Category Archives: Discipleship

Partnership with God

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I sometimes envy others who are connected to people in “high places”.  Doors of opportunity just seem to magically open for them. They seem to be able to accomplish more, to do more significant things, and overall operate on a higher plane of existence.

Of course, it’s not true. But sometimes I’m tempted to believe the lie. The lie that if I was better connected life would be better.

Can you relate?

Do you have a list (maybe just in your head) of people you wished you knew? Or better yet, do you have a list of people you wished knew you?

Yeah, me neither 🙂

Here’s the good news!

We don’t have to envy others in “high places” anymore.

The God of the universe not only knows us but created us to be in a relationship with Him. But not just any kind of relationship. God created us to be in partnership with Him.

What does that mean?

Watch this short video and find out:

 

For more great videos like this go to www.jointhebibleproject.com

4 Reasons To Read The Bible As A Family

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Forget for a second that your teenagers pretend they don’t want to be around you. Forget that the first time you try to do this it is going to feel awkward. Forget that you feel like you don’t know the right way to do it.

Just pick a time of the day and go for it. Use a Bible reading plan. Read together for 15 mins.  Talk about what you read. Then close in prayer.Wm._Riley_Blankinship,_miner,_with_his_children._Koppers_Coal_Division,_Kopperston_Mine,_Kopperston,_Wyoming_County..._-_NARA_-_540984

Don’t worry if at first it doesn’t seem fruitful. What’s important is the routine of reading the Bible together as a family.

Because reading the Bible as a family does four things for your family:

First, it shows that you as the parent value the Bible.

This might seem like a small thing. It’s not. Teen’s attitude toward the Bible will often reflect their parent’s attitude toward the Bible. If teens don’t see their parents holding the Bible in high esteem, then neither will they. One of the greatest ways parents can contribute to the faith of their students is to share with them why they (the parents) reads the Bible, and how it has changed their lives.

Second, it centers your family around God’s Word.

Every time your family reads the Bible together, you are in a very simple way saying to your family that “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” It’s a simple reminder to the family that your family is not like other families. Your family has different values, different traditions, different expectations. Your family is a family that seeks to follow Jesus. When you read the Bible together as a family you are reshaping your family’s identity. You’re grounding your family in something bigger than sports, music, video games, clothes, appearances, and other stuff. You’re giving your kids a sense of security that is hard to find anywhere else.

Third, when families read the Bible together it opens up the lines of dialogue.

Having trouble talking to your teens? Read the Bible together. Then ask them what came to their mind as they read (or heard) the words? What questions did they have? What did it make them think about God? What about their their life? About their friend’s lives?  Don’t worry about having all the right responses. Instead just focus on hearing what is on your teen’s heart. Think of it as a three-way conversation between you (the parents), your teens, and God. Trust that God’s Word is alive and active. And overtime God will use His Word to open up your teen to sharing what is on his or her heart.

Fourth, it might just save their marriage (and yours).

This might seem random, but it’s not.  There is a long held belief that the divorce rate in America is 50%. Now it turns out that it’s not quite that high at all. But do you know what the divorce rate is for couples who regularly read their Bibles together or pray together– less than 1%. That means if you help your children feel like reading the Bible as a family is normal, they might just do that with their spouse one day. And it might just be the one consistent practice that gives them the foundation to weather all the storms of life that come in a marriage. Not to mention reading the Bible as family will likely strengthen your marriage, which will in turn give you children  a healthier picture of marriage. It’s win-win.

 

Yeah, it might be awkward. Yes, it will take some practice. But know that it is worth it.

Because families that read the Bible together are simply, better families.

 

 

What Puritans Can Teach Us About Family Worship

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What can I do to help my kids grow spiritually?

For most of us, the first thing that comes to our mind is to teach our kids the Bible. This is great, but depending on the age and stage of our kids this can be rough. So what can we as parents do?

This week I came across a conversation between  Tim Challies and Dr. Joel Beeke on the family worship habits of Puritans.  In it, Dr. Joel Beeke points out that for Puritans reading the Bible was just one part of family worship. But it certainly wasn’t the only part.

