Discipleship
Will you be my Facebook friend – Part III
Tim Chester has been keeping busy writing some really engaging stuff on Facebook. In his next two articles, here and here, Tim deals with the issue of our craving for “digital disincarnation” in cyberspace. Both articles are really worth reading in their entirety.
We were created to be embodied beings but social networking, and for that matter online gaming, encourage our desire to leave the constraints and problems of our actual circumstances and become someone else – freed from my constraints, freed from the reality of the person God has called me to be. Tim says
You are opting for disembodied life over embodied life.
Now disembodied life is easier. But it is less fulfilling, less real and less satisfying.
Embodied life is harder. But it is more fulfilling, more real, more satisfying. It is more substantial – you can touch it, feel it, embrace it!
He concludes with some insightful contrasts between life online and life within the actual, touchy-feely, kick it and it hurts world where God has put you.
Facebook encourages you to live elsewhere. The gospel encourages you to live life here and now.
- You can tend your Farmville farm or you can get an allotment.
- You can catch up with friends on Facebook or you can go out on a cold, dark night to see real friends.
- You can catch up with “Friends” by watching the latest episode on the television or you can serve your neighbours.
- You can build a new city on Sims or you can be the city of God set on a hill with your Christian community.
Here is the test: Am I using Facebook to enhance real world friendships or to replace them?
Ministry that identifies with
Paul Tripp has written another insightful article on ministry for pastors here, but the paragraph below is helpful for all of us as we seek to disciple one another.
You are most loving, patient, kind, and gracious when you realize you desperately need every truth you could give to another. You are most humble and gentle when you realize the person you are ministering to is more like you than unlike you. When you have inserted yourself into another category that tends to make you think you have arrived, it is very easy to be judgmental and impatient.
The most dangerous prayer
Paul Tripp outlines why a line found in the Lord’s Prayer, which we’ve all no doubt said perhaps hundreds of times, is probably the most dangerous prayer any pastor could pray.
It’s a thought provoking, heart searching article and I’m sure what Tripp says could apply just as much, not only to pastors but to all of Jesus’ disciples.
“Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”Marriage – What did you expect?
Thinking of getting married, newly married, been married for ever …
Well come on, what did you expect?
This DVD from Paul Tripp looks like an excellent resource on helping us think about our marriages in a Biblical way, by dealing with our heart problem rather than merely the symptoms of that problem.
The clip below is from the promotional material for the DVD, but you can find lots of samples from the DVD itself here and if you want to purchase it you can do from here.
What Did You Expect? from Nate Salciccioli on Vimeo.
Who’s getting the first round in?
Here’s a familiar face spouting a lot of wise words and I would recommend you read every one of them.
Dan has some really helpful things to say and I know I for one need to hear them. The reality is that evangelism and interaction with non-Christians is often one of the first casualties amongst the busyness of full time ministry. What does that do for the effectiveness of our ministry:
we know how those whom we disciple look up to and copy their leaders. Pastors who only talk a lot about engaging, befriending, and evangelizing non-Christians will be productive in producing Christians who only talk a lot about befriending and evangelizing non-Christians.
So how to address the problem when you’re already struggling to find time and energy?
Yes, schedule in regular time where you’ll come into contact with non-Christians, but don’t do it on your own.
Discipleship and training can happen in the context of getting involved in the lives of non-Christians.
For example we can minister to a mature Christian (through modelling) and a non-Christian (through conversational engagement) at the same time in a pub.
Take one pastor who needs to get out more, add a Christian who would thrive on interacting with non-Christians, and sprinkle generously with a hearty dose of apologetic conversation with unbelievers.
So the only remaining question is, who’s getting the first round in?
Making Disciples
In the Great Commission at the end of Matthew 28, Jesus instructs his disciples to “make disciples.” He does not instruct them to make converts who are only later to be discipled. That’s an important distinction with regard to how we view evangelism and something Jonathan Dodson picks up on here.
How to disciple a new believer
Discipleship is truth transferred through relationship.
That’s a helpful definition of discipleship. However, lot’s of us might think ‘discipling’ is something for only ‘the professionals’ or church leaders to be involved in.
Here is a helpful article by Justin Buzzard to show how we can all be involved in making disciples of Jesus.
You shall not murder
On Sunday evening we are going to be looking at the 6th commandment ‘You shall not murder.’ – Exodus 20:13. It’s a commandment that directly relates to many of the big issues in our society today including abortion, euthanasia / assisted suicide, as well as war, law and punishment.
These areas are so emotive because many are living in the shadow of past actions – either our own or of people dear to us, and we know the pain that facing these issues brings.
As we’ll be dealing with the commandment in general we won’t be able to say all that ought to be said about each of these issues.
That makes the series of posts that have been written on the Good Book Company blog this week on abortion most helpful and I’d recommend them to you. They have been written by Andrew Nicholls, an ex-doctor who is currently a pastor in Kingston.
Andrew starts with helpful pastoral insight when thinking about this issue. Then there’s a post on why we might think the unborn child is already a precious human life, followed by posts thinking how we might go about caring for those thinking about having an abortion and those who have previously had an abortion.
Time to read this?
Feel as though there’s never enough time?
Kevin DeYoung with a helpful reminder on what foolish busyness looks like.
WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE 