Leadership Fridays: Be unoriginal and always be new

We like shiny new things. I think humanity always has. Novelty brings with it a sense of possibility. Every August, fans throughout Minnesota look at the new roster and think "This could be the season for the Vikes!" I tempted to think my new Kindle will finally give me bibliophilic, gadget-istic, transcendence. A possible change of any state (vocation, location, recreation, co-habitation) whispers the promise of something better... something new.

This age-old sense that new = better ("Here's a fruit we haven't tried before!") is amped up in a culture where we anxiously count the days until the "reveal" of the next product from Apple or the next star to arise in the night sky of reality T.V. As leaders we have to recognize we swim in this ocean as well. We are tempted to think that one of the deadly sins of leadership is to speak of things that people already know (yawn). We sense the need to innovate in order to stay fresh and to continue to lead.

Something dawned on me this week. I preach the same message every week. I encourage my friends with the same things day in and day out. And that isn't going to change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and the Gospel is the sole, unchanging basis of our one faith. I won't find any novelty in the message or the mission. The New Testament authors agree:

Finally, my brothers,rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. (Philippians 3.1)

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2.1)

Leaders, we will be repetitive. The message isn't subject to innovation. Are we o.k. with that? Is this search for "new", then, bad or good? Are we doomed to a life unsatisfied life of one limited new thing after another? Is there something more going on here?

New does not equal different
In Revelation, when Jesus proclaims that he is making "all things new" (nice name for a blog), he is not saying that he is perpetually making all things different. The Trinitarian God does not grow stale. He is always new and freshly alive but never changing. The work of redemption is bringing everything into conformity with this "newness."

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4.13–14)

Jesus is offering something unique to the woman at the well in offering her something perpetually new. A stream of living water is that cool, ever-flowing, always-clear brook you remember dipping your toes in. It's always new but never different. That's what makes it so refreshing. Christ delivers living water in the unchanging promises of the Gospel (2 Cor. 5:17-18) and his revealed (unchanging) glory (John 17:3, Hebrews 13:8). They are the only bases for life giving hope, transcendent beauty and a secure future.


When we stagnate in life, the ache for the new increases. Leaders, be careful that you don't satisfy that ache with something that only appears to be new. New purposes, new projects, new curriculum, new churches all stop being new. A new gospel (even with a subtle change) is no Gospel at all. Eternal newness, eternal life comes in an unchanging message. Stagnation only means we have missed an old truth. That is what we need each other.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3.12–14)

And the church needs leaders because they initiate the continual return to our original confidence. Newness is a matter of the heart and new ground is always taken there - with an old message. Don't forget this. Don't be troubled by your lack of originality. Everything that is "new" today will disappear in 50 years but the Gospel will still be bringing new life to those who have heard it a thousand times. And when you ache for something new, remember you need the same old message, not something different.

Rejoice in the "want" not the "what"

Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. (1 Chronicles 29.6–9)

It was a phat lot of cash that Israel had collected in this capital campaign for the first temple. At $1000 per ounce, 5000 talents of gold is somewhere around $6 billion dollars - and that's just the beginning of the giving. I don't know how this all came together, but I imagine some giant pile of treasure that the dragon Smaug would love to call home. It is hard to imagine NOT celebrating at the shear magnificence of it all. Yet, the celebration was about something more than bling. The people understood something about humanity and, therefore, this act was miraculous for more than shear quantity.

Naturally, we are pretty greedy little buggers - all of us. That doesn't mean we aren't charitable, it just means that we don't enjoy our giving. We'll do it, for the benefit of gaining some religious merit, but we won't like it as much as getting. A new economy like the one described in the words of Jesus, namely, that "it is more blessed (happy) to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35) is simply miraculous. A change in the human heart from greedy to generous is worth celebrating and it is the promise of the Gospel:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31.31–34)

"the people rejoiced because they had given willingly" - Rejoice in the "want" not the "what" - the heart not the results.

Mark Driscoll's Sermon on Haiti

HT (JT)

He who is forgiven much loves much - Luke Series #9

Out of the many news accounts of suffering and injustice this week, two tragedies stood above the rest. Our response to them provides some enlightening cultural commentary especially against the backdrop of Jesus' words to Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7.

The immense human suffering in the rubble of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti has captivated the world and aroused human compassion in every geologic and cultural corner... and that is a good thing. On the quieter end of the news, last week marked the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the legalization of abortion. Since that decision, 50 million little lives have been terminated in their mother's womb. Currently 3,500 babies die in abortions every day. It is a calamity the size of Haiti every 57 days - a tragedy the size of 9/11 everyday for 13,541 days straight.

It is hip to be "for Haiti" right now, but does our check-writing and well-wishing from a distance betray a self-righteous agenda - especially while the ubiquitous, tragic consequences of abortion remain largely unaddressed (or at least with much less zeal)? Can our charitable efforts for Haiti be rightly motivated if we are not moved to action on behalf of the unborn in our neighborhoods? What does it say about our actions in either area if we are happy to write a check but inconvenienced by personally engaging the real people in these struggles with compassion and mercy?


In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus finds himself in the home of a holy man. He is the guest of honor. The party is awkwardly interrupted by a prostitute who throws herself at Christ's feet in cathartic fit of sorrow and gratitude. Simon, the holy man, is indignant and uncomfortable in this display. Although, he has "welcomed" this woman into his house as an act of charity, he wants nothing to do with her (and her sin). Jesus' response to Simon, reveals his self-righteousness and cuts to the issue of genuine compassion.

Genuine compassion is fueled by a knowledge of personal neediness and grace received. "He who is forgiven much loves much" or, say it another way, "He who is forgive little loves little (to self-righteously promote self)."

Find out what this exchanges has to say about our contemporary "compassion" for Haiti and the unborn in this message.

Additional Resources
Overturning and Undermining Roe v. Wade: An Interview with Clarke Forsythe
Doug Groothuis on Fetus Fatigue
Questioning God Over Haiti - at theResurgence.com
Haiti earthquake updates from Compassion International
The Goal of the Gospel - the last Chapter of "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee
Discussion Questions

He did say it: Luke series #8

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (-Jesus, Luke 4.43)

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 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." (-Jesus, Luke 6.27–31)

Love your enemies. Three of the most radical words ever spoken by Jesus. To this day, it is nearly impossible to repeat these three words without people demanding qualifications and caveats. Interestingly, Jesus provided none. Why? What do we these three words reveal?

1. Having enemies is a given. Luke 6:26 reveals that enemies arise when we don't comprise the truth to gain acclaim. It's a bad sign if we don't have enemies. It may mean we have loved the praise of men more then praise from God.
   
   
2. This, then, is not a command for universal passivity. We must stand for Gospel truth and we must actively seek to bless the enemies that arise from that stance.
   
   
3. When it comes to our enemies, Jesus is demanding something at the level of the heart, namely, love, blessing and prayer.
   
   
4. Jesus has the audacity to command something that, on our own, is impossible.
   
   
5. The Good News of the Kingdom is that the Kingdom of God brings a new economy. In the Kingdom, enemies are loved and the cycle of offense and retribution is broken. All this happens as a result of fundamental change in the heart (Ezekiel 36:26 and Titus 2:11-14), not more religious duty.
   
   

In this message we investigate 1) what Jesus is demanding here, 2) why we should listen, 3) how we can obey this command and, yes, a few caveats.

Additional Resources
How the Gospel Changes Us - a collection of free messages by Tim Keller
Discussion Questions

Totally, like whatever... you know? Does that make sense?

A great commentary on the degradation of language. Check it.
HT (JT)

"Downtown Church" - New Patty Griffin

A great little article from NPR on Patty's new album.

"She got to work with Buddy Miller (among other friends, including Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale and a couple members of the royal family of gospel, Regina and Ann McCrary), producing an album that's so mesmerizing, it's difficult to believe Griffin isn't a card-carrying member of The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville. (That's where she recorded the album last January.)

But what makes Downtown Church even more relevant — and, frankly, more touching — is that Griffin says she's working through complicated feelings about religion and her own sense of faith. Downtown Church is her way of exploring those feelings. For the rest of us, the music is just plain good. And, for some of us, it's a feel-good re-introduction to ideas and feelings that might be uncomfortably familiar.

Downtown Church will be available in stores on Jan. 26, but you can hear it here, in its entirety, between now and then."

Gospel music from a seeking Patty Griffin? I'm in.

Leadership Fridays: "I just want to know you love me unconditionally"

"I just want to know you love me unconditionally."

These were her words after much discussion. We had been talking past each other for an hour and I was dutifully trying to lead us into "right thinking" but, at the root of all of it, Shelli just wanted to feel my unconditional love.

If you are a leader in any capacity, you know this is easy to miss. We will be "heart-deaf" when our agenda and self-concern (even about our "effectiveness") rule the day. Defensiveness and frustration are key signs (or at least the precursors) that we are not listening to the hearts of those we lead.

We need to stop being so self-concerned that we cannot be others-concerned. We need to get out of our own way enough to love those we lead. When you sense criticism, don't defend, ask questions. Seek to understand the concerns and fears at the root of the criticism. When you're frustrated that people aren't following you, don't grumble, find out why. If you are humble, you'll often find that in all your "leadership", you haven't be intentional to communicate your love. People feel safe and well-led when they feel loved.

Of course you'll never see out of your pit of defensiveness and frustration if you aren't trusting in the Gospel. So, if this is your struggle, start there. Ask if your defensiveness comes from needing to be identified as a "good leader." Examine whether your frustration comes from feeling that those you so diligently lead owe you something (well, them and God, of course). The Gospel has something to say about these things. When you believe what it says, you find a blessed self-forgetfulness and freedom to seek the interests of others before your own.

Incidentally, that's what Jesus calls leadership (Luke 9:46-48, Matthew 20:25-28 and 1 Peter 5:1-5).

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2.3–8)

P.S. Shelli, I really love you.

Additional Resources
"Do you get it, really..."

(From the "I-wanna-be-like-this" files) A Great Picture of Real Concern for Haiti

haitiadoption.org
Haiti Adoption through Bethany Christian Services

"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men" - Luke series #7

The American church is in a state of crisis. Churches are faltering at a rate of 3500 per year and the hypocrisy of American Christianity is notorious. Why is the church no longer a community where lives are transformed from self-absorbed to God-entranced? ... from sadly narcissistic to joyfully generous?

This message in our series "the red letters" looks for answers in the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11.


Jesus' example reveals the importance of the right message, the right approach and the right leader.

The right message
Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:18-18, 43). Without a resolve to uphold the orthodox Gospel at the root of all teaching, the church quickly abandons Christ for another Gospel (subtle though it may be). This removes the lifeblood of any fruitful, Christ-exalting church.

The right approach
Jesus preached to the crowds and chose a few "that they might be with him and he might send them out" (Mark 3.14). Our minds tell us, that for big impact, we need big programs and events. Jesus, because he cared for the crowds, focused on multiplying his life through a few. Too many churches are busy and, yet, do not know each other enough to truly spur one another on to love and good deeds. "More time with less people equals greater impact."

The right leader
Jesus revealed that he was the authority even where Peter was an expert (fishing). He is the head of the church. The church is to grow up into one head (Eph 4:15), following His example and teaching for His glory. Any confusion on this is disastrous to the church as, inevitably, a faulty personality or idea rises to take Christ's place.

The message examines the state of Summitview in these areas as well as the attitude that should naturally arise (shown in Peter) when these things are held correctly.

Additional Resources
Discussion Questions

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 2

(continued from 1/13/10)

Pack a lunch
Shelli and I have been together for almost 17 years and I feel like, in some things, we are just getting to know each other. Over the last several years we have lived with various friends for an extended time and, in that time, we are always amazed at what we learn. This is why discipleship takes time.