Below is a part of the conversation between Tim Challies (TC) and Dr. Joel Beeke (JB). You can read the entire conversation here.

TC: To hear people talk about the Puritans, you would imagine they were harsh toward their children, making them endure endless hours of family worship. Is this accurate?

JB: Endless hours in family worship would have been impossible for most people in the seventeenth-century. In Puritan New England, many people were farmers who had to labor hard to produce food. Children also had much to do in school, household chores, and working alongside their fathers and mothers to learn a vocation. The Puritans also took time for recreation. They enjoyed hunting, fishing, shooting competitions, and wrestling—two New England Puritan ministers were famous amateur wrestlers. They enjoyed music in their homes, owning guitars, harpsichords, trumpets, violas, drums, and other instruments. There was a lot to do; family devotions were one part—albeit the most important part—of a busy daily schedule.

The Puritans aimed at pithy instruction and heart-moving prayer. Samuel Lee wrote that in all our teaching of the family we should beware of boring the children by talking too much. Long devotions overburden their little minds. It is best to hold the attention of children by using spiritual analogies with flowers, rivers, a field of grain, birds singing, the sun, a rainbow, etc.

 

What is clear from this brief exchange is that Puritan families were spiritually strengthened by at least three practices:

They worked together

Whether household chores or learning their parent’s vocation, children worked along side their parents. This provided plenty of opportunities to for parents and children to talk together about life, the Bible, and the Christian faith. It was a way of living out the principles of Deuteronomy 6:4-7.

They played together

As hard as it is to imagine, puritans families had fun together. Sports, music, and just good old fashion play was a regular part of the their household interaction. They understood that all activities could be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

They enjoyed God’s creation together

Notice when teaching the Bible, parents were encouraged to use spiritual analogies to help children understand. They used pictures of flowers, rivers, fields of grain, singing birds, the sun, and rainbows, to help explain the Christian life. They used such analogies because they took pleasure in these creations. Puritans understood that one of the purposes of creation is to lead us to worship of our Creator (Romans 1:20).

 

Helping you family grow spiritually doesn’t have to be boring. And it doesn’t have to just consists of a series of Bible studies. If you really want your family to grow spiritually, then take a lesson from the Puritans. Work to together. Play together. Enjoy God’s creation together. Knowing that such practices will enhance those times when you do read the Bible together.

Reason In The Christian Life

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“If I became a Christian, I feel like I’d have to give up my mind.” That’s how one friend put it as he explained to me his struggle to become a follower of Jesus. For him Christianity appeared to be a religion built on faith, where people were expected to just believe certain things without knowing why.

If you’ve walked with Jesus in a healthy church community for any length of time, you likely know that there is more to following Jesus than mere belief. But maybe you’ve struggled to know what is the place of logic and reason in the Christian faith? Or maybe you’ve never even thought about the place of reason, because for you , it is has been easy to just believe what you believe. But is that it o.k?

What does the Bible say about the role reason should play in the Christian life? 

We Are Invited To Reason

Isaiah 1:18 states, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”.  The Israelites were encouraged by God to use their reason. In the context, God wanted them to use their reason to see their need for repentance. God was calling them to think about their sin, and then to think about what would be the consequences of their sin.  The expectation was, that when the Israelites reasoned about such things, they would repent, and turn to God–the one offering to save them.

In the New Testament God also put a great value on reason. In Romans 1:18-20, we see that the ungodly are without excuse, because “for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” God’s point is, since he has given people the intellectual faculties to perceive his existence from the created order, they ought to know that he not only exists, but that he should be worshiped.  The Bible is clear, God-given reason is a means by which we can come to believe in God and see our need for God.

