Discipleship Network Forum

While waiting for a recent meeting to begin a couple co-workers and I began talking about our sons.  One explained her theory that every boy is either fascinated with balls, trucks or action figures, and asked which category our boys fell into.  Another guy with a son about six months older than mine said that his son is a ball kid.  He went on to talk about how much his son loves sports and hockey in particular.  They take him to games and are starting to get him on the ice.  My two-year-old son, Caiden, is a truck boy.  He loves cars, trucks, trains, and vehicles of all kinds.  He can identify and call by name an excavator, bulldozer, backhoe, scraper grader, cherry-picker, forklift and the list goes on and on. 

I don’t know what kind of kid I was, but these days I am a ball kid, so I am ashamed to admit that I walked away from this conversation disappointed that Caiden is into trucks and not balls.  To be fair, he does line up behind me like a half-pint halfback, take a handoff and run into the kitchen to spike the ball while yelling, “Touchdown!”  He’ll also run around with a hockey stick and follow Eddie Olczyk’s advice to keep his stick on the ice, but none of these activities compare to his love of anything with wheels, and as sad is it sounds, this disappointed me. 

I want to share my love of sports with Caiden.  I believe there are great lessons to learn from playing sports. They teach us the value of teamwork, healthy competition and how to win or lose well, but at this point (excuse me while I vault to a conclusion), Caiden is more likely to be a mechanic than an NHL d-man.   If you are judging me and picturing the future destruction of my relationship with Caiden as I force him to play a sport he despises, please know that my response to this conversation made me sick.

In the end, I am grateful that this conversation uncovered my feelings. It has helped me to think through how I want to handle Caiden and his desire to play sports when he gets older. You see, I love Caiden like crazy, and I believe the most loving thing I can do is allow him to decide which sports, if any, he will play.  I will allow him to choose his own path even though it may not be what I would desire, and I do this because I love him.  Freedom, it turns out, flows from love. 

I wonder if there is a parallel here with God’s love.  What if God’s great love is the guiding reason for free will?  Is it possible that because of his crazy love for us, he allows us to choose whatever path we will, even if it means not following him, rather than force us into a life we did not choose? 

Greetings in The christ Jesus.

I am new here,so please bear with me a bit,thank you.

I have been in a Word-study this day,faith is that word

Let us go from here and obey Matthew

28:19_20.http://http://tedrarose.blogspot.com/2011/12/john-316-17-for-god-so-loved-world-that.html

Shalom

After facilitating strategic planning at several churches over the past 5 years, it never ceases to delight me when this happens. A church works through the strategic planning process, beginning with "What is our purpose?" then core values, then vision, then mission, and eventually working their way down to where the rubber hits the road -- "What is the most important thing that we need to do over the next year to move toward our vision?" They brainstorm a long list of possibilities, then weight them according to impact on the vision and mission. And life-on-life discipleship comes to the top.

In a recent encounter I overheard some of the leaders talking afterwards, saying that they were surprised that they had not been talking about that need, let alone planning toward developing something. But there was no denying the weight of the result. In fact, it was just ahead of no.  2, which was coming up with a leadership development process. And I believe this was the correct weighting, because in my experience leadership development STARTS WITH intentional discipleship. In fact, an effective discipleship process should be producing spiritual leaders, even if a church doesn't do anything else to develop the leaders. (I'm not saying there aren't several other significant things you can do to enhance and build on that, however).

Here's the thing. If a church wants to become more "missional," start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts grow for the least and the lost with skills developed to share the gospel, spiritual gifts and passions discovered, and support to help "commission" and coach people to get involved where they are called. This is all a part of life-on-life discipleship done effectively.

If a church wants to become more Biblical community oriented, start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts opened to our brothers and sisters in Christ and an understanding of what deep Biblical community is all about because we are experiencing that in our discipleship groups.

How fulfilling it is personally and honoring to God when we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and our processes and speak into our hearts as leaders of the church!

If you had the other teams play-book, and knew in advance when they would execute those plays, you certainly would have a great advantage.  When it comes to discipleship, discipling, being a discipler, or the overarching subject of making disciples, many presume to have the playbook.  In fact, there are many play-books, and many different approaches to this all too critical “game.”

There are valid and biblical processes to making disciples, and then there are some questionable and often unbiblical methods.  Plays executed under certain conditions in the arena which forget that we are dealing with human beings, a diversity of culture, and the various stages of growth within each. 

We have our play-books.  We need the opposing team’s game plan.  I think, though, that we (the church) the body of Christ collectively have the opposing teams play-book already.  I am not simply saying the “enemy’s” play-book in some wormwood-esque fashion, but also all of our experiences where someone else has tried to dissuade you or diffuse your disciple-making from within the church.  In these past two years since I have started the Making Disciples Page on facebook, and have with others sought to bring a resurgence of  focused discipleship, many have come from within the body to debunk Christ’s command for us to do so and to diffuse & confuse even the most basic concepts of the gospel.

Finally, there are those who are not yet disciples of Christ who are very good at keeping our heads out of the game or putting us in the penalty box, or even calling “ off-sides” at every forward motion.  I want to include these as well in our assembly of the other teams play-book.  I know beyond any doubt that all of  you have a page of this playbook that the rest of us might not have.

So, here is the challenge.  Let’s assemble our collective experiences, our play-book pages, and write, so to speak, an online resource, a syncroblog of experiences in the comment section where we all can share what ways friends, enemies, or the indifferent, have sought to dissuade or diffuse your disciple making endeavors.  We have the opposing team’s playbook in our collective experiences.  Let’s open it up and share them together.

In order to stimulate thinking, here are a few questions:

What have others said or claimed with respect to disciple making that have caused you pause?

What have those outside the church done or said to make you doubt yourself or your efforts?

What tactics would you use, knowing what you know about the church’s weakness to diffuse discipleship.

Please use the comment section below as a running list of Screwtape type letters where you play the part of one trying to dissuade, diffuse, or destroy a disciple making movement.  I will keep this blog post updated and assemble it into a single document when done with all reference to the original authors.

Here is my first contribution as an example:

Dear Mathēte,

I has come to our attention that there is a resurgence of desire to make disciples of all nations.  Despite our best efforts to diffuse these outbursts, I must again point out the importance of attacking this at it’s core.  We must simply convince those that are about to, or are in the process of making disciples, that this command of the ancient one is no longer valid or applicable for the church today.  That is was given only to the disciples of old, and that its intent was for a single generation. Finally, you must cease every opportunity to insert distractions or detours into the command itself that keep them away from the 3 basic means by which the ancient one commanded, namely going, teaching them to obey all that he commanded, and baptizing them in the name of… well you know who.

My son goes to college in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. In order to get there we have to drive over the mountain. On both sides of the mountain are valleys. We spend more time in the valley than we do on the mountain.

I was reminded this morning in the story of the widow at Nain, that pain and suffering are pervasive in this life. I know this comes as no news to most people. However, we often think about our Christian life as reaching the top of a mountain. We create our own little mountain of success and we think that the peak of the mountain is the place to be. More often than not people are in the valley rather than at the top of the mountain.

In a Friday morning men’s Bible study that I lead, we are reading a book called Mighty to Save, by Richard Phillips. In it he writes concerning this story in Luke 7:11-17, “One thing you will notice if you study the Bible is that there is a great deal of weeping going on…With few exceptions all the major figures of the Bible are seen weeping, and in all sorts of situations.” The truth about life is that sin has caused a great deal of pain, heartache, suffering and ultimately death. Like the widow of Nain who had previously lost her husband now she has lost her only son. She is in a desperate and confusing state. All her earthly hope is gone, it has literally died. But approaching her is Jesus, who can not only bring hope but life to her situation. The text tells us that “Jesus saw her and had compassion on her” (v.13). Jesus “sees” the agonizing situation of this woman and walks into the valley with her. Jesus then literally speaks life back into her son and raises him from the dead.

The woman now has hope and has been given her life back. Jesus, who is the life and the resurrection, has the power and authority over death. Jesus, our Savior, empathizes with us, and He walks through the darkest valleys with His people. There is nothing wrong with looking forward to the mountain top. Joy and hope and encouragement should always characterize us. But we have to realize that most of life is lived in the valley. Yes, one Day all things will be made new; no more tears, no more suffering, no more death. But for now, we face those trials with the presence of Christ.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:1

May we walk confidently through the valley, knowing Christ is at our side and may we go into the valley with others showing them the hope and life that is found in Christ.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

After facilitating strategic planning at several churches over the past 5 years, it never ceases to delight me when this happens. A church works through the strategic planning process, beginning with "What is our purpose?" then core values, then vision, then mission, and eventually working their way down to where the rubber hits the road -- "What is the most important thing that we need to do over the next year to move toward our vision?" They brainstorm a long list of possibilities, then weight them according to impact on the vision and mission. And life-on-life discipleship comes to the top.

In a recent encounter I overheard some of the leaders talking afterwards, saying that they were surprised that they had not been talking about that need, let alone planning toward developing something. But there was no denying the weight of the result. In fact, it was just ahead of no.  2, which was coming up with a leadership development process. And I believe this was the correct weighting, because in my experience leadership development STARTS WITH intentional discipleship. In fact, an effective discipleship process should be producing spiritual leaders, even if a church doesn't do anything else to develop the leaders. (I'm not saying there aren't several other significant things you can do to enhance and build on that, however).

Here's the thing. If a church wants to become more "missional," start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts grow for the least and the lost with skills developed to share the gospel, spiritual gifts and passions discovered, and support to help "commission" and coach people to get involved where they are called. This is all a part of life-on-life discipleship done effectively.

If a church wants to become more Biblical community oriented, start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts opened to our brothers and sisters in Christ and an understanding of what deep Biblical community is all about because we are experiencing that in our discipleship groups.

How fulfilling it is personally and honoring to God when we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and our processes and speak into our hearts as leaders of the church!

john@transform-coach.com

www.transform-coach.com

"For everything there is a season,

a right time for every intention under heaven -

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot...."

• Eccl 3:1-2

Under heaven, everyone and everything is subject to time. ELOHIM created time and space and all dimensions whether physical or spiritual. The Greeks thought that time was linear and moved forward from past, present to future. The genius, Albert Einstein, taught that time can move in a curve being influenced by the law of gravity and velocity. As a Jew, Albert Einstein was taught that Scriptures treated time and space as inextricably entwined and that all being, all time and all reality is animated by ELOHIM.

Our human perspective of space and its dimensions – breadth, length and depth – is defined by our thought patterns, that define what we speak and act upon and is also, in turn, limited by it. Thus, the human consciousness expresses itself only in three levels: behavioral, emotional and intellectual. Human nature cannot go beyond its perceived boundaries. After Eden, man lost his ability to "see" the spirit realm. Man became bound by a closed system and was headed to constant entropy or simply put, ever-increasing corruption.

Now man is ruled by times and seasons as arranged by ELOHIM. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says YHWH. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts"(Is 55:8,9). The wisdom that comes from YHWH is better sought than wisdom that comes from the theories of man. To discover the knowledge of the holy is far better than listening to the conjectures of many scientists and philosophers.

There is a right time for every intention under heaven, if one is willing to wait for YHWH's time. Our physical birth was decided by YHWH but He gives us the choice to be born from above. YESHUA said, "Unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of GOD."(Jn 3:3) Yes, indeed, unless YHWH breaths life into man, his spirit remains dead. Hebrew sages taught that aside from the three levels of expression, there are two other levels that only the spiritual man can avail: superconscious (Heb khayah) and the point connecting to YHWH (Heb yakedah). The entrance to the fourth level of superconsciousness is through praise, worship and prayer. Psalm 22:3 tells us that YHWH is enthroned on the praises of Israel. Worship brings us to the throne room of our Father; and prayer is like a sweet-smelling incense to the Ancient of Days and pleases Him as an expression of our trust in His sustaining presence. These three are initiated by the man born from above. However, the fifth level is initiated by YHWH himself by various means such as: dreams, visions or directly through the HOLY SPIRIT. You may hear Him audibly or you may hear Him spiritually. Only a spiritual man can understand spiritual wisdom for it is above any of the wisdom under heaven. Primarily, all godly knowledge and wisdom is resident in the person of YESHUA, so whoever has the Son has the Truth in Him and he has no need for anyone to teach him, for he himself already has the anointing to understand with the mind of CHRIST and he has the HOLY SPIRIT to guide him to all Truth and reveal to him even what is to come (Col 1:19; 1Cor 1:30;2:16; 1Jn 2:27; Jn 14:21,26;16:13).

There are many who claim to be Christians but never go beyond the three levels of expressions of the self. They study hard, they work hard, they praise and worship and pray hard; all under their own terms. To these, the LORD says, "Repent" (meaning cease from drinking from your own well and return to the ways of YHWH). The basis of all repentance is knowledge of the holy and with that knowledge, understanding. Understand where you are and where you are headed, then turn to the Truth and be truly saved! It does not matter what men have told you. Only what YHWH says matters for He is the Source of all life and He owns everything that you see and do not see.

A man can live by what seems right to his senses, but it only leads to death. There is a right time for every intention under heaven. Today is the right time to start trusting YHWH for anything and everything that happens in your life.

Until I committed my life to my Savior, YESHUA, I never understood any passage of Scripture and I did not appreciate what it could do for my life. But when I totally believed Him and trusted His Word, I began to understand and hear from Him. Everyday of my life has been guided by Him and hardly a night passes that He does not instruct my spirit. I have dream His dreams and I have seen His visions. He has totally filled my life with contentment. YESHUA is enough!

מלאך

Every year, my Sunday School class adopts some people to provide Christmas for. In the past, we've focused on children. But, this year, we adopted two senior adults who are often overlooked. Someone bought the gifts for us while I was in Israel. I wrapped them all yesterday to get them ready to deliver today. Their "wish lists" remind me that God is our provider . . . even for the little things.

One of the ladies, Bessie, wanted a warm jacket, a new set of sheets, pjs, kitchen towels, and a boiling pot. I wrapped each, along with a couple of other things she had asked for, and thought about how hard it can be to replace things when the money is tight.

The second lady, Lille, asked for a sweater, a blanket, a gown, soap, laundry soap, and dishwashing soap. I was overwhelmed. No matter how tough things have been for us, I've never struggled to buy stuff to do the laundry and wash the dishes.

As we graduated from seminary (the first time!), Bob and I made a conscious decision that money would never be a deciding factor in where we serve. That's true to this day. Yet, God has always provided for us. He has met our needs.

I was reminded yesterday, that sometimes God meets our needs through others . . . even if it's just providing the laundry soap.

It really is the little thing that can remind us of the greatness of our God.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

Elijah's challenge at Mt. Carmel stood above religion.

Though the prophets of Baal ritually shed there own blood,

Elijah's altar, drenched in a lavish baptism of water,

Was licked dry by God's unquenchable fire.

Why, then, Elijah, do you tremble in a cave, awaiting wind

When God, your strength, sings over you a gentle song?

I raise to God, my strength, a joyous song.

My soul, weighted down with the demands of religion

Flies unfettered, released to sail the Spirit's wind.

My righteous striving subsumed by the blood

Of Christ. His righteousness a refining fire;

Burning, purifying, soothed by living water.

The public proclamation of water

Baptism floods out in joyful song.

The inner light of Pentecost's fire

Illuminates the shades of religion.

Dried bones revived by sacrificial blood

Breathe in the life of Holy Wind.

We seek for the Spirit's wind

To stir the stagnant waters

Of our souls. Bought by blood,

We still succumb to the siren song

Of false gods and self serving religion.

Lord, rekindle our coals with revival fire.

Flee the wrath to come in Hell's eternal fire.

Hearken to God's call upon the wind.

The time has come to abandon dead religion

And plunge deep into the Spirit stirred water.

Your life has a place within God's song,

Sung for all time by those washed in Christ's blood.

The Gospel road is paved by the blood

Of the martyrs who willingly passed through fire.

Robed in white they sing redemption's song

From beneath the altar. Their voices on the wind

Carry across to us on this side of Jordan's water.

A great cloud of witnesses to the truth of this religion.

In Heaven our song will glory in Christ's blood.

Shedding our religion as we pass through fire

We will dance in a freer wind by streams of living water.

© Mary Elizabeth Whitlow 2011

Today we visited the ancient city of Megiddo, crossed the plain where Armageddon, and overlooked the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew in wisdom and stature to become a man. It occurred to me that in that one place, Jesus was surrounded by His past, His present.  And he was and is the world’s future. I realize that may sound a little preposterous, so let me explain.

Nazareth was a tiny town, a town so insignificant that, when people heard that the Messiah was in Nazareth, people replied, “What possible good thing could come from Nazareth?”

Think about his childhood in Nazareth. There were only 120 to 150 residents. Everyone knew him, knew what he did, corrected his actions, judged his parents based on how he acted. Probably most of them were related to his family. Talk about having “too many” mommas and everyone knew his business.

We know he was raised as a devout Jew. He knew the scriptures and was taught how to understand them. He was taught a trade, which meant in spent lots of time with his earthly father, Joseph. He traveled with his family yearly to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and to worship in the temple.

When he climbed up the hill above his village, or traveled along the route toward Jerusalem, he would have been reminded of the importance of the plain of Armaggedon. From there he could see 30 miles and could see over twenty battlefields . . . the victories of Barok and Gideon, and the defeats of Saul and Josiah.

He could see the evidence of the past.

What could thing could come out of Nazareth? Only the perfect presence of God’s Son.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

We arrived last night in Galilee after two days of traveling through the Negev Desert and along the Dead Sea. One of the students with us described the journey as layers of technicolor in tan and beige and brown until we crested the hill and saw the Dead Sea for the first time. The emerald green and turquoise of the water created a sweep of color across the landscape that was almost beyond description. I was so impressed with his description that I wished I had said it.

The area that grabbed my attention was the wilderness of Zin, which is considered to be the area the Hebrews first entered into the Negev Desert. It's stark and empty, with deep canyons, no vegetation, and little shade. Yet, even driving along the edge of the wilderness, I could hear God's voice . . . reminding me that things back home were under His control and that He was still taking care of me every day, just as He did the Hebrews. In that wilderness, the Hebrews wouldn't have lasted more than a day or so without God's provision and protection. They survived 40 years.

I realized that I have the same provision and protection from God for the stuff that creates my own personal "wilderness". That was a message I needed to hear. Pray that we'll all continue to hear God's voice . . . not just in Israel, but wherever we are!

Shalom!

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

"In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls upon men,

in slumberings upon the bed..."

-Job 33:15

How do you dream? Does it just happen in the watches of the night? Or does it happen because you want to dream? All throughout the ages, kings, priest and people from all walks of life have dreamt dreams that have marked the turning point of their lives. The Scriptures narrate many adventures that started with a dream. And such was the dream of young Joseph, who dreamed that the sun, moon and stars bowed down to him. He also dreamed that at harvest, his bundle of wheat stood up and the bundles of wheat belonging to his brothers gathered around his and prostrated themselves before it (Gen 37:5-10).

Dreams are oftentimes symbolic and not easily understood. Many times, dreams are just forgotten, but there are dreams that YHWH wants you to remember. These are the dreams that will impact your life to eternity. Not all dreams are from YHWH. Many are products of our stressed souls and unsanctified imaginations. But there are dreams that are messages from the Almighty. Dreams from YHWH are primarily meant for you and you should be careful to share it only with spiritual people whom YHWH has anointed. Better still, you should pray that YHWH gives you the interpretation to that dream. Meditate upon it and search the Scriptures for revelation. There will be times when dreams will come in progressive stages and it all depends on how your spirit is maturing.

I have a suggestion. This has been true in my experience and I hope it becomes true to you. The Scriptures tell us that even at night, the LORD intructs the righteous. Your spirit does not sleep and it is therefore ready to commune with the HOLY SPIRIT if you so desire. Here is my suggestion. Before you sleep, meditate on a passage of Scripture. To meditate is to ponder in your mind and in your spirit whatever is the message of the passage. Ask yourself, what does this mean? Then ask the LORD, what do You mean by Your words, Father? Invite Him to speak to you as you sleep. Not only will you dream, but the Word will cleanse your mind and transform it in holiness.

There is one thing that many believers need to understand. Before it happens in the physical, it has already happened in the spirit realm. It is therefore necessary for us to draw from GOD's mind what He has in store for us. Your dream is the key by which YHWH can reveal to you the blessings that He has prepared for your life. When you receive it, you must speak it to yourself so faith will grow and then you must walk in it daily. You must expect YHWH to accomplish all His plans for your life for that is what the Scriptures say; but you must be willing to wait for YHWH's perfect timing.

Your dreams may be addressed to you but YHWH meant it as a solution not only to your problem but also of the problems of others. Such was the case with Joseph. It took thirteen years, before his dreams were fulfilled before his very eyes and the process by which it came was painful. Why? Because you and I are being prepared for the greatest purpose of all – the salvation of mankind.

I have seen many Christians seeking prophets to give them a personal word from YHWH. While YHWH will always be happy to speak to His children, He is not happy with the way they are going about it. A prophet is not a medium; but many Christians act like they are mediums that can just conjure GOD at any time. Let's not trivialize the word of GOD. YHWH desires to speak to His children directly. Doesn't it bother you if your own father won't speak to you or if you won't speak to your own father? But that's exactly what many Christians are doing!

So do you want to dream the dreams of YHWH? Then invite Him and get the best appointment of your life! From personal experience, it's an adventure you don't want to miss!

Have you seen that Dreamworks trailer where you see a boy sitting on a quarter moon as he casts out his line to fish? Well, soulish dreaming is like that because you don't know what you're going to get. But if you meditate on a passage of Scripture, you will definitely receive a great catch. A dream is a gift from YHWH; a glimpse of eternity, a foretaste of the abundant life. YHWH has a book of eternity that is sealed to all, but not to His children who desires to walk in His ways. Through the LORD YESHUA, it is unsealed. So, let the LORD YESHUA guide you into His dream for you.

Sometime ago, the FATHER challenged me, "Give me your dream so that I can fulfill My dream for your life." I gave Him my dream and I have never been sorry.

מלאך

One of my favorite lines from the movie Toy Story is "To infinity and beyond." Of course, it's spoken by a toy who never seems to recognize his own reality. As I'm preparing to head back to Israel today, though, those words keep running through my mind.

We (NavPress) are in the final stages of completing a free Christmas lesson that will be available on-line by the beginning of December. We used two passages: John 1 and Luke 2. For me, it was a wonderful experience. One writer described Jesus as "the living expression" of God. Love that picture! It is through Jesus that we can see God, that we can begin to understand His love for us, that we can glimpse His glory. Without Jesus, it would be really difficult to "picture" God at all.

Going to Israel is like that for me . . . I get to "see Jesus" in a new way . . . in context . . . and by seeing Him differently, I also get a glimpse at God that I might not have had before . . . "to infinity and beyond."

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

"While you have the light, put your trust in the light,

so that you may become people of the light" – YESHUA

• John 12:36

In all my years of studying the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, I have never come across a passage where YESHUA invited people to accept Him as LORD and Savior so they will become Christians. In fact, I have never come across a passage that literally says that for a person to go to heaven, he has to become a Christian. So how come I hear so many pastors or even christian laymen insist that a person must accept JESUS as LORD and Savior to become a Christian and go to heaven? If I am to imitate YESHUA to become as He is, then what's all this "acceptance formula" as if it is a mantra that everyone has to recite to become as He is? Is it possible that we have watered down the Gospel so much with so many western ideas that it has lost its original meaning?

I have observed that the Church has produced many members who give lip-service to GOD but live their lives according to the rules of the world. The Church has grown big with many members and many affiliates worldwide but it has largely failed to produce effective disciples of YESHUA. To be born again has become the in thing but not born from above. People proudly bear the symbols of their church and there's even a movement in Facebook called "Proud to be Christian." This is a contradiction in terms since a true Christian is supposed to be selfless.

The Church has even adapted to the world standard so much that it does not call GOD by His Name – YHWH. This is the Name by which He named Himself for all generations (Exodus 3:13-15). Nor do the Church call the Son by His Name – YESHUA; but they have anglicized Him and He has become westernized in the eyes of the world.

If I were satan, one of the effective ways I would blind the world to the glory of the One true GOD is by changing His Name and changing the meaning of His words. If I can westernize what the words in Scriptures mean and especially render the people ignorant of who truly GOD is by giving GOD another name, then I would have removed one of the greatest and feared weapons of the sons of GOD – the Name!

To be a believer, according to the LORD YESHUA, we must put our trust in the light, so we may become people of light. What is light? Light is one of the elements that prophets see come out of the throne of YHWH. Light that is pure and holy. The Scriptures tell us that "Thy word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Ps 119:105)." Light dispels darkness and cleanses us from sin and directs us to righteousness; and that's what the word of YHWH does. YESHUA is the Word that holds us together and completes us according to the image of YHWH. YESHUA said, "I am the light of the World (John 12:46)".

YESHUA called His disciples children of light (Matt 5:14; 2 Thess 5:5) because they trusted in Him as the Son of YHWH. They all saw how He fulfilled the Torah and how He worked the works of YHWH. As people of the Light – believers – we also imitate YESHUA because He said, "The works that I do, you shall do also and greater works than these shall you do because I go to the Father (John14:12)." It is not enought to profess faith but to show the works of faith because to believe is to be living. If the word of YHWH is not seen in the life of a professing Christian it is because he is not a Christian. To believe is to hear the word of YHWH and do it!

Believing in YHWH is not the same as believing YHWH. It is not about professing and agreeing to the idea of GOD and His attributes; but trusting in the Eternal Person of YHWH, that He knows what is best and what is right for you. It is responding to the Word by doing it thereby confirming your faith.

Real Christianity is simply asking ourselves, "What did YESHUA do, so that I can do it too?"

מלאך

Whether or not “The Gospel” can be narrowed down to a presentation or a “Plan of Salvation,” is of secondary concern to this post.

Certain assumptions must be made before we begin and you will have an opportunity to discuss whether or not those assumptions are valid in the comment section.

1.  The Gospel is “Good News,” and news contains data.

2.  Data can be summarized or expanded and transferred from one person to another or one community to another.

3.  This transference of  Gospel data is called “Evangelism.”

4.  Evangelism is not soul winning directly, but the data transmitted has the power to win souls.

5.  The Gospel is also a person.  That person being Jesus Christ Himself.

6.  We can demonstrate Christlike actions towards others and in like matter & “show” the Gospel.

Now to the purpose of this post.  How many times have you heard one person or another say that they were out sharing the Gospel or they were out on an evangelistic campaign?  How many “Gospel Presentations” have you either learned, seen, or taught?  Can the Gospel Message be reduced to a set of sentences?  If we allow, for the moment, that the Gospel can be summarized, then we would have to assume that the summary can be transmitted from one to another.  Most “Plans of Salvation,” that I have seen in tracts and in other forms on the surface do a pretty good job of introducing the Gospel, but are not by any means “The Gospel.”

Can The Gospel be presented in a small tract or contained in some other form?  I will leave you to answer that question later.  For now, another set of questions:

Did Jesus present The Gospel to the woman at the well?  John 4:13-30

Did Peter Present the Gospel in Acts 2? Acts 2:13-40

Did Paul Present the Gospel in Acts 17 on Mars Hill?  Acts 17:16-43

Did Philip present the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8?  Acts 8:26-40

Did Paul present the Gospel to the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians 15? 1 Corinthians 15:1-58

Any combination of yes or no answers to these questions will have implications, or should have implications with how and when you share “The Gospel,” in the future.  What is certain, and getting to the main point of this post, is that there are unnaturally created moment where the Gospel is presented out of its natural context.  I can remember vividly when I was a very young man playing pinball in a New York Deli, yes they had pinball machines in Delis, when I was approached by another young man not much older than I, and he began to “preach” at me a gospel message or sorts.  My first reaction was anger.  Mind you the thrust of what he was saying had not yet sunk into my heart nor were the words yet like salt in an open wound.  That would come later in my life.  I was angry because he was interrupting my game and I was doing quite well.  There was no hello, no “Hey, looks like you are doing well here,” or even, “Hi my name is…”

His desire to share the Gospel was earnest, I’m sure, but completely out of context.  This brief encounter did not turn me off the the idea of Jesus, but it did make me suspect of those who supposedly carried His message.  I did not reject the Gospel at the time, I rejected the person who was presenting it and the manner in which he was doing so.

If there is an appropriate environment, setting, or context in which to make a Gospel Presentation, surely that was not it.  How many times with good intentions do we as followers of Jesus do exactly the same thing?  We cleverly assemble a few pages, a video snippet, a gospelizing gadget, or an emotion filled verbal soliloquy, and say we are “sharing the Gospel?” How many times do we take those very same instruments of data transfer and foist them upon unsuspecting and unready hearts?  We insert ourselves into foreign and strange territory and speak from an authority that is not our own.  Some of us are so well prepared to win arguments, that we have equated argument winning with soul winning.

I am not saying that spontaneous evangelism should not occur, or that we should be ready in season and out to preach, nor that there may be times when the Lord leads us into a situation to speak the message of the Kingdom to another we do not know.  I am saying that too many times, these Gospel presentations are like a teargas grenades launched into a unsuspecting person’s window.

Is it any wonder why there is such fear in evangelism?  I have literally seen people get so worked up about going out evangelizing that they have thrown up.  We look at them and think, “Oh, they’re just young in the Lord, and they will have more courage when they mature.” Perhaps, though, it is because they understand better than we seasoned believers that this may not be they way Jesus intended HIS GOOD NEWS to go forth.  Maybe it’s time for us who have evangelism nailed down to a science to take a step back and unravel our giant rubber band ball of evangelism.  Like the ball which accumulates size with each band, our pride too, in most cases feeds our zeal and does little for our spiritual tact.

We want to be able to summarize the Gospel so that we can present it quickly, force a “decision,” and get them to say a quick prayer in order to put another notch in our salvations count.  What’s wrong with simply introducing someone to Jesus, introducing someone to the Gospel, and trusting that God’s word will have its intended effect?  1 Corinthians 3:6  Let’s be honest, when we can’t report #’s people are disappointed or think that you were out goofing off.  If we were truly interested in benchmarking evangelism, why not count the number of people we’ve loved today, how many personal sacrifices we’ve made on behalf of others, how many seeds we’ve planted, or how many have been rightly introduced to the Kingdom?

This post is a mix of questions and commentary and is designed for you to engage the conversation.  Surely there is one question or one comment in this post that hit a nerve.  If so, please leave a comment.

I am always being dragged away and enticed by the world and Satan, that dog who won’t go away but hounds me constantly. I feel like I am constantly fighting with hardly any relief. The best relief that I have found always comes from the Scriptures. God’s Word is the best anti-venom for counter-acting the poison of sin. The writer of Hebrews says this about temptation: “For because He [Jesus] himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18.

I don’t always think of “suffering” through temptation. I usually think of temptation as annoying and bothersome, like being outside when the mosquitoes are really bad. But this verse says that Jesus “suffered” through temptation. He had to endure it and it was not pleasant. But we don’t like pain, we crave pleasure, we avoid pain at all costs. So we give in to temptation because it is more pleasurable (at least in the short run) than suffering and enduring through and not giving into temptation. But we must see the reality of life in a fallen world, where the battle rages for our souls.

The reality that temptation will always be present (until Jesus comes back) and so we will always be in a constant state of suffering, of enduring and fighting off temptation. Suffering in this life is inescapable, but thanks be to God who has given us a Savior who not only can empathize with our suffering but gives us the grace and strength to endure it and fight it off. I John 2:15-17 shows us the Truth:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

Ask the Lord to give you strength and grace to suffer and not give into sin just because it seems more pleasurable – for ultimately sin kills and destroys us – only holiness and purity bring life and this is what Jesus has clothed us with. Pray that God will satisfy you with Jesus and His overwhelming love rather than the passing things of this world. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

All for Jesus,

Fletch

Function & Purpose

"Young person, if you spend your youth only having fun,

if you use your early years just to entertain yourself,

if you follow your heart as you live your life,

and let your eyes be your guide;

understand that for all these things

GOD will bring you to judgment.

Therefore, remove anger from your heart;

and keep from harming your body;

for neither adolescence nor youth

has any lasting value."

• Ecclesiastes 11:9,10

ELOHIM gave man a most precious gift. A gift that can either be a blessing or a curse. A gift that can either be spent or invested. A gift that could either cost you or earn you good – TIME. Every man has the same allotment every day but how he spends it may determine how long or how short his span is on earth. Every second misspent is lost forever.

Each moment of time has an element of risk, a risk of failure. On the other hand, a moment may carry the opportunity of adventure. Each may be recognizable by man or not. It all depends on how he spent or invested his precious time in the past, if he has grown wiser by his experience of it. In fact, each time you open your mouth is a risk or an opportunity.

There are two elements that determine the quality of time – function and purpose. Since time is the appointed rhythmic sequence and cycle of every activity of each organism, especially man, we should ask ourselves, "What is the function of each man and to what end?" Ask the Maker! Isn't this what we usually do whenever we buy a new gadget? We always refer to the operating manual. It is the same with life. That is why man has always been asking, "Why am I here? Who am I?" The answer to these questions will determine if you will embark on a journey full of risk and failure or the greatest adventure of life!

In Ecclesiastes, the teacher warned us not to spend our time on trivial pursuits of fleeting pleasure aimed at solely gratifying our sensual desires because in the end, the cost may be too high; not only in the present life, but also in life hereafter. Today, many of us spend our precious time in playing games. It could be games played with new-fangled gadgets or games played with other people; but it all boils down to meaningless activity. Some of us just want to while away ourselves to relax and there's nothing wrong with a little entertainment. Some also indulge in business with a view of investing to earn more money. Some prefer to have it easy and line up at the lottery booth especially when the prize has skyrocketed to unexpected levels. There's an adrenalin rush with thoughts of suddenly becoming an instant multi-millionaire! All these, boils down to one purpose – the worship of the god of chance. The businessman may protest and say, I'm not gambling, I'm investing!" or a youth may say, "Hey, I'm just trying to enjoy myself with these games!" Whatever you do, if it is not done with your core function and purpose, is vanity and a chasing after the wind. You're hoping that you will enjoy more, earn more money and become rich! Anything that is not done with ELOHIM and for ELOHIM misses the mark.

ELOHIM has made everything suited to its time; also, He has given human beings an awareess of eternity (Eccl 3:11). Many parents will be held accountable before ELOHIM because they have not taught their children the right way to live. Many did not give the right example by their lives on how to live for ELOHIM and by ELOHIM. They did not speak the word of ELOHIM but spoke the word of the enemy, and they ate of its fruit. Instead, by their lives they showed that they worshiped the god of chance by trusting in their own ways and in their own efforts but not in the one and only ELOHIM. You see, whoever owns the gadget has the right of use. But many have rejected the will of YHWH to follow their own will.

Function and purpose – Can an axe say to the hand who welds it, how it should be used? Can a clay demand of the Potter, how it should be formed and what should be its purpose? Anything that destroys the function and purpose of any man is evil and wicked. The enemy has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they fail to see the joy and adventure of "doing" things with YESHUA and for YESHUA. People fail to realize that they are unable to properly fulfill their function and reach their ultimate goal without YESHUA.

Man is so focused on form. Without ELOHIM, he has learned to cope with his environment and the only way he can, is by establishing some sort of orderliness in the form of structure. He has created his own norm and standard so that if he conforms to it, he feels safe. So man created religion to assuage the longings of his soul that by somehow performing the demands of religious structure, he will "arrive." To where, he is not sure, but in any case, perhaps, the Deity he is looking for will show mercy and save him. But only on his own terms. This idea is common among all sorts of religion. They vary in form but it all boils down to the worship of the god of chance.

Religion today has preoccupied man with the form of worship, but it has not glorified YHWH because it is devoid of power and has only filled man with empty traditions that purports to help in walking the path to YHWH. The Way is not a path but a Person. The Truth is not an idea but a Person. Life is not me-time but a Person. YESHUA owns time and if you want to enjoy it, you've got to invest it with Him and for Him and in Him. Then you will have Life.

As the youth would say it, "Get a life!" And get real! Give your time to YESHUA!

מלאך

Vonda Skelton, Christian author and speaker, begins every November by listing 5 blessings in her life daily. The challenge is that once a blessing has been listed, it cannot be listed again before Thanksgiving. The first days are the easy ones . . . the blessings that are so visible that they sometimes block out the others. It's a great challenge that I can't live up to daily.

But I can revisit it often so I don't lose sight of what God is doing in my life. Will you join me? I offer two ways. You can just comment below with your list of blessings, daily or periodically, during the month. Or, especially if you're a blogger, you can blog about those blessings. 

My first listing is below and I want to focus on the people God has brought into my life:

1.  My husband, a godly man, loving husband, incredible father and grandfather

2.  My son who has grown into a strong man who cares for others and willingly puts his life on the line for others through his work as a fireman

3.  My daughter who has become an incredibly strong young woman as she has found her identity in Christ and her call to work in missional areas others try not to notice

4.  My son-in-law who totally loves the Lord and my daughter, in that order, who is on journey with God

5.  My son's new family, although not yet official, that has brought joy into our lives.

Where do you want to start?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I was talking with a friend the other day who is the same age as I am, 42.  We were discussing how blessed we were to be doing exactly what God had called us to do.  There was no pride in ourselves but there was great joy that God had led us to our own particular callings and we were actually enjoying them.  A lot of guys get to our age, which is mid-life, and still have no idea what they want to do or what they are supposed to do.  Then comes the “mid-life crisis”.  Some get depressed, some get a new car, some get a new wife.  I am blessed that I did not have to “get” these things to help me figure out my mid-course direction.  I think one key reason involves the subject of my last blog, “The Single Most Important Discipline.”  I would have no idea what to do with my life were it not for God and the leading of His Spirit.  I can take no credit for His voice or even for the strength to obey, all the credit goes to Christ, whose Spirit lives in me.  But the constant, daily voice of God that comes through prayer and studying His Word has an incalculable cumulative effect on your life.

So what if you are at mid-life and struggling to know what to do with your life?  I would say begin to meditate on these startling words from Romans 13:11-12,

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

It’s time to wake up and listen to the voice of God.  The truth is that we ARE getting older and therefore closer to death, and therefore closer to our salvation.  Don’t waste any more time.  Cast off the works of darkness you have been struggling with.  Go hard after God.  Spend the rest of your life living out His will.  Dive into serving Christ and furthering His Kingdom.  It’s not too late.  Go ahead, put on the armor of light, join Christ and His forces and fight the good fight.  You may get tired and battle weary. It will cost you sacrifice and discipline.  But the rewards last for eternity.  There is nothing greater to give your life to than the call and service of Christ.

All for Jesus,

Fletch