Life2gether

• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• The Story of God for Kids by Soma Communities
• Engaging in Story by Soma communities
• The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative by Christopher Wright
• The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the
  Church’s Mission by Christopher Wright
• The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen
• Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian
  Worldview by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen
• Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story by Michael Goheen
• Treasure Trove of Articles and PP Presentations about the Story of God by Michael Goheen
• Shaped by the Story: Helping Students Encounter God in a
  New Way by Michael Novelli
• The Story of God, The Story of Us by Sean Gladding
• Redemption: Freed by Jesus From the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry by Mike Wilkerson

My buddy, Cam Potts, also pointed me to this great resource that “provides a beautiful, powerful, yet simple explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ using 4 major themes found in the Bible: Creation. The Fall. The Rescue. The Restoration.” Check out the website for more info.

This looks like a great devotion written by the folks from Seeds Family Worship.

One of the most powerful ways we can strengthen the church and spread the gospel is through the verbal encouragement of others.  As we stir up one another with our words, we remind one another of the Holy Spirit’s work within us expressed through our unique gifts and strengths. Just this Sunday my wife and I had the opportunity to encourage a young lady who helped lead us in worship. We came up to her after the service and told her that her voice and her presence helped to draw our hearts to God.

Isn’t it amazing that God uses our mouths as a means of building up his church? And when the church is strengthened, its influence can spread outward into the lives of others. I think of Paul as he reminds Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” (1 Tim. 1:6). What a cool metaphor to mediate on. I picture you and me sitting down by a campfire and the fire seems to be burning out. I take a stick and simply move the wood around and perhaps put another log on top. In just a few moments, the fire begins to burn brightly again spreading so rapidly that we have to push our chairs back because of the heat and flames. That’s what our words can do for others. They can stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit and his gifts within us to burn more brightly so that all can see his glory.

So here’s the challenge. When you witness the display of God’s grace and gifting in someone’s life, tell them. Point it out to them. Encourage them. And be specific. You never know how God could use your words as a way of stoking the fire of someone’s life to make a significant impact for Christ’s kingdom.

PICTURE #1: SWIMMING LESSONS

Every summer when we take our trip back to Iowa, my girls take swimming lessons. And every summer I’m amazed at how these ladies work with my daughters to teach them to swim. They don’t even realize it, but these lessons provide an incredible picture of what discipleship is all about. In a nutshell, here’s what they do:

1) They develop a relationship of trust
2) They show them how to do it
3) They do it with them
4) They let them do it and give constant encouragment along the way

*For more, read my previous post Swimming Lessons for Life

PICTURE #2: STARTING A NEW JOB

Brent Thomas shares a diagram he borrowed from Randy Pope:

Start in the bottom-right corner with “Directives.” When you start a new job, the first thing they typically do is dump a bunch of information at you; what’s expected of you, your duties/responsibilities, etc. Then, a trainer will oftentimes let you shadow him while you gradually begin to take on the responsibilities for yourself. Gradually, the trainer will withdraw and move into a support role. They are available for questions and assistance as needed, but you are beginning to take on more and more of the responsibilities yourself. Finally, the responsibilities are delegated fully to you and you are on your own in the workplace.

One of the most frustrating things you can do is give someone directives and then immediately delegate to them. And yet, for many of us, that is exactly how we approach discipleship. In sermons or Bible studies, we tell people what they should do/how they should live and then basically send them on their way saying “Now go do it!” This simply leads to burnout, anxiety and legalism.

But what’s missing in many church contexts is the actual process of helping others learn how to do what the Bible says. Jesus’ ministry was primarily to the Twelve who lived with him, ate with him, followed him, mimicked him, gradually learning to do what He did.

Another great article here from Jonathan Dodson on what it looks like to take up your cross and risk for the gospel. Here’s one section that convicted me:

For a disciple to take up his cross, then, is not merely an act of self-denial but, more importantly, submission to Jesus as your governing Authority, as your Lord. It is saying “no” to being your own authority, following yourself, and yes to Jesus’ authority. No to your own will and yes to his will.

Where are you saying no, and how can you start saying yes? Perhaps you are saying no to your neighbors. No, you can’t come over. No, you can’t borrow my stuff. No you can’t eat my food, and no, you can’t hear the gospel! What if you reversed those nos to yeses? What if you actually submitted to Jesus’ command to love your nieghbor as yourself (Lev 19:18; Matt 19:19), and to not withhold any good from outsiders (Prov 3:17; 1 Pet 2:17)?

You would start saying: Yes, you can come over. Yes, you can borrow my stuff. Yes, you can eat my food, and yes, let me tell you why—the generous gospel of grace!

A good word here from Jonathan Dodson:

Many of us practice our faith like it’s a cafeteria food tray, with all the different compartments for the entrée, veggies, the roll, and dessert. When we do this, we restrict Jesus to just one of the compartments, the dessert section, or if we are really spiritual, maybe the entrée. Christ is not permitted in the other sections of our lives. Jesus isn’t allowed into work ethic, family dynamics, or our entertainment. We worship him on Sundays, but treat our families or free time without a thought of Christ.

Dessert-Sized Jesus at the Family Table

Men, in particular, need to rearrange their view of Christ. Are you feeding your family a dessert-sized Jesus? Your wife and kids don’t see you connecting Jesus to everyday life. You don’t pray with your spouse or kids, you don’t apply the gospel to your use of movies, TV, computers, video games, sports. You don’t lead your family in any kind of regular Bible reading or prayer. Hec, you think highly of yourself if you happen to read the Bible for yourself. You don’t serve your wife. You don’t have a clue the last time you bought her flowers and told her why you love her. You don’t lift a finger to cook or clean. You come home, plop down on the couch, flip on the TV or computer, and eat your little dessert Jesus, watching your stupid little TV shows while your wife lingers in loneliness and bitterness and your children run around like crazy.

What if Jesus is the Tray? (or holds it together)

Why? Because you have a desert-sized Jesus. Jesus doesn’t fit in the dessert tray, or even the entree section. He is the tray! He is Lord of all, holding everything together, calling us to worship him in every aspect of life. What if you resolved to follow the real Jesus, the one who holds your whole life together? How would that change your family, your work, your free time?

Adapted from sermon on Ezra 6 The Temple and the Cafeteria Tray Jesus

My friend, Jonathan Dodson, is getting ready to launch a new website with a wealth of gospel-centered resources for everyday disciples who are on mission to make, mature, and multiply more disciples of Jesus. I’m humbled to be one of the contributors.

Read more about the vision of GCD.com and register for email updates here.

Kent Carlson, from his thought provoking book, Renovation of the Church:

We should not assume that those people who are attracted to our church have been captivated by the message of Christ and his alternate view of life …. We should be more truthful with each other here. They come because their high school kid likes the youth program, or because their children don’t get bored, or because they like the music, or because the pastor preaches the Bible the way they believe it should be preached, or because they happened to be greeted by a smiling face one day, or because the worship leader looks like Brad Pitt.

This is the hard, raw reality of life in the North American church. The people who come to our churches have been formed into spiritual consumers. This is who we are. It is our most instinctive response to life. And you can hardly blame us. Almost everything in our culture shapes us in this direction. But we must become deeply convinced that this is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the one who invited us to deny ourselves and lose our lives in order to find them. If we do nothing to confront this is in our churches, we are merely putting a religious veneer over consumerism and nothing is changed. We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living. And what is worse, our churches become part of the problem. By harnessing the power of consumerism to grow our churches, we are more firmly forming our people into consumers. Pastors end up being as helpful as bartenders at an Alcoholics Anonymous convention. We do not offer what people really need (p. 68).

If this is the culture we live in, what are the implications for how we make disciples?

(HT: Brent Thomas)

Michael Wallenmeyer:

I have learned in my own life and by watching others that asking people to give up their idols without filling up on the life of Jesus Christ may make them religious but it will also make them miserable (and miserable to be around). Instead, the gospel is calling us to fill up our hearts, our lives with a passionate love for Jesus Christ and this in turn will minimize the power of lesser pleasures (idols) in our lives.

How does this impact the way we teach, preach, and do discipleship? How does this change the way we counsel one another? How does this change the way we disciple our own children? Your thoughts?