimental movies but ignored truth.  Maybe they thought that since justice was delayed, it would never come.  But now the righteous Judge is here and the justice of God is revealed.

Along with the revelation of Christ as King/Judge and the exposure of His legitimate family, there will also be the revelation of each person’s stewardship of the one life he was given.  The assessment will be personal, thorough, accurate, and fair.  There will be no excuses, alibis, or defenses.   The revelation will be accompanied by retribution and recompense (1 Cor. 3:11-15, 2 Cor 5:10).

Considering the implications of this critical event, the angels ponder why the family of faith basically ignores it even though Jesus taught it clearly in his kingdom parables.   Paul continued the teaching claiming that this day of accountability was a personal motivation for his life and work (I Cor 3:10-15; I Cor 4:1-5; I Cor. 5:6-10).

But maybe it was important to Paul (and not others) because his life’s ambition was to please the One who had called him.  To Paul, accountability was more than the gain or loss of rewards, but the desire to delight the One he had come to know.  To Paul (and some in the family of faith) pleasing Him (not to be confused with appeasing Him) was the central motivation for living as His ambassador.  Their greatest reward will be to hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

At this final scene of His revelation all humanity from the beginning of time will see His return.  He will be revealed as sovereign King and righteous Judge, returning with power and glory.  Finally, continuity will be comprehended, justice served, and consequences experienced.  His patience will end, the Book opened, hypocrisy exposed, and faithfulness celebrated.  His family, permanently transformed into a new expression of humanity, will perfectly fit the new dimensions of their eternal home.

With the curtain on the stage closed the post production party begins.  The star of the drama, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Lord, gives all the Oscars to the Father surrounded by the angelic hosts and His family of faith, each expressing worship in the language and music of their culture.

Although the curtain will come down on this epic drama, it is not the end.  It is only the end of the beginning.  With sin abolished, Satan banished, and time irrelevant, the journey of knowing Him will continue on forever in a renewed and recreated universe.