This week our church is beginning an eight-week look at discipleship as it was in the first century and how it can still be lived out today. As we explore this amazing idea of become more and more "uncivilized" in our relationship with Jesus and really live an untamed faith, we're going to track our movement. Week-by-week, theme -by-theme I invite you to share your thoughts, questions, impressions on what being "uncivilized" as a disciple of Jesus means for you.
This week we looked at a short video called "BULLHORN" by NOOMA dvd and pastor Rob Bell. The over riding theme was how we, as Christians, are viewed by others. Often it is not LOVE (The defining mark Jesus labeled his disciples with), but rather condemnation. Rob encourages and challenges us to, "put down the bullhorn" and really love people with out an agenda. Love as God loves.
We closed out our time looking at 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. The chapter ends with three attributes that we as Christ-followers should take on. The same three the Jesus taught his team and that the first century disciples lived out.
As the Apostle Paul writes, "Faith, Hope and Love..... but the greatest of these is love."
So here is our first challenge as 21st century disciples, what do you think if we were people (a church) who....
Lived by FAITH,
Were known by LOVE,
And was a voice of HOPE.
What do you think that would look like to our world, city, neighbors, classmates, officeworkers?
Would that be "Bullhorn guy" or would that be an "UNCIVILIZED" follower of Jesus.
Anyone reading this I invite you on this amazing adventure of exploring discipleship and hear what "DUST" is al about this Sunday.
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DUST:
This Sunday we traveled back to the first century and we lookedd indepth at what it was really like to be a TALMID (disciple) of a rabbi.
Being a Talmid meant giving up all, learning a great deal... but most important you had to have a driving passion to want to be like the rabbi, do as the rabbi did. And the rabbi had to believe in you, that you really could follow. All of that was the same as Jesus called hsi Talmid to follow him.
The idea behind this message “DUST” comes from the idea of being covered in the dust of the rabbi you follow. It was something that everyone living in the first century had seen. A rabbi would come to a town, village or city with his team of disciples. These talmidim are doing all that they can to keep up with rabbi as he teaches his yoke from one place to another. By the end of the day, these Talmidim are covered in dust from head to toe.
And that to each Talmid was a good thing... because they had been intimately close to the master. They had been taught, transformed and better understood how to be like the rabbi while on the journey.
So ask yourself.... are you traveling with Jesus closely enough to be coveredc in his dust from head to toe?
Do you have the passion (fire) to follow him.
Do you desire to an intmate relationship with him?
Will you be TALMID of Jesus and answer the call..."COME FOLLOW ME"?
Or is this impossible today?
Today marked week two of our "UNCIVILIZED" series and we looked how the Apostle Paul lived an untamed life of faith, as a Christ-follow and he was williing to really CRASH for sake of making an impact in the lives of others.... even the "enemy."
This concept of crashing, completely surrendering to God's will is complete uncivilized. God knows to makel, us mold us, best use us in his kingdom plan we must come to the end of ourselves and completely let go of anything that may drag us down and keep from really being free and following God.
The cost factor appears extremely high as life appears to get out of control. But believe like Paul had helps us press on and crash... so that we may life and prepares as we live a new life, better life... others may live to.
It's not easy throughing everything off to crash for God. It's not noraml in our world of self preservation....but it's worth it. Me anf my family know this fact first hand. And it doesn't happen just once... but daily I die to my own desires to really follow Jesus and make impact in this city.
As Paul found out, To live you first my die.
I hope you crash with us in 2006 and make an impact in our community. PREPARE FOR IMPACT!
INTIMACY...
Some people love and crave be intimate with others, while some run from that intense closeness and place of being exposed.
God longs for us to be intimate with Him like that again, as it was in the Garden. Yet, we have prostituted ourselves, wrapped ourselves up in ritual, laws, commands that keep us loaded down and far from one another and God.
