Ministers Desk 2 September 2012

What are some marks of a growing disciple of Jesus Christ?  The answer to this is essentially an inner attitude of surrender and transformation to the work of the Holy Spirit.  However, this inner reality can be indicated through some outward signs.  For the past two weeks I have been sharing with you twelve of these signs, as they have been expressed by author and pastor Gordon MacDonald.  If you have not read these, or would like a complete copy of the twelve, please contact the church office.  This week I offer a further two signs as written by Gordon MacDonald.

“Builds healthy, reciprocal human relationships. He is faithful to friends, and (if married) affectionate, attentive, and servant-like to a spouse, and (if a parent) patient and nurturing to his children.

“Such a one is swift to admit when he is wrong, to forgive when offended, to offer support when another is in need. Perhaps the bottom line is simply this: we are talking about a person in whom others delight because, wherever he goes, he brings "loads of Christ" with him.

 “Can I personalise this? Once, someone said to me, "Imagine standing before your Maker and hearing this question: 'Have you supported your wife's efforts to become the woman God meant her to be?' For the transformed Christian, this question is relevant to all key relationships. The fact is that most people grow a bit whenever they are in the company of a transformed Christ-follower.”

“Knows how to engage the larger world where faith is not necessarily understood. Some of his personal choices and convictions on living may not appeal to those outside the edges of his faith, but those who know him usually accept his "peculiarities" because this Christ-follower brings cheer, stability, and energy. Admittedly, there are times when a person of faith will be despised, but hopefully there are more times when he is valued as an asset (not a parasite) to his "world."

“It has not gone unnoticed that the temptation of modern church life is to draw its people into the church's programs and away from influential contact with the community.

“A transforming Christian is likely to resist this gravitational pull. He will pursue friendships with people who walk in other spiritual pathways. He will make contributions to the greater community, especially those that bring equity and relief to struggling people.

“In short he will not be absorbed into religious institutionalism.

“Could I also add here that the transformed Christian does not allow the beauty and the stimulus of the larger world. He is mindful of artistic and cultural experiences. He maintains an informed, even prayerful, view of local and national affairs.

“And he is aware of where history is going and what it takes to hand on a new and improved world to the generation that will replace him.”

Please forgive the non-inclusive writing, it’s his not mine.

Ministers Desk 26 August 2012

Last week I started to share with you twelve signs of a transformed Christian life.  These have been written by Gordon MacDonald, a Pastor and author from the United States.  I encourage you to read all twelve of these signs and use them to reflect on your life and the ways you are demonstrating the ongoing transforming work of the Spirit in you.  Growing Disciples seek to align their lives more with the kingdom of God and experience more of the work of the Spirit within them.

“Is intentional and disciplined in seeking God's direction in life. Eugene Peterson employs the term responsive obedience when he paraphrases Paul's challenge to the Philippians to push themselves toward increasing Christian maturity. Interestingly, he is writing to a church heavily populated by retired Roman military personnel. So Paul's letter is packed with military terms, "responsive obedience" being an example. As a soldier conditioned himself for battle, so the Christian, Paul said, was to "work out" his role in facing a morally dangerous world.

“No transforming Christ-follower would ever be comfortable with spiritual passivity. Rather, a transforming follower of Jesus expects a battle. There will be choices, opportunities, opposition. And he prepares for all of it diligently. This is sometimes referred to as self-discipline. It means living by intention and commitment, developing life-habits in alignment with Jesus and replacing those that are not.

“Worships, and has a spirit of continuous repentance. As in all other personal relationships, there is an appropriate rhythm in routines in order to refresh one's relationship to God. Worship is an appropriate description for this.

“The transforming believer recognises that these are the moments to elevate life to an eternal perspective, to experience interior cleansing, to rekindle a satisfying joy and hope in life. Like Isaiah, he gains a sense of his own true size and his need to acknowledge his unique forms of brokenness. In other words, he does not find it difficult to repent of his sins, to God or to others.

“In such worship, we are reminded of God's purposes and concerns. And, finally, we are likely to come away redirected, renewed in our efforts to live and serve the Everlasting One who has made us in his image.

“Our differing temperaments lead each of us to worship in different forms. Whether our worship is loud and extemporary or somewhat formal and carefully scripted is not the issue. The important thing for the transforming Christian is to exit the place of worship knowing that he is once more at peace with Jesus the redeemer. Not entertained, but energised.”

Ministers Desk 19th August 2012

Gordon MacDonald is a Pastor and writer in his seventies.  I’ve read his books and heard him speak and continue to be inspired by his passion for Jesus and his commitment to disicpling others.  In a recent journal article he wrote he identified twelve ways to spot a transformed Christian.  Over the coming weeks I’m going to include them here for you to read and reflect on.  As you read ask yourself how each point is reflected in your life and what you need to do to continue to grow in each aspect.

1.      Has an undiluted devotion to Jesus.

“Personally, I am drawn to the word devotion rather than love for Jesus. It is difficult to escape the sentimental flavouring in the word love.  And I do not find sentimental love in that follow-me relationship Jesus initiated with his disciples.”

“For me devotion suggests something more deliberate, even calculated. It’s not absent emotion but not defined by it either. Devotion infers determination that one will organise his/her life around Jesus: his quality of character, his summons to know God as Jesus knows him, his unique grace and forgiveness for sins.”

“I, for one, believe that a transforming disciple renews his intention to be faithful to Jesus’ influence on a regular basis, not because he is unsure but because he doesn’t want to lose that ‘edge’ of proactive commitment.”

“As the years of my own Christian life have passed I’ve become more diligent in doing this, just as I have become more intentional about remarrying (in spirit) my wife, Gail, again each day. I know she and I posses a piece of paper that says we were married a long time ago. But my heart says, Why not re-declare your desire to marry her again today? She’ll love you for it. I have come to feel the same way about my devotion to Jesus as my Saviour and rabbi leader as I retool my life around what I see and hear of him.”

2.      Pursues a biblically informed view of the world.

“This means aiming to know the Bible well: its content and its imperatives.”

“There seems to be a universal concern in the Christian movement concerning biblical illiteracy. Blame it on busyness, technology, too many translations, the demise of Sunday School, or something else. But one thing is sure: we seem to be losing a working knowledge of our sacred literature. We think it okay to outsource Bible knowledge to preachers, writers and instructors.”

“The transforming Christ-follower understands that he cannot simply live off the monologues of a favourite preacher. He must-to reflect the Psalmist-hide God’s Word in his own heart so that it becomes a lamp to his feet, a light to his path.”

Ministers Desk Aug 12 2012

The church in the twenty-first century needs to be firstly a disciple-forming community.  This means that our practices need to be orientated toward helping each person grow more into the relationship God wants with them.  This applies equally to those who are already members of God’s kingdom and those who are yet to come to faith.  Discipleship is something that needs to be lived and experienced.  Through our living discipleship we will understand more deeply what it means to be a Christ follower and we will be able to express that more often.  In worship we have been talking about the practice of evangelism.  This can be a practice that is about us as much as it is about the person we engage with.

Growing disciples are people who surrender their will to that of Jesus Christ, but we need to grow in our capacity to surrender.  For too long we have been taught by this world that to surrender our will and independence is a sign of weakness.  Yet in Christ it is a strength that leads to the fullness of the blessings that God can offer.   Through the practice of evangelism we learn to surrender our desire to control the people we spend time with, the things that we do with our time and the preferences we have in how we share our faith, or don’t share it.

Growing disciples are people who are have a growing obedience to Christ in all things, but our rebelliousness holds us back from being obedient.  Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations.  This command is unambiguous and direct, yet too often we ignore that in the pursuit of other activities which have a less clear biblical command.  I tend to ignore the command to evangelism because I don’t like its implications.  However, my growing discipleship to Jesus means that I cannot live with integrity and not do anything about it.

Growing disciples are people who are living a life that is attractive to others, so that they too will want this type of life for themselves.  Growing in our capacity to show unconditional love to others, serve without counting the cost, to honour others above self, offer forgiveness without reservation and seek reconciliation are all signs of the movement of the Spirit in us.  As we receive more of the Spirit in us these characteristics will be more prevalent in our lives.

Growing disciples are people who are alert and responsive to the leading of the Spirit.  It is he who provides the opportunities for us to have faith sharing conversations and provides the words and inspiration for what we say.   As we practice being responsive to the Spirit, we will find that it comes more naturally and more often and we will experience his leading in our lives more often.

Our purpose as a church is to facilitate each one of us growing as disciples of Christ.  He has so much more in store for us, more than we can ever contemplate experiencing.  To be led to this life we need to give ourselves to practices that will continue to develop our heart for God, one of this is through engaging with another in the belief that God will draw them into a living relationship with him.

Minster's Desk 5 August 2012

In my sermon this morning I touch on three biblical reasons why we should “do the work of an evangelist”.  To support this I provide a few bible readings, below are some more.  Please take some time to read and pray over these passages.  Through them allow the Holy Spirit to stir your heart for the lost of this world.

Humanity is inherently sinful

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son” John 3:18.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one’” Romans 3:10

                      
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

We are unable to save ourselves, that’s why we need Jesus

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” Luke 19:10.

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’” John 3:3.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.

“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household’” Acts 16:31.

 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.

We are commanded to share the gospel with those who haven’t heard it yet

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” Matthew 9:37-38.

"’All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matt 28:6 – 20).

Ministers Desk 29 July 2012

Part of Jesus’ ministry was to teach and train his followers for the ministry that they were called to.  A disciple making community places emphasis on helping people develop skills for ministry.  Our purpose (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage) challenges each of us to have at least one intentional relationship in which we share our faith, believing that God will lead them to faith.  At the moment we are looking at ways that we are able to develop our skills for relationship evangelism.  Over the coming weeks our morning worship services will look at the biblical principles and practices of relationship evangelism. We do this because it is invariably the practice of the church and its members, that unless we are consciously outward focussed, we will gravitationally and unconsciously turn our focus inward. 

To complement our Sunday teaching, I want to share some resources that our congregation has.

Prayer cards – cards to place in our bibles or wallets or somewhere else convenient.  Write on them the names of pre-Christians that you are praying will come to faith.  Use as a constant reminder to pray.

How to talk about Jesus without freaking out – an easy to read, practical guide to relationship evangelism.  Contains a study guide that can be used for personal or group use.

Out of the salt shaker – an easy to read book that helps the reader see relationship evangelism as a way of life, not something that we do. 

Just walk across the room – a DVD based study guide of four sessions that contains simple steps for pointing people to faith.  Best used in an Explore Group, but also good for use individually. 

Becoming a contagious Christian – a practical workshop for identifying and developing your personal style of relationship evangelism.  Best used in an Explore Group, but also good for use individually. 

These resources are kept in the library in the church foyer.  Please feel free to borrow, use and return.

A resource not listed above is prayer.  In Luke 10:2 Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  I believe that if each day everyone of us prayed as Jesus commanded, that there would be a great change in our congregation.  Constantly praying for our pre-Christian friends and family, praying for other Christians as they share faith and praying for ourselves would raise the awareness of the importance of evangelism and would further tune us to the work of the Spirit in our lives.  So I encourage you to pray.

Ministers Desk 15th July 2012

Last Sunday Barry Jardine, Maureen Witheyman and I worshipped at Newlife Uniting Church where we met the Moderator of the Solomon Islands, Wilfred Kuripeto.  In his sermon the Moderator shared the history of the Methodist church in the Solomon Islands.  In 1902 Rev John Goldie, his wife Helena and a small group of others left southern Tasmania and travelled to the area that is now known as Munda in the Solomon Islands.  Rev Goldie was a probationer Minister in his early 20s.  Yet he heard the call of God to go and he was faithful to that call.  The Moderator preached on the Great Commission in Matthew 28, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  In reminding us of this passage he praised God that people like the Goldies, and others, in the past had gone when they had been sent.  He further encouraged us to be obedient to God’s call to go where we are sent. 

The people of the Solomon Islands still today give thanks to God for the missionaries who took the gospel to the Solomon Islands 110 years ago.  Since then the word missionary has dropped out of our vocabulary, except when talking about people from history.  Yet the importance of mission and the necessity for each of us to be a missionary continues to this day.  For many years the church saw the idea of mission as being something that we sent people overseas to do.  That no longer applies in our time.  There are probably more people in Brisbane who need to hear the message of Jesus, than there are in the Solomon Islands, and God is calling us, his church to take this message to our friends, family, workmates and neighbours.  Disciples are missionaries.  The mission of God remains for us to go and tell others of the good news of Jesus Christ.  It may be that like John and Helena Goldie we travel to another country and culture or we may stay in our own country and culture.  However, like the Goldies we are called to commit the totality of who we are to the mission of God, wherever we are placed.

Identifying ourselves as missionaries causes us to rethink how we spend our time, what we do with our church buildings and resources, what priorities we set and who we spend our time with.  Concentrating ourselves in this way causes us to have a prevailing concern of “what has God called us to do and be for others in the particular time and place?”  We therefore move ourselves out of an inward focus and toward a focus on others.

A focus on mission requires a growing faith, because mission can be costly.  The results of mission are not always immediate, so we’re required to trust the future to God.  We are often called to exert more effort than we might find comfortable, therefore we need to lean on God for strength.  We can be confronted with situations that are not familiar, we therefore need to rely on the inspiration of God to get us through the unknown.  Being involved in mission grows our faith as we see the results of lives transformed, people who find new relationships with Jesus, answers to our prayers and a reassurance that God is continually at work in our lives and the lives of others.

As disciples of Jesus we are called to go and live as missionaries.  What is your mission field?