Will What You Do Last?

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We live in a world that is always looking for the next best thing.

We live in a world where there always is the next best thing.

Haven't most of us spent time on the internet and then, thinking it was ten or fifteen minutes later, found out we had blown over an hour of time just surfing with no real purpose?  Social media makes its living based of that kind of behavior.

We can be easily caught up in things that don't really matter and that won't really last.  And while there are portions of our days that are filled with what we might call mundane tasks (filling the gas tank, paying the bills, doing laundry), the question I want to pose tonight is about how much of what we do actually has the potential to have an eternal impact?

Investing in the lives of people has an eternal impact.
Loving and knowing God has an eternal impact.
Sharing the Gospel with people has an eternal impact.
The study and application of God's Word has an eternal impact.
Loving the unlovely has an eternal impact.

Pause and reflect here.
One day we will all step from this life into the next and what will we bring with us?
Spoiler alert: Facebook, Twitter, and photos of what we had for dinner won't be there.
May we make investments today in things that will last forever.

- tC

What Is A Disciple?

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A few weeks back, we talked about the 'why' of Disciples Making Disciples.  Today, we are going to look into the question, "What is a disciple?"  This question is vital for a variety of reasons - here are a few.

1. If we don't know what a disciple is, it's probably very hard to become one ourselves.

2. If we don't know what a disciple is, it's probably very hard to go out and help others become disciples.

3. If Jesus didn't tell us what a disciple is or how to make them, then we are left in a pretty tough spot, and we were left there by our Lord.  This doesn't seem like something Jesus would do.

And He didn't...

A few years ago, I started to look more deeply into this idea of defining a disciple.
To start off, I looked at all the times the word 'disciple' appeared in the Bible.  Around 250 times the word 'disciple' is used.  The vast majority (over 95%) of these occurrences are found in the New Testament.

Interestingly, the word 'disciple' is the most common word used to describe followers of Jesus and not until the 11th chapter of the Book of Acts is the word 'Christian' used.  Another way to look at it is this: of the 250+ times the word disciple is used, it's not until around the 240th time that the word Christian is also used to describe a follower of Jesus.

So we see the word appear a great deal in the Bible.

Secondly, let's talk about the actual word.  In the Greek, the word 'disciple' means pupil, student, or follower (in Greek mathetes). To be fair, it seems that there were different ways that the Gospel writers used it - sometimes referring to people who came to listen and engage, other times to people who were deeply committed to following Jesus.  Jesus most often used the word 'disciple' to describe a person who was giving his all to following Jesus.  He would say things like this:

"Anyone who would come after Me and be My disciple must deny himself and take up his cross daily to follow Me." - Luke 9;23

"Then a scribe came to Jesus and said, 'Teacher, I will follow You where ever You go.'  And Jesus replied, 'Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head.'  Another of the disciples said to Him, 'Lord permit me first to go and bury my father.'  But Jesus told him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'" - Matthew 8:19-22

These are just a few examples of what Jesus called His disciples to.

As I continued to research the verses that talked about being a disciple of Jesus, I ended up summarizing it like this:

A disciple of Jesus is consistently following Him, committed to learning from Him, doing as He did, and being in character like Jesus.

Jesus gave His life completely for us, and so He asks us to do the same for Him.

To say it another way, Jesus wants us to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.     

1 John 2:6 says that "Whoever claims to be in Him must live as He lived."

Being a disciple is not a half-hearted commitment.
Being a disciple is being all-in.

- tC 

Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner: Don't Miss The Point With This One

If you've seen the interview with Diane Sawyer from a few months back, you have some background on the situation surrounding the individual now formerly known as Bruce Jenner.  If you haven't been in the loop, let me quickly summarize what's been happening.

Bruce Jenner was a world-renown athlete who won the Olympic decathlon, thus claiming the title "Greatest Athlete on the Planet."  Despite the public attention given to him as the 'ultimate male specimen', Jenner has shared that for most of his life he has felt like he has the soul of a woman.  And thus he is now "she" - Caitlyn Jenner.  Various surgeries, procedures, and hormone therapies have been part of Caitlyn's regimen to become what you see in the photo above.  Bruce Jenner is now gone, and Caitlyn Jenner has replaced him with a new her.

