Rugged Pilgrimage of Discipleship

There are some folks who seem to find their faith-journey to be relatively easy-going. In some ways, I am a little envious of them, because mine doesn't always seem to be that smooth. Of course, there are days of wonder and deep connection with the Father, but there are other days, where discipleship seems to be a grind. I am not sure if you can relate to this at all, but I pray that some of you can.

It is for this reason, that I exclaimed a loud 'Yes', when I read these words in a devotion the other day.

"Pain penetrates through despair and stimulates a new beginning - a journey to God - the transition from a dreamy nostalgia for a better life to a rugged pilgrimage of discipleship...we are invited to find our way by continually listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that his Spirit will lead us to truth." - Eugene Peterson

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." - John 16:13

Thought: Let us continue on the pilgrimage of rugged discipleship, because the views from the top of the mountain are extraordinary. 

Living in Grace

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Getting out the building!

Please read these statistics and then contemplate what is stirred up in you. 

“Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.” - J.K. Johnston

Our calling as followers of Jesus, is not just to gather in our religious buildings, but to go where the people are. If this was Jesus' modus operandi, then it should also be ours. I think that part of our difficulty, is that we have got used to speaking and acting in our comfortable "church" spaces, but we don't really know how to be authentic Christ-followers in public spaces. 

Thought: Jesus was the same person in public, as he was in the Temple or in his home. 

Mark 16:15 - "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Living in Grace

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Newcomers

Can you remember being a 'newcomer' at something? Perhaps a first day at school, or at a new job, or even joining a church community or a sports team? It feels strange at first, but after a while, one slowly starts to ease into the newness. 

Coming from another angle, I want to ask us this question: 

Do you ever feel that you are not a 'newcomer' to the Christian faith? Do we get to a point in our spiritual lives where we feel that we are mature enough? It seems to me that I keep learning new things along the pathway and although I have been a Christ-follower decades, I still get the feeling that I am an infant. 

Listen to these words from the book of Job. See how he eloquently describes this feeling:

Job 8:8-19 - For we’re newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it. So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what’s what, instruct you in what they knew from experience? Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water? Blossoming flowers look great before they’re cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass. That’s what happens to all who forget God— all their hopes come to nothing. (The Message)

Thought: Don't despise being a student of the Gospel. We are all learning along the way.

Living in Grace

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Have we become obsessed with the wrong things?

"Encourage one another and build each other up." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

At some point in time, most church leaders (including myself) have mistakenly believed that the more people coming into our church buildings must be a sign of "success." Of course, there is a genuine story as to what this may imply for your community, however it is not the entire truth. 

A lot of times, our bigger gatherings lack the opportunities for authentic connection and discipleship.  How do we encourage each other and build each other up, if we hardly engage with anyone else during the worship services? Even if I am part of a small group, is there opportunity to love each other, to really walk with another Christ-follower, and to get to the heart of our unique struggles in faith? Sometimes, but not always!

Jesus modelled for us that true discipleship starts with 2 or 3. If our meeting together is to encounter Christ and to worship him, then we should always remember that God is present even in the smallest groups.

"For wherever two or three are assembled in my name, I am there with them.” - Matthew 18: 20

What do you feel about this? Any thoughts?

Living in Grace

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When we have no intention of following through with action

There are few things more annoying than someone who promises to do something and then intentionally doesn't do it. I am not speaking about times when we genuinely forget to do something, because this happens to us all, at some point in time. 

What I mean is when someone says "Yes, I will do it" but actually has no will or intention to commit to any action. That can make us all mad!

And I think it also got under Jesus' skin too. Listen to what he says: 

"Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46)

I think he was used to people being excited about the idea of following him, but then never committing to the journey of discipleship. 

1 Samuel 15:22 - But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

“Discipleship is not an option. Jesus says that if anyone would come after me, he must follow me.” - Timothy Keller

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Don't forget Mondays

I read an inspiring devotion the other day that was entitled: "Don't forget Mondays!" The author made the comment that God is very popular on Sundays, with millions of people attending worship services around the globe. However, he points out that many people seem to then forget about following God on Mondays (through to Saturday). 

The challenge for every follower of Jesus is to remember God throughout the week, not just on a Sunday. 

Luke 9:23 - Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Thought: How do you manage to keep your eyes on Christ throughout the week? What habits have you found to be helpful?

