Sunday, November 28, 2010

November 28, 2010

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:23-26
“GETTING INTO SHIP SHAPE”

“Stewardship Is Discipleship” Luke 9:23-26

“Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Eugene Peterson, in his book by the same name called discipleship, “A long obedience in the same direction.”

From time to time, lobsters have to leave their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart, yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison--and finally their casket. The tricky part for the lobster is the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed. During that terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Currents gleefully cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of their food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good. We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells--a structure, a framework--we’ve depended on. Discipleship means being so committed to Christ that when he bids us to follow, we will change, risk, grow, and leave our "shells" behind.

I. Discipleship Is Choosing Relationship Over Religion, “Whoever wants to be my disciple…..”

a. Knowing Him vs. Knowing About Him – Psalms 103:7
b. Enjoying Him vs. Earning Him – “Want to” vs. “Ought to”
c. Walking With Him vs. Working For Him – Love not labor
d. Surrendering To Him vs. Satisfying Him – Faith Not Phonyness
e. Being Righteous vs. Being Religious – TRANSformed not Reformed

(Father Mulcahy)

What’s the difference? How can I tell when I am in relationship with God?

THERE IS JOY! THERE IS FREEDOM! THERE IS ENERGY

II. Discipleship Is Choosing Responsibility Over Rights, “must deny themselves…….”

Our Seven Membership Commitments:

1. Give Up Your Rights
2. Cheer Up You Brothers
3. Pick Up Your Ministry
4. Back Up Your Pastor
5. Pay Up Your Tithe
6. Show Up To Church
7. Listen Up To God

Why do we do this? Why do we make these demands of our new members?

Because we want to produce disciples!

III. Discipleship Is Choosing to Risk Your Reputation, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words….”

We fear looking foolish by making a radical stand for Christ……….

We fear what people will think about us if we take a radical stand for Him……

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -- A human rights group has expressed concern about reports of wide spread persecution of Christians in rural Ethiopia where at least one evangelist has been killed "for refusing" to abandon his Christian faith, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, September 22.

Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which has close contacts in the region, said it has learned that 34-year old Estifanos Abate, an evangelist of the Assemblies of God church in the town of Jijiga "was shot and killed July 19 for refusing to deny his faith in Christ."

In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, VOMC said news of the killing had been slow to emerge as "communication is difficult and reports of their courage often take several weeks to reach the outside world."

The incident allegedly happened when the evangelist was traveling from Degahabour to Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia where his passenger bus was stopped by Islamic militants. "The militants boarded the bus, demanding to know the religion of each traveler. Of the 45 passengers, five were Orthodox and four were evangelical Christians. The gunmen ordered these nine [Christians] to be separated from the Muslim passengers," VOMC claimed, citing sources in the area."The Christians were then ordered to repeat the Islamic creed and to bow three times toward Mecca. Everyone but Estifanos complied with the order and was allowed back on the bus. The gunmen threatened Estifanos, who calmly began to tell his attackers about Jesus, while his fellow travelers begged him to save his life by obeying their demands," VOMC said.

"The Muslim leader then ordered the bus to continue on its way, without Estifanos. As the bus pulled away, Estifanos was executed," VOMC added. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that "his body was left on the side of the road for most of the day, presumably as a warning to others."

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” - Dietrich Bonhoffer "The Cost of Discipleship"

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have to problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear!
Three Commitments:

1) Dying for Christ Is Better Than Living Without Him
2) Dying to Christ Gives Boldness For Living For Him
3) Living In Christ Gives Boldness To Die For Him


I PREACH ON STEWARDSHIP EVERY YEAR BUT THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME I PREACHED ON STEWARDSHIP WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT MONEY.

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN MONEY!

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT LORDSHIP!

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT MANAGING YOUR HEAD, HEART, HANDS, AND HABITS SO THAT:

WORSHIP IS REAL!
FELLOWSHIP IS RICH!
DISCIPLESHIP IS RADICAL!



How is your discipleship?

RELATIONSHIP? RELIGION?


RESPONSIBILITIES? RIGHTS?

REPUTATION?

November 27, 2010

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:24-26
A disciple is one who is melding his life into Christ's. Or, more accurately, He is allowing Christ to live His life through him. You never know where that will lead. Consider this account that I discovered this week:
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -- A human rights group has expressed concern about reports of wide spread persecution of Christians in rural Ethiopia where at least one evangelist has been killed "for refusing" to abandon his Christian faith, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, September 22.


Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which has close contacts in the region, said it has learned that 34-year old Estifanos Abate, an evangelist of the Assemblies of God church in the town of Jijiga "was shot and killed July 19 for refusing to deny his faith in Christ."

In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, VOMC said news of the killing had been slow to emerge as "communication is difficult and reports of their courage often take several weeks to reach the outside world."

The incident allegedly happened when the evangelist was traveling from Degahabour to Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia where his passenger bus was stopped by Islamic militants. "The militants boarded the bus, demanding to know the religion of each traveler. Of the 45 passengers, five were Orthodox and four were evangelical Christians. The gunmen ordered these nine [Christians] to be separated from the Muslim passengers," VOMC claimed, citing sources in the area."The Christians were then ordered to repeat the Islamic creed and to bow three times toward Mecca. Everyone but Estifanos complied with the order and was allowed back on the bus. The gunmen threatened Estifanos, who calmly began to tell his attackers about Jesus, while his fellow travelers begged him to save his life by obeying their demands," VOMC said.
"The Muslim leader then ordered the bus to continue on its way, without Estifanos. As the bus pulled away, Estifanos was executed," VOMC added. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that "his body was left on the side of the road for most of the day, presumably as a warning to others."
Let me ask you this, "Which of these Christians were disciples?"
Let me ask you also, "What would you have done?"
You might be thinking, "Gosh, Brad, I don't know what I would do. How can I know?"
Here are three commitments Jesus asks us to make that I believe this brother made:
1) Dying for Christ Is Better Than Living Without Him
Have you made that commitment? Will you?

2) Dying to Christ Gives Boldness For Living For Him
This is the key commitment! Have you made it? Will you?

3) Living In Christ Gives Boldness To Die For Him
This is what unlocks God's power within you because it unleashes His Spirit! Will you commit to this?
The contrast between our martyred brother and those "believers" who got back on the bus is the crux of the issue in this thing called "discipleship". And, if you are not following Him whole-heartedly in life, you will not follow Him to your death.