There seem to be infinite angles from which a person could discuss this entire situation (if we can use that term 'situation' - I'm at a loss to some degree of how to properly describe Jenner's transformation).  Inevitably for a Christian, the issue of sexuality comes up - what is God's design, what does it mean to be male or to be female.  The topics of self-expression and self-determination are worth considering as well.  One might also want to discuss a shift in the culture that often affirms (at the lower end) and praises (at the upper end) these kinds of changes (Jenner is poised to receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, an award given to athletes for showing "strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost." (Click HERE for more information on the Arthur Ashe Award).

(Bruce Jenner - photo credit: Fox News)

All these topics are likely to come up in conversations around the world, around the table, around the water cooler, and even in the local church buildings and small groups.  And while the issues of sexuality, the culture, and other topics are part of it, we can't miss the key issue.

The issue is identity.  Jenner's desire to be true to him/herself is rooted in the idea that we as humans get to choose who we are and how we express ourselves.  While this is a more obvious example of self-defining, we all fall (more than we'd probably like to admit) into the trap of wanting to express ourselves on our own terms.  Jenner's fundamental flaw is all too common: thinking that if I get to define who I am and then I get to live out of that identity, then I will finally be happy.  But the reality is we don't get to choose our identity.  We are a creature, we are created, and thus our Creator has all authority to give us our identity and to tell us who we are to be.

Don't lose me here - I'm not focusing on the idea of gender identity, because while I am fully male, being 'male' is not my primary identity.  My primary identity is that of a child of God, redeemed by the Blood of Christ.  I am first and foremost a child of God, forgiven, free, loved, adopted, chosen, passionately pursued, and so much more.  But it is THAT identity that shapes all my other identities.  It is only in light of being re-born in Christ, I live my life as a male, as a husband, as a father, as a pastor, as  a friend, as a mentor - as everything.  Christ defines me and then shapes how I live out my life.

I want to be clear here.  I do not want to minimize the internal struggle that Jenner has gone through.
I also don't want to minimize the many people who may feel many of  the same struggles.  What I do want to do is point to the fact that this freedom Jenner feels is not a lasting freedom.  The Son must set us free to be who we were designed to be, and at the core of all humanity we are designed to be in relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Pray for Jenner.  Pray that true freedom and identity is found in Christ.  Christ alone can satisfy.

- tC

Why Disciples Making Disciples for Bethany Church?

Why Disciples Making Disciples for Bethany Church?

It's a very fair question to ask.  Why would we land on this idea of "Disciples Making Disciples" as the key phrase that will define Bethany Church as we move into the future?

The response is relatively simple, but we will expound on it a bit in this post.  The short answer is this: Jesus commanded us to be about disciples making disciples.

Within the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20), Jesus tells His disciples (His students/followers) that they are to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them into the name of the trinitarian God and teaching them to obey everything He had commanded them.  So bottom-line: Jesus commands it and we therefore do it.

Some might offer, "Well, I love God, but I'm not overly interested in making disciples."
Fair enough on the second part, but no dice on the first part.  You can't say you love God and not want to (even if you struggle at it) make disciples.  1 John 5:3 reminds us that "This is love for God: to follow His commands."  We can't say we love God and not do what He says.  As my friend Jason likes to say, "Obedience is the love language of God."

So we make disciples because it is commanded by God.

Why is it commanded by God?  For at least two reasons.

Reason 1: Disciples glorify God, and God desires to see His name glorified.  Isaiah 48:9-11, Ephesians 1:4-6, Isaiah 49:3, 2 Kings 19:34, and the list goes on.  God desires to be glorified and disciples are people who glorify Him as they share the Gospel and as they are personally conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Reason 2: God wants us to make disciples because He wants to experience joy.  John 15:11 - Jesus says, "I tell you this that My joy may be in you...".  What is the 'this'?  To be obedient to His commands.  What does soon-there-after command?  "Go make disciples".

