The main reason I started to blog, and it isn't as often as I'd like, was to just express my thoughts. Like most guys I don't just say what I am feeling. I need time to digest what is going on. This bugs my wife of course. She'll ask me many times what I am thinking and I tell her honestly "I don't know." She looks at me and wonders how in the world do I not know what I am feeling. I usually say soon after my greatly insightful answer that I need time to think. When things occur in my life I need time to reflect.
Lately I've been looking through and reflecting on old journals that I wrote. Most of them only having around 7 entries. They all were written at different times in my life. However, there was always a theme. A reoccurring theme. One that resounds in my heart still today....is nothing too hard for God?
The Assemblies of God have a campaign that makes this bold statement that Nothing Is Too Hard For God. We are taking part of this campaign at my church. This campaign deals with 8 different subjects that many people deal with. This past Sunday was our first service with one of these subjects. Yet I had to wonder, does everyone here truly believe this statement? I can do all I can to share with what little life experience I have, being only 28 years old and ministering to people that are old enough to be my parents, that truly nothing is too hard for God. Yet, it all comes down to each individual and how they reflect on their life with God.
I can reflect on the time that I know the hand of God stopped a hurricane because of my prayers. I can reflect on the times that I know God healed a person that I prayed for. I can reflect on the numerous times I called on God for help and He supplied, provided, protected, and restored what I needed.
I can also reflect on the times that God didn't. When I prayed for people to be healed and they weren't. I can tell of times that things didn't work out the way I hoped or thought they should.
So is it true that nothing is too hard for God? My answer would be an unwavering "YES". Nothing is too hard for God. I can reflect all I want and the times that God showed up greatly out numbers the times I think He doesn't.
When I take time to reflect on any occasion I can always see God at work. Whether I get the answer I am looking for or not. God is still God. God is still on the throne. God is still in control. Whether you or I believe it all the time or not...Nothing Is Too Hard For God!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Fans or Disciples
The common definition for the word disciple among Christians, preached from pulpits and taught in Bible colleges, is that a disciple is a close follower of Christ.
That is a pretty weak definition of a disciple.
Someone who is a close follower of a sports team can tell you in great detail the statistics of that team, who plays for the team, and a bunch of other frivolous information. They can possibly even tell you why that team has a good chance at being in the championship game at the end of the season.
That person spent a lot of time investing into that game. More specifically that team. They watch every game. They listen to Sports News. Read and watch archives of the team's history. So is this person considered a disciple? By that weak definition, yes. But really they are called a fan.
Webster's Dictionary says:
Fan - an enthusiastic devotee or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.
Disciple - a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrine of another.
Both deal with an understanding of the fundamentals of what they follow. However, a fan is always a spectator and a disciple is always a participator.
So are we creating fans or disciples in our churches?
In today's modern church we have separated discipleship from salvation. These churches feel discipleship to be a matter that is handled latter on. Those who do this are spiritually stupid. Our relationship to Christ as our Savior is just as crucial as our relationship to Him as our Lord. When we accept Christ's salvation we also accept our need and responsibility to become a disciple. We take Jesus completely as He is without reservation. He is our Savior AND Lord.
There are no fans in heaven. We are more than close followers. We are involved head to toe, day in and day out in our need for spiritual growth. We should be in a perpetually growing experiential relationship with God. Training our bodies, minds, and spirits to fulfuilling our responsibility to become a disciple.
If all we are doing is creating fans then we are populating hell through the fake ministry of the church. The church exists to worship God first and foremost then to create disciples who create disciples. Our relationship with God is not a game so it makes no sense to stay in the seats of the church and cheer when there is growth that needs to take place.
That is a pretty weak definition of a disciple.
Someone who is a close follower of a sports team can tell you in great detail the statistics of that team, who plays for the team, and a bunch of other frivolous information. They can possibly even tell you why that team has a good chance at being in the championship game at the end of the season.
That person spent a lot of time investing into that game. More specifically that team. They watch every game. They listen to Sports News. Read and watch archives of the team's history. So is this person considered a disciple? By that weak definition, yes. But really they are called a fan.
Webster's Dictionary says:
Fan - an enthusiastic devotee or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.
Disciple - a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrine of another.
Both deal with an understanding of the fundamentals of what they follow. However, a fan is always a spectator and a disciple is always a participator.
So are we creating fans or disciples in our churches?
In today's modern church we have separated discipleship from salvation. These churches feel discipleship to be a matter that is handled latter on. Those who do this are spiritually stupid. Our relationship to Christ as our Savior is just as crucial as our relationship to Him as our Lord. When we accept Christ's salvation we also accept our need and responsibility to become a disciple. We take Jesus completely as He is without reservation. He is our Savior AND Lord.
There are no fans in heaven. We are more than close followers. We are involved head to toe, day in and day out in our need for spiritual growth. We should be in a perpetually growing experiential relationship with God. Training our bodies, minds, and spirits to fulfuilling our responsibility to become a disciple.
If all we are doing is creating fans then we are populating hell through the fake ministry of the church. The church exists to worship God first and foremost then to create disciples who create disciples. Our relationship with God is not a game so it makes no sense to stay in the seats of the church and cheer when there is growth that needs to take place.
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