LOST TREASURES FOUND

Over the last few months I have been frantically searching my home for a box of books that I could not find.  The object of my search were three books by J.F. Stombeck.  Now classics and out of print, these books are valuable to me and are some of the best handling of the subject of salvation ever penned (with the exception of the Apostle Paul of course). 

Last night in the dead of sleep it came to me to look in the small attic above the stairs.  I had made a cursory investigation there previously.  As my wife will tell you, I often don't look as well as I should.  You know the story, "Honey, could you look in the pantry and see if there is a can of tomato paste?'  Like most men, if I don't see it on first observation, then of course, it must not be there.  And, you guessed it, a moment later, with a frustrated look on her face, my wife opens the pantry and pulls out the tiny can of tomato paste hiding behind the larger can of crushed pineapple.  Perhaps the same scene plays out at your home as well.

What woke me from a dead sleep last night, was the answer always given by my wife to my myopic searches.  She always says to me, "Why don't you look like a woman?"  Which in Deb-ese means, move things around and see what's behind them. 

For some unknown reason, I realized that I should do just that in searching for my lost box of books.  This morning, I set out to investigate the small attic.  (It is amazing how many boxes of useless things can pile up in an attic).  And yes, there behind empty shoe boxes and boxes of useless software, underneath old tax records were not one but three boxes of books that I knew I had not given away.  To me this was like the best Christmas morning. 

I bustled the boxes, which were clearly marked "books", downstairs and opened them up, not unlike a toddler tearing the wrapping off a Christmas present.  In the second box, there were the books I had been longing to re-read.  The titles, "So Great Salvation"; "Grace and Truth"; "Disciplined by Grace" peered back at me and I sat down and thanked God that they were not lost.  (Understand, I am fairly confident, with no exaggeration, that over the years several hundred volumes of my library have been LOANED and never returned). 

Like most men, curiosity overcame the moment, and I wondered what might be in the third box.  It was in box number three that I discovered a true forgotten treasure.  There between a 1947 edition of A.W. Tozer's "The Pursuit of God" and a paperback edition of C.S. Lewis' "The World's Last Night" was a small pleather bible cover zipped closed.  Inside the zippered cover was a small Bible.  I had completely forgotten about that little Bible.  It had belonged to my father who had given it to me when I was a young boy. 

It's a small Scofield Reference Edition of the King James Bible - too small for me to read without my cheaters today.  On it's crisp India paper pages are notes and references from both my father and my younger self.  [This is not the Bible he has been preaching and teaching from for the last 60 years.  But it is a smaller version of the same.  For those of you who know my father, you already know that many pages of this Bible are for all practical purposes, unreadable.  He writes very small and seems to be able to fill the margins of even the smallest pages with notes, references, comments and illustrations]  To me the treasures were just beginning to unfold.

On the blank pages inside the leather cover, both front and back, were notes and comments that to me, were priceless.  There was the note I wrote to myself five minutes after my mom led me to Jesus ... "I was saved, February 4, 1975,  9:30 PM".  Next to it the date February 2, 1983, the date I dedicated my life to Jesus to "whatever capacity He chooses and wherever He leads". 

Filling the blank pages were other comments and quotes.  Such as:

"A minority plus God makes a majority"  - Glenn Armstrong
"Periodic Christianity is perpetual hypocrisy" - C.H. Spurgeon
"The most important part of prayer, the first 15 minutes after you say amen"
- author unknown
"There is no greater hindrance to true spirituality, than a superficial acquaintance with the language of Christianity from childhood" - Glenn Armstrong
"To believe that this world came into existence by blind chance, is the same as believing that Webster's unabridged dictionary came into being by an explosion in a printing factory" - author unknown
"Unless there is in us what is above us, we will soon succomb to what is around us" - author unknown

Finding that little Bible made my day, perhaps my week too.  But, the purpose of sharing this simple story is to remind you of an even greater treasure that is available to those who seek it.  Jesus gave a similar illustration in Matthew 13:44.  Describing the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus said:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (ESV)

Have you found the Kingdom of Heaven?  Do you know the forgiveness and life Jesus freely offers to everyone who comes to Him?  As my wife Debbie reminds me, so I admonish you, "look like a woman".  Be willing to move around anything in your life that hinders you from finding the Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest treasure of all!

Impact: The power of the gospel to change lives

Missional: The second of three blogs which provide a deeper look at the mission of the church as described in Matthew 28.  Here at KBC, we believe the words Intersect, Impact and Imitate best describe the great commission given us by Jesus Christ.

Impact - noun 
1.  influence; effect
2.  the force exerted by a new idea, concept, technology, or ideology
Impact - verb

1.  to collide with; strike forcefully

2.  to have an impact or effect on; influence; alter

Like God's chosen nation Israel in the old testament, God has chosen His church to be the means by which He reaches hearts and lives in this age.  As individual believers are transformed by truth applied by the Holy Spirit, they can corporately become local expressions of Christ to their world.  It is the cumulative impact of Christ-followers who have exchanged their lives for His and who live out the love of Christ (both within and outside the doors of the church) that draws men to the Lord.

At the core of the Great Commission is disciple-making.  But what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?  I think we can better grasp the idea by substituting a more modern word, "apprentice".  In Matthew 28:19, Jesus is calling us to become His apprentices.

Apprenticeship involves "on the job training", learning a set of skills or a practice from a previous generation.  This was the process that would be set in motion once He gave the Great Commission to the apostles - His first apprentices.

They had left their families and homes, abandoned the security of their careers, set aside their ambitions and dreams to follow Christ.  They traveled with Him, lived with Him, listened to His teachings, questioned Him, saw His miracles and served under His direction.  For most of those three and half years they thought they were training to serve in a new kingdom that Jesus would set up in Jerusalem after he defeated the Romans. And then - they watched Him die.

But now he had come back to them victorious over death. Now they knew without any doubt that He was the Son of God.  They knew the highest and best use of their lives would be to invest the remainder of their lives in the service of an eternal kingdom.  Here He was giving them their orders, "Make Disciples".  But something was missing.  Jesus had been with them through it all and now He said He was leaving.  "Hey John. What was that about another Comforter?"

The Holy Spirit

The apostle John records one of the most intimate conversations Jesus ever had with his "Disciples" in chapters 13 through 17 of his gospel.  You remember the passage, it's Jesus in the upper room with his disciples the night before his arrest in the Garden.  Here He teaches them (and us) the very core of discipleship in the things He says and does that night.

In chapter 13, He begins by washing their feet, teaching them about The Servants Heart.  He gives them The New Commandment to love one another as He loved them.  (In the next day they would really learn just how much he loved them).

In chapter 14, He once tells them that He would be leaving them but He reassures them of his love for them and His desire to be with them.  Here He also introduces them to the Holy Spirit who would be with them forever, residing in them and causing them to reside in Him.  It would be the Holy Spirit who would bring them to understand His teaching.  As they left that upper room crossing the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, Jesus continues teaching them about discipleship.

In chapter 15, He illustrates this process using grape vines and branches.  He teaches them about "abiding" in Him, about the Father's care for their productivity and the grooming that He would do to insure they grow as healthy branches and bear much fruit.  Here again Jesus confirms that He would be with them through the Holy Spirit who would help them to bear witness about Him.

In chapter 16, Jesus again teaches them about the coming Holy Spirit, telling them it is to their advantage that He departs from them so that the Helper could come.  He impresses on them that it is the Holy Spirit who would convict the world.  The Holy Spirit would proceed from Jesus who was sent by the Father.  They Holy Spirit would take care of them, turning their sorrow to joy.

In chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father for his disciples.  It is one of the most amazing passages in Scripture.  Here Jesus prays that His disciples would understand the Father's plan to send the Son.  He prays that the Father would guard and keep them.  He prays they would be unified and that they would know real joy.  He prays they would be sanctified (set apart to holiness) in the truth. 

What is truly amazing is that Jesus prayed that night for you and I.  He prays specifically for those who would be future disciples as a result of these disciples lives and teaching.  He prays that we would be in the Father and the Son, that we would know Their love for us and that we would love Them.

I think it is very clear that Jesus wanted us to understand that the key to discipleship is abiding in Him, in His truth, in His life by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  If we allow the Holy Spirit to produce Christ's life in us, it will be a life "disciplined" by the Holy Spirit to resemble Christ's life.  This is the heart of discipleship.


More Than Evangelism

This is also the heart of the Great Commission ... that we make disciples.  To make disciples requires more than just evangelism.  It means that we help people grow into Christ-likeness.  It encompasses the disciplines necessary to renew our thinking and become Christ from the inside out.  Paul in Ephesians suggests this is the very purpose of the church, namely, that we grow into maturity in our understanding of Christ and that maturity produces in us, the stature of the fulness of Christ. 