We Are Called To Use Reason When Asked About Our Faith

1 Peter 3:15 states, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The Bible calls believers to give reasons for their hope (that is their hope in Christ). In other words when we as Christian are asked questions like, “why do you believe Jesus is alive, ruling, and worth following?” We should be able to say something more than, “I just believe”. Instead we should be able to give logical reasons for our beliefs. And we should be able to provide those reasons with gentleness and respect.   As J.P. Moreland writes, “If we are going to be wise, spiritual people prepared to meet the crises of our age, we must be a studying, learning community that values the life of the mind.” Having good reasons keeps us from having to be defensive or offended when people question our beliefs. When we have well thought out reasons, we can see every question as an opportunity to help others understand why we believe what we believe.

We Grow In Our Faith Through Reason

2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge…” Growing in our faith involves more than just growing as moral people. The Bible calls us to add to our faith, virtue and knowledge. This echos Jesus’ s words to “love God… with all your mind.” (Mark 12:30) God has given us minds,  so that we can worship him with our minds. Therefore a maturing Christian is one who grows in his or her ability to reason and understand the things of God. John Piper explains it this way, “God is not honored by groundless love. In fact, there is no such thing. If we do not know anything about God, there is nothing in our mind to awaken love. If love does not come from knowing God, there is no point in calling it love for God.”  Growing in our knowledge of God will help us grow in our love of God.

It is a real tragedy that some people still see Christianity as a religion that d0esn’t value the mind. The life of the mind and the exercise of reason is a vital part of the Christian life, and the Bible celebrates that. To be a Christian is to pursue reason, to use reason, and grow in our ability to reason.  We do this all as an act of worship to the God who created and reflects reason, and who will, one day,  completely restore all reason.

May we be a people who celebrate reason, and lead others to do the same!

 

What are you favorite ways to love God with your mind? 

 

 

 

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Quotes from:
JP Moreland’s Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

John Piper’s Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God

What Should The Church Expect From You?

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Two weeks ago I wrote a post entitled,  Three Things You Should Expect From Your Church Elders. It looked at the responsibilities of every church elder toward their members. If you’re considering church membership or already are a member of Fellowship you should take a moment to read it.

This week I want to move from the responsibilities of the church elder to the responsibilities of the church member. Specifically, what should the church expect from each member?

By church I don’t mean a building. The Greek word for Church in the New Testament is Ekklesia, which means an “assembly of people.”  In this case it the assembly of God’s people. Every time Christians assemble together, they are a church.

So, the question is, when we gather in our local assemblies, what should we expect from one another? Or to put it another way, as a member of a local assembly, what should my assembly expect from me?

God’s Word is clear, there are certain duties each member of a church should strive to carry out. When each member is faithful to carry out such duties, the church flourishes and is a beautiful community.  But, when church members fail to carry out such duties, the church dwindles and the community is down right ugly.

What are these duties which can make or break a church?

First, there are  the “one another” commands.

Then, there are a few other duties.

Now, I would encourage you to read over the above list a few times. And please click on each of the links,  and read all the Bible verses (they took me forever to link, so please use them :).

Then think for a moment, what would a church (an assembly of God’s people) be like if each member actually pursued all these duties?

Of course all us are imperfect, and all of us need the help of Jesus to carry these things out. But hopefully you can start to see just how beautiful a church could be if its members sought after these things.

If you knew that your church had members like this, wouldn’t you want to bring your friends? Wouldn’t you talk about your church to people at the office, or at school? Wouldn’t you want everyone you know to come to your church? Of course you would.  Because a church with members like this would be a church you would LOVE!

You can see now why such a church would flourish.

Jesus knows the potential beauty of every local church. And Jesus knows the potential every local church has to flourish.  And what He wants us to know is that such beauty and flourishing doesn’t happen with flashy programs or a lot of money. It doesn’t happen with celebrity preachers or even media savvy.  It doesn’t happen with the latest business techniques, or “church growth model.”  It simply happens when each member of the church strives to live out the responsibilities they have been called to.

I would love to see every local church grow and radiate with beauty because its members were living out their calling. Imagine if our city were filled with such churches. Imagine if our state or country were filled with such churches! What a difference there would be.

Maybe it’s a silly fantasy to think about. But maybe it isn’t. Maybe it just starts with you and me committing to live out our calling as members of a church.

Would you help us become such a church?

 

 

 

 

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List of church member responsibilities taken from Mark Dever’s  Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

Believers vs. Disciples

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Is a believer in Jesus the same thing as a disciple of Jesus?

I’ll admit as a pastor I’ve used the terms synonymously. But more and more I think to do so can be dangerous.

The Gospel writers did not see believers and disciples as synonymous. For them, believers and disciples represented two different groups of people. To be sure there was some overlap. A disciple of Jesus was a believer in Jesus, but a believer in Jesus was not necessarily a disciple of Jesus.

In the Gospels, what Jesus required of a disciple was different than what he required of a believer.  And because of that, the rewards Jesus promised to a disciple were very different than the rewards he promised to a mere believer.

Believers

Jesus called many people to believe in him. And the Gospel of John, frequently tells us that “many people believed in Jesus”.  But it seems that out of the many who believed, many did not follow.  For example after Jesus ministered to the Samaritan Woman, her village welcomed Jesus, believed in Jesus, yet did not follow Jesus. John 4:40-42 says,

So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

But then in verse 43 Jesus leaves for Galilee and no one from Samaria followers him. In fact throughout the Gospels there is no indication that anyone from Samaria joined the crowds of disciples that followed Jesus. It seems the people physically stayed where they lived and went back to their normal life. The only difference was that now they believed that Jesus was the Savior of the world.

How will these believers in Jesus be rewarded?

 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John1:12)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned… (John 3:16-18)

All believers are rewarded with being adopted into the family of God, and receiving eternal life. These of course are great and wonderful acts of God’s grace. But they are not the only rewards offered by God. There are greater rewards for a disciple.

Disciples

When Jesus called people to be his disciple he raised the stakes from believing in him, to dying with him.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)

Large crowds were traveling 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. (Luke 14:25-27)

To be a disciple of Jesus was serious business. It obviously required more than praying the sinners prayer, and asking Jesus into your heart. Jesus called people to not only believe in him, but submit to him, and physically follow him.

To be a disciple required death. Death to calling your own shots. Death to the idols of your heart. Death to other people’s opinions and expectations of you. Death to finding your security in the things of the world. Death to your version of success. Death to  finding significance outside of Jesus. Death to letting your life be about anything else other than following Jesus.

The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote:

  If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)

So, how will disciples of Jesus be rewarded?

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it (Matthew 16:25)

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you,…everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:29-30)

The first reward for a disciple of Jesus is life. The Greek word used in verse Matthew 16:25 is “psychē” .  It can  also be translated “soul”. Jesus is saying the disciples reward is deep soul-life.

But more than life for your soul, Jesus also promises rewards in heaven. To give up something for Jesus is like making a deposit, or investment in future rewards in heaven.  And Jesus pays enormous returns (100 times) to those invest in him.

Believers will go to heaven. But to the degree that they did not invest in Jesus on earth is to the degree that they will miss out on rewards from Jesus in heaven. To be sure heaven is joyful place for everyone who is there. But that doesn’t mean that everyone’s experience is the same. Jesus is clear, what you do on earth affects your experience of heaven. And for disciples of Jesus, the experience is better.

Maybe, this is one reason why Jesus wants disciples, and not just believers.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:18-20)

 

 

Three Things You Should Expect From Your Church Elders

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At Fellowship we’re gearing up for another church membership class. This is a great opportunity for attenders of our church to take the next step on the Path of Discipleship. And move from church attender to committed member. Now often when pastors talk about church membership we talk about expectations for our church members. But today I want to flip the conversation, and talk about what members should expect of church Elders[1]. Here are at least three things which every church member should expect from their Elders:

Soul Care– Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”

As a church member you should expect your church leaders to keep watch over your soul.  In fact, this job is so significant that each Elder will have to give an account to God about how they did.  What does soul care look like? At least three things. (1) Elders should help you grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (2) Elders should encourage and offer counsel to you when you are burdened by the things of this world. (3) Elders should protect you from the lies, deceptions, and evils which keep you from having joy in Jesus.  In short, Elders should care for your soul by teaching, encouraging, counseling, and supporting you, in every area of your life.