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. (Proverbs 20.5)

The purpose in my heart must be patiently pumped out by a man of understanding. That takes time. Once the purpose is exposed, I need help seeing how the Gospel addresses it. That takes even more time. Discipleship is time-consuming. If we are going to do it, we need to pack a lunch and be intentional to provide the time. We aren't going to be able to do everything an American family is expected to do (hobbies, extra activities, entertainment, etc). If we are unwilling to live differently, I'm not sure why we should expect the Gospel to affect us at all.

Let the Scripture set the agenda
For years now the Bible has served this role in my relationships: ask a lot of questions about life and then, when I see any problems, I bring in the Bible as a source for solutions. This acknowledges that the Bible is an inerrant source for solutions but it misses something.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4.12)

The Bible is authoritative. It reveals us, we don't reveal it. More than a resource, the Scripture is a mighty force for the change we seek in discipleship. A church that is making disciples will lean on the Scripture in personal conversations and in teaching because it, and not our wisdom, pierces through our defenses and addresses the heart.

Stick to Good News
No one says it better than Keller:

"For a long time I understood the “gospel” as being just elementary truths, the doctrinal minimum requirement for entering the faith. “Theology,” I thought, was the advanced, meatier, deeper, biblical stuff. How wrong I was! All theol- ogy must be an exposition of the gospel"

If we are going to be transformed, if we are to find life, hope and joy we need to be experts in the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17). It's not the doorway to greater truth, it is the keel on our ship at all times. It is the only thing that promotes goodness and change while excluding boasting. It is the only thing that offers a no-strings motivation for love and forgiveness. All theology and every principle must be shaped by and grounded in the Gospel. Don't move past it. Stick to it.

Resource the Good News
Because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation, we need to be continually refreshed in it. Disciple-making environments are Gospel-soaked environments. We should be continually looking for new ways to bring Christ-exalting, Gospel-rich, biblically-solid resources to the church. Write a blog or something. Think of social networking as a place to resource your friends. Buy books for people. Buy books for yourself. Read them. Read them with others. Listen and watch great messages. Swim. (Here is an example)

Pray. And when you pray...
Because disciple-making is a matter of the heart, the prayers of disciple-makers will be heart-focused. That is what we see of Paul's prayers. They are prayers to realize the greatness of God and the wonders of the Gospel at the level of the heart. (A collection of New Testament Prayers - MS Word)

Leaders, in your doing, think more about training

what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2.2)

There are four generations in this passage. In everything we do, we should be thinking about how to train someone else to do the same thing. In fact, we should seek to train trainers. Do more than delegate. Do things with people with the intent to train. This will leverage your activities, not create new ones.

Help people together. Ask someone you meet with one-on-one to bring someone else on occasion. Bring families together and be willing to be interrupted by parenting. It will bless your kids and create a learning environment for the parents. As a pastor, I'm asking people who need counseling to bring their small group leaders or close friends with them. This increases the involvement of a community and trains people to minister the Gospel to the hurting.

Give up the need to be cool
If you are carrying the Gospel message, you're not going to be a trend setter (at least not for long). I know. I feel it. We are known as the backward ones. The non-thinkers. The hypocrites. The freaks. I know, it's not fair and it would be so great to find some respect out there but it ain't happening.

The drive for cultural acceptance is always attended with a drive to shave off the "unacceptable" parts of the message. When we do that, we sacrifice the very truth that changes us and discipleship stops. Whatever your approach, you'll be despised somewhere. It's o.k. be different "wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7.33–35).

Think small and personal, not big and flashy
Big and flashy takes time and does not address individual needs. We have all grown up believing that big impact comes with big events, big numbers and flashy production. We need to shake that mentality and strategically plan for personal administration of Gospel truth. Jesus taught the crowds but His ministry was for a few. The church in Jerusalem met in people's homes.

From The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne:

"...despite the almost limitless number of contexts in which it might happen, what happens is the same: a Christian brings a truth from God's word to someone else, praying that God would make that word bear fruit through the inward working of his Spirit."