Making disciples is our task.  We are to carry on the work of Christ assigned that night to the Apostles and entrusted to the Church until Christ returns.  Next time you go to church, remember it's more than a gathering of nice people.  It's more than your religious club.  It's a place to grow into Christ.  It's a place to be transformed by Truth and the Holy Spirit.  Won't you take up the challenge to be come a Disciple of Christ?

Next:  IMITATE  Living THE LIFE - Walking THE PATH

Imitate - Living Like Christ

Relational: The third of three blogs which provide a deeper look at the mission of the church as described in Matthew 28.  Here at KBC, we believe the words Intersect, Impact and Imitate best describe the great commission given us by Jesus Christ.

Imitate - verb

1.  to follow or endeavor to follow as a model or example

2.  to mimic or impersonate

3.  to make a copy or reproduce closely

4.  to have or assume the appearance of; simulate; resemble

origin:  1525-35 < Latin imiatus past participle of imitari to copy; presumably akin to the base of imago image

The Lord Jesus left his disciples with a very specific commission.  They were instructed to "make disciples" from all people groups as they went about their daily lives.  Still today, the words "disciple and discipleship" are most often used in religious settings.

It is important for us to not fall into the trap of relegating the word "disciple" only to the 12 men who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry.  Certainly these were Jesus' disciples.  But there were many others.  More accurately we refer to them as His "apostles" when we think of their specific authority and responsibility regarding the beginnings of the Christian church.  However, it is clear from Jesus' commission that they were responsible to "reproduce themselves" which is at the core of the words "make disciples".

It is perhaps important for contemporary Christians to re-examine just what Jesus meant when He said, "disciple all nations".  What is a disciple?  What does it mean to "make disciples"?  We had better know what He meant, since this is the very purpose we exist as a Christian church in the first place.

Imitate

By definition, a disciple is one who is a follower or a pupil.  A modern equivalent would be "an apprentice", one who is learning (a trade, for example) from another experienced person.  Jesus instructed the apostles to make "committed followers or apprentices" of Himself.  That is the focus of the word "Imitate" which we have chosen in our three "I's".  The origin of "imitate" comes from the idea of reflecting the "image" or likeness of something.

When we use the word "imitate" today, it is likely that you think of the word in a negative light.  You may think of "imitation" as opposed to "authentic".  Like a "knock-off" Gucci hand bag verses the real thing.  (I guess that's not a bad thing depending on your personal finances.)  We American's like the real thing.  Since we were kids we were told look for the authentic.  You know like, Coca Cola "It's the Real Thing".

However, there is a use of the word "imitate" which is much closer to the idea Jesus had in mind when He gave the Great Commission.  As in the first definition above, the idea of following or modeling one's behavior after another strikes closer to the truth. 

Disciple

Dallas Willard, former Southern Baptist Pastor and professor at the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, is the author of many engaging and enlightening books on this subject.  In an article titled, "How Does The Disciple Live", Dr. Willard writes, "As Jesus' disciple, I am His apprentice in kingdom living.  I am learning from Him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of the Heavens as He would lead my life if He were I."  He continues, "Being His apprentice is, therefore, not a matter of special 'religious' activities, but an orientation and quality of my entire existence." 

Dr. Willard describes a threefold learning process for the disciple/apprentice of Jesus.  First, learning to do the things Jesus specifically said to do.  Second, learning to conduct the usual activities of life, in the character and power of Christ.  Third, learning to exercise the power of the Kingdom of Christ in His Word and Spirit.

The article concludes with this statement:  "Disciples are those who, seriously intending to become like Jesus from the inside out, systematically and progressively rearrange their affairs to that end, under the guidance of the Word and the Spirit."  With this in mind, "discipleship" may refer to the process of restructuring or reordering my world to become more like Christ.  In fact, "Christlikeness" is at the core of the title "Christian".  Early believers were called Christians, specifically because they lived "like Christ".  The word literally means, "Christ like ones".

Jim Putman, in his book, "Real Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples" uses a very simple definition of Discipleship based on Jesus' invitation to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew.  Seeing them casting their nets into the Sea of Galilee, Jesus calls to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19 ESV).  Pastor Putman, defines discipleship as, "one who knows and follows Christ, who is being changed by Christ, and who is committed to the mission of Christ"1.  You see the outline in His invitation to the brothers.  First, "follow me".  Second, "and I will make you".  Third, "fishers of men".  Disciples are followers of Christ who are transformed by Him and who accomplish the mission of reaching people with the message of life in Christ.

