Remember Who You Are

"The people need someone to remind them who they are." I first heard this line in an old western movie. The hero of the film, an aged indian chief, worked to keep the indigenous people tied to their ancient culture. And it proved a difficult task as waves of settlers moved into their countryside. 

"The people need someone to remind them who they are," is applicable not only to Native Americans but also to Christians. Like the Native Americans who were losing touch with their culture, Christians need to stay rooted to their true spiritual identity as outlined in scripture. 

Consider the following truths all Christians must remember:

  1. I am no longer a slave, I am a son
  2. I once was far away, but now I am brought near to God
  3. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new
  4. I was enslaved, but now I am free
  5. I was defeated, but now I am an overcomer
  6. I was in darkness, but now I am in the Light
  7. I was a lawbreaker, but now I am justified
  8. I am not going to hell, I am going to heaven
  9. I was an alien, but now I am adopted
  10. I was poor, but now I am rich, a co-heir with Christ
  11. I was guilty, but now I am declared righteous in Christ
  12. I was dead, now I am born again

Live up to your true identity. Remember who you are in Christ.

 

Discipleship to Young Men

When I wrote my book "Discipleship Matters" God led me to aim it at young men. And indeed it has worked well with that demographic. Since publication I have led numerous young men through the book and it has been a rewarding experience.  Dr. Robby Gallaty says it is probable that the Twelve Apostles were teenagers. His seven reasons are as follows:

  1. Jesus used Greek words that suggest the disciples were young. See Matthew 10:42 "little ones" (mikros) and John 13:33 "little children" (teknion).
  2. According to the Mishna, Jewish boys were schooled on a particular schedule. During their teen years of education it would have been more likely for them to go follow a Rabbi. 
  3. Marital status. The only disciple we know who was married was Peter. Jesus healed his mother-in-law. The others were probably not married because they were under the age of eighteen.
  4. The Temple Tax is mentioned in Matthew 17:24. Exodus 30 says every Jewish man twenty years of age and older had to pay the Temple Tax. The only disciple who had to pay the tax was Peter.
  5. Traveling. It would have been highly unlikedly for married men to leave their families and follow Jesus. It would have been easier for teenagers.
  6. Longevity. Based on the dating of the book of Revelation, we know John lived until the late first century, therefore he must have been young when Jesus called him.
  7. Immaturity. The disciples being young and immature were unable to understand theological concepts, unaware that a devil was among them, willing to call down fire from heaven on their enemies, argued about greatness, and put their mother up to ask the Master for preferred seating.

Mark Clifton has written "Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches." Mark is widely seen as an expert in the field of church revitalization. In his book he mentions six imperatives for congregational renewal, one of which is focus on reaching young men. He properly notes that a dying church never says, "We have too many young men around here. We need to attract some older adults." But obviously all of us in church work have seen the opposite.

How fascinating. Jesus reached young men and Clifton says young men are the key to church revitalization. I know where I want to keep spending my time and energy. How about you?

The Difference between Salvation and Discipleship

  • In salvation we come to the cross, but in discipleship we carry the cross.
  • For salvation we believe in Jesus, but for discipleship we follow Jesus.
  • At salvation we sip the milk of God's word, but for discipleship we chew the meat of God's word.
  • At salvation we are indwelt by the Spirit, but in discipleship we become intimate with the Spirit.
  • Salvation is instanteous, discipleship is ongoing.
  • At salvation we leave Egypt, but in discipleship we enter the Promised Land.

"Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection" Hebrews 6:1

Staying Salty

I asked my dad, a retired scientist, about how salt loses its flavor (Luke 14:34) He explained that salt is sodium chloride, and moisture is what breaks the bond between these two elements. Water causes salt to lose its effectiveness.

In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus wasn't giving a chemistry lesson, rather He was teaching about discipleship. Jesus explained that just as moisture can seep in and ruin salt, so certain things can creep into the life of a believer and render them useless as a disciple.

According to Jesus three things can break the bond between us and Him.

To avoid being watered down by these invaders. We must hate, die, and relinquish. 

  1. Jesus said in comparison to our love for Him we must hate other people.
  2. Jesus said we must take up our cross and die to our selfish pleasures.
  3. Jesus said we must be willing to relinquish every possession and follow Him.

Jesus said we cannot be His disciple unless we keep the bond between us and Him strong. We must avoid anything that weakens our relationship with Christ. This is how we stay salty, and remain effective in the Lord's service.

 

Going Deep with God

Luke 5:1-11 contains the account of Simon Peter launching out into the deep water with the Lord and catching a net full of fish. 

To be fully blessed with God we must go further deep with God.

  1. Going deep with God requires obedience. In verse 3 Jesus told Simon "Put out a little." We must be obedient in the small things before we can experience big things with God..
  2. Going deep with God requires solitude. We cannot be with the crowd and be alone with the Lord. Simon was willing to leave the others on the beach in order to have private time with the Lord out in the boat.
  3. Going deep with God requires repentance. Jesus asked Simon, a professional fisherman, to do things in a new way. We cannot go deep with the Lord and stubbornly insist on our old familiar ways. 
  4. Going deep with God requires faith. In verse 5 Simon said, "Nevertheless at Your word I will." Like Simon, if we want to go deep with God, we must trust God and obey His word.
  5. Going deep with God requires confession. Verse 8 says Simon realized his sinfulness and acknowedged it to the Lord. If we are going to go deep with God we must deal with personal sin. 
  6. Going deep with God requires missions. Simon learned that going deep with God was not about catching fish, but about catching men, verse 10.
  7. Going deep with God requires discipleship. Verse 11 says, Simon "forsook all and followed [Jesus]." Going deep with the Lord is not a one time event, but a lifelong journey with Jesus.

Are you ready to quit splashing around in "the shallow end of the pool" and go deep with God?