That is disciple-making and it looks small and humble, but it's how people change.

The End
Could it be that the ubiquitous hypocrisy and burn out in the American church might be a result (at least in part) of our focus on building churches over making disciples? Certainly there are reasons to believe there is a connection. Regardless, Jesus' mandate is clear. Our focus is to be life-on-life discipleship (Matt 28:19-20, 2 Tim 2:2). My prayer is that this series will stir a desire for that simple (yet demanding) ministry and that it may generate some creative ideas for change. May this really be just the beginning.

Additional Resources
The Supremacy of Christ and The Gospel in a Post-Modern World - Tim Keller (an absolute must-watch for those interested in evangelism)
"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." - last Sunday's message on Luke 5:1-11, which addresses many of the things in this series. (Discussion Questions)
The Trellis and the Vine - I'll mention it again... it is worth your reading!

A final summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 1
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 2

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 1

Ubiquitous. It's a fun word. It describes things that are found everywhere: Starbuck's, thick-rimmed glasses, government spending... you get the idea. Churches who have a few, very busy, burned out or burning out volunteers wondering why people don't change are, unfortunately, ubiquitous. It seems easy to end here.

For the last several weeks, I have been describing what my fellow pastors/leaders have discovered needs to change in our church. Today I'm hoping to lay out some preliminary ideas for that change (also a fun word lately). It is the final post on the series that began with the discovery that Jesus said He would build his church and He called us to make disciples.

Here's a summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"?
Be ruthless, not reckless
As the distinction between "church-building" and "disciple-making" becomes clear, it is easy to recklessly trim church structure and programs. Make no mistake, in many situations, we need to do more than tweak our existing structures. We are talking about fundamental change and we may need to start from scratch. We must be ruthless about our extra-biblical processes and patterns but ruthless is different than reckless.

We can't be afraid to slaughter sacred cows but we must be careful with people. Many have given their lives (in good faith) volunteering to serve in the structures we are demolishing. Most of them are there because we or other leaders have asked for their help. They have some vision for their ministry and, if it must change, they need to see some vision for that change. Be patient and open to dialogue. Build vision for the new before tearing down the old.

First impressions are critical
Somehow our conscience to evangelize is sharper than our conscience to make disciples (which is much more than evangelism). My sense of obedience is much stronger after "sharing the gospel", than it is after a night of transparent, bible-saturated conversation with friends. This is a problem. Gospel-sharing occurs without any intentions for disciple-making (and that becomes acceptable). I shudder to think of how many times I have sat down and walked through a gospel presentation without the desire or margin to carry on the relationship.

Here is the thing. If this happens, people might still hear the Gospel and, because it is the power of God for salvation, they might trust it and become followers of Christ but they learn something wrong. They learn that we have a sales pitch to make and not a life to share. Out of the gate, the emphasis in the Christian life is on the sale and not on transformation. This produces a climate where the Gospel is received on an intellectual level but does not change us. Our internal lives remain unknown and, consequently, unaddressed by Gospel truth.

But, really, who has time for all this? I might have time for a two-hour conversation/presentation of the Gospel, but I'm already swamped with responsibilities and relationships. I can't add any more.

Yeah, that's a problem as well.

(continued tomorrow)

Haiti: Where are you O LORD?

As the news of the Haiti earthquake broke yesterday, Reuters reported this:

Panic-stricken residents filled the streets desperately trying to dig people from rubble or seeking missing relatives as dark fell shortly after the quake.

"People were screaming 'Jesus, Jesus' and running in all directions," Delva said.

A major earthquake, of magnitude 7 or higher, is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage.

It isn't hard to read between the lines. "O the pain and destruction! Where is your God now?" Throughout the world, the question resounds to the faithful. Our response must be biblically accurate and, accordingly, filled with compassion.

After the Tsunami in 2004, John Piper provided tremendous grounding for both in a sermon to Bethlehem Baptist and an interview with NPR. I would encourage you to review both. The NPR interview is amazing in content and countenance (you'll note that the interviewer is rattled throughout) - if you don't have time for both, listen to the interview today or download the .mp3.