A Finite Process

Many believers connect the concepts of discipleship with spiritual perfection.  In so doing they arrive at a place that Scripture does not take us.  They come to believe that discipleship is a process that continues throughout their lifetime ending with their becoming like Christ in the life after death.  This kind of thinking, keeps them from seeing that the process of apprenticeship to Jesus is something that can be accomplished in a period of time, for those who are committed to His instruction.

In the real "Lord's Prayer" recorded for us in John 17, we see a very interesting statement made by Jesus to the Father in verse 4.  Jesus says, "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do."  (John 17:4 ESV)  I find it interesting that He makes this statement prior to His crucifixion and resurrection.  If all that Jesus came to earth to do was to become our propitiation, the satisfaction for sin and our atonement, then what is He referring to in this verse?

I believe Jesus is referring to His work in training the disciples.  By this point they had left their ambitions behind and followed Him for three and a half years, learning from Him in real life situations.  They had come to really know Him (1 John 1:1-4), they began to understand His manner of life, His passion for the eternal souls of men.  No they did not fully understand.  They were still hoping for a seat at His right or left hand in an earthly kingdom established after deliverance from Roman occupation.  But soon they would understand.  They would learn that He would be leaving them.  That another "Helper" would be coming who would be in them, teaching and guiding them.  But Jesus' work in making them His disciples was complete.

In this I find a very important lesson.  We can learn to follow Jesus to the point at which we can truly be called His "Disciple" in this lifetime.  The apostle Peter reminds us of this in 2 Peter 1:1-15.  The apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders that he had taught them "the whole counsel of God" while He was with them for 3 years (see Acts 20:17-38).  Paul would later write to the same Ephesian believers that the very purpose of the church was to bring every believer to maturity in Christ, to Christ-like-ness (see Ephesians 4:11-16).

While it is true that we will not find sinless perfection until our sin nature is fully eradicated in glorification, we can become Jesus' disciples, His apprentices and do our part to accomplish His commission of "making disciples" of all people groups.

Why is this distinction important?  Because far too often, we believe that only certain people can make disciples.  We come to believe that only those with Bible college or Seminar degrees, only those employed on the church staff, only those with church office titles (pastor, elder, deacon) are charged with this responsibility.  It's not for me, it's not my job, it's for the professional at church, don't try this at home.  I believe this misunderstanding of apprenticeship and sinless perfection literally keeps us from becoming the followers of Christ we are all called to be.

Becoming Christ's disciple is a finite process.   We can all learn how to follow Him.  We can all learn how to share His life with those who are lost and dying without Him.  We can and must do so now!

Transformation by Apprenticeship

The New Testament understood a disciple to be more than just a person who relies on correct beliefs alone.  The true disciples was one who responded to Christ's call to walk closely with Him, one who would forsake everything for the sake of that call.  Too often today, we think of the disciple in terms of evangelism - one who shares the gospel.  While it proclaiming the availability of life in the kingdom made possible through Jesus is certainly a chief responsibility of a disciple, the disciple is first one who has become an 'apprentice' of Jesus.  An apprenticed walked with, observed, learned from and imitated his master.  The apprentice was on a journey of becoming like his master by being with Him.

Much of our evangelistic efforts would be better served if we would first commit to time in the yoke with Jesus. The NT apostles (the first disciples / apprentices) spent 3+ years learning from Jesus.  They  sacrificed their personal property and interests, learning to live simply (simplicity) as they left it all behind.  They served the crowds who followed Jesus, and at times separated themselves from the demands and needs of the people learning the importance of solitude.  Jesus taught them to pray, meditate and fast. They learned to submit (submission) to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit as they observed Jesus himself doing the same.  In fact, they were completely transformed as they spent time "with" Jesus.  As they were transformed into men who really lived like Jesus, they became true imitators of the one who they knew for certain held the words of life.

Our challenge today is to learn to walk with Jesus in the same manner as the disciples.  It is his purpose to transform us into people whose most immediate attitude, action and reaction in any given situation would be one very similar to what Jesus would think, feel or act if in that situation.  As we become more like Him on the inside, others will note the fact that we live like him on the outside.  And that is real imitation.

1 - William James Putman, Real-Life Discipleship, NavPress 2010, p.27-33