Blitz Challenge 9/11/10
The church as the body of Christ on earth is a supernatural community—‘supernatural’ because all true believers are in union with Christ and with one another by means of God’s Holy Spirit.
The world (in its love of darkness) is reading our relationships instead of reading the Bible. Our relationships are intended by Christ to go far beyond anything nature is capable of (love one another as I have loved you; consider the interests of others are more important than your own; bear one another’s burdens; be constantly forgiving one another; defer to one another; build with Christ in building up one another; relate in such a way that you are members one of another). Our relationships within the body of Christ are to incarnate the virtues and character of Christ in such a way that, as Jesus said in His High Priestly prayer in John 17, the world might believe that the Father sent Me.
Living out our supernatural connection to Christ and to one another means that the local church is an organism animated by Christ; not an organization animated by business/entrepreneurial principles. If indeed the nature of the church is organic (activity of a body with Christ as Head and indwelt by the Spirit); then settling for a CEO, top down form of doing church will extinguish the communal life of the body and it will obscure the reality that every true Christian is a believer-priest. Each member of the body is to always be translating the vertical into the horizontal.
Dying churches commonly find in retrospect that waning discipleship is the pathology that did the killing. Here is how the disease progresses: a congregation sits back and settles for ministry from professionals. Then, stage two: the older men cease to invest in younger men (the older men don’t know how to finish well). Stage three: the younger men allow secular culture to define their goals (amusement)—in other words they don’t care if their marriages glorify God; they lose perception of kingdom values and consequently become spiritually harmless in the world. Stage four: the church moves toward an inward emphasis—passion for Christ and for evangelism dry up. A self-focused church is all that remains—in essence, the story of the glory of the church (its history, inception, successes, and programs) becomes bigger than the glory story of God in Christ. The next generation winds up unequipped and unchallenged by the older generation. Thus, it says, “Why bother?” and death takes place. This is repeated around the world in countless places. (EX. In New England.)
SOLUTION: Christ’s pattern for His church is one of discipleship—disciples making disciples who are capable of making disciples. Unfortunately we have defined the Great Commission as a foreign endeavor instead of a domestic endeavor: “We are a healthy church because we have missionaries in the following countries.” But wait. Are we now exempt from fulfilling the Great Commission in the local body here at home? No. The Great Commission teaches us that body life exists to bring each member to maturity. Paul summarizes the discipleship mandate in at least two places: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power which mightily works within me” (Col 1:28-29). “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful man who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 2:2).
Every bit of this discipleship mandate is utterly intentional—it’s a mandate to bring each believer to spiritual maturity. Genuine fellowship is spiritual; it doesn’t just exist for our social needs—it exists for the purpose of doing spiritual good to another that the body might grow up into Christ its Head. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph 4:15-16).
It is here, at this juncture, where we need a mind shift. For it is common to think of the activity of the body as a series of programs devised by the leaders (approved programs that we participate in). Christ’s pattern for His church differs from this perception. Here is the reason why: all forms of ministry are to be some form of expression of the Great Commission. That means that all forms of ministry exist to nurture discipleship; to nurture disciples; to nurture disciple-making.
A huge mind shift is required brothers, for the nature of the church is that of a supernatural community—and as a supernatural community, the way we do community is by discipleship. That way of thinking would sure change a lot wouldn’t it—to get into our heads and hearts that our relationships in the body exist for the purpose of discipleship—to bring one another to maturity, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). The church is a supernatural community = and that community functions supernaturally by means of discipleship.
Through discipleship Christ makes godly men out of boys. Through discipleship young men learn to be men of God. Through discipleship they learn that that they are called ones. They learn what Christ is calling them to be through His power and grace. And because Christ’s claim is on their lives they learn to be determined men—tough men able to take a punch from life. Tender men able to love their wives as Christ loved the church. They are intentional men who believe the glory story of God and as a result are sent on mission.
Kingdom values begin to fill their thinking. They see in the glory story that God Himself is on mission and has called them to be on mission with Him. Prior to discipleship they felt no obligation to share their faith—now they believe they are sent on mission. Now I have got to ask this question: is this a bigger dream for the church than we have entertained ourselves? Does it seem too idealistic? Brothers, the discipleship lifestyle that I just described is considered normative in the New Testament. The question is how do we begin to live this way?
One of the major impediments to discipleship is apathy and self-protection. We fear being known; having our sins discovered—and/or, we have some apprehension that a discipleship relationship will turn the screws of high accountability and wind up being a black hole of unending commitment— eating up too much of our discretionary time.
I want to lay those misconceptions to rest. The majority of discipleship takes place in a context of the informal. Jesus spent time with His disciples not only during ministry; but in traveling, meal time, recreation, and rest. They ‘hung out’ together. There was as much ‘caught as taught’ in these casual moments of fellowship.
Our truncated ideas about discipleship too often narrow our concept to the curriculum used in discipleship. I want to blast us out of the classroom model of ministry and shift our thinking to the caring relationships themselves—in which there is mutual edification and mutual access to one another’s lives.
Biblical discipleship can be as simple as determining to prayerfully speak God’s Word in our relationships. Much discipleship will be informal and spontaneous. As soon as you approach conversation with edification in mind; you are in a position to provide discipleship input. To be on task in discipleship is to purposefully steer the conversation in the direction of redemptive language. Let me define that for you. Redemptive conversation involves initiating comments and questions which draw out Scripture truths and principles and apply them to life.
Redemptive questions can be as simple as: where are you getting beat up this week? Is there a ministry opportunity you are thinking about taking? How can I pray for you? I’ve got to share with you what God has been teaching me. Here is what I have been going through at work as far as my testimony. Have you ever considered how your attitude about Christ’s second coming is a super litmus test of where you are at spiritually? Hey, want to go witnessing? Let’s invite those unsaved guys over for a bar-be-que.