To Men of Faith Who Serve In the Shadow of Others

Charles Spurgeon's great devotional work, Morning by Morning, gives this word to you healers, counselors, teachers, mentors, and pastors who are "hindmost in honor and esteem" just as the Danites of ancient Israel. In a great sense, Spurgeon's insightful words here define the work of a discipler. This short devotion has ministered to me on countless occasions and I commend it to you, dear Reader. ---jsm-

“They shall go hindmost with their standards.”

Numbers 2:31

The camp of Dan brought up the rear when the armies of Israel were on the march. The Danites occupied the hindmost place, but what mattered the position, since they were as truly part of the host as were the foremost tribes; they followed the same fiery cloudy pillar, they ate of the same manna, drank of the same spiritual rock, and journeyed to the same inheritance. Come, my heart, cheer up, though last and least; it is thy privilege to be in the army, and to fare as they fare who lead the van. Some one must be hindmost in honour and esteem, some one must do menial work for Jesus, and why should not I? In a poor village, among an ignorant peasantry; or in a back street, among degraded sinners, I will work on, and “go hindmost with my standard.”

The Danites occupied a very useful place. Stragglers have to be picked up upon the march, and lost property has to be gathered from the field. Fiery spirits may dash forward over untrodden paths to learn fresh truth, and win more souls to Jesus; but some of a more conservative spirit may be well engaged in reminding the church of her ancient faith, and restoring her fainting sons. Every position has its duties, and the slowly moving children of God will find their peculiar state one in which they may be eminently a blessing to the whole host.

The rear guard is a place of danger. There are foes behind us as well as before us. Attacks may come from any quarter. We read that Amalek fell upon Israel, and slew some of the hindmost of them. The experienced Christian will find much work for his weapons in aiding those poor doubting, desponding, wavering, souls, who are hindmost in faith, knowledge, and joy. These must not be left unaided, and therefore be it the business of well-taught saints to bear their standards among the hindmost. My soul, do thou tenderly watch to help the hindmost this day.

Barna's "Growing True Disciples" Gives Biblical Strategies, Not "New" Ones.

George Barna’s Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ was a pleasant surprise. I have not enjoyed many of Mr. Barna’s latest offerings but found Growing True Disciples to be a refreshing and challenging call to first be a disciple and then a disciple maker. The “new strategies” promised in the books’ subtitle is a bit of a misnomer, however. I quickly discovered Barna was in fact arguing for a very old strategy for making disciples: that model that Christ Himself gave us.

My favorite aspect of this book is the author’s continued emphasis on being radically sold out for Christ, so much so that He is that to which we are most “absolutely, fanatically devoted” (p. 99). This is a theme presented in the first chapter that runs as a coursing river through the manuscript. He then assesses the current state of discipleship, finding our myriad of programs and church “ministries” lacking when it comes to producing truly lasting and life-long Christ followers. He compares the modern church to the example of Christ and the original disciples in chapter 4. There are disturbing numbers presented here: “Less than one quarter of all born-again adults,” writes Barna, “consciously strive to make worship part of their lifestyle.” I doubt many pastors could disagree with the assertion or the numbers backing it up. What is also concerning in the presentation here is that many Christians don’t believe much differently from secular progressives on some key issues (i.e. definition of family, pornography, etc), and an alarming number of Christians do not hold to such essential doctrines at biblical accuracy or actuality of the miracles performed therein (p. 65).

Perhaps most pointed is chapter 5. In it he diagnoses the cause of our discipleship dearth as failure to our overemphasis on programmed, lecture-style education and an abundance of ill-trained small group leaders (p. 94). He does offer a slight glimmer of hope near chapter’s end, though I found his few encouraging words at this point seemingly ineffective when measured against his greater multitude of words to the contrary

The rest of the book focuses on two dozen churches Barna has studied. The author commends these models to the reader with a welcome balance of pros and cons (pp. 105-132). Barna’s candid and insightful analysis is one of the strengths of the book and a good reason for recommending it to pastors and ministry leaders. This fits with Barna’s assertion: “one of the practices I witness in every highly effective church I study is that they borrow great ideas from every place they find them.” This is a good recommendation tempered with the important recommendation to “hybrid” (p. 157) the models copied, fitting them to the specific needs of your church and people.

Augustine As Mentor

While Smither's Augustine as Mentor reads much like a doctoral thesis (which I'm told was its origin), it is an important look at how one of the great spiritual leaders in history placed discipleship at the center of his life.

The history of discipleship provided by the book's first chapter is worth the price of admission alone. Succinct, rich, and well-researched, the opening chapter lays an important historical understanding of just what it means to be a NT disciple and disciple-maker. I can see the information from this chapter being used to lead church members to a better understanding of biblical discipleship. This first chapter fits within the context of this mostly biographical work, but it can also stand alone as one of the better treatments on biblical discipling that I have read.

The book spends a great deal of space in defining those men who mentored and inspired Augustine; Cyprian, Basil, and Ambrose featuring most prominently. Though the information is extensive, there is a repetition to the discipleship styles and information here. The up side is that one can see this strand of disciple-making mentoring run through the ancient church and influence its people. The down side to this treatment is that it can tend to bog down the reader in repetition.

The second half of the book is a biography of Augustine made a disciple and disciple-maker, with a special emphasis on his continual community of friends and its importance to his ministry.

The book closes with a final chapter of helpful summary points made throughout the work.

With exception of the first chapter on the history of discipleship, this is not the most crucial discipleship book on the market. But it is an incredibly well-researched look at the mentoring methods of a great Christian leader. Great ancillary reading on disciple-making.

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Some rough outlines I made from information gleaned in the book:

Augustine on Christian Friendship

"caritas" is a love for God and neighbor as modeled by the Trinity.

Distinctives of Christian friendship:

- a friend is loved unconditionally because of Christ in him

- it is a bond that is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

- it is completely focused on God and the friends' fight for sanctification

- it is characterized by a common faith

Outcomes of Christian friendship:

- unity, "one heart in God"

- wonderful experience and a blessed outcome (Ps. 182)

- spiritual growth of community

On the Mentor As Disciple

- commitment to ascetic living in the context of community

- humility regarding what one does not know or understand, inviting others' input. Pride is continually killed.

- continuous theological development. the mentor as disciple is forever a student.

- writing (journaling, written works to aid disciples)

- lifelong commitment to growing as a disciple through demonstrating humility and transparency.

Mentor/Disciple Principles

- group context is always considered

- the mentor must be a committed, mature disciple

- selection of a disciple is based on existing relationship/friendship

- sound teaching is the center of discipling direction

- the discipler is a model fit for imitation by his disciple

- the discipler looks for opportunities to involve his disciple in practical ministry

- the discipler is aware that he will release the disciple to lead ministry

- the discipler is a continual resource to the released disciple

The Longest Yard: Making Disciples

Take a yardstick.

And break it in half.

Keep going until you have the smallest piece possible and you'll begin to get an idea of how we measure success in discipling.

We work in

very.

small.

increments.

Our job is discipleship: being disciples and making disciples. We are to pursue Christ and develop believers from Fort Worth to Calcutta. Just know what you're getting into: the fact track works as well in disciple making as it does in growing roses or godly children, in building muscles or a healthy marriage. There's just no way to microwave church members to maturity. And there's no spiritual steroid we can inject to get juiced for Jesus. No one song, sermon, or small group will change the world in one fell swoop. And they were never intended to do so. These exist to call us up to living in such a way that we daily cause, in ever-increasing increments, Kingdom growth.

In doing the true work of making disciples, all we've got is a lot of tough, emotionally-draining, physically-demanding, Spirit-dependent, back-breaking labor. And this is work that most of us, if we're doing our duty rightly, will never receive any credit for in this world. The human race will care little that you lay your heart down to love your way into the world of an unlovable. No one will stop to give you praise for waking up at Five AM to read your Scriptures. Or applaud your early morning or middle-of-the-night intercession on behalf of a spiritual brother. And no one needs to.

In Luke 17:7-10, Christ talks about the master of an unworthy servant: "Does [the master] thank the servant because he did what was commanded?" Jesus asks. "So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say 'We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.'" At the end of the day when your head hits the pillow, at the end of your life when the dirt hits the casket, that's all you've got: You were an unworthy servant doing only what the Master commanded of you.

Jesus demands you be His disciple and a disciplemaker.

That's your task.

Wear yourself out.

A bottom-line fixated society that measure success in charts won't get this. Some within the Body of Christ don't get it either. Both will fault us for appearing too slow. They'll complain we didn't capitalize on the trend fast enough. We didn't hit the right market for the message we're bringing. We aren't getting enough people in the seats.

But I remind you, brothers and sister in Christ, we're in the business of love. And love takes time if it is to be truly lasting. Spirit-directed discipleship is the most difficult work of your life. And it's worth every bit of sweat, tears, and blood you put into it.

Discipling relationships aren't slapdash. They take time. Years. There are very few overnight results in discipleship, but there are plenty of lasting ones. Take heart that our influence and dedication aren't measured in flow charts or church budgets, leaps or bounds, but in lives slowly consistently lived and changed for Christ over the years and decades.

Discipleship Defined

You can view here the first ten minutes of "Discipleship Defined." You can continue watching/listening by clicking the link at the end of this preview.

Knowing and Being Known

It all started the morning of February 26 with Psalm 44:21, For he knows the secrets of the heart. That truth just cut me up. It ached. And the onslaught continued for many mornings afterward because of the living and active Sword "which pierces the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12) :

Romans 2:26b, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Matthew 23:26, "First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean."
Psalm 69:5, O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
Mark 4:22, "For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light."
1 Corinthians 10:12, Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Psalm 90:8, You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

Over these past months, these passages have provoked both intense pain AND incredible joy my soul because I've been reminded my God knows me THAT well. It has been a true realization to me as I've had shown to me some sins of selfishness I'd been harboring for a while and maybe didn't even realize it ("secret sin" can be that which is intentionally hidden and that which is unintentional, but it's all still sin).

So I've been on a road to being obedient in admitting these to God, myself, as well as brothers and sisters from whom it is right to seek forgiveness. In much the same way as mentioned above, it stings AND relieves to know I have those people in my life who know me well enough (in some cases, better than I know myself) to call me out when I'm being a jerk or worse. Jenny is one. Greg is another. Man, they call me on the carpet and they're usually spot on.

If you feel there is a disconnect with the Lord, you need to check your end by asking Him to reveal to you any unconfessed intentional or unintentional sin. Go to the Bible (perhaps a few of the above passages) asking Him to use the Word to convict you. It's uncomfortable, but growth and change always are. When that sin is revealed confess it to Him (use Psalm 51), knowing that when "we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and PURIFY us from ALL unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Ahh. It doesn't get more refreshing than that!

Pray for people to hold you to an unwavering biblical standard. We all long to know others deeply and be known ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ does this for us. He gave us a letter in the Bible that can read our thoughts and intentions backward and forward, revealing our very hearts. He's placed the ability in godly men and women to apply that Word to do the same. Even David, the "man after God's own heart," was called out of his sin with Bathsheba by God's man, Nathan.

Thank God for His correction through His Word and His children! May you be blessed by His knowing your inmost feelings and intentions yet still loving you. May God place great men and women in your life by whom you can be known and know in return.

Somebody Chose to Love Their Way into My World

Saw this in class today. It really touched me because I am the son of two of the most amazing teachers and coaches I know.

I saw many parallels to discipleship in this vignette.

Remember: It's all about loving your way into someone's world with a compassion that could only be fueled by Christ.

http://makeadifferencemovie.com/