Living in Grace

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Following closely - like a shadow

When Simon (the Sorcerer) came to know Jesus as his Lord, he left his old life and followed Phillip wherever he went. It was as if he felt that in being close to Philip, this would keep him close to Jesus.

"Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. From that moment he was like Philip’s shadow, so fascinated with all the God-signs and miracles that he wouldn’t leave Philip’s side." - Acts 8

Of course, there is a lot of wisdom in his actions, as we would all do well to follow the example of Godly people. However, we should do this without glorifying the actions of people, but rather seeing Christ in their lives.

Thought: If you could walk in the shadow of another person, who would that be?

Living in Grace

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What is your "but"?

What is your "but"? 

Just before you think I have lost the plot, let me explain by sharing this scripture: 

"Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:61-62

One of the people that Jesus asked to follow him, seemed interested, but needed to go and do something other things first. His reply could have been summed up as the "yes, BUT....." response! 

In my experience, when our hearts are fully committed to something, they rarely add a 'but' into the equation. They are willing to go, no matter what?

Question: What is your 'but' at the moment? What is stopping us from being fully committed to Jesus?

Living in Grace

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No short cuts and quick fixes

We have embarked upon a new preaching series called: "A path to Spiritual growth" and it is based on the book Celebration of Discipline, which was authored by Richard Foster. In preparing for these messages, I have been struck again by this hard truth: There are no short cuts or quick fixes in choosing to be a disciple of Jesus. We have to be willing to sign up for the long-haul. 

In this book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, Eugene Peterson shares around this similar theme, reminding me that my growth may be a little slower than I truly hope for, but I must be willing to submit to this long obedience in the same direction. 

 “And yet I decide, every day, to set aside what I can do best and attempt what I do very clumsily--open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride.”

“There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”

2 John 1:6 - "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

Living in Grace

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Committing to discipleship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: “The fellowship between Jesus and his disciples covered every aspect of their daily life. Within the fellowship of Christ’s disciples, the life of each individual was part of the life of the brotherhood (sic). This common life bears living testimony to the concrete humanity of the Son of God. ........ In the Christian life the individual disciple and the body of Jesus belongs inseparably together. (The Cost of Discipleship p.284).

The Church continues to struggle with the difference between discipleship and membership. Jesus was explicit in his call to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), but we have been discovering for centuries that this is much harder to put into practice. We have neat systems to build a membership base, but we keep wrestling with how to keep following Jesus, just as his disciples would.

John 6: 65- 68 - "He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Thought: What do you understand by the difference between a disciple and a church member?

Living in Grace

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Back to school

The importance of learning is clear to all of us. For this reason we send our kids to an academic institution to further their studies and to gain valuable knowledge (and hopefully some wisdom). All of this involves numerous sacrifices on the behalf of the parents, as well as the students. Completing an academic milestone takes times, resources, effort and perseverance. 

As we send our kids 'back to school' this week, I am reminded of our call to keep studying the word of God and to keep growing in our faith. Learning to be a follower of Jesus will take our entire lifetime, but we need to be committed to the process.

So what are we doing to further our 'spiritual education?'

What tools help you to discover more about God and our journey of discipleship?

Psalm 111 - "Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got— Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation. God’s works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! Splendour and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out. His miracles are his memorial— This God of Grace, this God of Love."

Living in Grace

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Is forgiveness possible?

This weekend has been a significant reminder of the atrocity of 9/11. I really can't believe that twenty years has come and gone so quickly and it is hard to imagine what our world was like before then. Of course the pain of remembering loved ones is always there for each one of us, but when your family are killed in such brutal ways, it must be hard to even contemplate forgiveness. 

This is the truly difficult part of Jesus' teaching on forgiveness and loving our enemies. It sounds good in theory, but when we have to put it into practise it is a mammoth task. Paul offers us this suggestion and it is a helpful starting point for us: 

"If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood." (Hebrews 12:3-4)

May you know the love of Jesus as you seek to love those around you.

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis Smedes

Living in Grace

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It is not easy

In his book Why, O Lord, Carlo Caretto contemplates how difficult it is to truly follow Jesus.

"Goodness! How difficult it is to believe in the sort of Messiah that Jesus of Nazareth represents!
To believe that we win by losing our very selves!
To believe that love is everything.
To believe that power is a great danger, that wealth is slavery,
and a comfortable life is a misfortune.
IT IS NOT EASY!"

This is why Jesus made it clear to his followers that they were choosing the hard option and that it would involved a lot of sacrifice and trouble.