Here's a summary of Piper's main points in both the sermon and the interview:

1. Satan is not ultimate, God is.
2. Even if Satan caused the earthquake in the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas, he is not the decisive cause of 100,000+ deaths, God is.
3. Destructive calamities in this world mingle judgment and mercy.
4. The heart that Christ gives to his people feels compassion for those who suffer, no matter what their faith.
5. Finally, Christ calls us to show mercy to those who suffer, even if they do not deserve it.

Show Mercy
Many relief organizations have already established funds for earthquake relief in Haiti. Help.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3.16–18)

Some respected relief organizations
Compassion International

A video from Compassion president, Wess Stafford on Jan 15th, 2010

Samaritan's Purse
American Red Cross
A nice collection organizations from the Desiring God blog

Adoption organizations that work in Haiti (to think about after the news is gone)
haitiadoption.org
Haiti Adoption through Bethany Christian Services

Additional Resources
Does God Hate Haiti? - a piece from Al Mohler (in response to Pat Robertson)
Randy Alcorn interviewed at Justin Taylor's blog regarding his latest book "If God is Good..."
Jesus in Haiti - a poem by Piper

A Sweet and Bitter Providence

"I can help daddy"

On a couple of occasions one of our children has overheard Shelli and I talking about financial concerns and responded by putting change into an envelope and giving it to us to "help." Two things hit me in these moments:

1. I am profoundly moved. It is an instant emotional explosion. Their wholehearted, no-strings-attached, because-I-adore-you response is pure beauty.
   
2. It is so small. A buck seventy-three isn't really going to help us pay many bills. What they are capable of bringing is so much smaller than the need and much smaller than I can provide myself.

Today I am overwhelmed by the amount of work I want to do. I can honestly say that much of it is motivated by a love for God. The thought that my Father sees a tattered envelope with a buck seventy-three is at the same time comforting, joy-giving, perspective-providing and energizing.

Well done kids.

Additional Resources
Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 26:6-13
Mark 12:41-44
John 14:21-13
Luke 13:32
Romans 11:32-36
Hebrews 6:10

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

(continued from yesterday)
These four characteristics of a disciple-making church bring us to the end of our (not exhaustive) list. Find the rest of the list here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

8. Hospitality. Whether it is the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42), Cornelius (Acts 10:48), Lydia (Acts 16:15) or the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:34), Luke reveals that hospitality accompanies salvation. In fact, in the New Testament, hospitality is so fundamental to the Christian life that it is a requirement for elders (1 Tim 3:2).
   
   Because church-building results in a focus on programming and events, they become the context for developing relationships. But making disciples is a much more intimate affair and it often happens over a meal and hours of discussion...in a home. In a church where disciples are being made, hospitality is common - even in the land of closed garage doors and foreign neighbors.
   
   
9. Peace. A common Savior (because Christ is central), common goal (because all are commissioned to make disciples) and common humility (because the Gospel is cherished) provide a foundation for unity (Eph 4:1-6).
   
   
10. Reproduction. Structure and personality will eventually be eaten by worms. The perseverance of the Gospel and the Church over 2000 years marked by different cultures, methods, personalities and governments, reveals the strength of the Great Commission. Disciple-making is reproducible in any situation.
    
    
11. An open hand on the results. Life-sucking legalism nips at the heels of every church. It leads to a white-knuckle grip on self-justifying results. Leaders get mad at the folks they lead because they aren't falling in line and validating their leadership. Parents are intense because good kids justify their "godly parenting." The pressure mounts with no rest.
    
    A culture of disciple-making focuses on the perfect righteousness of Christ that comes by faith (1 John 4:7-19). In this culture, actions follow blessing they don't lead to blessing. White-knuckles, competition and comparison are eliminated. We do because Jesus has done it all, not to obligate Him to do more (2 Cor. 5:14-15 and Psalm 4:5).
    
