Seedplots

Four lessons about times when our “work for God doesn’t go according to plan”

David’s experience, recorded in 1 Samuel 27-30 can give us hope when “work for God doesn’t go according to plan.”

Paul tells us in Romans 15 that these Old Testament stories are written,

“To teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4)

They give us hope because they point us to the “God of hope” and encourage us to keep on trusting God even when things don’t go “according to plan.”

In Part 1 (yesterday’s posting) of David’s story from 1 Samuel 27-30 we considered the first lesson his example illustrates about times when our “work for God doesn’t go according to plan.”  We noted that in such times discouragement is normal. 

Today’s posting draws a second lesson from David’s experience.  If things haven’t gone “according to plan” in your work for God, don’t be too hard on yourself. But pay attention to the second lesson.

Lesson 2 – Discouragement makes us vulnerable to temptation

The second lesson David’s experience illustrates is that discouragement makes us vulnerable to temptation.

I think this happened to David. In his discouragement, Satan tempted him to give up and David did.

Leaders of God’s people, in their discouragement, are tempted to forget God’s promises, to lose hope that God will work, and to neglect their calling.

a) Temptation to forget God’s promises
David had been promised by God that he would be king (chapter 16).  This promise was confirmed multiple times – by Jonathan (23:16-17), by Abigail (25:28,30) and even by Saul himself (24:21, 26:25). But David lost sight of God’s promises. He stopped believing them.  This is unbelief and unbelief is sin.

b) Temptation to lose hope in God
Do you still expect God to work through you as you lead his people?  or have you lost that hope?  When we are discouraged, Satan tempts us to lose hope in God.  David gave in to this temptation.  He had given up hope that God would protect him.  That much is pretty clear from 1 Samuel 27:1.  When we lose hold in God, we take things into our own hands – and end up with even greater problems.

This sense of hopelessness is common in the accounts of Biblical characters. Another example that comes to mind is Sarah, Abraham’s wife. She tells her husband,

The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her (Genesis 16:2)

Her language is amazingly similar to David’s isn’t it? El Shadai, God Almighty, had promised Sarah and Abraham a son. But Sarah had lost hope that God would keep his promise and work on her behalf. She took things into her own hands, like David, and the result was a disaster.

c) Temptation to neglect our calling
When we give in to Satan’s temptation, lose hope in God, and take things into our own hands, almost inevitably we end up neglecting our calling.

David, as God’s anointed one, was supposed to be protecting God’s people from the Philistines (cf. 1 Sam. 9:15 “anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines”).  David had done this. In Chapter 22 David and his men saved the city of Keilah from the Philistines.

But now, instead of fighting the Philistines, David is living with them. He calls himself the “servant” of the King of Gath (see 1 Sam 27:5, 12, 28:2). Amazing when we remember that Gath was Goliath’s home town!

How different David is in this chapter. No prayers, no zeal for God’s glory, no more Psalms. David is acts like an unbeliever. He depends on lies and deception, even the murder of women and children to protect himself (1 Sam 27:8-12). Satan has used discouragement to lead David away from God and away from his calling.

Part 3 of this posting will appear tomorrow . . .

Four lessons about times when our “work for God doesn’t go according to plan”

The story of David is found in 1st and 2nd Samuel.  God selects David to be king over his people in 1 Samuel 16.  He doesn’t actually become king till 2 Samuel, some 15 years later.  In between, God puts David in his leadership training school.

By the time we get to 1 Samuel 27, David’s training is almost finished. He has passed two of his exams with flying colors (chapters 24, 26). Something unexpected happens, however near the end of his schooling.

David’s experience is the subject of today’s (Part 1) and tomorrow’s posting (Part 2). 

David’s experience, recorded in 1 Samuel 27-30 can give us hope when “work for God doesn’t go according to plan.” Paul tells us in Romans 15 that these Old Testament stories are written,

“To teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4)

They give us hope because they point us to the “God of hope” and encourage us to keep on trusting God even when things don’t go “according to plan.”

