We have been looking for the past couple of months at the theme of discipleship. Remember that our church mission statement is that we exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In October I proposed the idea that discipleship is risky business. Of course, it is a risk-reward situation, and the rewards far outweigh the risks, but it is risky nonetheless. Last month we explored the key feature of being a disciple, that we are becoming like Jesus. This month, I’d like to take a ‘deeper dive’ on what it means to be a disciple-maker.
The following list includes some of the characteristics of a person who is a disciple-maker.
The disciple-maker is a servant.
Jesus came to serve, not be served. Among other things, He was a foot washer, a truth-teller, a time-giver (expended His discretionary time on others rather than on Himself). So, a disciple-maker willingly gives of themselves for the benefit and building up of others, even if they have to give up personal recreational     activities to do so.
The disciple-maker is growing spiritually.
The d-m’s walk with God is increasing. Their relationship with Jesus is not in the past tense, it’s a present reality that is vibrant and evident to others.
The disciple-maker is spiritually mature.
Not to be confused with sinlessly perfect. The d-m has come to the place in her/his life that they react to the unexpected with biblical wisdom and biblical faith. They have an understanding of deeper truths from the Bible. Their faith is not shaken by tough questions; indeed, they know how to find the answers to tough questions. And their life is able to withstand the storms that come because it is founded on the rock of    obedience to Christ.
The disciple-maker handles the Bible accurately.
She/he is a student of the Scriptures. The Bible is a vital part of their behavior and conversation. They read it, they study it, they hide it in their hearts. They understand the difference between essentials and distinctives. And they don’t argue or quibble over non-essential doctrines.
The disciple-maker is teachable.
They are open to God’s direction and redirection, His training and His discipline. They understand that they have something to offer to every person they meet, and that God has something to teach them from every person they meet.
The disciple-maker is a faithful witness for Christ.
The Great Commission as given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 is that we make disciples of every nation. In Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:15, Jesus told us to be His witnesses and preach the gospel to all creation. The d-m recognizes the importance of always being ready to share this good news with everyone. They also recognize the importance of serving those who respond to the gospel by nurturing their new-found faith.
 
This is not an exhaustive list. And, these character traits don’t line up in any particular order of priority. Every one of them is an absolute must if a person is to be effective in making disciples. Of course, also a disciple-maker is himself/herself a faithful growing disciple of Jesus. Make it your aim this month to fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit in His work of conforming you to the image of Jesus.
 
May your December be filled with the joy of the Lord as we celebrate His first advent and look forward to His second!
In Christ our living hope,
                  Pastor Bill

​Discipleship is risky business: deny yourself, take up your cross, lose your life to gain it, leave (hate, Lk. 14:26) father & mother etc. Yet this is precisely the mission given to the universal church, and to our church by the Lord Jesus! Discipleship begins with some “easy” stuff: open the door, believe in and receive Jesus, take the water of life without cost, saved by the grace gift of God not of works. But once a person is born-again, she/he will never be the same. So, yes, discipleship is risky business, but in this case the statement is true, no risk, no reward.
 
Ideal discipleship takes place in the context of a loving fellowship of Believers with learners committed to learning and teachers committed to teaching. For the learners, they need to be teachable and obedient. For the teachers, they also need to be teachable, have a servant’s heart, and remain obedient. And when learning-teaching is taking place, there will be fruit bearing, both character fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) and ministry fruit (Jn. 15:16).
 
Discipleship training happens in both structured and unstructured environments. The      structured environment includes accountability relationships between the teacher and learner. These accountability relationships seem to work best one-on-one or in a small group. The   unstructured environment involves less direct accountability among the people to each other, but more accountability between the individual and the Lord. These unstructured events     include our Sunday and Thursday worship services, the weekly Bible studies, and virtually every time “two or more” are gathered in Jesus’ name.
 
My appeal in this article is to get us thinking about discipleship and where each of us is in our discipleship process. Since our ultimate goal is to become like Jesus (1Jn. 3:2), then our     primary identity here and now is to be a growing disciple of Jesus. Some have stopped with the easy stuff and never taken the next step. Some have taken that next step of life         dedication but have become complacent in their walk with God and witness for Jesus. And some have truly embraced the call to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Jesus.
 
Next month I want to “dive a little deeper” and “stay down a little longer” on this process of being and making disciples. For now, I urge you to make it your goal today to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Take that next step in this work of becoming complete in Christ. And may God bless you richly as you follow our risen Lord!
 
In Christ our living hope,
Pastor Bill
 

September 2021
 
I have had some interesting discussions recently about the state of the church. One person commented, “Hey Pastor, the church seems to be growing.” Another whipped back, “Yeah but it’s nothing like it used to be.” One family expressed their appreciation for the good worship and feeding from God’s word that takes place each    Sunday morning and Thursday evening. While another bemoaned that the services were too long for their     comfort level. Many see the church rebounding from past struggles as others think we’re in the same old rut. So just how are we doing anyway? Is the church half-empty? Or half full?  More importantly, “Are we doing what God has called us as a congregation to do?”
 
With that challenging question in mind, I began looking for some objective criteria for determining church health that was more than mere opinion. And I came across something very interesting. It was a flyer published by our denomination entitled The Ten Leading Indicators of a HEALTHY CHURCH. It included things like: Centrality of God’s Word, Passionate Spirituality, Fruitful Evangelism, High-Impact Worship among others. But what really got my attention as I read was that in a healthy church there is a common thread that connects all ten. That thread is a deep commitment on the part of the people in the church to build and not tear down, to edify and not           dismantle, to help and not harm. In short, it is to approach the ministry of the church with a positive attitude, and to speak blessing to and about the members of our church family. Oh, I’m not talking about a sort of “Pollyanna” mentality that ignores problems and the sometimes painful realities of life and church ministry. I am talking about a basic heart disposition that recognizes and affirms we are on the winning side, that God has    already secured the victory, and that He wants to bring about that victory in our lives individually and in our church family corporately.
 
Each one of the ten leading indicators is a wonderful goal on which we can set our sights. We need to be a healthy church. And I believe that is (or at least ought to be) the goal of every member of this fellowship. So I urge you to find ways to encourage and strengthen your sisters and brothers. Seize opportunities to bless and build up. Shun the temptation to entertain a critical spirit about our church family. I would remind you to        recognize the  incredibly positive message of God’s overflowing and everlasting love for each one of us! And, when it comes to our relationships with the other members of the family of God, keep in mind this passage in the book of Colossians.
 
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
 
Opportunities abound for useful service in the Master’s kingdom. God has blessed us richly here at Living Hope Church. Let us not be weak and tentative in serving our precious Lord. And let us heed the admonition of      Scripture to “…Encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13 NAS20) May we each one know the joy of His fullness as we seek to do what He has called us to do.
 
In Christ our living hope,

I was working on a visitor letter recently to one of the newcomers to our church and had a crazy thought, what sort of things would Jesus include in a welcome letter if He were the pastor here? I don’t think it would be ‘cheesy’ comments such as “your needs are our    greatest concern” or some ominous challenge like “get your act together bucko, you’re       running out of time.”
Seems to me that Jesus would talk about the availability of living water or the provision of the bread of life that satisfies our deepest hunger. Perhaps a line or two about the promise of resurrection and life eternal. It just always seems like in the Scriptures that when Jesus met someone new, He told them about the love of God. And for the visitor, Jesus might mention that God really loves the world or say something about the New Commandment, that we should love one another with His love.
Perhaps Jesus would include an invitation to share a meal with Him. After all, He told the   Laodicean Church (Rev. 3:20) that He was actually at their door knocking, waiting for them to open it and welcome Him in. Of course, He would likely be careful to identify Himself: the Good Shepherd, the Vine, the bread of life, living water, the resurrection and life, the      Messiah, one with the Father, etc. And in light of who He is, He might offer the opportunity for the newcomer to self-reflect so as to see their own need for the Savior.
As it turns out, Jesus did write some letters to churches in the past (technically, He dictated them to the Apostle John, who wrote down the words, Rev. 2, 3) but He is doing His        welcome letters a little bit different these days. In the book of 2 Corinthians, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, describes the Corinthian Believers themselves as “a letter of Christ…” Here is the whole quote,
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters      of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts,    known and read by all people, revealing yourselves, that you are a letter of Christ,   delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on     tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”                 2 Cor. 3:1-3 NAS20
So, it turns out that we, the followers of Jesus, are His welcome letter to the newcomers to the church. And not just to the newcomers but to everyone with whom we come in contact. He is writing to this lost, dark, and hopeless world through the medium of us. That’s why it  is so important that we remain in Him, vitally connected to the “Vine” so that the           communication of His life and love can be clearly visible in and through our lives. And the great thing about being a letter of Christ is we don’t need a stamp. Jesus has already paid the postage in full!
May God bless us all as we live out the Gospel to everyone around us!
In Christ our living hope,
Pastor Bill
 

 FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK
A few years back news outlets reported a heart-wrenching story.     In Los Angeles, a car sped out of control and crashed into a house, killing a sixteen-year-old girl as she slept in her bedroom. Adding to the crushing sorrow for the girl’s parents was the discovery that the person driving the vehicle that killed their daughter was driving under the influence. This is, in every way, an absolutely senseless tragedy. While there are many lessons to be learned here, there are two observations I would make in light of this case.
 
First, as if we needed more reminding, we live in a fallen world populated by sinful   human beings. Disobedience to God (sin) is far more than a mere personal matter, as was the case when the driver chose to get behind the wheel while inebriated. Often our sin does indeed affect others (as was the circumstance here). Our actions have consequences and so more than ever we need to keep in step with the Spirit, remembering that we were created in Christ Jesus not for sin but for good works (Eph. 2:10). So put off the old, sinful flesh and put on the new creation.
 
The other observation to keep in mind from this tragedy: none of us know what our  tomorrow holds. Whether we are sixty or sixteen, for all we know today could be our final day. The psalmist (Ps. 90:12) prays, “…Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” The New Testament continues this theme in Ephesians 5:14-15, “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” While certainly these verses issue a call to godly living and with that call a greater effort to obey God’s will,  I think they also exhort us in our relationships.
 
We need to keep short accounts with the people around us. For most of us, we have families that we need to treasure not battle. That is true too for our church family. And they need to know that we love them. This month and next as a culture we set aside two days, one to honor our Mothers and the other our Fathers. If you still have yours, go out of your way to encourage them with your love.
 
Also, when it comes to relationships, this incident should be a reminder to parents that even though our children are a precious gift from God, He is still the One to determine the number of their days. As much as we want (expect) them to outlive us, we simply do not know if that will be the case. So love them enough to give them clear boundaries, to put aside your anger, to blend your firm discipline with copious amounts of laughter and reading and singing and talking. In short, prize the moments you have with them ‘making the most of your time.’
 
While stories like this one make us long for the soon return of Jesus, our work here is not finished until He says so. And that work includes not only the Great Commission but also the Great Commandment, to love one another even as He has loved us. So let’s redeem our time in the days ahead, walking in the Spirit and letting love and encouragement dominate our relationships. And when He does come, either for His Church in the Rapture or for us individually in death, we will have no regrets.
 
In Christ our living hope,
Pastor Bill