Lastly, why disciples making disciples?  Why not just 'make disciples'?  The notion of replication seemed to be assumed by Jesus and the New Testament writers, but that is not always the case with modern-day church folk. Disciples Making Disciples is just that - a disciple being raised up so that he or she can go out and replicate, to make more disciples...who make disciples.  

In our next post, we will talk about what a disciple is.

- tC  

Dealing With Trials: Eternity Changes Everything

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If you look into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, you will see his assertion (which makes sense) that people have needs, and as you move up his pyramid of needs, the 'needs' start moving toward 'wants'.   The most basic needs are physiological - food, shelter, clothing, heat, etc.  Makes sense, right?  If I can't feed myself I'm likely to die, and therefore thinking a deeper issues of self-esteem and self-actualization don't really matter until my more basic needs are met.

Let's translate this to the place where I live - in the United States of America, in the seacoast of New Hampshire.  In my current location, the most basic needs are just assumed.  The vast majority of people in my area don't spent a lot of time thinking about if they will have food, clothing, and shelter tonight (yes some do - but proportionally very few).  How does this connect to dealing with trials? Well unfortunately, having our core needs met often makes eternity and Heaven fade from our minds.  And yet if we are able to gain an eternal perspective, all of our trials will change.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).  This coming from the man who was beaten, stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked and more.  But his perspective is this - today's trials and tomorrow's trials are a blip on the radar compared to what Heaven has for me.  It doesn't make the pain go away, but it does frame all of the trials through which we suffer.

I have a book in my office library called Whatever Happened To Heaven?  The title says it all - we, as American Christians, by-and-large have lost a solid and continual grasp on eternity.  We tend to want our daily trials to go away, but we often fail to think beyond the 'oh good - that trial is over' to the fact that 'trials just remind me that I have an inheritance in eternity with Christ waiting for me'
(1 Peter 1:4).

If I have faith in Christ and am redeemed by Him, all trials are momentary.  Even if I were to suffer all my life, it is still momentary compared to eternity.  Theologian R.C. Sproul once stated it this way - If I receive forgiveness of my sins and eternal life in Christ, and then for the rest of my earthly life I suffer terribly, I still make out like a bandit.

Trials become a totally different experience when they are re-framed in light of eternity.

- tC

Does Some Pain Not Count?

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As we think about pain and, as per our last post, the idea of having perspective on pain, we can often fall into one of two extremes.  One extreme is to think or say, "Unless I am in a country that is being ravaged by war and I am physically sufferings because of malnutrition, my pain is not legitimate and I should just get over it."  The other end of the spectrum is to think that all pain is equal and therefore me feeling a bit sad today is pretty much the same thing as someone losing a family member to cancer.

Now when you read the second example, you may think, "But no one ever thinks that.  People know those aren't the same."  I would agree that many or even most people know that pain falls across a spectrum, but at least consider that when people express pain to a friend, a common response is to share a story of pain back so as to 'relate'.  Our inclination as humans is to make ourselves the center of the story, and we do this whether things are going well or if we are in the middle of a dark valley.

Here's the main point: All pain is real.  Not all pain is the same, but all pain is very real to the person who is experiencing it.  

There is pain felt by a person who lost a job, and in the moment that person can feel very real pain - the pain of rejection, the pain of doubts around self-worth, the pain of fear around how he/she will provide for the family, and the list goes on.  At the same time, a person who is suffering in the final stages of cancer is also experiencing real pain, and while most would argue that the second example is more painful than the first, the experience of pain often blinds us (for better or for worse) from being able to see clearly and from having perspective.

When it comes to application of this truth, here are three thoughts.

1.  When a person expresses pain, it is pretty rare that what the person needs is a 'suck it up' speech from you as the listener.  Perhaps after the pain has subsided a bit, a conversation can be had to talk though perspective on pain, as well as growing the ability to suffer well.

2.  It has been my experience that pain is best deal with ahead of time.  By this I mean in the moment most people don't want to be taught theological truth about pain, and in fact most people can't even hear it if they find the pain is too severe.  This means we must lay a foundation for dealing with pain before the pain comes.  We must build up our spiritual and mental reserves so that when we enter a dark valley, we have something which we can call up.

