This is part 2 of an excerpt from Ed Stetzer’s message on Disciple-making at Verge 2010 Missional Community Conference:
Ed Stetzer on Disciple-making, pt. 2
Following Jesus
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Feb 062010
Feb 062010
This is part 1 of an excerpt from Ed Stetzer’s message on Disciple-making at Verge 2010 Missional Community Conference:
The problem with words…
Following Jesus
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Feb 032010
It seems that a significant portion of American Christianity, at least those who publish magazines and books, have discovered “the Kingdom.” Some have claimed that this is a “secret message” of Jesus. Others have built upon the work of Eldon Ladd and others to explore the nuances and implications of God’s kingdom. I think it is unfortunate that “kingdom” is the word and message that is being explored.
When I think of a kingdom I conjure up images of round tables, knights, princes, dukes and earls, a hierarchy of persons and of polity. When Jesus began his ministry proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” I believe that most of those hearing him misunderstood what he was trying to communicate. As we try to understand the “kingdom” message today, I think we have some similar problems. Let’s face it, the metaphor of kingdom has some pretty elaborate baggage, especially for Americans who threw off the bonds of monarchy to gain their freedom.
The church is full of kingdoms within kingdoms and their requisite rulers. Sometimes the ruler of the kingdom is the church board acting like an elected Congress, some times it is the founding senior pastor exercising his “leadership” gift. Words like covering and submission and authority are used. I think Jesus was trying to communicate something else entirely with his sound-bite message.
I think he was saying something like this: You are going to have to change the way you think about God! (Repent) He has shown up right here, right now so you can understand who He is and what life with Him is like! (the kingdom of heaven is near). I think Jesus knew that his listeners would not truly understand what he was saying! If they had he probably would have been killed immediately! He needed some time to show his followers the Father, to show them what God does when he walks among humanity, and to form authentic friendships with those who would expand his “light” in the world.
I believe that Jesus did not come to start a “religion.” I think he came to show us that religion is not necessary. He came to set us free from the realm of religion and welcome us into the realm of life in direct connection with God. He came to quiet our fears and to bring us peace. He came to show us that God was not interested in fealty but that he wanted friendship. He came to walk with us, and talk with us, to be “God with us.”
Unfortunately, humanity loves religion and appreciates a God that we can appease, manipulate and cajole. Even the atheists have a strong religious fervor and faith! Jesus came to slice through all of those man-size gods and to show us that we had it all wrong! “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father!” It’s easy to see how that might be a jaw-dropping, paradigm-shifting concept. Understanding the truth of Jesus’ message sets us free from the bondage of religious observance and ritual.
I am just beginning to get a glimpse of what this freedom might look like, and it just seems too good to be true.
Love One Another
Church, Following Jesus
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Jan 242010
“I think we underestimate the power and importance of loving one another. Consistent love for other Christians is key to a healthy spiritual life because loving fellowship is God’s prescribed environment for growth. This kind of love is based on commitment to God Himself. To be committed to God is to be committed to His community, the Church. This is not a commitment to the theory of the Church, but to an actual body of other fallible, imperfect people.
Many of us treat church life like immature adolescents. From other Christians we want thrills, constant exhilaration and to have our needs met. When Christian brothers and sisters fall short of our expectations, when they are boring and imperfect and fail to meet our needs for strokes, we pout, turn away and isolate ourselves from them. Jesus calls us to mature commitment of love for His people—the very people in our fellowship.”
—John Wimber, p. 188-119, Everyone Gets to Play, Ampelon Publishing, 2008
Seeing Jesus
Following Jesus
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Jan 232010
Christmas lights…
Following Jesus
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Dec 252009
14-16“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)
Your Grace abounds…
Following Jesus
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Nov 262009
Woke up with this song on my mind:
Oh Lord, you’re beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
For when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.
Friends
Following Jesus
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Nov 142009
I got an email from a very good friend of mine this week. He and I haven’t talked much, or emailed much, in the last several months. In his email he was apologizing for the lack of contact. While it’s true that relationships need contact and communication, have you ever noticed that some relationships are so connected that you can be out of contact for months, or years, and pick up right where you left off?
About six months ago I renewed a friendship with someone I knew very well more than 30 years ago. Since then we have been meeting pretty regularly once a week for a long and leisurely lunch. These lunches have grown into my “church” gathering. We talk about spiritual issues and what’s happening in our everyday lives. I’m looking forward to Monday afternoon because we’ve missed the last two weeks.
I emailed a reply to my friend as follows: “There are some people that are such good friends that time can pass, and life can roll on, and the friendship is always there…Sometimes I like to think about Jesus that way, because I tend to stumble through life, sometimes, weeks and months at a time and barely remember that Jesus is my friend, or even talk to him. I remember when I first heard the song, Draw Me Close to You…It has a line, “To hear you say that I’m your friend.” The first 20 times I listened to that song, I cried.” Continue reading »
O Lord Have Mercy on Me
Following Jesus
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Oct 142009
An excellent prayer for a cloudy and expected rainy Wednesday in Southern California performed by the songwriter and worship leader, Carl Tuttle.
The kinds of prayers God likes…
Following Jesus, My Life
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Sep 302009
Here’s a tip for you, a prayer that always works, “Oh God, get me out of this mess.” Now don’t be surprised when you get some unexpected results from this prayer. You might find that you’ve lost your job, or that your wife has moved out, or that you’ve just checked yourself in for rehab. Just keep in mind that most folks praying those prayers don’t put any conditions on them. They’ve just hit rock bottom for the umpteenth time and need help. They need it so badly they will even turn to God.
I’ve been enjoying reading Craig Ferguson’s entertaining memoir, American on Purpose. Imagine my surprise when I came to page 166 and noticed an example of this kind of prayer. It comes on the heals of the breakup of a long-term relationship over his self-destructive alcoholic behavior:
“After she had gone, I went for a walk on the lonely Walberswick marshes outside the village. Out there I did something I hadn’t done since I was a farty wee schoolboy in the miserable damp town church. I prayed. I asked the God I still don’t really understand and have trouble believing in to help me—either to kill me or change me.
I had become something I despised, and I couldn’t break free of whatever spell had been cast. I was an inmate in a prison of my own construction. I told Him I was willing to go to any length to get out.
I don’t know if my prayers were answered, I’m not an Evangelical, or even a very religious person.
But things sure started moving quickly after that.”
As I was reading this passage this morning, my eyes welled up with tears. I was reminded that God loves us even before we have loved or believed in Him. I was reminded that He waits, like the Prodigal’s father, for us to turn toward him and then he happily goes into action to redeem us.
My heart-felt moment of desperate prayer came as I rode the Metrolink to Orange County about ten years ago. Amazing the rapidity of God’s intervention to get me off that train and back on the right track in my own life. Looking back, I can say that I see how He worked then, and when I stop long enough to think about it, I can see where He is working in my life now.
Take a few minutes and watch as John Wimber shares about one of those moments in his spiritual journey. It starts about 5 1/2 minutes into this youtube video:
My encouragement to you? Don’t wait until you are overwhelmed or bouncing off the rock bottom, just take a moment right now and pray that powerful prayer, “Oh God, help me.”
