Out of the Recliner

In Psalm 51:11, David prays, “Cast me not away from your presence…” Does that strike you as odd?

After all, didn’t David also write in Psalm 139:7-10, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

So, did David suddenly forget in Psalm 51 that God is omnipresent (He is everywhere at all times)? How else, after all, could it be possible to be apart from God’s presence?

David did not mis-speak. There are actually two different kinds of God’s presence described in Scripture. And, if that seems odd, consider how we already understand these two presences in our own lives.

The first kind of presence is physical presence. God is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere at all times. Humans, on the other hand, can physically be in only one place at one time.

The second kind of presence is relational presence. Think about the stereotypical husband and wife who sit in their recliners every night without any meaningful conversation. The affection for one another departed years ago and their marriage is simply a convenience. Conversation for them never exceeds small talk. Although they are physically in each others presence, they aren’t relationally present. When they are home, they are together, but they are not really “together.”

David wants to avoid this sad state of affairs in His relationship with God. He doesn’t want to reduce God to small talk while he sits on the recliner of his life flipping channels.

What about you? Can you say that you are in God’s presence, or just His omnipresence?   So put down the remote (or mobile device) and “let us come into his presence…” Psalm 95:2.

She Still Sings to Me

My wife had a beautiful alto voice with a slight rasp and warm Texas accent. One of my favorite memories of marriage is her singing to me.

February 5, 2015 would have marked fifteen years of marriage for Jill and me. I struggle to express my heart on this wedding anniversary, so I have decided to allow Jill to speak on our family’s behalf.

In 2008, God called Jill home. Most knew her as a godly wife, mother, nurse, college instructor, and disciple-maker. But she also had a gift for song writing.

I remember the first time I heard her sing. The song was one she had written called, “Be Still.” I had no idea that years later those same lyrics would speak to me so powerfully after her passing.

This video was shot a year after that student conference on the same weekend we began dating.

Sometimes Lord, I look around me and see

Only what surrounds me.

That’s when Lord, Like Peter on the water, I sink

In circumstances all around me.

I never seem to know just what to do

Until I turn my eyes and look at you.

And just as sure as summer leads to fall

I hear you call, You call to me and you say,

 

Be still and know that I’m your God

And be still and know that I am in control.

I’m in control of all the things that pull you down.

I put them there to show you that I’m stronger than your troubles

And I’m always going to be with you through it all.

 

I know Lord I could never make it on my own

I need you to guide me.

So please Lord whenever I forget who holds my hand

Help me know You’re still beside me.

With every mountain there are valleys to go through.

So help me grow in faith and learn to trust in You.

I know sometimes I’m going to take a fall

But You will call, You call to me, and You say,

 

Be still and know that I’m your God

And be still and know that I am in control.

I’m in control of all the things that pull you down.

I put them there to show you that I’m stronger than your struggles

And I’m always going to be with you every step you take with you through it all.

Yes I’m always going to be with you through it all.

 

Jill Jarvis Attebery, 1973-2008

Never Ride Alone

It was the perfect day for a bike ride.

I picked up my five-year-old son after work and drove straight home. As soon as I changed clothes, Bryce and I mounted up on our bicycles. Thanks to a lot of help from my parents, Bryce could now ride without training wheels (that’s a big deal in his world)!

I’m a bit of a “safety freak,” so letting Bryce ride on our neighborhood streets was a major milestone for me. Of course, I don’t let him ride alone.

When we ride, I try to stay behind Bryce. That way, I can watch him while keeping an eye on traffic.

So, as we took off on our ride that day, Bryce was in the lead and I was bringing up the rear. About half way around our block, Bryce yelled back to me, “Dad, are you still there?”

That’s when something important occurred to me: Although I could see Bryce, he could not see me. Throughout the entire ride, Bryce was trusting that I was with him.

Occasionally, I would say, “Stop at the stop sign,” or “pull over while that car drives by.” But I was usually silent during long stretches of riding without traffic or intersections. The only assurance of my presence was the word I had spoken to him before we began the ride: “Bryce, I’ll be right behind you.”

What a picture of faith! Although God can always see us, we are never guaranteed that we will be able to see Him. As we travel on life’s journey, there will be times that we want to cry out, “Abba, Father, are you still there?”

And because of His Word, we can trust him completely. Matthew 28:20 states, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Whether we are riding through areas of life in which God’s presence is evident or not, we can always agree with the psalmist who said,

If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,

even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me (Psalm 139:8-10).