Luke 14:25-27 -  "Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."

What are your thoughts on the words of Caretto and Jesus.

Living in Grace
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Obedience is the hard part

 

Jim Wallis – “The great tragedy of modern evangelism is in calling many to belief but few to obedience.”

Somehow we have slowly skewed our understanding of 'giving our lives to Christ.' In the early Church, it meant a deep commitment to discipleship - following the Jesus way, wherever that would take us. 

In time, we moved this to understand that salvation was only important for when you die - get the ticket for heaven and you will be okay. Jim Wallis is absolutely correct - our call should be one of a sincere calling to obey Christ. Of course, this starts with the initial belief in a loving Redeemer, but that is only the beginning. The rest is "an obedience in the same direction" (Eugene Peterson).

1 Samuel 15:22 - Samuel said, “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.

Acts 20:22 - And now, in obedience to the Holy Spirit I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

 

Living in Grace

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Turning in Circles

 

Have you noticed how dogs turn around in a circle before they lie down? Sometimes they do this more than once and it is interesting to watch. There are a number of different opinions as to why they do this, but the one that made the once sense appeared in this article - In essence it suggested that this behaviour in dogs has been passed down from generation to generation and the purpose of the 'spinning' is to flatten out their beds before they lie down. It makes sense, I guess, as dogs used to sleep outside on the grass/fields and they wanted to make their 'beds' more comfortable before they went to sleep.

So here is my take on this action and how it could speak some truth into our lives.

We may be tempted to make our 'beds' (lives) more and more comfortable, but we can never eliminate all bumps and stones from our paths. The most important action of our lives that involves some 'turning' is that of repenting - we should focus on turning from the things that hinder our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:21 - I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

Take Home Thought: The Christian Life is not always comfortable and this should not be our highest aim in following Jesus. 

Living in Grace
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How should one pray?

Abba Macarius was once asked this simple question:
"How should we pray?" (this was the same question that Jesus was asked by his disciples).
In his wisdom, the old monk replied:
"There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out ones hands and say,
Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy."
And if the conflict grows fiercer, say,
'Lord, help!'
God knows very well what we need and shows us mercy."

I think this is such a lovely exchange between these people. I love the fact that our prayers don't have to be learned or filled with fancy language. They can be as simple as this:

Lord, as you will.
And as you know, have mercy.

Living in Grace
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No Short Cuts

“…growing in the knowledge of God.” - Colossians 1

 

We may be able to take short cuts in some things in life, but when it comes to growing in our knowledge of Jesus, there are NO SHORT CUTS. I am sorry to break the bad news to us all today, but the way we become disciples of Jesus is to sign up for the long haul. In order to understand God more fully and to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, we need to spend time in God's presence. 

There is just no quick 'pill' we swallow to learn the Bible, to become effective in Prayer, to grow in our faith and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. It requires discipline and commitment. 

 2 Corinthians 8:10-20 -So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least.

Living in Grace

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Keep it simple

^"Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God’s kingdom and heal the sick. He said, “Don’t load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment." - Luke 9:1-5

I love these words of Jesus - "Keep it Simple!" - Especially at this time of the year when everything seems to speed up and life is incredibly hectic. Jesus urges us not to load ourselves up with extra equipment (things) and to be content with what we have. 

Jesus then adds something interesting, he says that "we are the Equipment!" It reminds us that we are clay pots that contain the Spirit of God, so that we can be his instruments.

May the word of God speak to you today. May you be an instrument for the Lord.
Grace and peace.

Living in Grace
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Luke 9:1-5 (NLT) - One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.

Knocking off the rough edges

“You knock off our rough edges.” – Psalm 7:10 (Message)

None of us is perfect, no matter how hard we pretend to be.

God knows all this about us, even before we turn to him and God is still willing to accept us as we are. However, there are many ‘rough edges’ that God wants to help remove from our hearts, if we allow him to do this. 

I am not sure if you know what these rough edges are, but I am sure that others would be happy to tell you. As you spend a few minutes in prayer today, why don’t you ask God to reveal to you these rough parts of your faith and then allow the Holy Spirit to do some ‘smoothing’ of your heart.

Prayer for the day:

"Lord, help me to remember that I am not perfect and that you are still busy shaping and molding my life. Teach me not to resist the work of your Spirit as you knock off the rough edges of my life. Amen."

Living in Grace

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