But we can have this intimacy, we can get upclose amd personal with God and other the way He designed. It's risky, but it's worth it! The uncivilized path to intimacy can be summerized by, LOVE TO LIVE... and LIVE TO LOVE.
Will you join us and begin a great adventure with God and others that reflects radical, risky love and helps bring real life back to people? Pink Floyd years ago sang about "tearing down the walls." Jesus came to do just that, can you hear it all around us? The walls of "religion" are coming down and passionate relationship with God is being restore!
Will you in embrace this or keep playing the game?
I'm a little surprised on the reaction to this weeks message and discussion about how intimacy with God and others is a mark of a disciple (Christ-follower).
I understand the risk factor of being intimate with others is very high, but it's at the core of what Jesus modeled with the disciples and it's at the core of first century discipleship process. To become like the rabbi, you have to be with the rabbi so inmately that he rubs off on you naturally.,.. not forceablly.
No we can't be intimate with everyone at the same level. But I believe we use that as an easy cop-out for not being intimate at all. No one said really applying these things would be easy, but than again the whole idea about being a disciple was not about ease... it was about life transformation.
RECYCLED:
This week we're looking at being recycled (transformed) like the Apostle Paul was as he encountered Jesus and walked with him intimately the rest of his life.
We looked at three areas that were recycled by Jesus,
SIGHT
HEARING
DIRECTION
Being recycled is not a one time deal for the Christ-follower. Over my life, I have been recycled over and over by God. I love the fact that He uses my career choices, interest, training, passions and even short-comings to his glory and benefit when we are willing to be recycled by him. Paul had many other areas of his life recycled besides the three mentioned above. As Paul was recycled, he became a stronger disciple of Jesus.
What do you thing of being recycled by God?
Are any of these three areas being recycled now in your life.... or are there other areas?
Last night at our LIFE group discussion we looked at the recycled life of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-8.
Here was another guy that appeared to have it all, as the world says we should have it. Yet, he was transformed at dinner party at his house with Jesus.
We don't know what happened to Zach after these events, except he went from rich to poor in a weeks time or so. Radical, insane recycled life. And yet as our group said... it looks so attractive to be recycled as Paul and Zach were.... yet we fight it so much.
This transformation stuff is so hard to really understand, yet looks so easy to do.
It's kind of neat to see how God always seems to go for the one outcast. If you look in the Bible, there's the women at the well, the prodigal son story, all these point to the heart Jesus had for the "unsaved". We all should have hearts like that. Imagine what would happen if every church in America would start to push their people to hang out in un-churchy places and just be real. We could shake the foundations of the world for God!
SACRIFICE:
There are times when concepts and ideas are appear overly easy to grasp and communicate. Today the idea of sacrifice is one of those ideas. Today, I think our society claims to understand what sacrifice is, but it often comes off shallow and painless.
Yet, the sacrifice that Jesus tried to teach his disciple was something different, something bold and passionate. To reach a deprived world like that of Caesarea Phillippi would not be easy and would cost the disciples a great deal. They would not be able to reach that hurting, lost, self asorbed people without sacrificing everything that had in the process.
Pride, status, fame, creditabilty, money, etc would all have to be sacrificed.... offered up to to acheive such a thing. To be disciple, meant "be like the Rabbi". Jesus would give up all of those things and more to reach a lost deprived, ungodly world. Therefore, disciples must do the same!
Jesus was the master coach and he wanted to teach his team the true meaning of sacrifice... not the worlds meaning. It's radical, it's not natural, it's uncivilized. But Coach Tom Laundry (former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys) said it so well,
"Coahing is making men do what they don't want, so that they can become what they want to be".
Sacrifice is a defining mark of a disciple. It's what we naturally want to do... unless we really want to become like our rabbi (coach) Jesus.
I want it.... how about you? Are you ready to put everything you have forward for God. Really sacrifice?
QUESTION: What would you do for Jesus if you knew you the enemy could not defeat you?
Great LIFE Group discussion last night on the radical call to sacrifice for Jesus. The opening question is realy sticking with people and several are wrestling with that that means to them in every day life.
Elijah called Elisha as his replacement (disciple) in the Old Testament (1 Kings 19:19-21). Elisha accepted the call, killed his animals, broke his blow, made a fire with it, cooked the animals, had a BBQ with his families and friends and followed Elijah the great prophet. Eliisha, torched his life, sacrificed it all at such a high level, he left nothing to go back to if the call of Elijah failed or was too much.
That's bold sacrifice.
Man I want to get there, I dream of a church that wants to get there. Our LIFE Group wants to get there. Sacrifice not our of guilt or fear, but out of passionate love for people and the things of God.
"God I pray that this become a reality in my life and in the life of Journey Church."
HOPE:
Hope is a fragile thing. It's so easy to put our hope in the wrong people, places and things. Yet Jesus came not just as the "Hope of the world", he came as the "answer for the world." So why is it so hard to accept this hope that Jesus brings?
I think some of has to do with the fact that it's a personal hope. Jesus (God) heals each one if us differently. We live in a of "cut and paste solutions" or a "one size fits all" package. But Jesus doesn't work that way. Therefore we shouldn't either. If he gave hope to people one-on-one, so should we.
We need to take the time, share this hope personally and always remember.... hope is a fragile think. It's in your hands, how will your give it out? How will you share it? Will you share real hope or share a myth? Will you share from your owm life experience, or share from a pre-formed script?
If we are to give hope to the world as Jesus did, it's gonna take time, be personal and be very messy.
CONFUSION:
Is it alright to be a believer, a Christ-follower and be confused as to why God does what he does and allows things to happen?
Many. many people believe that being in the center of God's will is the safest, best place to be. Yet if we're honest with ourselves it's also the most dangerous and confusiing place to be. Look at John the Baptist (lost his head), Apostle Paul (lost of painful tiimes) and Jesus (death on Cross), James Elliott and 4 other missionaries (speared to death).
All in the center of God's will, all serving him passionately, all experienced very unsafe times and even death!
Confused, scared... or excited that God takes us on adventures that require all we have. I admit there are days where I am very confused on what I really should do or not do for God, my family, for others.
Yet, if I do nothing, if I play it "safe" I know nothing will happen. So I'd rather be confused, trying something than living a dull, boring, worthless, "normal" life.
The more "uncivilized" we become, the more confusing our friends and family will be about this call ton follow Jesus. But even through confusion, God is still God and speaks and works. Press on, move beyond confusion and surrender to a life that is wide open and unknown. If you do, something great may just happen!
THE STAND:
This week wev wrapped our eight-week serie called "uncivilized". What a wonderful eight weeks it has been!
We closed by looking at the life and character traits of Stephen, the first maryter in the church. Just before his death (stoning), he saw a vision.
Heaven opened and he saw Jesus standing by the seat of honor.
Our question was, "what type of life, brings Jesus to his feet?" Stephen had great character traits and he allowed the Holy Spirit to guide his life. Even as he face extreme pressure, he stood his ground. Can such persoon live today? I believe so and I believe that a person like that would meet simlar reactions by both the "religious" and seeker (good and bad).
As long we long for Jesus to stand in response to out life, we must first make a stand in honor of Jesus life. Be people of charcter, compassion, service, wisdom amd fuly of the Holy Spirit.... not outselves.
I pray, we become even more "uncivilized" than Stephen.
Todd Friel of wayofthemasterradio.com discusses sharing the Gospel especially in the face of so many trendy preachers who try to water down the Gospel into a mere therapy or "relational" message without actually showing how & why a person needs to repent & believe & what happens if they don't.
Todd also produced an excellent response to Rob Bell's "Bullhorn Guy". This video presentation is an excellent example of how to present the Gospel. (see presentation within the full article)
Listen to the 22 minute audio by following this link:
http://thekingdomcome.com/gospel_support
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