David’s discouragement
Take a look with me at the context of 1 Samuel 27.  When the chapter opens, David is on the run. Saul is “hot on his heels.” He’d been running from King Saul for a long time (probably more than 10 years).

Saul is getting closer and closer.  There aren’t many places left to hid. For many years, God has protected David, though often God waited till the last moment to step in and rescue him.  David, at this point, is tired of running and tired of hiding.

And David is not alone. His wives and children are with him. He’s leading a small army of 600 men.  Many of them have their families with them. It’s not easy to hid with a crowd like that, let alone find food and water for everyone in the wilderness.

David is ready to get away from this pressure.  Things haven’t “gone according to plan.”  Well, not according to David’s plan. How much easier life would be living in a town.  Imagine going down to the local well for water and the local market to buy food. Imagine living in a house, with a yard and a garden, David tells himself.  At this point, we break into the story.

David’s actions
In Old Testament literature, we are often left to ourselves to judge whether a person’s actions are good or bad, right or wrong.  This is the case in 1 Samuel 27:1-2,

“But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.”

Were David’s actions right or wrong?

They worked — the next verse tells us “When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.” But were they right?

The text gives us subtle hints that David’s actions were not pleasing to God.  Notice David’s reasoning,

• · “David thought to himself“
• · “I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul”
• · “The best thing I can do is escape”
• · “I will slip out of his hand”

Not a word here about prayer.  Even though David had in his group the priest with a means of determining God’s will.  In fact, there’s no reference to God at all during this 16  month period of David’s life.

This is David’s plan, not God’s. David has grown discouraged and he’s tired of constantly having to trust God to deliver him from Saul.

Lesson 1 – Discouragement is normal

While the primary intent of this passage is not to teach us about discouragement, it does illustrate lessons we would do well to heed.  The first one is staring us right in the face.  It can be expressed this way:  Work for God that “doesn’t go according to plan” causes discouragement.

That’s normal.

Those who lead God’s people usually begin serving God with plans and hopes. Over time, if things don’t go “according to plan” our hope begins to slip away. Eventually we lose hope altogether, and discouragement sets in.

It appears that happened to David. It happens to us too. That’s normal.  Discouragement is not sin.

Proverbs 13:12 tells us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” The word deferred used in the original means to ” extend, protract, delay, drag out” (NIDOTTE).

Realizing “deferred hope” (= work that doesn’t go according to plan) makes the heart sick (= discouraged) is a normal human emotion can help us not be too hard on ourselves when we are discouraged.   Look at some of the “heroes” of Scripture:

• Abraham was discouraged.  In Genesis 15:1-2, he told God, “What good are your gifts… you’ve not given me a child!”
• Moses was discouraged.  In Exodus 5:22-23, he said, “Why did you send me? You’ve done nothing at all to save your people.”
• Elijah was discouraged, so discouraged he wanted to commit suicide. In 1 Kings 19:3-4, he told God, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life. I am no better than my ancestors.”

If things haven’t gone “according to plan” in your work for God, don’t be too hard on yourself. But pay attention to the second lesson.

Part 2 of this posting will appear tomorrow . . .

One of the challenges facing those who lead God’s people is that of getting guidance from God for ministry.

Some advocate a strategic planning approach and build their case on the biblical teaching about wisdom. Others argue that God is the great “orchestrator” of his mission and that most breakthroughs in the advance of God’s mission happen in ways quite unrelated to our planning and strategy.

Who is correct?  Well, there is no “simple” answer.  There is a place and a time for both approach – it is not right to cast these two approaches into an “either-or” choice.  I was challenged to think again about these questions as I listened  to a recent conference talk by Tim Chester (here’s the link).  He advocates at “plan the next step” approach.   I think what he says is basically correct, but again, it even in his formulation, it’s not “either-or” but “both-and.”

I remember years ago being challenged to think about these issues by the life and ministry of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Early on in their ministry, in response to what they believed was God’s leading, they resigned from their denominational mission society, started a new “organization” (L’Abri) with no promised financial backing, and moved to a tiny village in the Swiss Alps.