3. The presence of Christ is needed to give hope and offer healing in pain.  That often comes as a Christ-follower sits with and cares for those in pain.  I recall a story from Ravi Zacharias of when his daughter was experiencing some very real emotional pain as a young girl.  Ravi admits his solution was to lay out the facts of the situation, which as you can imagine did not help his daughter.  Ravi's wife's response was masterful.  She sat and held their daughter and sang some of their favorite hymns of hope.

- tC  

Dealing With Trials: Horizontal Perspective

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As our church ventures through the Book of James, we are reading and learning about how to think through and respond to trials.  In the next several posts I want to offer some reflections on the topic of trials.  Today, we are going to talk about having perspective horizontally. In future posts, we will talk about the reality of pain and how, regardless of how 'small' our sufferings might seem, they are very real.  We will also address the question of eternity and how pain fits into everlasting life.

When we go through trials or when we are suffering, there is a temptation to 'catastrophize', to make our situation into something that is all consuming and something that will never end.  The reality is that while this may be the case (i.e. someone suffering from a debilitating disease that will end in death), for most of us our trials are temporary and they do not have to be consuming.  This is where horizontal perspective is important.

The other morning I was driving with my two kids when my tire went flat.  There were several frustrations because of this situations.  First, I was going to be late to work and I had a lot to do. Secondly, trying to change a tire with two children in the car isn't exactly a cake-walk.  Thirdly, the lug nuts that keep the tire on were so tight that I actually bent the wrench.  Fourthly, I has popped one of our snow tires - tore it on the side - so there was no patching it.  And lastly, Jenny and I had just spoken a few days ago about having to take the snow tires off and now we will have to replace a snow tire that had only seen a few months of use.  Needless to say, I was feeling agitated.

But this is where horizontal perspective pays off.  You may be familiar with the phrase 'first-world problems'.  This is a catch-phrase to explain problems that those of us who live in first-world nations deal with i.e. microwaves breaking, iPhone screens getting cracked, our plow guy coming really late after a snow storm.  While it's a funny way to think about these challenges, there is so much truth in calling them what they are - problems that are most often very silly compared challenges like desperate poverty, sickness, hunger, war, and the list goes on.

And even in my own life, I was forced to think about the challenges of the day (flat tire and its implications) compared to the challenges of a young girl from my home church - not even 10 years-old - who has had cancer, a lung removed, multiple operations, radiation, and chemotherapy.  My flat tire is a joke compared to her past two years.  Now, I want to be clear - feeling emotional pain is real even if it's not life-altering like someone else's problems (and we will address this in the future), but God does give the majority of us the ability to look around and say, "I have some challenges and trials, but they are small compared to what some other's have to deal with."

There is freedom that comes from taking stock of the challenges others face in life.  Oftentimes, whether in another part of the globe or even in our our neighborhood, other people are facing challenges that are 10-fold what we face.  And when we gain perspective, we are able to have gratitude for God's grace toward us as well as empathy for what others are journeying through.

Then we can mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15).

When in a trial, horizontal perspective can be an enormous blessing.

- tC

Sunday Morning: What Is It?

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What is Sunday morning about?

When you or I attend what we often call 'church' on Sunday, what is that time about?
Some would contend that Sunday is about good music i.e. 'music that I like'.
Some might contend it is about the clear preaching of God's Word.
Some might offer that Sunday is about having a place where we are able to invite a non-believing friend.

Historically, however, Sunday morning has been called a worship service.
Simply put, Sunday morning is primarily about the worship of God, and secondarily it is about the benefit that you or I might receive as a congregant.

This is vital. This perspective begins to eliminate an approach to Sunday mornings that says it's all about me and if I like what is happening.  "I don't like the music", "I didn't like the sermon", "I didn't think that video was good" - all this language should fade because our primary focus is on the question of if God was worshiped in our gathering.  "What did I think about Sunday morning" is no longer the question - "Was God worshiped?" becomes the question.

Sunday morning is a worship service.
We gather to worship God.

-tC