Being a Disciple in the Harvest, Making Disciples

Yesterday it hit me again how important discipleship is and how self-frustrating it is to have a silly, non-biblical, non-functioning view of discipleship.

It works like this. If you want someone to be a disciple you have to have a biblical definition. That really helps. The great commission is a great place to start because it is life-long devotion to Jesus (baptism), it is seeking Him in the Word and following, and inherent in the commission is the charge for a disciple to be in the mission. There is lots to say here. Teaching without devotion produces educated, static, self-righteousness. Devotion without knowledge of and obedience to Jesus doesn't work. But without the commission being reproduced in the disciple it is all futile and you wonder if the devotion and teaching was ever anything more than academic.

For discipleship, the reproduction of disciples in the harvest is key, it is essential, it is the proof of discipleship and disciple-making. It has to be the priority of each disciple and each church. No disciple is a disciple unless he is involved in sowing and / or reaping to make more and better disciples. This is not a sport like American football where some guys are so specialized in what they do they can go their whole career without ever having to touch the ball. This is more like real football (soccer) where there are different positions, but everyone has to be skilled with the ball. All disciples have to be in the harvest. All disciples have to encourage the making of disciples who make disciples. No exceptions.

This means that the goal of discipleship, as it is reproduced, is for the disciples to be in the harvest, with their neighbors first and then wherever the Lord gives them relationships.

But here's the rub and our frustration, Jesus never produced reproducing disciples by telling them what to do. He did it with them. He brought them close to Him. They lived with Him. He had a group of 12 and a group of 3. In this context he involved them in ministry and they watched him. He oriented them and got them  involved without full teaching, because he was with them. The deep contact he had with them served as the correction of their practice and attitudes every day. Then, when they were hungry and ready to learn, Jesus taught them and they benefited. But His model and contact with them was the key. They knew how to enter a town because they had seen him do it. They knew how to begin attracting a crowd and preaching because they watched Him. They knew how to preach and what to say (I'm sure they imitated Him) because they heard him do it. So why do I think I can produce change and growth by throwing words at people. Jesus didn't make reproducing disciples this way. There is a place for exhortation and motivation, but not without biblical discipleship as Jesus modeled it. Obviously we want competent, self-motivated, independent, interdependent and 1000 more leadership-word disciples but our model of ministry and the pressure to grow quick and be successful does not serve us well. Whether it is 1-1 coaching, triads or life groups or all three, true reproducing discipleship takes time and contact and doing it with them. Imitating Jesus is important. The harvest is important. Making disciples is important. Bearing much fruit, glorifying the Father and so proving to be Christ's disciples is important. It isn't just important, it is everything and the passion of Jesus' heart.

I can wish for change. I can even pray for it, but watching Jesus, I realize I have to reset my schedule, and my mind and my heart and do it with them. Helping them become disciples in the harvest is my call as a disciple, to do it with them, to model, to show that I'm in it, too. But to stand on the sidelines and shout in plays isn't what we see Jesus doing. Lord, forgive me for being such a slow learner.

A Tender Heart in the Harvest

Once a year I stumble on a verse in Proverbs that always catches me, at least for that day, and always on the same day, since I read a one year Bible.

Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not requite man according to his work?

I can't rest knowing that people are going to hell. And I really don't understand Christians who can "rest." I know that there is a genius to us not being able to fully absorb the danger of this life. If we could, we'd be totally hysterical and die of heart failure. So God is protecting us. We are led to laugh and enjoy what God provides. No problem there. But to ignore the dire need is, in my mind and heart, a disowning of the Faith. To not dirty our hands with the lost is to thank Christ for His gift and spit in His face.

Another verse that intensifies my hang up is in 2 Chronicles 34:27

Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD.

Josiah wept when he finally got a copy of the Bible and read what was going to happen. It was this heart for his people before the coming storm and his desire to honor God that made him the best king Israel ever had. I wonder if we really care that there is a hell and people will end up there.

Laura and I were just studying 2 Cor. 5:14-21. How do you truly understand those words if you are not in the harvest.

Yesterday doing the survey I was praying to meet some people the Lord might have His hand on. The first guy "Joe" was what I was looking for. Not a believer and had never thought of the questions he might ask God, and when asked if he would have gone to church last Sunday, he said, "yes" in a sort of innocent way. He actually shook my hand for having bothered him with the whole thing. I think we'll invite “Joe.”

Then there was the Methodist in his man-cave, but obviously lost. A nice guy with no clue and running out of time.

Finally, buying stamps this woman comes in cussing up a storm as she swept into and out of the lobby of the post office. She apparently had been done wrong. I felt sorry for her, enjoying a little bit of hell here on earth. I remember what that was like, and in spite of all the other things that can go wrong, nothing rivals that sense of being lost on earth with no hope or solution.

Back at the ranch, I had a good talk with a neighbor and we sort of rekindled contact with the couple on the corner (all lost). All seed sowing, and I'm praying for a harvest.

Light in the Harvest

Yesterday I was out twice, once from 11-12 to catch the "slow happy Sunday morning unchurched" crowd and then after the Chiefs' game to get the "happy the Chiefs played a great game unchurched" crowd. What was funny was talking to people from the first group who swore they went to church, but weren't at church. Then, and I forgot about this, the couple of people we ran into after the game who had too much liquid cheer and were on the down side of its effects.

It must have been something in the day. Most of the non churched I met seemed darker in heart. I still meet people who would have gone to church if a friend had invited them, but yesterday they were saying "no" with gusto. We are very dependent that the Lord show us where he is working and so I'm not put off by the hardness. I know in my own heart, when I was in their situation, that it came and went with the "day" and how I was feeling. Jesus said He came to be a physician to the sick and to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Having ample experience with those hardened by blessing and righteousness, it was interesting to face such hardness of sick hearts. I kind of felt this feeling that Jesus must have had when He said to the Samaritan woman, "If you only knew."

Yesterday I ran into a couple of people bitter against God because of losing someone. After listening to the initial flush of anger, I mentioned that I know what that's like. My salvation is that I'm on the other side of understanding the spiritual reality. So what do we have to defuse this kind of emotional static that people express out of their blindness and hurt. I'm sure there is an apologetic, but there is something even deeper. Along with our knowledge of God from the Word is our knowledge of His working in our lives and working among those He is saving.

This morning in my reading I was struck by Psalm 71 and the repeated mentions of telling of God's glory and work.

7 I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge. 8 Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

The "wonder" is as Jesus was, a symbol spoken against, a test revealing the hearts and thoughts of men. The writer is being spoken against. His life is being used as a tool to fight against him, but he takes refuge not in the opinions of the world of people, but in God. His strength is in pure-hearted praising of God, having seen the acts of God's glory and righteousness, purely testifying to His love and greatness.

We get defensive, but God doesn't need us to get defensive. We get weak and sheepish because we look at ourselves. But God asks us to look at Him. He doesn't ask us to look at a book of "25 things God did in the lives of others," or to listen to someone's pod-cast, but to be engaged with Him, seeing His glory, witnessing His love and kindnesses, being strong in Him who himself is mighty, and to tell it. It's sort of like listening honestly, then saying, but let me tell you what He's done and who He is. Our confidence shouldn't be in our logic or our command of biblical data (though important), but rather in our spirit on spirit interaction with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in working the fields of this life. Second and third hand stories are OK in a pinch, but the ones that give us the strength to live beyond our fallen flesh and egos are right here in our lives, the help we experience when we walk by faith in danger and daring for the sake of Christ in the harvest. Seeing God work as we are engaged in proclaiming release to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind are the "miracles" that give us confidence in the Love and Grace and Forgiveness and Wonder of our Father, our Savior and the Spirit who lives within and walks alongside.

Rain

Well, a very interesting 2 days. Laura began feeling bad yesterday afternoon before we were going to go out and do the survey. You can't ignore real pain, especially chest pain. So we prayed and tried to do something in the afternoon, and it seemed to help, but it all came back at night. So we tried to sleep and when that didn't work, we went to the ER about 11 pm. At 2:30 am they were taking her to room 421 and I went home, but I was up before 8 and back at her room by 9. It's almost 6 and we've been back home for about 20 minutes.

The good news is that Laura isn't sick, in fact, all the tests confirm and prove she's in great shape. I even saw her heart beat and one of her valves doing its thing. Quite amazing.

Somehow this all fits together in facing discouragement.

Wednesdays are always a little hard because my tight schedule gets stretched. But especially this Wednesday, I wanted to get out and do the survey/speak with some unchurched people. I had an added morning meeting that got pushed and then when I got there, the pastor I met with was shooting the breeze with someone, I assumed someone from his church. When I got my coffee I introduced myself and found out that "joe" doesn't go to that church, doesn't go anywhere and isn't a believer. So we two pastors tried to share with him, but we both realized how hard it would be since "joe" was raised by religious parents. He's probably heard the gospel a thousand times. He seemed open because of the misery he's causing himself (proof of the truth) but still hardened by his background and his thinking he can still do things better without God. Funny that the opportunity the Lord opened, in answer to my prayer to witness to someone, would be with a church-hardened person. That's like so many of those we've talked to doing the survey. But I gave "joe" my card and still hope that after living the high life and running two marriages into the rocks, he is softening to hear the truth and give everything to Christ.

So Thursday I really set my sights on doing the survey. The idea is to try to find 50-100 unchurched where there is some openness and invite them to talk…just talk. I wanted to go out with Laura, and it seemed like the plan until after lunch when she began to hurt and lost all energy. I tried to cheer her up and pray and distract her. It worked for a little, but she kept hurting. So, after having gone past my start-up time, I went out anyway. I arrived on Mahaffie and parked and it started to rain. I couldn't believe it. I sat there and prayed and thought, and it kept on raining. You can't fight well with rain.

Finally I started home and went by a hardware store. Anyway, by the time I was done, it had quit raining, and I decided to go back. There's been too much resistance and discouragement aimed at us to just give up. I knocked on another 10+ doors. Mostly nothing. But I came to the house where we had been last Sunday that looked like college students lived there. This guy in his 20's comes out, "joe." The first question worked when he said he hasn't been to church more than 3 times in his life. The second question was a dud….nothing to say. The third question brought him to thinking, forever, but no answer. The fourth had the same lengthy effect, and when he took forever with the fifth question and finally said something about the economy, I was wondering. Then I threw in a sixth question, "If someone you liked and trusted had asked you to church last Sunday, would you have gone." Immediately he said, "Oh yeah, I would have gone." And I knew he had meant it.

Then came the evening and the adventure in the ER. Discouragement? Sort of, but more like just following the Lord. The Lord is working. I feel confident that seeds are being planted and that contacts are being made and that some of these guys like "joe" are being worked on by the Lord and might come to an evening. For us, we set our hope in Christ knowing that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, and maybe one of these "joes" will be moved by the Spirit and will step closer to Christ. Jesus said the fields are white, so we work.

Detox in the Fields

I sense the need to be out doing the survey, talking to lost people, doing anything that is more than being oriented toward Christians. I need to be oriented toward the work, the harvest. I need to go through detox. I need to resist the resistance and go to work in the fields instead of talking about the fields to those who aren't in the fields. I need to "uncomplicate" my mind and "naturalize" my heart in terms of ministry. Even in thinking about "material" for working with "joe". Who needs material? I've got a Bible and the Spirit and a head full of stuff which is as much as you need in any country in the world.

