discipleship

Figuring It Out

/ jerrythinks / 2 Comments

Have you ever been in one of those escape rooms where you and some friends are locked in a room and given an hour to figure out how to get out? There’s typically some scene or theme that you’re immersed in while you’re presumably surrounded by clues, objects, and mind puzzles that–when solved–reveal exactly how to escape the room, and you’re challenged to emerge victorious over this kooky scene in 59:59…59:58…59:57…59:56…59:55…

I’m not great at all in those escape rooms. Setting aside being locked in a room and unable to escape, my focus goes instead to the people I’m with, what they’re doing, and what they think about how to get out of this stereotypical science lab, old-timey apartment, or pirate ship…wherever we may be trapped.

If you’re reading these words and you’re a follower of Jesus like I am, you can probably finish this statement by Jesus–it’s one of the final things He instructed His followers to do: “Go ____ _______ __________…”

Did your mind fill those blanks in automatically? If not, it’s okay. Keep reading. What you read might shed some light on those in your life who know what goes in those blanks.

I want to point something out that I’m sure I’ve brought up before. And if I haven’t done this clearly in the past, I want to invite a serious consideration on your part and an actual response to what you’re reading here. You can leave a comment below, text me, call me, or email me. Seriously.

So here’s the thing I want to point out: Even though Jesus told us clearly to make more disciples in the world, He left out the “how” to make disciples. Have you ever noticed that? It was almost as if He told us exactly what He wanted His followers to be doing while He’s gone for a quick break to sit at the right hand of God the Father, just before His return for His followers–but never specifies how He expects us to make disciples. Does that seem odd to anyone else?

We have nothing to go on but the example He set. (Good thing that’s enough.)

So for the rest of this blog post, we’re going to take a close look at the how. How did Jesus conduct Himself throughout His public ministry? These observations will shape the blueprint by which we live our daily lives. I understand that this is granular and in some places nebulous or perhaps redundant, but I also think it’s so very important.

Here’s the scene on the Mount of Olives those approximate 2,000 years ago:

Jesus: “Therefore go and make disciples.”

Disciples: “Okay. But how?”

Jesus: “Figure it out.”

Obviously, I’m taking some liberty with the actual interchange there, but without a clear manual handed over to the followers of Jesus in that moment, they were left to simply figure it out. What they knew of Jesus, and the promise of the coming Holy Spirit would have to be enough. Good thing it was. And is.

What do you know of Jesus? Take a minute or two right now and think it through. Make a mental (or actual) list and get as specific as you can. List the things you know for sure about Jesus. Once you do that, ask yourself: Where is the chapter and verse that goes along with each of those items on the list? Or have I simply made assumptions or believed what’s been told to me or handed down by tradition?

If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re only going to emulate the image of Jesus that your mind and heart hold. You cannot do otherwise. So who is He? And more to the point: Who is He to you?

My list: Compassionate. Methodical. Articulate. Authoritative (but in a comforting way). Tender. Firm. Relaxed. Unhurried. Flexible. Powerful. Purposeful. Loving. Focused. Gentle. Caring. Giving. Merciful. Approachable. Wise. Lovingly confrontational, Welcoming. Willing.

Those are just a few of the words that come to my mind when I think of words to describe Jesus. He has been all of those things in my life, as well as throughout the gospels.

So through the power of His own promised Spirit living within me, it becomes entirely possible and probable that as I live my life, I exhibit these traits as well. Not all of them perfectly at every moment, but as I continue to submit my life to Him, I am incrementally growing in all these ways. And as I seek for my life to be one that makes disciples, I am able to more clearly “figure it out” day by day.

Answer this: What’s the “how” of making disciples, in your view?

Fresh Start(s)

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

We all have situations, relationships, or even seasons of time of our lives that we’d go back and do differently, if we could. Think about what situation or season that might be for you.

What is it about that situation that you look back on critically that would cause you to question how you handled it? Was it the outcome? Was it your attitude throughout? Is it that you now know things that you didn’t know then and therefore couldn’t act on? Was it something else altogether?

As a follower of Jesus and a pastor to boot, I am pretty consistently haunted (that word sounds ghoulish or negative, but stick with me while I hash it out) by the question: Is what/who the Church is today consistent with the desire of God’s heart for those who represent Him on earth?

I can almost hear you from here. I believe that we would collectively release a resounding “No.” as the Church universal. We all know that who we are and what we’re doing and the silly ways we can get sidetracked, making some non-essentials into the hill(s) we die on–well, it’s embarrassing.

So here at this moment in the history of the Church, we desire to and will, with God’s guidance and power, usher in a new start. And this new start will leave no thing untouched and unaffected, except for the Gospel itself. We step forward with no grip on what was in terms of tradition, preconceptions, personal preferences, or rhythms that at one point started with fervor yet have deteriorated into rote and nearly meaningless religion or even religious monotony.

The prophet Isaiah spoke these words that I fear apply to far too many church-goers: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (29:13)

For those who don’t know, just this month I have officially started a new pastoral role at the local church I have served at for over twenty years. Along with being Pastor to Young Adults, I am now also Director of Discipleship. You better believe that the question “Are we even making disciples at all?” is at the top of the long list of questions that I’m asking in this new role.

Lest you think that question is too dire or drips with doubt, let me assure you that the question is exactly as it should be: teetering on the edge of being an indictment. Unless we ask this question as the Church, we are in full danger of neglecting and failing at literally the ONE THING Jesus told us to be about before He ascended into heaven where He, like us, awaits His return.

Just as this question must be asked on a wide-spread level, it must also be asked on the personal level. There will be no greater anguish than for us to reach the end of our time and realize that we completely missed the point. Regardless of the pain involved, we must face the question. I’m doing that in my local ministry context as a pastor, and I’m also doing it in my own heart as a person.

Here’s the rub: Have you ever played “the floor is lava”? It’s a childhood game (there’s actually a television game show for adults based on the same premise) wherein as long as you’re up off the floor, you’re safe. But let one little pinky toe touch the ground, and you’re burned up and out of the game.

In a way, we are all playing this game spiritually. We’re locked in and fearful of moving freely because we have grown so accustomed to what has been that what could be seems more terrifying than exhilarating.

But what would a fresh start in your spiritual walk with Jesus look like? What would cracking open and discarding the shell of religious activity look like? What would introducing zeal and fervor look like? What would a life set ablaze with the power of the Holy Spirit look like? What does a neglect of all silly and shallow distractions in favor of a full-bodied, full-life surrender and pursuit of Kingdom purposes look like? What does a day-to-day existence that embraces and insists on making disciples look like? What does it look like to consider your vocation and career not the point of it all, but the fuel and context in which God is calling you to make more disciples?

God helping me as a person and as a pastor, and God helping us as a local church and as the Church universal, there is a fresh start emerging. We are putting away those stale traditions that have eased us into ambivalence toward the Mission, and we are welcoming God’s refining gaze to guide us into the new approach to disciple-making that our world today calls for.

No, Follow ME.

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

By the time I was a teenager, I had learned that my human tendency is steeply inclined toward selfishness. Any given decision that was being made was generally decided by asking a simple question: “What’s best for me in this situation?”

Living by this criterion of what was best for me turned out to be–and I don’t say this lightly–the very worst way to live a life. A subsequent truth I’ve learned is that my two shoulders were never meant to bear the load of my own life, my own desires, my own priorities, or my own prerogatives. In other words, I was never meant to be the center of my own life. And neither were you. It’s not surprising, however, that so many people try and make that kind of life work. We try and establish ourselves as the centerpiece, then seek to orient all other details, assets, career decisions, and relationships in a tidy orbit around us. It’s so very common, but just as commonly ill-fated.

I got off-center in June of 1991 at the age of 17. After a disastrously tumultuous season of making absolutely terrible decisions and proving without question that when I’m in charge things go very badly, I was found by Jesus in a field in Altoona, PA. I was shattered and broken in every way when Jesus laid his hand on my shoulder and invited me to be made new and to begin to walk with Him. Essentially His simple invitation was an echo of the invitation He gave to so many people 2,000 or so years ago and has given to millions upon millions since: “Follow me.” And I did. I stood up in that field, and took my first steps of true faith, going for a walk that I’m still on today.

For the past 35 years, I’ve been on a walk with Jesus. That’s probably the best way to describe my life. But I want to tell you about a pitfall that I’ve discovered on this walk I’ve been on. It’s actually something I’d be embarrassed to confess this to you if I had any pride left. But I’ve already told you enough about myself to easily shake off that nonsense. I won’t let pride stop me from sharing something with you that might be helpful, even if it makes me look foolish.

There have been times when I have taken the “Follow me” invitation of Jesus and turned it on Him. There have been times when I’ve allowed my distracted heart or what amounted to a relapse into self-centeredness to actually cause me to turn to Jesus and say, “No, YOU follow ME.”

It happens subtly. In fact, it can happen most easily when I don’t intentionally and aggressively recognize Jesus’ Lordship in my life. When Jesus’ Lordship goes unrecognized, it goes unlived. And guess who is the only other possible throne dweller? Me. So when I don’t actively and daily respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, then I, almost by default, am inviting Him to follow me.

I’m not a numbers guy, but I do think it’s interesting that in the recorded gospels, Jesus uttered the words “Follow me” 21 times. And if you know anything about human habits, you’ve likely heard that it is around the 21-day mark that a behavior starts to become a habit. So let me make a suggestion that might seem silly. For the next 21 days, make a statement out loud (as in actually speak it) to Jesus that “I’m following YOU today.” Or feel free to tweak or modify that statement; anything that allows your heart to acknowledge who’s leading and who’s following.

As you go through those 21 days, reach out to me and let me know what you notice about yourself, about Jesus, and about your daily life of following Him.

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BONUS:

On January 5, 2025, the good folks at Southside Church are receiving a 21-day devotional book I’ve written called “Rock Solid Living.” I’d love for you to join in with us, and if you don’t have a church home, I’d love to meet you there each week. I’ve never tried to connect my personal blog to any local church, let alone the one I happen to serve at, but today’s blog post seems like a good opportunity to extend that invitation.

BONUS BONUS:

This audio recording is a time machine of sorts. This is the actual recording of the message I heard in that field in Altoona, PA in 1991. It was at the end of this message that I responded and truly accepted Jesus’ invitation to “Follow me.”

By the numbers….when Creation Festival came to a close in 2023…

115,000 people chose to follow Christ as their Savior. 

 16,000+ people have been water baptized at the festival. 

 2.1 million have attended and worshiped our Creator together. 

 43,000 people have served the festival, many for a decade or more. 

 43,000+ children have been rescued from poverty through Compassion International and other child sponsorship programs.