    The Gospel is communicated to neighbors and co-workers as an overflow of love for Christ not as a means of earning a place in the church. Parents parent because they are obeying their Savior, not to get good children. Husbands selflessly lead because they are modeling Christ, not to get perfect affirmation from their wives. Obedience is motivated by love not by earning (1 Cor. 4:7 and Titus 2:11-14) and this motivation is championed (John 14:15 and 1 John 3:24).

Maybe next year's Christmas programs will be more simple, maybe they won’t. In either case, I’m praying that 2010 will be the year that disciple-making takes its proper place over church-building. May God graciously bring these effects in churches all over America.

Additional Resources
A summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples V. Building Churches - Part 2

(continued from yesterday's post)
The culture of a church committed to making disciples will be distinctive from a culture committed to building a church. These four "downstream effects" continue our New Testament survey of disciple-making cultures.

4. The number of disciples increases. Throughout the book of Acts, Luke recounts seasons of increase in the number of disciples who were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7, Acts 14:21-22).
   
   If your goal is a crowd and you succeed then you will have a crowd and not necessarily anything else. If your goal is to make disciples then any increase will be with people whose desire is to obey Christ and not simply join a crowd.
   
   
5. Prayer looks more like the prayers of the New Testament. Our Father knows how to give good gifts so we have freedom to ask God for many things (Luke 11:5-13, Hebrews 4:16, James 5:13) but some prayers stand on promises.
   
   The new covenant gives us a better hope than any promise for better circumstances. It is a better hope by which we draw near to God (Hebrews 7:18-19). So prayers for individuals to see God’s glory (John 17:24 and 2 Cor. 4:4-6), love (Ephesians 3:14-20) and our hope (Ephesians 1:15-18 and Col. 1:9-11) are in accordance with the promises of the Gospel.
   
   In a culture of church-building, prayers are often focused on nickels, numbers or the next big event. In a culture of disciple-making, prayer is continual (1 Thes 5:16-18), individual and Gospel-centered.
   
   
6. Leaders are full of grace and power. Because they are disciples before they are leaders, the leaders have shown that their leadership is motivated by a love for Christ above a desire for recognition (Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9).
   
   Leaders are not dictatorial when the hearts of individuals are valued above numbers and quality programing. Yet, in their gracious concern for individuals, the leaders are not ineffective at leading. Their example powerfully inspires the church to wholehearted devotion to Christ.
   

   So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5.1–3)

7. People are sanctified. The goal of a disciple is to be like their teacher (Luke 6:40 and Romans 8:29). In a community where the word of God increases and the Gospel is cherished, people have all they need to change (John 17:17 and 2 Peter 1:3-4). Tim Keller provides a great description of this God-enabled, Gospel-empowered change:
   

   “Sanctification is not by ‘works’ but by a continuous re-orienting ourselves to our justification. So sanctification is not moralistic. Yet it takes enormous effort (so it is not quietistic.) When we feed on, remember, and live in accordance with our justification, it mortifies our idols and fills us with an inner joy and desire to please and resemble our Lord through obedience. But the feeding on, remembering, and living in accordance—takes all our effort.”

   In a disciple-making church, relationships are essential to reveal sin and idolatry. They also support repentance and the "enormous effort" of re-orienting ourselves to our justification.
   

(to be concluded tomorrow)

Additional Resources
Preacher Onlys are Not Good Preachers - Tim Keller
The Centrality of the Gospel - How the Gospel shapes the Christian life by Tim Keller (from Galatians 2)
What an Ornament to the Church! - a quote from "The Reformed Pastor" by Richard Baxter
Biblical Eldership - a fantastic book on the call and qualification of elders in the church by Alexander Strauch
The Prayers of New Testament Authors - a collection in a MS Word document

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1

It was a beautiful service. The set was gorgeous. It was complete with towering Christmas trees decorated to emphasize the main point of the sermon. I would have paid to see the band play. The musicians were excellent performers - comfortable with the crowd and, as they say, tight. The church was packed with the hundreds who had, over the past 5 years, made this burgeoning church their home.