He and his wife refused to map out the future of organization they had just started using “strategic planning.” Instead, they based L’Abri on four principles:

• We will pray that God would send people of his choice and keep others away
• We will pray that God would send enough money to pay the bills
• We will pray that God would lead step by step and unfold his plan for the work
• We pray that God would send helpers of his choice as the work grows

Many of their friends warned them they were throwing away their lives and future – that the influence they had begun to exert in their denomination was over. Yet from that obscure location, in a totally unplanned and unexpected way, Francis Schaeffer ended up having more influence on the emerging evangelical leaders of his day than anyone else in his generation.

Were they right in their approach?  What about “strategic planning”? Isn’t it “good stewardship” to plan ahead and set “faith targets” in ministry?  Or should we depend on “impressions” and a sense of God’s leading in ministry?  Or something else?  These are important, challenging, and difficult questions for Christian leaders.

Then Moses said to God,
“If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

God said to Moses,
“I am who I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:13-14)

Imagine what it sounded like when Jesus claimed . . . I AM the bread of life! It would be similar to a person in Saudi Arabia declaring, “Allah and me, we’re one in the same!” Jesus’ declaration so angered the Jews that they tried to stone him for blasphemy:

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ?I am.” So ?they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple (John 8:58)

Free food!
A day before this declaration (I AM the bread of life), Jesus had taught a great number of people in the wilderness.  At the end of the day, Jesus, as a good host, fed them with bread and fish he had miraculously multiplied.  The people, being poor, immediately remembered how Moses had fed the nation in the wilderness.   Surely he is the prophet whom Moses said would come! they thought.  The text says:

“This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:14)

We’re not much different.  We too try to use God to help us achieve our own goals and plans, don’t we?

The bread of life
The people then tried to blackmail Jesus.  Moses gave us a sign  – he gave the people food, they said.  If you give us the same sign, then we will follow you. (John 6:30-31).  That’s not true, Jesus said.

Moses didn’t give the people bread (manna), God did!  And that was just physical food, not bread from heaven as you called it.  God wants to give you true bread, the bread of life.

Jesus as the bread of life and my life
Jesus is the bread of life.  His words are life.  When Jesus asked the Twelve… “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Peter answered,  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! (John 6: 14).

Without daily fellowship with Jesus, through prayer and reading of his word, we have no other source of spiritual food.  Spiritually we will starve.

Unfortunately, we are prone to seek God for the wrong reasons, looking for what we can get from him – his blessing and his help. God made us for fellowship with him.  He offers gives us spiritual food.  It is up to us to feed on this provision daily, through fellowship with Jesus, through prayer and through reading, through meditating on his word.

Currently reading  . . .

What are you reading this week?

The Letters to Timothy And Titus, Philip Towner,  2006, Eerdmans
I’m slowly reading through Towner’s notes on 1 Timothy. This is commentary is a recent addition to the New International Commentary on the New Testament series. 

The Covenants of Promise: A Theology of the Old Testament Covenants, Thomas McComiskey,  1985, Baker
I’m rereading sections of this older book.

Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography,  Iain Murray, 1988, Banner of Truth
Earlier this year I read Marsden’s biography of Edwards.  This book is quite different.  Read together the two complement each other.  Edward’s world was so different from ours, yet I continued to be amazed and how relevant some of the issues Edward’s struggled are today.

Mid-life gives us an opportunity to look back, draw conclusions and think about the remaining years that lie ahead of us. Such reflection should have at least two results – growth in wisdom and the praise of God.

David in mid-life did just that. His reflections are recorded in 2 Samuel 22. One writer observes, “Its setting in 2 Samuel indicates that it is intended as a crowning celebration of David’s exploits” that looks back across his life.

David’s ” personal expression of gratitude to the Lord” is adapted almost word for word in Psalm 18 for the people of God to use, perhaps

Because their well-being is now tied to the offspring of David (2 Sam. 7:4–17). When God’s people sang this, then, they were to give thanks for the Davidic line and to pray that its heirs would be faithful to the Lord and would be valiant military leaders, so that Israel might carry out its God-given purpose of bringing light to the Gentiles (ESV Study Bible)

The Psalm is quoted once in the New Testament, giving it a,

Latent messianic meaning, and the deliverance of God’s anointed from ‘the cords of death’ (vv. 5–6) finds deeper significance in the deliverance of Jesus from death itself (Psalms 1-50, Craigie).

The Psalm is amazingly God-centered. David realized that whatever success he’d had in life had been due to God. God was the one who had delivered him time and again from death, God was the one who gave him the gifts and abilities he had, God was the one who trained him for his life work, God was the one who gave him success, God’s favor (”right hand”) supported him and his “gentleness” made David great (vs 35).

1) Reflection on all of this made David humble.
He came to realize that God “saves the humble and brings low those who are haughty” (vs 27).

2) Reflection on all of this led David to praise God
He did this through his Psalm.  Notice his desire for the “hallowing” of God’s name among the nations of the world, The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation (vs 45)….For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name (vs 49)

In last Monday’s posting, I noted that the concept of “discipleship” is understood in quite different ways by people in Christian circles.

Here are several of the more popular understandings:

1)  A Serious Attempt to Imitate Christ
After persecution of Christians became widespread in the Roman Empire, Church fathers such as Ignatius emphasized the importance of faithfulness to Christ in the face of death.

“Only those who are obedient prove to be disciples and the conclusive proof is obedience to the point of death,” he wrote.   “Being a perfect disciple of Christ means imitating Christ in his Passion.”

Anthony and the desert Fathers further developed this line of thinking, calling Christians who were serious about following Jesus (i.e. “perfect discipleship”) to a monastic life (which they termed “unbloody martyrdom”). This theme was picked up by monastic writers in the Middle Ages.  Bernard of Clairvaux, for example, considered monastic life necessary for true discipleship, i.e. an imitation of the poverty, humility and charity of the earthly Jesus.

This understanding of discipleship as “a serious attempt to imitate Christ” is often appears in Roman Catholic writers. A classic expression of this emphasis is found in the devotional book Imitation of Christ, one of the most widely read books ever written.  In modern times, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, similarly calls believers to “radical discipleship.”

2)  A Structured Training Program for Young Christians
Others use the term discipleship to refer to the practice of using a set of “training materials” or “discipleship material” with a new believer or a young believer.  A classic example would be the Ten Basic Steps booklets produced by Campus Crusade for Christ.

Discipleship means that an older Christian (i.e. somebody already “discipled”) goes through these materials with new believers (either individually or in a small group).  In this understanding, discipleship follows evangelism.  It is something you “do” with new believers who are not yet “established” in their faith.  When a person has been through the “training program” they have been “discipled.”

3)  A Training Process aimed at Transforming Christians into Mature, Stable Believers
An older use of the term, which has its roots in the ministry of Dawson Trotman and the organization he founded called “The Navigators” divides believers into two groups – ordinary Christians and “disciples.” “Disciples” are mature, stable Christians who are active in sharing their faith with others. Discipleship is a mentoring method, usually “one-on-one,” used to transform ordinary believers into “disciples.” In this approach, mentors sometimes refer to those whom they are mentoring (”discipling”) as their disciples. Waylon Moore provides a good example of this usage:

Not every saved person is Christ’s disciple but a disciple is a certain kind of Christian, a Christian who . . . is involved in the word of God on a continual basis, . . . who lays down his life for others, . . . and who abides daily in a fruit-bearing union with Christ. . . Disciplemaking is a workable method . . .  Evangelism makes converts, follow-up makes disciples (Multiplying Disciples. The New Testament Method of Church Growth, 1981)

An extreme form of this usage developed in the Charismatic renewal movement.  Four leaders in the movement, Don Basham, Derek Prince, Charles Simpson and Bob Mumford, influenced perhaps by Juan Carlos Ortiz’s book Disciple, started a movement emphasizing total accountability and submission to church leaders.  This became known as the “Shepherding Movement” and led to excesses of abuse and manipulation.

4)  The Ongoing Nurture and Teaching of Christians
This fourth understanding of discipleship is probably the most common way of understanding of discipleship among evangelical believers. Mission is thought to have two components – evangelism and discipleship.  Evangelism comes first. When individuals respond to the call of the gospel in repentance and faith, they need to be taught. That process of nurture and teaching is typically referred to as discipleship.

Discipleship, in this usage, is either what we do to help younger believers grow in their faith, or something they do as an expression of their faith.  Leaders who emphasize this understanding often point to the root meaning of the term translated “disciple” in the New Testament:  “It simply means one who is a learner or a pupil.”

Conclusion
The problem with all of these understandings of discipleship, as I noted yesterday, is that in the New Testament, the verses that speak of “making disciples” refer to something that includes both evangelism and instruction – instruction that continues until a person is “obeying all that Jesus commanded.”  To make sense of the Biblical data, a broad definition is needed.

I wrote on recent posting on God’s guidance in ministry. Another factor that is part of the mix of God’s guidance is the face that sometimes (often ?) God puts us in situations that require us to “wait on God.”

It is interesting to trace the theme of “waiting on God” through the Psalms and in the lives of Old Testament characters.

What emerges is the impression that God is not in a hurry. We are.

John Piper, in a great sermon called Battling the Impatience of Unbelief, commented,

The opposite of impatience is a deepening, sweetening willingness to stand in the place that God has appointed or to move at the pace that God has appointed…to stand in God’s place or go at his pace.  God often moves at a slower pace than we want him to move.

Looking back, one of the disciplines that has significantly helped me grow is the habit of Scripture Memory.  I’ve memorized Scripture at different period in my life.  Looking back at those periods I’ve noticed that it has always led to spiritual growth.  So why don’t I do it more?  That’s what I ask myself.

What about you?  You’ve probably tried it in the past.  Why not re-start Scripture Memory?  It fills our mind with God’s Word and causes us to meditate on Scripture in the “in-between” moments of our lives.

If you don’t know where to start – here’s a simple method.  Download Andrew Davis’ Scripture Memory booklet (Click here), choose a chapter in the Bible, and follow Pastor Davis’ simple method.  It’s not hard and it works.

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Excuses for not Memorizing Scripture

1.  I don’t have a good memory
You have a better memory than you think you do.  Think of all the numbers and names you know.

2.  It will take up too much time; I am too busy
This is the most efficient use of your time.  It will bless you in everything you do.  Invest your life in the Word of God.

3. I am too lazy, and it’s hard work
The secret to memorization is repetition over time.  Repeat, and repeat, and repeat over months.  It is hard work, but it is worth doing.

4.  I am not very interested; it seems boring
Could the word of God really be boring to you if you are justified by faith?  You haven’t seen the glories of the word of God.

5.  I have tried it before, and it never really worked
Try it again.

6.  I might become prideful
No, you will become prideful, so memorize verses on pride to humble you.

7  I don’t know how to do it
It is simply repetition over time.

(from Andrew Davis  – original link)

In this series of postings, I’m slowly working my way through Charles Bridges’ classic book Christian Ministry.

Response to Chapter 3 of Christian Ministry
(Charles Bridges)

In Chapter 3, Bridges writes about purpose or aim of Christian Ministry. He discusses the various metaphors used in Scripture to describe the people of God and relates these to the work of ministry.
.

I think Bridges is right on target when he insists that it is the ministry of God’s Word, empowered by the Spirit of God, that accomplishes God work.

The focus of Scripture, however, is on the Word of God, not on the “office” or person ministering the Word (i.e. the Minister). Those who lead God’s people, especially those who “work hard at preaching and teacher,” have an important role, but not the exclusive role that Bridges seems to insist on when he writes:

“Christian Ministry” is … the appointed channel of communication from the head to the body in its several members, by which the spiritual life is first imparted, and subsequently maintained…” (pg 13).

If I understanding him correction, this would mean that evangelism occurs only as “Christian Ministers” minister the Word, and that spiritual growth occurs only through the teaching / preaching ministry of “Christian Ministers.”