Now as much as Elders (myself included) would like to give this kind of care to every person we meet, the truth is it is just not possible.  But as a church member, you have made a public statement saying “I want my soul to be cared for by the leaders of this church.” Therefore, you can and should expect to have the priority of such care.

Tangible Acts of Love- 1 Timothy 3:2 says, “Therefore an overseer must be… hospitable… “

Hospitality is a lost art in our culture. But the Bible is clear an overseer (that is a church Elder) must be hospitable. Why is hospitality an necessary quality of Eldership? Because hospitality is a tangible expression of love for one another. To be hospitable is to open not only our homes to others, but our lives as well. It is to no longer minster to someone at arm’s length, but instead to bring them in close and  show them love.

Again, this isn’t something Elders can do for everyone. But if you are a church member, then you have committed to be a part of our family, and so in turn we commit to you. And one way we commit to you is by loving you in real tangible ways, like being hospitable. So as a church member you should expect your Elders to invite you into their lives and into their homes, as a way of showing you love.

Equipping– Ephesians 4:11-12 says,  “ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,…”

Elders fall under the categories of shepherds and teachers. But like the job of the apostles, prophets, and evangelists, our job is “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry”. What does this mean? First, it means our job is to help you grasp deeply the truth and power of the Gospel for your life. Then, help you understand how to rightly handle the Word of God. Next, we should help you discover your spiritual gifts. And finally, we should help you find a context for using those gifts to serve others.

Equipping the saints is something I’m passionate about. But it is a really big job, even in a not-so-big church.  Thus, it is not something that I or any other Elder can do for just anyone who comes to one of our ministry programs or who visits our church.  But if you’re a church member, then you are our target audience. And you can and should expect for us to equip you for the work of the ministry.

I’ll be honest as I look over the above three expectations I get a little nervous. Because as a pastor I’m reminded just how significant my job is, and at the same time just how often I fall short of meeting these expectations. And of course the above list isn’t even complete–there are still more expectations I could have added.  But despite my weaknesses, I still want to encourage every church member to expect these things from me and every other church Elder.

We might not complete our work with perfection (that’s why we too need soul care, love, and equipping as well). But even so, this is the job Christ has given us to do, and so you should expect us to do it.

[1] For Presbyterians, Pastors are also Elders.

Just One House

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On our second day in Detroit we were all set to pick up trash again, this time in a neighborhood on Chandler St.  We started walking down the street with trash bags in hand (we had also managed to score a weed whacker at the registration tent). Our goal was simply to pick up the trash on the sidewalk, whack down all the grass and weeds around the sidewalk, and then brush it all clean. It was a good plan, except for the fact that compared to yesterday’s sidewalk on W. Euclid St., there really wasn’t much to clean up. It appeared we were in for a less-than-fruitful day.

But then an elderly woman named Jules called out from her porch and asked if we could cut down some weeds around her house.

“Sure,” I said, being eager to do anything significant at this point.

So we started cutting down her weeds.

After the weeds, Jules asked if we would be willing to move some junk from her backyard.

“Yep, no problem we would love to do that” I replied.

So I gathered our group and we started cleaning the backyard.

Jules was thrilled at this point.  She had a lot of junk in her backyard that needed to be removed. And to show us that she was eternally grateful, she bought us lunch from KFC.

Though, as it turns out the KFC might have just been her way of buttering us up for what was next.  Jules’ husband had died in May, and in her house (on the top floor of course) were two rooms full of her late husband’s stuff. She asked if we could remove almost all of it.

“Yeah, we can do that,” I said.

We spent over four hours with Jules, and often heard her saying, “Thank you Lord, I am so blessed!” By the time we were done, her neighbors had come over to see who we were and what we were doing. They too were surprised and grateful to hear about why we were there and the work of Life Remodeled.

It was just one morning, at one house, helping one woman in Detroit, but on that day on Chandler St., it really felt like we had made a real difference in the city.