Many of us had the same experience this past Christmas, either as a visitor in the home church of a family member or in our own church. Sure, there were varying degrees of excellence but there was something every Christmas program had in common this year. They all took time and resources. The amount of time was, most likely, dependent on the size of the church. As churches grow, so do the expectations for the special performances. I know of churches whose preparation for the Christmas service begins in July.


The problem with my experience this Christmas was that I know a little something about the church. The church held all the right beliefs, but those beliefs were not working into the lives of the members. The Gospel was not finding its way into conversations about relationships, parenting, work and overcoming sin. With this in the background, it was hard to sit in this multi-million dollar facility during an excellent Christmas Eve service and relax. All I could see was the hours of effort to produce temporary excitement while many members were left alone to apply the Cross to their lives. It was like the 40 minutes of Christmas dinner that took 8 hours to prepare.

Excellent programming and big services are not inherently wrong. There are great examples of churches with excellent programming, growing numbers, building projects and changed lives but they are few. The "big" things too often distract from business of the church - at least as Jesus defined it. My Christmas experience is a great example. I only know because recently I have been broken over similar misplaced priorities.

Four weeks ago I wrote of the simple revelation that broke me and my fellow pastors and leaders. Jesus commanded us to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20) and he takes responsibility for building the church (Matt. 16:18). Three weeks ago I discussed why it is tempting to pursue church-building over disciple-making. Two weeks ago I looked at the detrimental effects of focusing on church-building. The next three posts will examine 11 downstream effects (according to the New Testament) of committing resources to discipleship as a priority.

1. Christ is central.
   The first one is simple. Real disciples of Christ really put Christ first (Eph 4:15). Jesus freaks will distinctively mark a disciple-making church.
   
   
2. The word of God increases. As Luke recounts the history of the first church, he mentions an interesting indicator of success. He tells us that "the word of God increased" (Acts 6:7 and Acts 12:24).
   
   In the first case, the number of disciples was increasing in response to daily, ceaseless preaching "in the temple and from house to house" that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 5.42). So much was the increase that the shepherds needed to create structure to better minister to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals (Acts 6:2-4).
   
   Think of the situation. The numbers were increasing. Peter spoke and 3000 were "added to their number" in one day (Acts 2:41). It would have been very tempting to start thinking on a large scale, exclusively. My mind would be focused on how to leverage Peter's preaching for greater impact. But, in the explosion, the apostles did not let go of the simple focus on "feeding the sheep" and the word of God increased (Acts 6:7).
   
   In the second case, Luke provides another of his many contrasts. Herod put on his royal robes and gave great oration. His speech led the crowds to proclaim, "this is the voice of a god, not of a man!" (Acts 12:22). Big production. Big response. Big contrast to the increase of the word of God:
   

   Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied. (Acts 12.23–24)

   When a church maintains its focus on making disciples the word of God increases. This is counter intuitive to the natural man. In our natural thinking, the word of God increases with the volume and reach of the delivery... not so with kingdom of God. The word increases when we invest in one another, speak to one another, spur one another, pray with one another, weep with one another and love one another.
   
   When disciples of Jesus are made in the church, the word of God increases in the church. This gives the Holy Spirit a vocabulary that builds by pointing to the promises we have in Christ (Hebrews 6:13-20 and John 14:26).
   
   
3. The Gospel is cherished. Disciple making begins with an assumption: disciples must be made. We all need to change and change begins with honesty about our failures. Being transparent about sin destroys any silly notion that we can achieve a righteousness of our own even by our own standards (Romans 3:21-24 and 1 Timothy 2:3-6). The Gospel is every disciple’s only hope and, when disciple making is the focus of the church, the Gospel is cherished.

to be continued tomorrow...

Additional Resources
Changing Lives - Faithwalkers 2009 - audio from Great Commission's recent Christmas conference.
A message (.mp3) to our leaders regarding the practical effects of this change in paradigm
"The Trellis and The Vine" - by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne