Month: August 2008

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
(John 4:23-24)

The practice of worship made a major shift when the Messiah inaugurated His Kingdom. Worshiping in truth had always been the desire of God for his people. This is revealed in God’s attitude toward the people in the Old Testament when their worship lacked integrity (Amos 5.21-24). And Jesus emphasized worshiping in truth several times (Jn 2.15,16; Mt 15.7-9; Lk 4.7-8). But worshiping in spirit was new. The Samaritan woman questioned Jesus about a physical place “…in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem…” But Jesus ushers in the new mode of worship completely independent of any physical props. The reason He can make such a statement is because He is the fulfillment of all the symbolism pictured in physical. The temple, the sacrificial system, the law, and even the Jewish people were all created to point to the person of Jesus Christ. They were a mere shadow of him who was to come. Now our focus is on the fulfillment of all these things, Jesus.

So what does this have to do with helping people follow Jesus today? Well, I can still hear the Samaritan woman’s statements in people’s words and attitudes, “you guys worship with that style and we worship with this.” These kinds of statements are very revealing as to our understanding of what worship really is. It boils worship down to an event rather than a lifestyle. We have to help young disciples get beyond the forms and focused on Jesus. It’s not about a style, a building, a denomination or organization, or a ministry technique. It’s about Jesus. Why am I so emphatic about this? Where’s the harm? Because I find people worshiping the form or style more than Christ all the time. This is not an isolated problem; it is prevalent in modern American Christianity today. It’s a subtle tactic of the enemy. If we get focused on our religion, soon our relationship with Jesus will be choked out. Teach people not to elevate the physical trappings above the person of Christ and worship in spirit. FJ34

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com

Read Mat 4.12, Mk 1.14, Lk 4.14

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;
(Matthew 4:12)

Some call it a retreating and others call it a tactical withdraw. When John the Baptist had been taken into custody it put Jesus ministry at risk in Judea. The people and the leaders were worked into an emotional frenzy with John’s arrest and the emotion of the moment could have cause collateral damage to Jesus’ efforts. Jesus had work to do and the cross would have been premature at this time. So He withdraws back to Galilee.

One of the skills a disciplemaker must possess is the ability to back off. He is not trying to win the war in a day. Frequently, saying or doing the right thing at the wrong time can be counterproductive. A good disciplemaker is watching for the teachable moments and those moments may not have come yet. You cannot rush the “becoming like Jesus” process. You may need to “Just stand there and Don’t do something.” Jesus knew He was headed for the cross but it would be at the right time. He was not interested winning a few battles, He won the war. We are not interested in getting people to say or do something, we are interested in helping them become like Christ (Lk 6.40). FJ33

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com

But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.
(Luke 3:19-20)

It seems as though Herod had a pretty complete list of sins. But Luke makes the point that he added one last thing to his list of wickedness to top it off. He threw John the Baptist in jail. It was a bad thing to mistreat spiritual authority then and it’s a bad thing to mistreat them now. I was a pastor at a local church for five years and I was amazed at how poorly I was treated. It was almost as though I was the punching bag for all the frustrations that had accumulated over the last week. I heard more whining and complaining about the most trivial things. In fact, as a result of those days, I decide that if I wasn’t part of the solution, I would never approach the pastor or chaplain with the complaint.

Let me encourage you to encourage your pastor. The next time he preaches a sermon with an application, write it down and then do it. Come back next week and let him know that you did what he told you to do. He might have a heart attack so have those defibrillating paddles handy. Treat them the way you want to be treated. Add encouragement rather than disrespect to the top of your list. It will go a lot better for you. (Heb 13.7,27) FJ32

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com

Read John 4.1-4

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),
(John 4:1-2)

I find it interesting that Jesus was not baptizing the people but it was his disciples. I have long believed that all believers should be practicing the Great Commission, all of it. Disciplemakers ought to be baptizing the ones they are discipling. We will quickly say that every believer needs to practice the Great Commission. But only two of the three components for making a disciple can be practiced by the common believer; Going and Teaching. Why not baptizing? Why must a person be ordained before they baptize someone they are bringing along in the faith? I firmly believe this is a “priesthood of the believer” issue that we protestants hold so dear. Yet we do not allow the unordained to fully practice the Great Commission (Mt 28.18-20).

A Word to Congregants: Hopefully you have placed yourself under the authority of a spiritual leader. Before you run off and start baptizing the flock, check in with the pastor or chaplain and find out what his views are in this area. Perhaps he will let you baptize the folks you are discipling with certain parameters. There are dangers in just running around and dunking people without knowing what you are doing. Get permission and get trained.

A Word to Pastors: Are you tired of everyone looking to you to do all the ministry? When you ask people to share their faith do they respond by saying “Oh no Pastor, that what we pay you to do.” Perhaps you have inadvertently sent the message that you are the only one qualified to do such things. You have shot yourself in the foot by doing things that every Christian can do (and should do). If you are training leaders to disciple others, train them to baptize others as well. If your leaders frown on letting your congregants baptize, get them in the water to help you. Two people can baptize one person just fine. This will send a strong message to your congregation about their roles in the ministry. I know we have some cultural obstacles to overcome but sense when does culture trump the Word of God. Every man a disciplemaker! FJ31

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
(John 3:36)

John the Baptist couples faith and obedience. I don’t think that the two should ever be separated. I agree with James, “faith without works is dead.” (Jam 2.17) and Paul, “walk in a manner worthy of your calling.” (Eph 4.1) It’s like throwing a live grenade into a room full of soldiers. If they believe it is a real grenade, they will respond. Now I’m not going to get into the business of evaluating how fast they moved. That’s another part of the Christian life called zeal. But the fact is they moved! This demonstrates they truly believe it was a grenade. Faith is Jesus should evoke us to action. Obedience is a product of true faith. Where we get into trouble is when a person says “I only need to believe,” insinuating that because they have obtained the data on Jesus somehow that saves them. The demons in Hell have the data (Jam 2.19). Or the opposite is just as dangerous; “I’m going to Heaven because I’m a good person.” We couldn’t be good enough in a million years (Eph 2.8-9). So it is faith in Christ. That same faith moves us to obey Him or it isn’t really faith at all. (2 Cor 13.5) FJ30

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com

“He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)

Who’s disciple is he becoming? A disciplemaker’s chief question. I must constantly asking myself, “Is he becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ or a disciple of Chuck Wood?” In the beginning a young disciple may be very appreciative of the attention and time we are lavishing on them. He will be enamored with our deeds and words. This is a natural byproduct of love, one of the key ingredients in ministry. But as normal as it may be, the relationship cannot remain in this state. If he is becoming a disciple of Jesus, his loyalties and affections will begin to shift. There will be tension between him and me. He will ask questions that make me feel awkward and inadequate. He will start holding the Word of God and Jesus in higher esteem. Jesus will increase and I will decrease. As a disciplemaker, I am intentional in facilitating this process. How do you help a young disciple focus on Christ? One way is by sharing you sins and weaknesses with him. This will not only demonstrate the superiority of following Jesus but it will give him a sense of comfort that even his teacher is a “work in progress.” My second way of helping a guy make the shift is by talking about Jesus more than myself. This should seem obvious to a disciplemaker trying to make a disciple of Jesus, but it is often neglected. I always make sure the Jesus is the focus of the discussion. When talking to others, how often does the name of Jesus cross your lips? FJ29

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com