December 2019 – Page 3 – ToBeLikeJesus

The Most Important Question (NPL – Part 4)

I want to drop back a few years and address a question that my mentor asked that really rocked my world and should yours. I was dropping some big theological thing on Cecil Bean, my mentor, and he asked; “Chuck, what does that have to do with Jesus?” I WAS TICKED! I thought to myself, “Of course it has something to do with Jesus! Connect the dots man!” But as I cooled down and meditated on the question for a few days, I thought, “Yeah, what does that have to do with Jesus? In fact, what did most of what I talked about have to do with Jesus?” I was doing an inventory of my “discipleship” and I was coming up with a very disturbing realization; Jesus was conspicuously absent from most of my ministry. I was wrecked! I would later find this passage perfectly fitting for my situation;

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; (John 5.39)

The only thing I had missed was the boat! I took drastic measures to correct this very glaring error. For the next year, I read four chapters in the gospels daily and nothing but the gospels to get reacquainted with my King. I developed a strategy to include Jesus in my discipleship;

I will mention Jesus every time I talk to another disciple
When asked a question, I will answer with a saying or example of Jesus first
When reading other books of the Bible besides the gospels, I will look for Jesus
When confronted with a dilemma, “I will ask what would Jesus do?” and do it!
I will not talk about Jesus as if He isn’t in the room
When talking about God, I will address Him as the Father, Jesus His Son, and/or the Holy Spirit
When engaged in discussions I will let people know that I am a follower of Jesus upfront
I will read some of the gospels daily as I read the rest of the Bible
I don’t have disciples. I make disciples of Jesus
My goal in life is to master the Master

Does this seem extreme to you? I have an exercise for you whether it seems extreme or not. Read Colossians chapter 1 out loud and time yourself. Now count the number of times Paul refers to Jesus (Christ, He, Him, Whom, etc…) If I mentioned your name that many times in that short time frame, what would you think of me? You would think I was obsessed! And based on His love for me and Who He is in the Chain of Command, shouldn’t I be? Is Jesus the center of our life, our ministry, our everything? How often does the name of Jesus cross our lips? Do we have any other Bible characters that rate higher on the “Hero List” than Jesus?

How Deb and I joined the NoPlaceLeft Vision (NPL – Part 1)

The Perfect Storm (NPL – Part 2)

Some Nagging Questions (NPL – Part 3)

The Most Important Question (NPL – Part 4)

It was a Set-Up (NPL – Part 5)

The Book that Changed My World (Again) (NPL – Part 6)

Change Happens When Enough is Enough (NPL – Part 7)

Drinking the Cup (NPL – Part 8)

From a Wife’s Perspective – Interview with Deb (NPL – Part 9)

Was it Worth it? (NPL – Part 10)

Some Nagging Questions (NPL – Part 3)

So we’re in the middle of the perfect storm and things are not going so perfectly. And I’m getting these questions. Some are from the Holy Spirit, some from people, and others are questions I’m asking myself. And they are like “splinters in my mind.” (whoever word smithed that phrase was a genius. Splinters…in the mind. What a word picture! I’m sorry, but there’s not a pair of tweezers in the world long enough to pull that kind of splinter out of your mind!) And that’s what these questions felt like, painfully nagging for attention. Questions like;

Why does the gospel stop at the front gate of these Army posts?
If you believe in the priesthood of the believer so much, why are you doing things to circumvent it?
What does that have to do with Jesus?
Why is my vision so small?
Why am I only teaching people to obey three-quarters of the Great Commission?
What about the nations?
Why do I think going to church is a waste of time?
Why is my prayer life so anemic?
When is the last time I shared the gospel?
Can’t God do in the US what He’s doing in China, India, and Nepal?

And the list goes on and on. These questions elicited all kinds of emotions from anger to embarrassment to fear. Have you ever noticed how many questions Jesus asked? In fact, the Divine questions actually started way back in the garden between God and two naked people trying to hide behind a couple of fig leaves.

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 3.11-13)

“Where are you?” (Gen 3.9)
“Who told you that you were naked?” (Gen 3.11)
“Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Gen 3.11)
“What is this you have done?” (Gen 3.13)

Isn’t it interesting that the Almighty God, the One Who knows everything, chooses to ask questions rather than start with the condemning facts? At the moment that sin enters the scene and corrupts all humanity, the Father gently guides His wayward children into truth. And that is exactly what He was doing with me as I stood hiding uncomfortably behind some very itchy fig leaves. As disciple-makers are we asking lots of questions both of ourselves and others? More later…

How Deb and I joined the NoPlaceLeft Vision (NPL – Part 1)

The Perfect Storm (NPL – Part 2)

Some Nagging Questions (NPL – Part 3)

The Most Important Question (NPL – Part 4)

It was a Set-Up (NPL – Part 5)

The Book that Changed My World (Again) (NPL – Part 6)

Change Happens When Enough is Enough (NPL – Part 7)

Drinking the Cup (NPL – Part 8)

From a Wife’s Perspective – Interview with Deb (NPL – Part 9)

Was it Worth it? (NPL – Part 10)

The Perfect Storm (NPL – Part 2)

I’d like to tell the story of how Deb and I got started on this journey ten years ago. I will try to stay objective and I think the principles will apply both to the 0-1 and the Legacy expressions of church. A decade ago we were in a perfect storm. I was wounded, angry, and disillusioned. I had been in ministry for 30 years and had my share of failures and successes but now I was at my wit’s end. I saw so much potential in the ministry and yet it was the ankle-biting things that were consuming all my time, emotions, and energy. I was done! Ever been there in ministry? Ever been there in life? Where you’re just done? Yeah, you could stick a fork in me. But as much as I could not see what was really happening behind the curtain, I would later find out that Jesus was preparing us for a new season of fruitfulness.

I love the story of Joseph. A snotty-nosed kid that might have been a little too big for his britches but certainly didn’t deserve to be sold into slavery, set up by an adulterous hussy, and then thrown into jail to rot. I mean really, did Joseph deserve all that for being Daddy’s favorite with a cool coat and a few dreams? But God was at work. Even in all that pain, injustice, and betrayal, God had a plan. And Joseph was growing and developing through every arduous day of it. And then it happened. He was miraculously rescued by God and his purpose was made clear. He had been in the Father’s tough training program for the purpose of delivering nations from starvation. Joseph sums it all up when his conniving and cowardly brothers came with their hat in their hand, fearful of what possible revenge could be taken, and Joseph confidently and mercifully states;

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Gen 50.20-21)

My mentor used to say, “We cry out to God when the very foundation of our lives is being shaken only to find out that God is doing the shaking.” I know people are angry and hurt by the condition of the church and probably what others have done to them in the name of the church or some other Christian organization. We are a wounded lot. But will we allow bitterness to drive our attitudes and actions? Or will we see these tough times as the training grounds that God is using to develop us into better disciple-makers, leaders, shepherds of the flock? That decision my friends will determine our trajectory for either being part of the solution or perpetuating the problem. More later…