Discipleship Network Forum

Our culture constantly teaches us that self-confidence will guarantee success. Scripture teaches a different lesson. 

“There’s one blessing only, the source and cornerstone of beatitude—confidence in self.”

- Seneca

There are two fundamental lessons we need to keep relearning—1) there’s a God; 2) we are not Him.

Eventually, we realize limitations—enigmas we cannot decipher, messages we cannot decode.

Self-confidence inevitably crashes into failure’s brick walls and gets lost in life’s labyrinth.

Survival of the fittest disqualifies us; swagger hurries down dead-end alleys.

Haughtiness paves humiliating roads; ego proves to be insufficient.

A do-it-yourself attitude can never be a substitute for grace.

Blessings cascade in our lives from God the Source.

Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of beatitude.

The key to the confidence course of life?

Confidence in the trustworthy God.

“’It is beyond my power to do this’” Joseph replied.

‘But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease.’”

Genesis 41:16

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized  (copy & paste to browser for blog & book info)

[This devotion based on/adapted from Day 29 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

The book began with the words, “This book is by the one who thought he’d be further along by now, but he’s not.” It doesn’t matter who wrote the book, for its author is legion. Nor does it matter the title of the book, for the opening line describes the book everyone hoped to write someday. How have we learned so much, yet applied so little? How have we grown so much, yet matured so little? Oh, I know a few whose ego allows them to believe they have arrived at perfection or at least they camp out in its vicinity. I remain their friend because I figure they need someone who sees through them and still likes them. I know many who are still on pilgrimage, struggling ever upward to their goal, however they understand it. I remain their friend also for we are sometimes on the same stretch of road and it’s good to fellowship with the like-minded. I also know of an Apostle named Paul who wrote, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19). I thought Paul would have been further along on his journey by the time he wrote this. Press on fellow pilgrim! 

“Cannons and fire-arms are cruel and damnable machines;

I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the Devil.

If Adam had seen in a vision the horrible instruments his children were to invent,

he would have died of grief.”

- Martin Luther

At times it feels there are hawks everywhere—but a Dove is on the believer’s shoulder.

Benjamin Franklin was certainly right—“there never was a good war or a bad peace.”

Incredibly, this world seems to thrive on war—over 100,000 killed in Syria so far!

Afghanistan and Iraq have been battlegrounds for years, and are not yet quiet.

Millions have died in combat, with “the war to end all wars” not yet fought.

Ukraine trembles in the shadow of her giant threatening neighbor Russia.

Will America’s paratroopers in Poland keep the menacing bear at bay?

“Wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) pervade the daily news.  

Peace at last is the promise of Scripture—God speed the day!

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ”

Isaiah 2:4 ESV

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized  (copy & paste to browser for blog & book info)

Many claim that discipleship includes most everything we do in church. I would agree that this statement is true in many evangelical churches; anything that helps believers grow to become like Christ is part of the discipleship process. That being said, what would Jesus’ disciples have concluded to be the method they should use in obeying his command?

I am sure this wasn’t even a question to them, because there was only one common method in that day for making disciples. But if there had been other methods, there still would have been only one answer. Without question, they would have said that Jesus meant for them to make disciples of others just as he had made disciples of them. Jesus’ method is the only method they would have considered.

Secondly, let us question what modern-day method and procedure most effectively accomplishes the task of making disciples. When we make a financial investment, we undoubtedly want the mechanism that will give us the best return on an investment. We should evaluate our eternal impact in a similar way if we desire to have the greatest impact on people’s lives. We should actively be “redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5, KJV), “making the most of the opportunity,” practicing the method that will produce the greatest yield in discipleship.

Based on my thirty-five years of experience and the opinion of countless number of Christian experts, life-on-life discipleship remains the primary method used in our modern age that incorporates the discipleship methods of Jesus Christ. This discipleship method, when followed correctly, will more deeply develop a person’s spiritual transformation and growth in the shortest amount of time than any method known to man.

Rediscovering the Lost Secret to a Fulfilled Life

If you’re like me, there’s hardly anything in life more frustrating than when you lose something that’s important to you. The day is off to a bad start if you can’t remember where you put your car keys, your cell phone, or the computer file you’d worked on all day yesterday.

Everything else is put on hold until you find what you lost.

On the other hand, nothing is more exhilarating  than to find something you thought might be gone forever. Jesus tells three stories about this kind of experience in Luke 15, where a lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son all were regained with great joy.

Have you ever had this kind of experience?

Recently I uncovered a “lost” secret to having an adventurous, discovered-filled life. I feel like the man in Matthew 13:44 (MSG) who unexpectedly found “a treasure hidden in a field for years.”  How could I have missed or neglected this “treasure” for so long?

The secret is amazingly simple, found in a single word. It’s a word that probably sounds wimpy or even defeatist at first—yet it’s anything but that.

The word is filled with explosive power and potential, but this may not be obvious at first. It is a lot like nuclear energy—power hidden away for millennia inside of tiny atoms until activated.

Even though this word is never used in the Bible, the concept is found throughout. However, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard a sermon by this name.

So here it is, the forgotten key to a happy, impactful, and prosperous life:

RELINQUISHMENT

Dictionaries define relinquishment as surrendering, releasing, letting go, or yielding. The closest Bible “proof text” I could find was an obscure marginal reference in Psalm 46:10 (NASB): “LET GO and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The secret to having God exalted in our lives is in simply letting go—relinquishing  something we treasure to Him. Or, as Jesus told us, we must lose  our life in order to find  it (Luke 17:33).

Relinquishment takes a person’s life from ordinary to extraordinary…from bland to blessed…from victim to victor…and from boring to bold. In contrast, nothing is duller or more depressing than trying hold on to what we already have.

Abraham’s son Isaac was just an ordinary young man until Abraham relinquished  him to the Lord and put him on the altar of sacrifice (Genesis 22).

Once Moses relinquished  his ordinary shepherd’s staff (Exodus 4:1-5), it was transformed into “the rod of God,” able to perform mighty miracles.

There was nothing extraordinary about the five loaves and two fish the disciples had on hand—until they relinquished  their supply to Jesus (Matthew 14).

The stone waterpots in John 2 contained only ordinary, colorless, tasteless water, until Jesus took the bland water and did a miracle—turning it into sparkling, tasty, intoxicating wine. You see, whenever RELINQUISMENT takes place, God does miracles and life gets exciting.

So why is it so easy to miss this? The answer is simple: Because of fear and unbelief, we tend to hang on to our meager resources rather than entrust them into the hands of God. How sad, for He has shown throughout history that He can do far more with the resources than we can.

The life of faith is never ordinary, bland, or unexciting. But the “religious” life is a completely different story. Religion always turns the wine back into water and removes the fizz from the adventurous life of discovery God planned for us.

Jesus relinquished the rights and privileges of His heavenly life in order to embark on the great adventure of redeeming humankind and giving us a right to enter the kingdom of heaven. Still today, He beckons us to a life of relinquishment, where it is “more blessed to give than to receive”  (Acts 20:35).

Instead of being a life of boredom or defeat, a life of relinquishment is a life of anticipation, success, and victory. What could God do with that “thing” you are holding in your hand? You’ll never know until you relinquish it to Him. That’s when the fun starts and the fizz returns.

Easter is the highest holy day of the Christian faith. The Presence of the living Lord in trusting hearts changes all of life.

“The Easter message tells us that our enemies, sin, the curse and death, are beaten.

Ultimately they can no longer start mischief.

They may still behave as though the game were not decided, the battle not fought;

we must still reckon with them, but fundamentally we must cease to fear them anymore.”

- Karl Barth

The resurrection of Jesus is a fact we could never have imagined, a reality changing our destiny.

His resurrection was not merely the product of hallucinatory desperation or wishful thinking.

The disciples were not convinced by an empty tomb—personal encounter convinced them.

“I have seen the Lord!” canceled their doubt and dispelled their fear—today, it still does.

An empty tomb never proved resurrection; but a heart full of love is strong evidence.

                                                         Because He lives, enemies are beaten, all life changed.

Despair is not the last word—hope indeed springs eternal.

The grave is not a prison—the body will decay, but the soul is free.

Death is not the finale of the symphony of life—eternal life is the encore.

Aging will not have the final say—a glorious body will replace a humiliating one.

Funerals are not a final good-bye to loved ones—hellos will echo in heaven’s reunion.

Rough roads are not permanent–when time’s journey is over, saints will stroll golden streets.

Sin’s nightmare will not last forever—pain and tears will disappear when God’s dream comes true.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again

to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized (copy & paste to browser for blog & book info)

How did Jesus do it?

It’s always good to learn from Jesus for several reasons.  He pleased God the Father so completely that God the Father affirmed Him several times, like Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”  Jesus also provides us a sinless pattern to follow in His steps.  He said that John 12:47 "If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn't take it seriously, I don't reject him. I didn't come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I'm saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word. I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That's all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you."  Jesus modeled obedience to the Father and disciple-making, along with the eventual benefits of persistence.

So here are 5 things Jesus did with His disciples looking on.  He spent some time with crowds and equipping His disciples to reach many, but His main work was discipling the 12 and the 3 – every day, without fail.  The secret to successful discipling is spending time together, modeling, living spiritual experiences together; i.e. learning by doing together, like Jesus & the 3!

1. Told Everyone the Good News (Gospel)

2. Taught Many (5,000 and the 4,000)

3. Trained Some (Seventy sent out 2 x 2)
4. Equipped a Few (the 3 and the 12)
5. Modeled a Relationship with the Father

Another way to contrast this is to say that as great as Jesus’ mountain-top teaching was (e.g. His ‘Sermon on the Mount’) when the disciples had to live on their own when Jesus was gone, they mainly remembered their 1:1 time with Him.  For more on this profound comparison, refer to Reference [2].

Discussion: In your opinion, which is generally more effective in lasting kingdom work, a great preacher or evangelist, or someone who spends 1:1 time discipling others?  Why?

Private Time with God

You can’t give away (or sell) what you don’t have.  To elaborate on what we said in the section title Past, you have to reach out and take Jesus and His payment for your sin, by faith, or it really is not in your spiritual bank account for you to spend.  My daughter used to go with me to downtown Dallas Union Gospel Mission.  She would ask to stop, go in and buy a candy bar.  At the mission she would approach street men on the front row, extend the candy bar to each one in turn and ask them to take it.  Some were not sure they should, but finally one would take it.  “It’s yours to enjoy” she would respond.  “You must reach out by faith and take Christ personally as your savior before you can KNOW you have eternal life based on His payment for all on the cross.”  Similarly you must spend daily private time with God and His Word to let Him disclose His love letters to you, and to spend intimate time with “your daddy.”  Reference [3] outlines many ways to do this, since people are different.  I prefer praying; reading a few verses, writing in a notebook a paraphrase of them in my own words, praying, and then writing a personal application for those verses (often a prayer).  I must do this first when I get up, or most often something will interrupt and distract me. 

Discussion: How has your Quiet Time worked or not worked for you? 

Prayer

Private prayer is essential as mentioned in our Quiet Time above.  Actually as we grow we learn to pray without ceasing throughout our day, both listening and speaking in our communication with God.  He hears the prayer of our heart, independent of moving lips.  As we sharpen our conscience through experiencing the 9 fruit of the Spirit, learning obedience and sensitivity to the Spirit, and confession of sin, our communication with God improves.  Prayer is the root of all successful spiritual work, including discipleship.

Reference [4 ] is an excellent book on prayer to help us grow in the 6 aspects of prayer below that are taken from that book.

Another excellent prayer motivator is the DVD and study booklet [5] from Brooklyn Tabernacle that graphically shows personal transformations and church growth through prayer.  And yet another prayer motivator is the slides [6] I present to churches and groups to help individuals grow, mature, and enjoy God’s special prayer provisions for us.

Discussion: Spend a few minutes comparing the two columns in the House of Prayer table below [8].  Circle on each row the number in the left or right column that seems most like your church.  Use this information to place a 1/2/3 in the left of the 3 rows where it appears your church could improve most.

"My House shall be called a House of Prayer " Matthew 21:13

Staying in love with Jesus

Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) wrote a book [8] on staying in love with Jesus.  If you think your initial love has lessened, please consider reading this and letting it rekindle the flame.  For me there are 3 main elements to keep the flame burning bright: (1) Daily Quiet Time, (2) Daily learning to pray without ceasing, and (3) daily reporting for duty with a “get to” attitude to receive assignments and God working in and through me to show me His will and empower me to do it!

Recently I traveled to visit an 86 year old lady that had fallen and cracked her hip a second time.  I took lunch for her and her grown son.  Not long after we started talking and reminiscing she asked out the blue, “how is your love life?”  I immediately replied that I find I am more in love with Jesus every day.  My wife died a year and a half ago, but God has kept me busy as His way of helping fill that void.  Obviously time spent together daily, and good and honest communication are key ingredients to fan the flame of His love initiative and our passionate response.

Here are a couple of ideas to fan the flame of your love for Jesus.  Praying according to the dimensions listed above like worship, praise, thanksgiving, and intercession can rekindle our joy in the Lord that can quickly progress to increased love for Him.  Also our obedience to Him in serving others can similarly blaze a path of increased love for Him.  Personal revival can be simply defined as our experience of an increased love for Jesus.

Discussion: As honestly as possible, please discuss or pray privately about the progression of your love life with Jesus.

What does discipleship mean to you?

As we continue to sharpen our focus on discipleship we need to personally focus on what that means to each one of us.  We know that Jesus prayed and invited 12 disciples to “come follow me and I will turn you into fishers of men.”  Amazingly to me these unlearned men immediately (without excuses or equivocation) left the fishing nets, lucrative tax collecting, homes and comfort zones to “follow the Master” and learn from Him as His disciple.  They spent time (24x7x3 years) with Him.  His leadership style was to show and tell, but much differently than most of us would do. 

He showed (demonstrated) things like prayer with such recognizable results, that after awhile, they asked Him, “teach us to pray.”  He then succinctly verbalized a model prayer as a template example to guide their prayers.  In contrast to the way Jesus did it, most of us would likely have called a meeting to discuss prayer or have started a class or lecture series on prayer.

He told them truth mostly as it came up during their travels and discussions.  Often such teaching came when He needed to correct their thinking, speaking, or action, i.e. offering opportunity for them to make personal changes to get back on track.  He was willing to patiently repeat such teaching and give examples and stories (simple parables taken from everyday life) that you could only miss if you were set in your own ways (and motives) in opposition to God.

Many of us would agree that a disciple follows his mentor or master to learn from him in order to become more like him, including becoming more able to achieve results similar to his teacher.  Jesus’ disciples at first had major difficulty understanding His goals and objectives since they often got hung up on their own earthly purposes that obscured what He was teaching about spiritual things.  Especially in the Gospel of John, Jesus promises that disciple and disciple-making fruit comes as a result of disciples “abiding in Him and His love” and He and His word “abiding in us.”  This is similar to the Hebrews 4 instructions about resting (ceasing from our own works), believing or trusting in Jesus and His word, and lastly partnering wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, and energetically with Him as we “strive to enter into His rest” of seeing and doing His will.

So at this point let’s stop and discuss: how we became interested in being a disciple of Jesus; have we received any “calling” to follow Him; what intensity do we feel about this (e.g. where does discipleship fit in our list of personal priorities); and what are one or two main objectives we are focused on in our discipleship?

Discussion: This is your opportunity to discuss the above questions and to firm up what you want to achieve through discipleship, as well as what you think God has in mind for you.  For you to have participated so far in this discussion you must have some ideas about discipleship purposes.  For example who has so far helped you most to become more like Jesus?  Is that a major goal of yours?  This can give you clues about who to look to as you future mentor.  This is also a major chance to ask questions to sharpen your goals and focus as a disciple of Christ, and to discuss current or future fruit by which you can measure progress with the help of others.

Holy Week is a good time to reflect on the price our Redeemer paid for our salvation.

“It has been the cross which has revealed to good men that their goodness has not been good enough.”

- Johann Hieronymus Schroeder

Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, restored to his former position as Joseph predicted, should have at least said thanks.

However, he promptly forgot all about Joseph, “never giving him another thought”  (Genesis 40:23 NLT)

This Old Testament non-example prompts Christians to remember our Redeemer.

We should remember our Savior with heartfelt gratitude – visualizing the cup of wine symbolizing His blood.

We should remember the Master by the way we humbly serve—joyfully being a cup-bearer for the King.

We should remember Christ in integrity—purifying the cup inside, not just polishing the outside.  

We should remember the Lord in hallelujahs—drinking from a cup filled beyond the brim.

We should remember Jesus by persevering—drinking a bitter cup without complaint.

We should remember Christ in hope—anticipating His toast to life in heaven.

“He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

‘This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.

I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.’”

Mark 14:23-24 NLT

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com (blog & book info)

[This devotion based on/adapted from Day 28 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

During the first years of his earthly ministry, Jesus devoted time to form his apostles and the disciple. He was a very patient teacher and devoted a lot of his time to instruct, form, teach and show to his people how to walk with God. Twelve of all his first followers later became his close circle and had further “trainings" and became the apostles. We cannot be all apostles, but we are all called to be the disciples of Christ.

Jesus was known for his miracles, but more importantly it was his teaching that was the force of his ministry. He came with a whole “new” way of living for the lord who caused so many to stumble and others to re-discover the life in God. The Pharisees must have been very angry as their disciples must have stopped following them and was now following Jesus. In fact, their anger was surely based on the fact that so many people were turning to the teachings of Jesus rather than to the normal Jewish teachings. Their concern was that those teachings will become the new sets that will be adopted by the people, and this would cause their demise.

The question we face today is whether we are disciples or not,  do we understand what this means, are we similar to those disciples who lived during Jesus’ time and the early church time?  If not,  Why?

If we want to talk about discipleship,  we will need to have a short study of this word and how it came to being and what it really meant.

We hardly find any use of this word in the OT except for 1 Chron. 25:8 and  Isa. 8:16.  In those references, it normally means someone who is following a teacher,  in Chronicles it referred to those who were attached to the temple’s musicians as learners or scholars who were being trained for the various offices. In Isaiah,  the reference is to those who are following the word of the Lord of Hosts, those who are following the commandments of God.

In the Greek environment, the word “disciple” was used to describe any adherent of a particular teacher or religious and philosophical school. His task was to study and learn from his masters, then he was expected to be the one who will be passing along the sayings and the teachings of his masters or teachers.

The Jews have a different use of the word disciple in the sense that for them, it meant one who was committed to the interpretations of Scripture and religious tradition given to him by the master or Rabbi. This was done during several meetings, where the disciple would be taught, instructed,  and follow memorization, recitation techniques that will allow him to pass on the teachings without any distortions in the original. The disciple would finally become fully devoted to his master and his teachings.

When we come to the NT, there are various uses of this term, we can find the disciples of John the Baptist (Mark 2:18; Luke 11:1; John 1:35), Of the Pharisees ((Matt. 22:16; Mark 2:18), and of course  the most commonly of all disciples,  the disciples of Jesus. Since the arrival of Jesus, the word disciple has been more used to describe those who are following Jesus, but not only following, but as we have seen, be a real student, adherent,  someone who will follow his teachings, sayings and would live by that and would be the one responsible to pass along the teachings and sayings of Jesus.

What are then the characteristics of a “disciple” ?

I think that firstly,  the disciple has to be a good listener. He must be someone who takes time to listen to what the teacher is saying, What he is talking about and what message he is bringing.

Secondly, a disciple must be a believer. It is hard to find anyone who does not believe in something but continue to follow and behave like a disciple. The disciple must have believed in the message and teachings of the master or teacher. For him, everything that the teacher is saying is true, and he firmly believes in those truths enough to be willing to follow the teacher and engage in a constant exposure to what the latter has to teach.

Thirdly,  he must be a very committed person. When we read about those who followed Jesus, we read about the thousands of people who continuously followed him. We have the first disciples who followed him night and day and wherever he was, they were. Dedicated in the sense that once they have heard the first teachings, and they have been captivated or touched by the teachings; they were dedicated to make the most of every single thing the teacher has to day or show. This meant being present at every speech or teachings of the master. The disciple would place the study and the following of his master as the priority of priorities. Remember that the early disciples of Jesus,  left everything to follow him.

Fourthly, The disciple has to be someone who is willing to be taught and has a very humble heart. He must be someone who accepts that he does not know everything and that the master is the master, and his role is to learn from the master and his teachings. He must be willing to be disciplined to his masters “rules” and way of doing things. He must be someone who understands that his ways are not good, but the master’s way is the good one to follow.

Fifthly, The disciple must be someone who puts what he learns into practice. Everything that he is learning, he believes in that. He thinks that it is the truth and the reason he is studying or following is because he will himself proclaim or teach those values. What a better way that to live what you are being taught?  If we study any of the disciples, they all had this in common, that they started to live the way their master was telling them. The firm belief they had in the teachings and sayings, made them change their behavior and way of life to adopt the one that their master was teaching. In any case, it is what was really expected of any Jews or Greek disciples.

Finally, the disciple is someone who is totally ready to die for his master. This type of disciples, is only true for those who follow Jesus. History can tell how many Christians have been killed and martyred since the resurrection of Christ and the beginning of the early church. What they all have in common even with the apostles, is that they did not reject their master. They did not reject the teachings they received, and they were ready to sacrifice themselves so that the teachings would remain. Without they sacrifice and dedication to pass along those teachings, we would not be here today, in liberty to practice our Christian faith.

This is precisely what my question is today. Based on what it means to be a disciple,  are we real disciple?

Are we the same kind of Christians to those that heard the good news for the first time and set  out to listen and live what Jesus was teaching?  Are we taking the time to read our master’s teachings and sayings?   Do we believe in what our master has taught us?  Are we dedicated to the teachings and sayings, are we believing and dedicated enough to put into practice what we learn from our master?  Most of all, are we ready to die for our master?

If we cannot answer those questions positively, then we need to assess ourselves really. Because being a disciple implies all of these things. We must not be living a life of a lie, where we think, we are disciples, when we are simple being Pharisees.

We are not the disciples of some mere human philosophers, politicians or other star. We are the disciples of our Lord God,  Jesus Christ.  We do not need to walk a lot, to wait for the letters of the apostles today; we have the Bible. We have everything at hand.

If we cannot be true to him, if we cannot follow him,  if we cannot believe in his teachings and live to it, if we are not ready to pass along his teachings and saying;  Can we still call ourselves disciples?

I got to thinking about asking questions this past weekend. s good, right?

With about 120 other pastors and leaders, I had the opportunity to participate in a four day training seminar with Kevin Greeson in Austin, Texas.

For some reason this method has met with some controversy and pushback, probably because some people just aren’t asking the right questions. Ya think?

In one of Jesus’ most famous sermons, He told three different parables about things that were lost: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son (Luke 15). If He was giving the same sermon today, He probably would add the Parable of the Lost Jetliner.

The facts of the story would already be well known. A commercial Boeing 777 carrying 239 people suddenly vanished from the sky. Despite pervasive modern technology such as radar, communication satellites, and Google Earth, the simply plane could not be found. Debris sighted in the ocean turned out to be a false alarm, having nothing to do with the missing jetliner. Black box “pings” were heard at times, but then the batteries apparently went dead.

People all over the world were captivated by the story. Everyone loves a good mystery, after all.

Video clips of anguished family members were shown by cable news. Unbelievable pain, anger, and confusion fueled tears and tortured screams. Oh, what love…what loss…what agony.

Meanwhile, TV pundits and aviation experts spouted never-ending theories on what could have happened. Was terrorism involved? Did one of the pilots take the plane on a suicide mission? Was there some kind of catastrophic electrical failure? Had the plane been hijacked and landed in some remote location? One CNN anchor even asked if a black hole might have been involved!

After more than a month of fruitless searching for the hapless jetliner, billions of dollars had been spent by countless countries and humanitarian organizations. But despite the focus of the entire world and a massive outlay of resources, the plane and its 239 people remained LOST.

At this point in the parable, Jesus would segue to some personal applications for His followers. In particular, He would note a strange fact: While people around the world devoted enormous time, money, and technology to recover a lost plane and 239 lost people—people who were already dead—there were hundreds of thousands of LOST people in every major city in the world. “Where is the passion, anguish, and commitment to find and rescue those lost people?” He would ask.

Jesus then might remind us that when He stated HIS mission statement, He was also giving us OUR mission statement as His followers: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost”  (Luke 19:10). I don’t think He was referring to lost jetliners. He meant people—sinners in need of a Savior.

Shouldn’t we be challenged to have the same kind of anguish for lost souls as the relatives have for their loved ones who were on Malaysian Airlines Flight 370? Shouldn’t our devotion to rescue the perishing surpass the energy and resources shown by the search teams combing the Indian Ocean? Where are our tears for the lost people all around us?

On June 29, 2012 God placed a “call to action” on my heart.  Throughout the night I woke up multiple times to take notes.  I didn’t fully understand that what God shared with me that night would be the beginnings of the ALL IN Movement, but I knew that God was stirring my heart to action.  Two quick points for the sake of clarity before reading some of my raw notes from that night:

1. The Newton Project was a nonprofit organization I started in 2011 to demonstrate how acts of love and kindness can make a big difference in people’s lives
2. Sparkhound was the technology company that I owned a portion of and ran operations for prior to leaving to launch ALL IN

Notes from 6/29/12

Hate is not the opposite of love.  Indifference is the opposite of love.  I'm awake at 1am.  I have been struggling for weeks with whether or not to buy a new truck.  God has shown me tonight that he has already provided everything I need, but it will never be enough for me because I am trusting in the provision rather than the provider.  What I should be agonizing over instead is that I have not been loving others as I should.  I have been indifferent. God has shown me tonight that what I should be agonizing over is my lack of love for others.  I talk to people about The Newton Project and how we want to make a difference in people’s lives and yet I focus more on its popularity than I do its impact.  The Holy Spirit corrects me and tells me that I shouldn't but I often find myself doing it anyway.  One of my Sparkhound employees is in the hospital and may not make it.  We had another employee earlier this year die of an overdose on medication and alcohol.  I talk to people about it and I say "it's sad", but am I really caring about it the way that I should?  What should I be feeling?  It is easy to simply say "that is sad", say a prayer, and do nothing else.  I pray that God will make my heart hurt for people.  I want to love like Christ loves.  I want to see the family on the news who's house burned down and I want to really hurt for them.  I want to be moved to action for them. That is the kind of life I want to live.  Praise God for His Spirit that lives within me and stirs my soul! 

What my notes that night reveal is that God was no longer going to allow me to live an indifferent life.  My ask of each of you today is that you search your heart and answer this question honestly. Are you living an indifferent life or is your soul stirred to action to help people in any way that you can? 

Jesus makes it clear to us in John 13:34-35 that we are to love one another.  Jesus also makes it clear in Luke 19:10-26 that our business here on earth should be the same as His business – “to seek and save the lost” and that we will be held accountable to accomplishing it.

Are you loving the way that you should?  Are you serving in the way that you should?  Will you allow God to move your heart to love like Christ loves?

As for me – I am a work in progress, but I am ALL IN.  I pray that you will be as well.

Learn more about the All In Movement at www.LivingWithPower.com

“How often we look upon God as our last and feeblest resource!

We go to him because we have nowhere else to go.

And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us,

not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.”

- George Macdonald

God is our best resource for help—sadly, we frequently seek Him only in an emergency.

Our Heavenly Father, who knows us best, is able, willing, and ready to help us.

Yet often we use Him as a spare tire instead of our steering wheel.

In pain, we pray;  in desperation, we cry out for help.

Ultimately we find God our Greatest Friend.

The Lord was with Joseph in a pit, a prison, and a palace.

When all his brothers deserted him, God stayed.

Serving foreigners, God walked with him.

In prison, God was his Cellmate.

Unfailingly God is with us.

We march in a victory parade as servants of the King of kings.

Hearing His future melody, we whistle a hopeful tune now.

Even at midnight, His Spirit inspires hymns of praise.

In the storms of life we are never left alone.

Unreservedly thank God for God!

“He took Joseph and threw him into the prison, where the king’s prisoners were held.

But the Lord was  with Joseph there, too.”

Genesis 39:20, 21 NLT

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized  (copy and paste to browser)

[This devotion based on/adapted from Day 27 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Life is good because God is good.

“No man is in true health who cannot stand in the free air of heaven, with his feet on God’s free turf,

and thank his Creator for the simple luxury of physical existence.”

- T. W. Higginson (1823-1911) American clergyman and writer

God embroiders elaborate rainbow-hued relationships.

He orchestrates events for your benefit in kaleidoscopic patterns.

Your robe is not just one color—variegated threads make life anything but drab.

God conducts the full orchestra of His instruments—time, place, people, circumstances—

drowning out monotony’s sour note of pessimism and playing His never-ending love symphony.

Thank God for the privilege of physical life – every breath and heartbeat is His gift.

Thank God for the pleasure of abundant life – He does not orphan you in the storms of life.

Thank God for the promise of eternal life – you will live with Him in a tearless, deathless, painless place.

Wrapped around your vision field is a full-color spectrum—

an azure sky of hope, green grass of life, purple violets of royalty,

red roses of pardon, snow-white lilies of purity, golden sunsets of triumph.

Proudly wear your richly ornamented coat every day until the Lord Jesus Christ

drapes an immaculate heavenly robe fashioned for you around your redeemed shoulders.

“Jacob loved Joseph, so he gave Joseph a special gift—a beautiful robe—a coat of many colours.”

(Genesis 37:3 NLT, KJV)

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized  (copy and paste to browser)

[This devotion based on/adapted from Day 26 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Matthew 28:16–20 has been misunderstood and misinterpreted by many. To better understand what Jesus is saying in this passage, let’s first talk about what he is not commanding us to do.

         Almost every sermon I have ever heard preached on the Great Commission treats Christ’s words as a command to share one’s faith or to become a missionary. Yet these interpretations water down Christ’s original purpose for the Great Commission. The command here is not to make converts. I like the way Christopher Adsit put it: “In a spiritual sense, we have a tendency to think that the greatest thing we Christians can do is beget babies. Consequently, what we have here in America today is the largest spiritual nursery in history.”¹

         Jesus’ command was not solely an injunction to win the lost to a saving faith in him. Likewise the Great Commission does not serve as a directive to be a missionary―though being a missionary can certainly be an application of accomplishing his commission. On the contrary, Jesus commands us to make disciples of all people of the earth. So, what does this command entail?

         Let’s come back to Jesus’ original words, in Matthew 28:19–20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

         Many preachers have taught that Christ commanded every follower to “go!” After all, the command starts with the words “Go therefore.” However, Christ’s actual command becomes clearer when we consider the Greek grammar in the passage. The imperative here is to “make disciples.” Furthermore, the words “go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” are adverbial participles which modify the command “make disciples.” Thus, the words “go,” “baptize,” and “teach” tell us how we are to follow Christ’s command. In the Greek grammar, the word “go” is an aorist passive participle—which means that the correct translation of the command is “going,” “in your going,” or “having gone,” to “make disciples.” In other words: You’re already going. So as you go, make disciples.

         Prior to Christ’s proclamation of the Great Commission, the disciples had just fallen on their faces in worship (Matt. 28:17). Peter didn’t get up from worshiping the resurrected Christ and say, “It’s been good knowing you Jesus. Hey John, want to stop for coffee on the way back to the boat?” Since the natural response of true heartfelt worship is service, telling the disciples to “go” was unnecessary; they had just finished worshiping the resurrected Messiah. Jesus knew they were going to go; all that the disciples needed was direction. Therefore, he gave the command, “In your going, make disciples.” This command of Jesus to make disciples is every bit as important and in every way as serious a command as any of the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ fully expects you and me―in fact, commands us―to make disciples and to help young disciples grow and mature. Truly, disciple making is Jesus’ top priority.

         Discipleship in no way devalues the importance of evangelism. No one can disciple a person for Christ unless he has first been won to Christ. However, many people can be won to Christ without ever being discipled. I am convinced that the church would win far more people to Christ, and create many more leaders, if we were effectively discipling people. True disciples are always active in sharing their faith with nonbelievers. Sadly, Christians across the United States, and worldwide, tend to misapply the Great Commission. We win people to Christ and they “sit, soak, and sour.” I am appalled at the great number of believers who have never grown up. Many supposedly receive Christ as Savior and yet never faithfully attend a Bible-believing church; many do attend church and yet take years before they grow to a moderate level of maturity.

         Since most missionaries have come from the United States, this fact may in part explain why the modern church in general has been so ineffective in accomplishing Christ’s command. Indeed, the church as a whole has perpetuated this error in its interpretation of Matthew 28:16–20, which in turn has drastically changed the primary purpose of the modern church and led to deterioration in attendance and spiritual maturity.

         The lack of effectiveness in the American church is evident. According to Robert Coleman, the church as a whole in North America is barely keeping pace with the increase in population, whereas in Western Europe there is a steady decline.² In reference to the church Chuck Colson, president of Prison Fellowship, told a journalist, “If this were a business, you’d be contemplating chapter 11 (bankruptcy).”³ Studies demonstrate that few churches are doing effective discipleship. Christian researcher George Barna, after completing a two-year research project across America, concluded, “Almost every church in our country has some type of discipleship program or set of activities; but stunningly few churches have a church of disciples.”⁴ Elsewhere he says, “the twenty-first century church has many ‘followers’ of Christ in the sense that I follow the Yankees: We dabble in Christianity. That’s not what Jesus had in mind when He called us to be His disciples. . . . Discipleship is not a program. It is not a ministry. It is a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle.”⁵

         I am convinced that this lack of mature disciples in America stems from our ongoing avoidance of the most effective approach God has given us to change lives―life-on-life discipleship. It is through life-on-life discipleship that the Holy Spirit most effectively enacts biblically driven life change, through the relationship between a hungry young believer and a mature discipler. Our deviation from effective discipleship is our Great Omission of the Great Commission.

1. Adsit, Christopher B., Personal Disciplemaking (Orlando, FL: Campus Crusade

for Christ, 1996), 72.

2. Coleman, Robert E., The Master Plan of Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1998), 99.

3. Quoted by Hendricks, Howard and William, As Iron Sharpens Iron

(Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 132.

4. Barna, George, Growing True Disciples (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2001), 20.

5. Ibid., 19.

Scientists are still spending millions attempting to discover the origin of the universe. Is the Bible too simple for sophisticated minds?

“No philosophical theory which I have yet come across is a radical improvement

on the words of Genesis, that ‘in the beginning God made Heaven and Earth.’”

- C. S. Lewis

A recent sighting by BICEP2 [Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2]

detected a distortion in microwave radiation which seemingly pervades all the cosmos.

Some scientists believe this single observation conclusively proves three theories—

1) a Big Bang and an inflationary universe produced a series of gravitational waves;

2) this happened in the first billionth of a trillionth of a quadrillionth of a second;

3) these faster-than-the-speed-of light events occurred 13.8 billion years ago.

It’s amazing what one observation at the South Pole has led scientists to believe!

Anyone who challenges their conclusions is considered uneducated or ignorant.

But are you and I so naïve we swallow such inferences deduced from “facts”?

What proof exists for such fantastic theories hypothesized by the scientists?

Who of these sophisticated scholars was there when the cosmos began?

All this reminds me of the atheist Ph.D. candidate who actually told me,

“In the beginning” (that sounded familiar) “there was a total vacuum.”

When asked, “then how did everything begin?”, he said “friction!”

Faith in the First Cause trumps such empty-headed foolishness.

“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command,

that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

Hebrews 11:2 NLT

 Almond

         Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

Author’s blog at www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

During my first year in High School I was relegated to the Junior Varsity baseball team. The next year I was determined to make the varsity. When the uniforms were passed out I was given #25, not one of my hoped-for numbers. When I asked the coach why I got #25, he replied, “Because we only have twenty-five jerseys to hand out.” In other words, I was player #25 to make the team. My wife was engaged to another guy before we became engaged. I was the second choice to be the Director of Baptist student ministries at the University of Texas. When I was hired by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board (then called Home Mission Board), I was told they had been interviewing people for one year. Two professor candidates were interviewed for the position I occupied for twenty-two years at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. So, what’s the point? You don’t have to be #1 to be chosen. Our first choice at manager of our own life is our self. That’s why we have to reject self and, “accept” Christ, making Him Lord of our lives. But here is the really good news, Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). With God, I am #1, and so are you!

To read more from Dr. Dan, go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

If James were writing today, perhaps he would ask pastors who deny giving preferential treatment to take a look at their appointment books. “Have your lunch appointments been only with the rich and powerful members of your church?” he might query. “Has your time been spent discipling those who have the most spiritual hunger, or wooing those most able to advance the church bank account and image?”

I’m certainly not advocating that we favor the poor and reject people just because they are wealthy. God forbid. That, too, is an ungodly form of partiality.

There is only one form of partiality that is proper, and it has nothing to do with a person’s financial assets. Paul tells Timothy to give priority to the discipleship of “faithful men” (2 Timothy 2:2). As pastors and leaders we should give ourselves disproportionately to those who are truly hungry for the things of God.

So be sure to pray for Patrick Cannon and other political leaders who have gone astray. But the next time you read of politicians who’ve allowed financial contributions to determine who will influence their decisions, make sure you haven’t done the same thing yourself.