In the account of the spread of the gospel in Acts, the gospel often spreads into new areas through the witness of new believers (for example, Acts 8:4, “those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” – the references is to everyone but the apostles, who function, in Bridges’ book as “prototype” Christian Ministers).

He is pushing his point too far when he contends that Ministers are “first link of means in the chain of salvation, so that without a Ministry there should be no hearing of the word – consequently no faith in the only Saviour” (pg 14).

The same is true of growth in Christian maturity. In Ephesians 4:14-16, the body (congregation of believers) grows as all of God’s people participate in the “the work of ministry” (vs. 12). This is described in vs. 15 as “speaking the truth in love.” When ?”when each part (i.e. every believer in the congregation, not just the Minister) is working properly.. the body grows so that it builds itself up in love” (vs 16).

I like Bridges approach to using the Biblical metaphors to help illuminate the role of leadership among the people of God. This is a helpful exercise, though more care needs to be taken to interpret and use the metaphors in the way they are used in Scripture.

For example, the Body metaphor is used in Scripture, in reference to the Jesus’ church, in two ways – the emphasize that life of the people of God comes from the head (i.e. Jesus), and to emphasize the interrelated diversity (many parts, one body, every part is needed) of each member of the congregation.

As far as I can determine, there is not even a hint of what Bridges is saying in the New Testament passages that speak of the Church as the body of Christ. The closest the New Testament comes to this is Col. 1:22-27, but the thought is not Paul providing the link between Christ and the church. Paul is instead called the “servant” (NASV) or “minister” (ESV) of the church and the emphasis is on the need to suffer in that capacity. I take this to be a shifting of metaphors from the Church as the Body of Christ, to Paul’s calling to share in the ministry of the (OT) Suffering Servant.

His use of the Flock / Shepherd metaphor is good, though I think the Biblical usage of this metaphor is broader.

I’m not satisfied with his use of the Household metaphor. His quote comes from Jesus’ discourse in Matthew 24 – which functions as an illustration of the need to be “watchful” – the context has nothing to do with a congregation of believers. Instead this metaphor is used in the epistles (along with Building), to emphasize the importance of the one foundation (Jesus), and (along with that of a Family) to illustrate the way believers are to relate to each other.

I can’t find City used in the NT as a metaphor for a congregation of believers – though by extension perhaps Matthew 5:14 might be pressed into service. But here the metaphor has nothing to do with leadership but with the lives of believers.

Treaty of Peace refer primarily to apostolic / evangelistic ministry, it seems to me, not to congregations of believers.

In conclusion, I think this examination of metaphors could be very helpful, but Bridges’ analysis is not done carefully enough.

Having “Yahweh” as our God and belonging to his people is the heart of the covenant God makes with humans.  Some have called this the “master metaphor” of the Bible.

God has proved his people with a “path” along which they walk. We “walk with God” or “walk in his ways.”  This path leads to an eventual goal – “rest in the presence of God” himself.  Life in God’s presence (where we see his “face”)  is the final goal of the covenant.

Psalm 16 characterizes the “path of life” as “delightful” (vs. 2) and “pleasant” (vs. 6). Its goal, being in the presence of God, is even better:  “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (vs. 11).

David, as he writes this, is facing a time of crisis (perhaps sickness?). He cries out to God, “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge” (vs. 1). People around him are whispering.. Yahweh hasn’t done much to help you. Look around for other options. Try other gods. Maybe they can help.

David’s answer is a model expression of confidence to Yahweh. Listen to what he says,

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply…
I will… take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup…
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

David made his choice – Yahweh. He will walk in his “way.” He will find his identity with God’s people. He has placed his hope in the promise of one day being in God’s presence, where there is fullness of joy.

He’s content that he’s made a good choice.  This has brought him stability and pleasure during the here and now, and hope for what’s ahead.

The apostle Peter informs us that David in Psalm 16 “foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ” (Acts 2:25-33). As his disciples, we follow him, i.e. walk in his “path.” We find our identity with his followers. We place our hope in his return in glory. One day we will see him. In his presence is fullness of joy!

A confusing word it is, discipleship.  It means different things to different people.

To some people discipleship means “being a disciple” of Jesus.

To others it means “making disciples of Jesus.”  Which is right?

The New Testament data doesn’t help us decide how to use the word because the actual term discipleship because is not in the New Testament.

The closest New Testament word is matheteuo – a word which can mean either “making disciples” or “being a disciple.”  This word only occurs 4x in the New Testament.

Making disciples?
Twice the term (matheteuo) refers to “making disciples” – in Jesus’ Great Commission given to the 11 disciples (Matthew 28:19) and in a description of Paul’s missionary work (Acts 14:21).

In these two verses matheteuo refers to both what we usually call “evangelism” and the teaching that followed after a person responded to the Gospel in a positive way.

Being a disciple?
Twice the term matheteuo occurs as a passive verb that means “being” or “becoming” a disciple.  In Matthew 13:52 it refers to a scribe “who has become a disciple of the kingdom” (NASV) or has been been “trained for the kingdom of heaven (ESV).

In Matthew 27:5 matheteuo occurs in a description of Joseph of Arimathea, noting that he had become a disciple of Jesus

Both / and ?
Probably the way New Testament uses the term matheteuo is the way we should use the term “discipleship” – i.e. in a broad way to refer both to making disciples and to being disciples.

We would also do well to use the term in a comprehensive way to refers both to the process of evangelism, and to the process of instruction that follows a positive response to the gospel – as this is how the term is used in the New Testament

For most of us, using the term discipleship in this way requires a shift in our thinking, a “paradigm” shift.  We are not used to using the term “discipleship” like this.  The danger is, however, if we use the term differently that the way it is used in the New Testament,  that we will end up reading a different meaning in New Testament verses that refer to “disciples.”

More about this in a later posting…

Daily seeking guidance from God is a key task of those who lead God’s people.  One of my favorite verses on the subject is found in Colossians 1.

Paul prayed for the believers in that city that they might be “filled (on a regular basis – present tense) with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Paul was praying that God would give them a knowledge of his will that would enable them to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Although the word “daily guidance” is not used here, the concept is in view.

When we know and do God’s will, daily, then we please God, bear fruit and increase in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

C.J. Mahaney, in his series on planning, roles, and goals, begins with this spiritual discipline of seeking God’s guidance.  If we are not doing the right things, even the most successful time management skills will be worthless.  His comments are helpful:

Given the active presence of pride and self-sufficiency in my life, it is imperative for me at the outset of each day to devote time to humbling myself before the Lord and acknowledging my dependence upon him for all that awaits me.  As I devote myself to this spiritual discipline, the words of Proverbs 3:5-7 frequently inform my meditation and prayer:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

The exposition of these verses by nineteenth-century pastor Charles Bridges in his commentary on Proverbs is helpful and insightful.  Bridges writes: “He loves to be consulted. Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by him. Be in the habit of going to him in the first place – before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency. Before any of these have been consulted go to God at once. Consider no circumstances too clear to need his direction.  In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let him be supreme.”   Charles Bridges (1794-1869), from A Commentary on Proverbs (Banner of Truth, 1846/1968)  pp. 24-25.

Do you write notes to yourself about things that strike you and you want to remember? 

Here’s one a Pastor (Joe Thorn) wrote to himself and then posted on his blog.   Take a look – it’s short and right to the point.

Then he goes on to explain,

It’s not that your theology itself drifts, but that sometimes you so focus on one aspect of Jesus that you tend to forget the rest. The result is a shrinking Jesus (in your faith).

And as your shrinking Jesus becomes small Jesus he is easily eclipsed by idols. This is why you sometimes lack passion and earnestness for the kingdom and the glory of God… A small Jesus does not inspire awe, command respect, lead to worship, nor compel us to talk of him (much less suffer for him). And small Jesus is too little to arrest the attention of the world.

So, please remember – Jesus is bigger than you tend to think. He is the perfect revelation of God, the radiance of his glory, the exact imprint of his nature; he is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. Everything belongs to him and exists for him. He is the author of your salvation, the perfecter of your faith, and the only one in whom you can find life.

(Original link)

In this series of postings, I’m slowly working my way through Charles Bridges’ classic book Christian Ministry.

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Christian Ministry (Charles Bridges) – Chapter 3

In Chapter 3, Bridges writes about the purpose or aim of Christian Ministry. He discusses the various metaphors used in Scripture to describe the people of God and relates these to the work of ministry.

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The Dignity of our Calling
Christian Ministry, writes Bridges, has a two-fold aim – 1) to honor God and 2) to save men and women.  Put another way, the “ministry of the Word” is aimed at both evangelism and establishment. Bridges expresses this using the Biblical metaphors of   “planting” the Church and “watering” of the Church (1 Corinthians 3:6).  “There is both a foundation to be laid and a building to be raised.”

The ministry of the Word is God’s provision for “perfecting what was lacking in the faith” of young believers. Peter wrote his second epistle to those that were “established in the faith” encouraging them to “add to” what they already possessed spiritually.  Christian Ministry, he argues, is God’s appointed means of initially imparting spiritual life and nurturing it on to maturity. The various metaphors for the Church help us understand the role of Christian ministers.

Body – the “appointed channel of communication from the head to the body, by which the spiritual life is first imparted and subsequently maintained

Flock –the one who “seeks that which is lost, strengthens the diseased, heals the sick and brings back that which was driven away

Household – the faithful and wise steward who dispenses the provision of the house according to the necessities of its occupants

City – the watchman who wakes and warns sleeping people of their peril

Field – the laborer who plans, waters and weeds the field, watching over the growth of the plants up until the harvest

Building – the “master-builder” to build upon the “sure foundation” living stones for a habitation of God through the Spirit

Treaty of Peace – the ambassador, entrusted with the “ministry of reconciliation” and begging them, in behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God

It’s amazing whom God calls to work with him in carrying out His mission.

A simple list of the key people in the history of redemption in Scripture highlights what I’m talking about… Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, John the Baptist…

Who would have guessed, early on, what God would do in and through these people?

Abraham – His father worshiped idols and Abram grew up in a city devoted to the worship of Nanna, the moon god.  Abram’s wife was barren. When Abraham was 99, his wife still had not given birth to the promised descendant.

Moses – At birth his parents were forced to abandon him.  He was raised in a palace – an environment where the exaltation of other gods, especially the sun gods (Osiris, Isis, Ra (Re) and Horus) was all pervasive. Yahweh, and his people (”the Hebrews”) were despised slaves.

Samuel – His mother was barren, with no prospect of having children.  Samuel grew up, without parents,  living in the worship center of Israel – a place where the leading priests had no fear of God, openly stole from the worshippers and shamelessly practiced immorality with employees of the religious establishment.

David – His great grandmother was Ruth, a poor widow from Moab.  The Torah blocked Moabites from entering “the assembly of the Lord” down to the tenth generation.

John the Baptist – the forerunner of Jesus and the greatest prophet was born to an old, barren woman and a old priest who failed to believe the angel’s good news of God’s gift of a son.

What each of these unlikely candidates for serving God share in common is the fact that God called them to serve him.  With that call came God’s sovereign preparation and God’s equipping for the task at hand.  Paul, another unlikely candidate for God’s service, was keenly aware of this.  God, he said,

“Had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace.” That same God was the one who “was pleased to reveal his Son to me in order that I might preach him among the nations.

Reflecting on whom God choose and called to serve him encourages me.  He doesn’t call (both to salvation and to service) only those who are wise according to worldly standards, those who are powerful, and those who are of noble birth. Instead God chose and called,

What is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world even things that are not… so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:26-29).

This is, as Dale Ralph Davis, notes, “vintage Yahweh,”

God’s tendency is to make our total inability his starting point. Our hopelessness and our helplessness are no barrier to his work.  We are facing one of the principles of Yahweh’s modus operandi. When his people are without strength, without resources, without hope, without human gimmicks – then he loves to stretch forth his hand from heaven (1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart).

Encouraging, isn’t it.  Maybe God can use us in his service!