It’s often not about the sidewalk

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photo-1Last week I had a great time serving with students for two days in Detroit as a part of Life Remodeled.  It was great because God used our small efforts to make a big impact.

On our first day, our job was simply to pick up trash and clean the sidewalk on W. Euclid St.  We were there for about four hours and filled about a dozen large trash bags– even though we only cleaned about a hundred feet of sidewalk.

But it was great because during that day three things happened:

 

1.       We saw God open the door to the Gospel

Ashley brought a friend Reanna. And while we were talking and picking up trash Reanna announced she was not a Christian. It turned out that Reanna had never heard about who Jesus is or what He has done.  Later that day I had an opportunity to share the Gospel with Reanna, and afterwards she said that when she got home that night she would pray to ask Jesus into her life.

 

2.       We saw God at work in the community

As we were picking up trash, a few people who were driving by stopped and asked what we were doing. We told them we were joining with other churches and volunteers to serve and bless Detroit. Every person who we talked with was thrilled to hear this. Most of them couldn’t believe we were just volunteers who wanted to help.

 

3.       We saw people inspired to join in

Some of the people who asked what we were doing were so thrilled about it, that they too wanted to get involved. We then pointed them in the direction of the registration tent, and told them how they could sign up. It was so cool to see people in the community inspired to serve by a handful of trash-picking high school students.

God used our meager efforts of picking up trash on a hundred feet of sidewalk to share the gospel, bless a community, and inspire others to join in.

For me it was a great reminder that when it comes to serving God—it’s often not about the sidewalk.

Share The Gospel Like a Farmer

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Share The Gospel Like a Farmer pic

I am not a farmer. In fact, I am not even that great at taking care of the flowers in my yard.  But when I want to see something grow, I need to think like a farmer. And that means thinking about what it will take for a seed to have the best chance to grow.

Any farmer will tell you, if you want a seed to grow, you need good soil.  And to make good soil, you need to do three things: remove the rocks, add nutrients, and provide plenty of water.

When it comes to sharing The Gospel, the same thing is needed– good soil. That is, a heart that is fertile ground for the seeds of the Good News (Mark 13:1-8).  And if we want to produce that good soil, we need to take the same three farmer-like actions: remove the rocks, add nutrients, and provide plenty of water.

What does this look like?

Remove The Rocks– Everybody has rocks in their heart.  By rocks I mean those barriers in a person’s heart that keep them from fully and freely worshiping Jesus with their whole life.  These barriers might be negative attitudes toward God, pain caused by other Christians, false beliefs, or idols that are ruling their life.  Whatever the barriers, they must be removed if the seeds of The Gospel are going to grow. Our job as ‘spiritual farmers’ is to discern those barriers (by observing, asking good questions, and praying) in order to ask God to remove them.

Add Nutrients– Good soil is also full of good nutrients. Without nutrients in the soil a seed will have little chance at survival.  As Christians, it is our job to make sure we’re doing everything we can to fill the soil of the hearts around us with good nutrients. By this I mean filling the hearts of others with the goodness of God.

Matthew 5:16– “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Luke 6:30-31– “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Philippians 2:3-4– “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Imagine, if we lived out these commands, how open to The Gospel the hearts of those around us might be.

Provide Lots of Water– Rock-free, nutrient-rich soil is not enough for seeds to grow. Seeds, of course, need water.  Our water is the Living Water from Heaven– Jesus Christ (John 4:10).  Jesus is the well which never runs dry, He is the fire hydrant that gushes forth forever. But for some whose hearts are bone dry, His presence is too much. And as much as they might need to drink deeply from the Water that quenches all thirst, they might only accept the water that comes in drips. So how can we share this Living Water without scaring them to death?

Pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to them.
Pray that Jesus would care for all their burdens, needs, and pains.
Pray that you would be the presence of Jesus when you are around them.

 

Like the sun, only God can make things grow, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to help the situation.  So the next time you’re frustrated by someone who is unreceptive to The Gospel, ask yourself, have I done the work of a farmer?  If you have, then don’t worry. In the proper time God will make things grow.