I need to keep focused on the fields being white. That is a promise and an invitation. Jesus is saying that there will be a harvest. In John 5 Jesus says the Father is working. In John 4 He says that others have labored and He sends us in to their labor. That means there is openness and we'll find it if we are open to believe His Word. Jesus sat by a well during the wrong time of the day and spoke to the only person who came by, and the 'wrong' person at that, all by divine appointment. The Father had labored and the Son simply entered into that labor. Even Jesus seemed overcome by what the Father had arranged for Him. When the disciples asked Him to eat, Jesus had no appetite. Jesus said He had meat to eat that they knew nothing about. His true delight, filling Him up, satisfying His hunger, whatever, was to do the will of Him who sent Him and to accomplish His work.

So why work in the fields? The fields are ready. Not every person is ready, but I believe His word that there are some people ready. It needs to become natural, without resistance of heart and hesitation of thought. It needs to be filled with the faith and love that are in Christ. It needs to be the joy of working with the Son, the anticipation of seeing where the Father has been working. It needs to be the excitement of doing the Father's will and accomplishing His work, and being sustained and filled by that. It needs to be the faith and obedience and submission of glorifying the Father on His terms, not mine, by bearing much fruit and so proving to be a disciple of my Lord.

Disciples of Jesus or Distracted by God

Are we really followers or just occasionally distracted by God?

In Romans 8:14, Paul states a gospel truth, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Apparently this means that all who belong to God live being led by His Spirit. Really? I don't want to get into trouble here, but is this really true? How much of the average Christian's day is mindfully, cognitively, intentionally being guided by the nudging and observations given by the Spirit? I don't know. I don't know that many of us are this close to God. I think if we are led it happens by accident. God says, "Kachikis is going to miss it again. Gabriel (probably Clarence, I don't rank Gabriel's attention), wake him up so he can see what I'm doing."

Imagine that the Father is working, preparing stuff for us to do each day. We just need to be disciples, alert and waiting to serve Him. This is just like Jesus.

In John 5 Jesus goes to the Passover in Jerusalem. He walks by the pool of Bethesda. Jesus had been in Jerusalem at least once a year since He was 12. Now He was about 31. Jesus had been there at least 19 times and if, as the Law said, all males were supposed to be there 3 times a year, that would be 57 times. But here the 19 years are important. John mentions that there was a man there who had been sick for 38 years. This means that Jesus had seen him every year for the past 19 years, but this day there was something different. Jesus saw him and realized that he'd been lying there a long time. He realized it and realized in that realization that the Spirit had shown Him something. So Jesus, very low key and quietly, healed the man. Now that day was the Sabbath and eventually the Jews tracked Jesus down. Jesus' excuse was, "My Father is working still and I am working," that is, my Father didn't take today off and He showed Me what to do and I did it."

Here are the key verses, John 5: 19 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel."

Jesus walked into Jerusalem just like He'd done before. As He was passing by the pool he saw the people there and now it hit Him,'That man, he's been there forever,' and in this He saw what the Father was doing, the fact that it even came to mind, and Jesus moved in. Too bad for the Jews it was on the Sabbath. What's wrong with God, …anyway?

The disciple is not greater than his Master. If this is how Jesus walked, this is how we need to walk, everyday. Yeah, but the Father loved the Son and showed Him everything.  We’re  just servants.  But He loves us too.  Yeah, but really, I’m so busy, He doesn’t need to love me that much.  I don’t need to know.

But a disciple wants to know.  We are servants, looking at the events of the day to see where the Father is working. Where is there a person with need that we notice and get a twinge of conscience? What has suddenly occurred to us to do? As disciples we are saved by grace through faith by God's gift, so that we can walk in good works, doing good for others, which God has already prepared for us. If we are led by the Spirit, we are privileged as sons and we can see where the Father is working. If we are sensitive to the Spirit we notice these. If we are disciples and servants of our master, it gives us joy to be led as He was led and to step in to any situation, no matter how unplanned and not-on-our-to-do-list, and serve Him.

So are we sons and daughters of God who, as disciples, are intentionally led by the Spirit to see and receive what He has for us, or are we just occasionally distracted by God to see His working?

His Church or Ours

The other night we were talking about church and it seems so complicated, like the Gordian Knot. We have all of these different church cultures, denominations, age groups, preferences. So what is essential, barebones church?

I think this needs to be defined trans-culturally, that is, definable for any culture on this planet, or, as Paul would say, "or is God the God of North Americans only? Is he not the God of poor Chinese or South American Indians also? Yes, of these others also, since God is one." It also has to be definable for every age since the church began on Pentecost. This saves us from the trap of thinking church is only what we see in our cultural, generational context.

Simply put, I think "church" is a group of people who have been saved, who gather after working in the harvest for the week, meet to strengthen, encourage and teach one another in Christ, orient those new in Christ and get back into the harvest. The context of the harvest, that is the Great Commission, Acts 1:8 and John 15 are everything. I think this applies to every time and every culture. Our science of music and worship, our science of child care, our Western rituals have not existed for all times and even now, they do not exist for many cultures. Ironically, it seems that the more simple and essential the church, like in China, the more effective and vibrant the power of what it does to the individual and making of disciples.

So someone asked, what about doing something for the poor. Personally, I'm for that and I'll click "like" on face book. If we were in the 3rd world, as an example, the poor would be all around us. They would be the people in our field of vision who we were reaching for Christ. You wouldn't have to drive out of the suburbs. We wouldn't have to indulge in missionary tourism, whether to the inner city or the 3rd world, to visit the poor and needy and then feel good about our good deed and ponder the experience later in the land of milk and honey. We have taken on definitions of "church" and "mission" that hurt us because of our view of the harvest.

The poor and needy are all around us. I understand the need for compassion to the poor, but somehow using them to overlook my responsibility to those I am supposed to reach next to me and lead a missional life for Christ hurts me and my love for Christ. We've given money to the unbelievers across the street (no tax credit there) when they were deeply hurting financially and their marriage was on the rocks. Does anyone really believe, in this economy, that you have to take a trip to the inner city to find someone to show compassion to, who is needy? All we have to do is what any person in any culture has ever had to do, love our neighbors, get to know them and see the need that the Lord shows us. God has prepared good works for us to walk in. We don't have to travel far to find them. Paul told Titus that Christ's people were to be ready to do good for those around them. It is essential, basic outreach 101 for any Christian in any culture or any time.

What about God's power? I personally believe that many of the sign gifts were for the time of Acts. I don't see anybody walking around whose shadow can cure you. But who doesn't believe that all that power, the healings and miracles are still in God's power to do as needed to reach the lost? So why don't we see them? They accompany reaching the lost, working in the harvest, the biblical, essential making of disciples. Why should God use His power for our amusement, to build "our" church? God shows His power for His glory to support His work, not ours. We might see more of His power if we were deeply involved in His harvest around us.

I'm not trying to be edgy or harsh, but only stating the obvious. Church is a group of people set free by Christ trying to set more people free, supporting each other in the love of Christ to make Him known. We don't need videos to do this or a worship band. We don't need self righteousness or isolation. We need to all be in love with Christ and compassionate to the spiritually dying around us. That works in any country in any time.

Wanderers in the Fields

Laura and I were out knocking on doors. I was really moved in a melancholy sort of way by the Christians we found. Usually I don't spend much time talking to believers or church goers because of wanting to talk to people who are distanced, but the Lord used this.

One woman in her 50s who hadn't been to church in years, since the death of her husband.  She knew a lot about churches in the area. 

Then there was a 20+ who grew up in church but doesn’t attend or see a need. Her parents push her, her husband doesn't want to go, she was involved in churches and in the start up of Life church, her husband was attracted to a picnic, played football with the guys, went to men's things, trusted Christ, but somehow they got distanced. Her request for God would be for her husband. If he went, then she'd go.

The next was a family thing. Woman in 60s with 3 son's in ministry…2 video, one pastor for 17 years now in another ministry. Not really in any church, visiting churches with her son and family. Went to an Acts 29 church, cool church, from 60 to 1000+ in 3 years. Great message and tattooed people handing out bulletins.  Cool, in a self righteous kind of way. Then began the quizzing on our beliefs, found out I was DTS and went to dispensationalism. I tried to get back to reaching the lost.

So what size is your church? What's the band like? How about the preacher? What's your opinion on gifts? On a good day I can tolerate this stuff, but my question is "What about Jesus and your love for Him because He saved you? Is that welling up in you becoming a spring of living water that flows out of you?" No, it's all church. I love church because I love Christ, but church is "just" a group of harvesters getting together to help one another get the job done better because they each love Jesus. We define the church by “worship service” and by preaching and doctrine, not by the Love of Christ that compels us to follow our Lord into the Mission.  Jesus is still reaching out to save the Lost and make Disciples.

So our sanctified lives revolve around our sanctified needs. We become Connoisseurs of fine churches. IF it meets my needs, I go. If not, I stay home. Jesus? Whatever. Churches become idols. We won't get ourselves messy in the fields. We're here for the church. Suffer for the gospel as a good soldier of Christ? Sure, but before I consider that, what is your worship band like?

Then there was Joe. Doesn't go to church and didn't have any suggestions. What would you ask God? In his eyes you could see him do a search in his soul and you saw his heart respond. "Where did man come from?" Very sincere.  If you could ask God for one thing today, what would you want? Again you saw a very sincere tenderness, "Health for my kids."

What a contrast. The church culture hardened. The saved drifting without a mission. Connoisseurs of fine churches. And Joe, the lost guy, needing Christ, wondering what's going on, if any of this makes sense, hoping chance and sickness don't touch those he loves.

In the Fields

The picture of the Bible held in dirty hands really gets to me. The church is to be in the fields working. Hands are supposed to be dirty. For me, I've seen too many Bibles in spotless hands and I'm tired of it. Jesus is still in the fields and we need to be, too. No tired excuses. No redefined successes. Just do what He says.

New Song is aimed at working with Jesus in the community, in Olathe, creating a culture that makes disciples who make disciples. God is shown for who He is in that we reach others who reach others. Clean hands prove nothing except self absorption and a harmless religion. I love those dirty hands holding that hidden power.

New Song is beginning. We have a mission and vision, we have values, we have a model, we even have some great people and good ideas....all given to us by God. We're excited and passionate about what the Lord is asking us to do. But, these prove nothing. The fields are where the work is done and that is where we are now.

We're out asking people who are not religious, who don't go to church, what they are looking for. If we're ignorant of the people, if we're allergic to the fruit, if we're too lazy and just want "church," we're finished before we start and dead before we're born.

I was talking to this guy in his doorway with his son looking on showing us his little car. Doesn't attend church, nothing for him there, and no clue what he'd even look for that would attract him. So I asked him what mystery he'd ask God to solve for him (besides who shot Kennedy) and after a pause he said, "Ok, why do bad things happen to good people?"

Good, then I asked him what he'd personally ask God to do for him today. He looked down at his son and said something about more kids like his son, happy and emotionally and physically healthy.

My wife and I went out for coffee later and the more I thought about his answers, with those of other people we asked, the more I understood the depth of some of this. Where is there security? Everything is so fragile, particularly where family and health intersect. We had gotten 4 health responses. And then is God, if there is one, really fair, or just, because it doesn't seem right that bad things should happen to good people. A just God wouldn't allow that, would He? I've forgotten so much of this, but seeing this guy with his son playing around his legs made the connection.

For New Song to do its job, we need this connection, to Christ and then to those He's reaching out to. So if you ask, "Where are you right now as a church," our answer will be, "Out in the fields."