| Store Disciple 9 Up dated 01/04/2012 |
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The Discipleship Journey Return to the page directory There are a number of facets to becoming a "mature" disciple of Jesus the Christ. One of the most fundamental is the transition from a worldly to a spirit-filled life. The verse from Matthew is just one of many such found in the New Testament. Actually it isn’t an exaggeration to say it is crammed with warning about "being in the world." In Matthew 4, we read that Jesus renounced all worldly things as fatal distractions; toys of the devil. What more do we need before we come to the same understanding? Those who say otherwise are contrary to the Truth. Those who act otherwise are endangering their eternal lives. It is plainly written, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ( Mat. 6:24) Too many congregations, too many churches have been led astray by ignoring this warning and trying to build a lasting legacy in stone and mortar. Just like those who fell victim to the Madoff Ponzi scheme learned too late, those who follow the god of mammon will learn, there will be a day of reckoning.To an incredible degree, the journey of becoming a disciple of Jesus is one of removing ourselves from the vain interests of the world. They are "vain" because ultimately, they are futile and worthless. The discipleship journey is a refocusing of our goals and priorities away from such vain and temporal things to the eternal; from a profane, self-centered to a devout, Christ-centered life. Jesus said, And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ( Mat. 7:26) Gill comments that this like pretending "to make their peace with God by their own works; who hope for pardon on the foot of the mercy of God;" like having our cake and eating it too. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus said, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mat. 7:21) Those intent upon remaining rooted in this world are missing the mark of true discipleship.However, this part of the journey cannot be accomplished merely by focusing on the spiritual with the expectation of assuring eternal life. Rather, it is brought about by the gradual realization of the ultimate purpose for all life. As contradictory as it might first appear, that ultimate purpose is not eternal life. Actually, eternal life is a derivative, a by-product of our ultimate purpose. That purpose is to lose our life. This is said clearly a number of times in the Gospels. In Matthew 16:25, for example, Jesus tells us, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (see also Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24 and Luke 17:33) These passages point to a disciple’s willingly giving himself in total devotion to God, Jesus the Christ and the Gospel. He will judge the sincerity of the submergence of self; the suppressing, the merging, assimilation of our very being into adoration of our Lord and Savior and worshipping our God and Father. Those doing so for the promise of eternal life, will be found wanting.Carnal man looks at the earth, moon and the celestial realm seeking to find ways these can make his life more comfortable and more pleasurable for him; he is totally self-centered, self-absorbed. Thus, the mountains have been made flat in the wanton search for the materials to enhance human comforts, the forests destroyed, plains emaciated and the ocean a septic tank all in pursuit of our glutinous, insatiable appetites. Does one dare to imagine what would happen if we had our way with the moon, the stars, the solar system – to mine them for resources? This must end. This will end. In His time, in a way suitable to Him, the unity of all creation found in the Garden of our ancestors will be restored. The outcome is not in doubt; it is not even in question. Through angelic ambition, that "Edenic" unity and serenity was destroyed. Until that dreadful intrusion, all creation, the heavens, the earth, the deep was mindful of and adored the creator of heaven, earth and all things; the one ubiquitous God, to whom they bear their obeisance, their homage. All heaven and earth once gave homage, honor and reverence to God the Father of all, and worshiped Him; it will again. Satan will be vanquished and that worshipful serenity will be restored. God will see that all is good once again because our eyes will be opened and we will stand in awe and reverence of Him. The only questions are what side of the equation we will be on; how far along our discipleship journey we have traveled. Questions that are answered by the depth of our gratitude for His sacrifice upon the Cross. It’s all about HIM! Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with
all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you
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The opening and closing verses of this article are from an account in Matthew of Salome, the mother of the Apostles James and John (“Zebedee’s children”) asking Jesus to grant her desire to have her two sons seated at His right and left hand when the Kingdom of Israel is restored. These two were among the first three He chose as disciples and who, along with Peter, were His favorites. In this little story, there are at least two extremely valuable discipleship lessons. Coming right on the heels of Jesus speaking about how He is going to go to Jerusalem and there to be betrayed and crucified (Matt. 20:18-19). Today, we are likely to scoff at such audacity only because we (supposedly) have read the Book and know how it all turns out - just as He said it would. Nevertheless, we seem to just as easily overlook the lessons herein, seemingly as if we had never heard of the Bible; let alone read it. The first lesson is found in the Disciples response to Jesus’ rhetorical question. Their response is a classic example of over confident arrogance - We are able. They weren’t kidding either. They really thought they could , in spite of the fact that He told them they had no idea of the enormity of what they were asking. He told them they could. Nor can we. How often we forget that, like His disciples/Apostles, we are not able to walk in His shoes (OK sandals.) No human is able to do so, not even come close. “Walk like Jesus,” “Be like Jesus” are absurd little clichés mindlessly mouthed. However put, walk like or be like Him is not a human possibility. In deluding ourselves into thinking we can trivialized the humiliation He experienced in simply becoming human and the excruciating agony He suffered on the Cross for our sake. What it reveals is our fundamental inability to comprehend the cup He drank and the baptism He was baptized with. Let alone trying, even thinking we can walk in His sandals, we should, instead, do our very best to do everything humanly possible to study and understand His Word and strive with all our hearts to grasp and cling to the commandments He as given to us - putting all of our energies, our hearts, minds and souls into obeying Him. All the while, we must be fully aware that we are going to fall far short of the mark of achieving even this seemingly attainable goal - the understanding and obeying will trip us up. The fact that they were still clinging to the idea that Christ, the Messiah, had come to restore Israel to its former grandeur, is another good disciple lesson to remember. It was this that prompted their answer, “We are able.” Their selfish ambitions were still tied to things of this life, to a temporal kingdom, with all the “pomp and circumstance,” the privileges of power, attainable to those seated at the “head table.” The selfishness of the request James and John had their mother petition Jesus for was not missed by the other Disciples. It is written, And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren (Matt. 20:24.) Who could blame them? These two had put their mommy up to asking the “boss” for such an extraordinarily extravagant favor at the expense of the other ten. Actually, granting this request would have put these two right up there with Jesus in positions of authority over their former colleagues. Getting ahead at the expense of others, especially one’s brothers and sisters in the faith, is not nice; not nice at all. This is not at all walking like Christ. Of course, we must understand that the ten were indignant, not at the request, but by the simple fact that these two beat them to the punch. They resented the fact that James and John were taking advantage of the well-know “soft spot” Jesus had for them (don’t you wonder if the other Disciples started referring to them as “momma’s boys“ or “teacher‘s pets“?) In simple terms, they were indignant because they had been out-flanked by these two teacher’s pets rather than the nature of the request the sons of Zebedee had conned their mommy into asking Christ. The chances are overwhelming that the other guys had their sights on the same prize - the royal court of a Restored Israel. After all, wasn’t Jesus frequently referred to as the “son of David” (eg. Matt. 1:1 and Luke 3:31) as well as the "Son of David (eg. Mark 10:47 and Luke 18:38 ) referring to the greatest and most brilliant of the three kings of the former kingdom of Israel? This is reminiscent of what the so-called ”Prosperity Gospel” preaches, and how it is preaching up the wrong tree. In passing, observe the strong hint of a need for camaraderie suggested here (Matt. 20:25-26). There is at least one other lesson in these passages. (Matt. 20:20-28) It has to do with what we can expect in the way non-believers will act toward us and how we should view ourselves. The contemporary desire among Christians to be all things to all people at all times, lovey-dovey with the world (what one might call the Rodney King syndrome) is simply not in the Gospel cards - that is if we believe in the Truth of the Bible. When Jesus said, somewhat sardonically, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with (v.23) He was alluding to the way things really will be for those who remain true to the Gospel - despised, shunned, hated. Discipleship is a path of suffering, humiliation and self-denial. This, the two sons of Zebedee were soon to learn. In the eyes of the world, being true to the Gospel means we are narrow-minded, judgmental, hypocritical losers, not champions - in addition to being “ole stick in the mud folks who don‘t got no fun in their lives. Drinking from His cup is to be persecuted. Remember, His baptism was the cross. We shouldn’t expect less - not if we are faithful and true to our calling. Many of us act as if verses 26-27 don’t exist as we pursue our lust for fame, fortune and power. Nonetheless, they do exist right along with cautions against the “head table syndrome.” They are right there in Scripture - those who see will see and those who hear will hear. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto , but to minister , and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28
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And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because
ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, Countless times in the Old Testament record the Israelites " disobeyed," "rebelled" or were rebellious against G-d and His commandments. If we count in the "variations on the theme (e.g. rebellious, grieved, provoked) it can truly be said they were continuously in such a state from the fall of Adam and Eve. It continued unabated in spite of the fact that with each occasion, dire consequences resulted. Finally, the Nation of Israel ceased to exist with Rome taking control of Israel in 63 B.C. and ultimately destroying Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 A.D. That final death knell cost the death of about 1.1 million Israelites. But, it had been dying almost from its inception. The Israelites were to conquer Canaan and purge it of all ungodly peoples. However, even before crossing the Jordan, Moses and Aaron stumbled. He disobeyed G-d. And as a consequence, neither he nor Aaron was not permitted to set foot in the Promised Land. Once they crossed the Jordan, under the leadership of Joshua, the required purging was modified by a treaty with one of the "ungodly people." Their continuing disobedience went down-hill from there. And the "sons of Ham," the indigenous peoples of Canaan, were then and remain a thorn in the side of "Israel" to this very day. G-d giving the land to the Israeli peoples certainly is an "ongoing process:" keep my rules and my decisions and do them, so that the land which I am giving you as your resting-place may not violently send you out again. (Leviticus 20:22 BBE)Looking at this within the context of a nation’s history or in terms of the tens of thousands of millions of people who died needlessly disguises the myriad of personal tragedies hidden in the mountains of bodies. Yes, Israel, its rulers and kings did not ever in its 1,500 year history learn the consequences of their rebellion against G-d. Neither did the Israelites one person at a time. That’s a history lesson we most often overlook. Focusing on the "big picture," we are inclined to talk about kingdom/ national trends and the actions of leaders and kings. However, history is acted out in the lives of individuals making choices and doing things. A national trend may be attributed to a single person, but it is the result of multitudes of individual choices. This is referred to as the "great man" theory of history. Generals may make the strategies and receive the credit, but it’s the foot soldier that does the fighting and dying. The successful leader is astute at sensing the mood of the crowd and directs it to the path it is disposed to take. What modern politician could rule without public opinion polls? As it was in Biblical times, as it is today, so it will be at the Day of Judgment. Leaders won’t be the ones held accountable for our personal behavior, we will. They, like ourselves, will have to account for what they, personally, did or didn’t do. Moses did. This principal is foundational to the Gospel message – individual salvation; individual responsibility. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ( Isa. 45:23, Rom. 14:10, Phil. 2:10) Speaking of Moses, with all his glorious works, if he could stumble, as he did, how is it that we are so delusional in our thinking to believe we can do better. The judgment on Moses is looked at askance only by those who do not know or choose to ignore what Paul writes in Romans 3:23, For all have sinned , and come short of the glory of God. Isaiah makes this Gospel fact perfectly clear saying, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (64:6) The standard of righteousness, Jesus the Christ, is so far beyond our most sincere and greatest efforts as to make our greatest efforts useless. We never seem to quite grasp this simple Gospel Truth. It is not us, nor anything we can do or have done, it is only by the blood of Christ that we are saved.We must take care not to conclude it is righteousness that is being condemned. Rather it is self-righteousness; that sense of smugness and superiority about which Isaiah is writing. In contrast, genuine righteousness produces humility, gratitude and compassion and, above all a continuing sense of how far short of the mark we fall. We are unworthy of His mercy. It is true, as Scripture states, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ( Phil 4:13) Conversely, I can do nothing righteous without Him. This, Jesus said, Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4) Humility, which is a Gospel cornerstone, is a difficult lesson for those reared to be self-assured and self-confident and all those other adjectives we attach to what is, in fact, self-centeredness. Such as these, we think make us "champions," winners." Humility, in this "self-made" world is regarded as a sign of weakness. Horatio Alger urged us to Strive and Succeed. When will we ever learn – not?But I say unto you, That every idle word that
men shall speak,
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In
One Ear and Out the Other Return to the page directory Admittedly, there are many, many, Bible passages that are complex, thorny, unfathomable, weighty and even hard to understand. But, surely such does not apply to the above passage from John. John Gill writes, The distinguishing badge and character of a disciple of Christ, is not any outward garb, or any austerities of life // nor extraordinary gifts of the Spirit // brotherly love was the distinguishing character." And he, as I, laments "would to God the same was as observable now." The JFB Commentary adds, "for to such love men outside the circle of believers know right well they are entire strangers. Alas, how little of it there is even within this circle!" In Matthew Henry’s Commentary is this statement, "But this commandment still appears new to many professors. Men in general notice any of Christ's words rather than these. By this it appears, that if the followers of Christ do not show love one to another, they give cause to suspect their sincerity." We find this in the People’s New Testament, "The love and self sacrifice of Christians has done more to extend the name of Christ than argument. In the early ages, heathen were wont to say: "See how these Christians love one another." Notice, it says "In the early ages." Why not today? Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament add this, "Hatred of one another per contra, is an argument that we are not disciples (learners) of Jesus." Astounding that these writers actually agree on two things: (1) loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is the acid test, the prima facie, rock bottom, absolute evidence of our loving Jesus the Christ. (2) that it is not found to be so in the congregations of those who profess His Holy name. Besides all of that, He told us to do this. Isn’t that enough? Shouldn’t that be quite sufficient unto itself needing no further persuasion nor proof.Recently a pastor spoke at a dying church on this matter using Philippians 2:1-11 as his Scripture that essentially says the same thing. Paul wrote to the congregation, the saints at Philippi, make my joy complete, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (NIV). The pastor also referenced John 13:35. Before the service, there was some camaraderie between those who had gathered at that same church for years; in some instances decades. During the sermon there was some vacant nodding of agreement and approval barely noticeable only to be lost in the rush out of the "sanctuary" and on with their busy lives. Why? Why in a congregation of no more than two hundred or so was love for one another so blatantly obviously missing – to say nothing of the cold-shoulder given to a stranger in their midst? Come to think of it, why wasn’t this stranger welcomed and greeted with open arms and warm embraces – not with the superficial gloved "glad-hand" that passes for a greeting? Just as this could not have been the first sermon ever preached on the subject of brotherly love, they could not have been hearing these Scriptural passages for the first time. Nor is there any illusion that this sort of stand-offish, aloofness is only characteristic of this tiny little dying congregation – pray to God that were the case. It isn’t; one can safely say that such reticent aloofness is the rule in Christian churches rather than the exception. Besides, why do we need to be preached at on such a basic, fundamental tenet of the Christian faith? Haven’t we all accepted Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior, as the Master of our lives? Hasn’t that acceptance rendered a transformation of our lives? Don’t we know that when we do so, when we accept Him, we become a part of the Family of God? Well, apparently not. Read this, For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. Isn’t Paul telling the congregation at Ephesus the same thing that Jesus told His disciples in Israel (or what was left of it)? But, we are strangers and foreigners sitting right there in church, in the same spot with the same people for years and years. We do not know those sitting beside, in front of or behind us. We don’t even care to get involved – that’s the problem isn’t it, we don’t want to get "involved." We have enough troubles and cares without taking on more from others. But wait, the pastor just said the church needed volunteers to help out with serving thanksgiving dinner to the homeless. We’ll jump at that just like we did for Christmas dinner over the last 25-45 years. Oh, and this is Mission Sunday, we’ll have to put an extra dollar in the collection for that and another for the Darfur refugees – my, isn’t that a tragedy. Hum, wonder what was bothering that guy who shot himself in here last week – the nerve of some people. Wonder why this church is dying; wish there was something that could be done about that.For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17 |
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Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19Most will recognize this passage from Matthew as the "Great Commission" shortly after Jesus’ rising from the dead by which He commissioned His eleven faithful followers as His representatives to continue the work of spreading the Gospel. The operative word here is the Greek word matheteuo which is translated as "to be a disciple of one, to follow his precepts and instructions, to make a disciple, to teach, to instruct." Some Greek lexicons even translate matheteuo as "to become a pupil." Invariably, translators have chosen to use "to teach" and "to instruct" when translating matheteuo, thus paving the way for the de-personalization of discipleship that has evolved into "preach" over the centuries. Yet, in Greek, there are other words for "teach." First, there is didasko that is translated almost exclusively as "teach" or "taught" in the KJV version of the New Testament. And, second, there is the lesser used, matheteuo, translated in the four times it is used as: teach, instruct, disciple. There are a number of other words in Greek that may be translated into "teach." In like respect, there a dozen or so other Greek words may be translated as "instruct" in addition to matheteuo. "Preach," as one might expect, has its own glossary of Greek words, four to be exact, with meanings ranging from, "to announce beforehand," "to bring good news," "to dispute" and "speak boldly." With the opportunity to misunderstand and limit the ways in which this Commission may be carried out, isn’t it odd that the KJV translators chose a word that limits those choices to just one way?In addition to all this translating, we must remember, Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek, to those who gathered to hear Him, although He was likely conversant in Hebrew and perhaps a number of other languages prevalent in Palestine at the time. This awareness opens the door even more to the possibility that He could have just as well commissioned his disciples to "follow His precepts and instructions for living." Indeed, we need to reconcile ourselves to the fact that any and all translations are subject to debilitating errors; that save for God’s intervention, we’d know nothing of what He said or did. That aside, the AMV, as well as a number of other versions, translate verse 19, and make disciples of all the nations. The NCV, in point of fact, says, and make followers of all people in the world and a footnote to the verse makes it clear that, teach, make disciples or Christians of all nations is within the realm of the meaning of this passage.So, how do we come off acting as if the Great Commission applied to just a few; specifically the now eleven original Disciples/Apostles? Please make a mental note that this would automatically exclude Paul, the most prolific preaching evangelist of all time, and Luke from inclusion under the umbrella of this Commission. As far as Paul is concerned, considering him an Apostle was a hotly debated issue in the First Century. Luke skated by on Paul’s coat-tails to be included as one of the Gospel writers; an honor that evaded not only Paul, but all of the remaining original 11 disciples with the exception of Matthew and John. Whether we understand the Commission as telling us to teach, make disciples, followers or Christians of all the nations, we must come to realize: (1) it applies to all Christians, and (2) teaching/preaching is mechanical meaning perfunctory, impersonal, sterile and ineffective. Most studies reveal that those who are taught by lecturing/preaching forget 90% of what they are presented within a few hours. It’s called the " forgetting curve," and it shows that most of what is learned is "forgotten within twenty minutes;" over half within an hour; two thirds within a day. This pattern varies little from person to person. Using Paul as an illustration, most of the countries where he preached are no longer Christian. Lebanon is 60%, Syria 75% and Turkey 99.8% Muslim. Only Greece and Italy retain a substantial Orthodox tradition. Less than 2% of Israel is Christian today. But, we don’t have to go to such extremes. All we need to do is stand in the back of a church and ask those leaving what they learned in service. Level of personal involvement, the vividness and meaningfulness radically alters what we retain.Jesus lived with His disciples 24/7. He was personally involved with each of them – note only one didn’t get His message. They had vivid illustrations of what He was saying. He made every occasion meaningful for them in so many ways. He was and is the Master Teacher. He didn’t preach to them. Instead, He lived (and died for) what He believed. For Him, it was living rather than carefully planned, illustrated and orchestrated sermon series. Shouldn’t our discipleship efforts emulate His? Shouldn’t we become more personally involved through living the Gospel instead preaching and pamphleteering it? When we get up from our pews and out of church, we should get into the Gospel. We might try to remember and apply a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, "Let all the brothers [and sisters] preach by their deeds."Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: 
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Appearing just three time in the NKV of the New Testament, (Acts 21:8, Eph. 4:11 and 2 Tim 4:5) evangelism (#2099) is defined by The KJV New Testament Greek Lexiconas as “those heralds of salvation through Christ who are not Apostles.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary restricts the term to one who is “a ‘publisher of glad tidings;’ a missionary preacher of the gospel,” while Strong’s Greek/Hebrew lexicon simply equates it to “a preacher of the gospel.” However defined, each source is describing an “office” of evangelism which, in Eph. 4:11, Paul distinguishes from those of apostle, prophet, pastor and teacher. In 1 Cor. 12:29 Paul clearly indicates that we all can’t be apostles, prophets, teachers, or workers of miracles nor should we strive to be. That answer is found in the next chapter of Corinthians (1 Cor. 13) which he concludes with this statement, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Cor. 13:13) Charity, as we know, is brotherly love. Perhaps a phrase, attributed to a number of sources including St. Francis of Assisi, may best define “Ripples in a Pond Evangelism.” It is “Preach the Gospel and, if necessary, use words.” What better way to preach the Gospel than by the way we live? We may correctly say that living out the Gospel in our daily lives, as much as humanly possible, is bearing “good fruit” which should remind us of what Jesus had to say about the same. Here are just a few passages from Matthew on the subject: Matthew 3:10, Matthew 7:17, Matthew 7:18, Matthew 7:19, Matthew 12:33, Matthew 13:8, in which He talks about the difference between good and bad “trees” and what the fate of each is. In Matthew 7:18, He declares, A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. This is a point well worth remembering. Being a “tree” that brings forth good fruit is preaching the Gospel without using words. And the effect spreads like a pebble thrown into a quiet pond. The ripples spiral outward until eventually encompassing the entire pond. Not only is this a good paradigm for “home-grown evangelism,” it is also a good prototype for discipleship. “Homegrown Evangelism” is rooted in our homes, neighborhoods, places of work and play; those people with whom we come into frequent contact an hourly, daily, weekly contact over the years. It could even be extended to the highways and byways of our lives. Paul describes the “fruit” of the “Spirit-filled tree” in Galatians 5:22-26 saying, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. This is how we preach without words; how we practice “ripples in a pond – homegrown” evangelism. It is as irresistible as a virus immune to medication; infectious and irresistible. Imagine, if you will, the impact we would have on our families, friends, loved-ones and co-workers (to say nothing of total strangers) if we lived this way. Envision what would happen if there were a “church” full of such “Spirit-filled” Christians. There is nothing phony about living such a Spirit-filled life. It is not the shallow, counterfeit “glad-hand” sort of greetings we encounter entering some churches (you know it, especially when the “greeter” is wearing gloves) but a genuine welcome from a dear friend who is overjoyed to see us after a week or so absence. Such fruitfulness naturally flows out of the very being of every Christian. Jesus said, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38) Though we may not be called to the “office” of prophet, apostle, evangelist, preacher or teacher, it is not against any law to, by our loving and caring for all whom we come in contact, silently “preach” to them, by those acts of compassion, the Gospel of Christ. Our ordination into the office of a “Ripples in a Pond Evangelist” was sealed the day we received into our lives Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior; a holy priesthood of all believers as testified to in 1 Peter 2:4-10. What better spiritual sacrifices could we possibly make than to reflect in our daily lives the fruit of the Spirit as testament that we are His? Even as we fulfill the other office(s) the Spirit has given each of us for serving others in our congregations, His fruit will shine forth. We don’t have to stand on street corners waving placards, stage protests against evil, or travel to faraway places with strange sounding names to be “heralds of salvation through Christ.” All we have to be, all we have to do to meet the “fellowship,” ministry,” “discipleship” and “evangelism” purposes of the “church” is to be a good tree and bear good fruit. Evangelism is more of a still small voice, (1 Kings 19:12) than a Bible thumper. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
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For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. The old saying that "actions speak louder than words" has a Scriptural foundation in James 1:23. He writes, For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: If we act and look like the rest of the world, what is that image reflecting, Godliness or worldliness? Well, as devout Christians, we know (at least we should) that we can’t serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13 KJV) so, as seen in the "glass" of others, whom do they see us serving, God or mammon? Mammon, you know popularity, power and wealth. Is that who we are serving? You’re not alone; not by any means. Mammon tells us to be popular. We’ve come to believe that, in order to "spread the word," we have to "fit in." We say we believe that, in order to spread the Gospel, we have got to be all things to all people. We have to act like so-called "non-Christians," talk like them, tell dirty jokes like them, dress like them, drink like them, marry like them. You know, after living together to make sure we are compatible, we get married; that is to one spouse at a time but as many as it takes to find the "right one." Forget about apparent Biblical sanctions against divorce, homosexuality and the ordination of women into the priesthood. Jesus wasn’t speaking to us; He was speaking to the conditions of the times. Unless we contextualize the Bible, we are going to alienate large segments of today’s population. This might be a good rationalization for our behavior, but is it the Gospel of Jesus the Christ? If we are darkness in the valley, how can we be a light on a hill? What does our "glass" mirror back to the world; light or darkness? Power is the ability to make things happen. Let’s look at those capable of making things happen in the society around us and see if that’s what we want to reflect back to others. Forbes lists Barack Obama, Ben Bernanke and Bill Gates among the Americans on their top 10 list of the Most Powerful People in the World. By the way, Pope Benedict XIV comes in fifth on the list beating out Bill Gates. In entertainment, Forbes lists in order: "Lady" Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, U2, Elton John, Tiger Wood, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Simon Cowell and LeBron James as the ten among The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities. They don’t provide a list of the most influential religious leaders. Are these powerful/influential people the type of reflection others see of our lives? Is it what we, as Christians, should want others to see in our lives? Do others see, in the mirror of our nature, desire and striving for material goods? Do we appear to others as overly concerned to have the latest i-phone, i-pad, i-book? (whatever is in vogue or the current rage) To them, are we preoccupied with the clothes we wear, the vehicles we drive, the house we live in; the company we keep and other material things. Are we taking whatever steps necessary to achieve and maintain a high standard of living in order to be envied and to show off; someone people will look up to and admire? Does our glass reflect "materialistic" ambitions; our preoccupation with material rather than spiritual things? The Apostle John wrote, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 john 2:15) Mat.6:31-34 tells us such things as these are what the world aspires to; not followers of Christ. In their place, of the pursuit of we are to, first and foremost, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. "Righteousness" (Strong’s #1343) implies "integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting." Let’s look again into the mirror of our souls as others do. Which side of the fence do they see us sitting on? It can’t be both; it is either one or the other. To varying degrees, we do influence those around us. The "mirror of our souls" is the best, some say the only way, we disciple others. What’s the direction of our influence; toward the kingdom of God or worldliness; mammon or Godliness? But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
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