As it turns out, my five-year-old isn’t the only one who needs to learn that lesson. The same grace of God that has brought me this far as a single parent will continue to surround me as I press on in my journey. Even when I can’t see what God is doing, I can always trust that He is with me. And, as much as I want to always be there for my son, It’s far more important to introduce Him to the one who “will never leave [us] or forsake [us]” (Hebrews 13:5).

Sowing and Growing

I never liked to eat corn until one year at Thanksgiving, I tried my grandmother’s cream-style corn. Wow! One bite and I was hooked. In fact, I probably ate three helpings that day.

The next time my mother made corn at home, I put an extra large helping on my plate. After one bite, I realized something. Mom’s corn was different from my grandmother’s. It wasn’t bad, it was just different.

A few months later, while visiting my grandparents, I asked my grandmother what was different about her corn. She smiled and said, “I only use G-90.” I had no idea what she meant.

She explained that there are many varieties of corn. G-90 is a very sweet style of corn. That (and the extra cup of sugar she added) was the secret to her cream-style-corn (more affectionately known in my family as ‘MawMaw corn.”

The next summer, on break from school, I got the wild idea to plant corn in a friend’s back yard (with permission). Of course, I went to the store in search of G-90 seeds. After visiting several stores, I found them. I was one step closer to producing “MawMaw corn.”

I didn’t grow up farming or gardening, so I consulted a few friends and got to work.

Without access to a tiller, I dug up a small plot of ground with a shovel and hoe. Soon, I was ready to plant the seeds.

Following directions from my more knowledgeable friends, I carefully planted the seeds and covered them with soil. Over the next few weeks and months, I made sure my small garden received enough water. Every day, I watched for progress.

One day, as I visited my garden, I was excited to see a small green plant emerging from the soil. It was working –my corn was growing!

Over the next few days, more plants began to emerge, until one day; the garden was full of green.

It wasn’t long before the plants began to bear small ears of corn. Every day it became harder and harder to wait for the corn to be ready to “harvest.”

On one occasion as I was tending my garden, I noticed several ears of corn that were being eaten by ants. I had no idea what to do.

While staring at the ant-ridden ear of corn, a voice came from across the fence. It was a member of my church who lived next door. He told me a simple solution: cover the growing ears of corn with plastic newspaper bags. He said it would keep the ants and other pests out until the ears were ready to pick.

It turned out that his advice was right! When it came time to pick the corn, the newspaper bags had done their job!

In the end, my small patch didn’t produce a whole lot. Yet, I did enjoy a few helpings of “MawMaw corn” before it was all said and done.

Reaping Requires Sowing

I learned two major lessons from my corn adventure that summer. First, In order to reap a harvest, you must sow seed. In fact, Paul states in II Corinthians 96, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

My MawMaw passed away two years ago, but her corn is being passed on. I’m so thankful that faithful laborers in the history of the BMA have planted seeds throughout their life. The fruit of their ministry lives on today in the lives our churches.

Growth Is Determined By God

The second lesson I learned from my corn patch is that you never know which seed will grow. Not every seed I planted grew into a corn stalk. And not every stalk grew the same amount. Some were large, some were small. Some produced more ears of corn than others.

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (II Corinthians 9:10).

The truth is, you never know which seed will grow in which person. Many pastors, missionaries, and leaders (myself included) were the “class clown” or “distracted child” growing up. Teachers have no idea how God will use their ministry to affect the future of the kingdom. Like a gardener, teachers plant seeds in faith –even when the conditions seem less than desirable.

Every disciple-maker has the opportunity to be the “neighbor across the fence” who is there to provide an encourage word or insight just when you need it.

You never know what one Sunday school lesson, one late-night talk at camp, or one session at a conference can mean in someone’s life. Only God knows.

Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (I Corinthians 3:6).

As It Is In Heaven

The model prayer in Matthew 6 contains an interesting phrase, “On earth as it is in heaven.”

Rabbis of the day believed it was their responsibility to find the heavenly pattern of things and replicate them on earth. This was a noble desire, although their approach was lacking. They attempted to replicate heaven on earth by keeping an intricate set of laws. In doing so, they believed that God’s kingdom would come and His will be done.

However, this was an incomplete plan to usher in God’s kingdom. The prophets had already explained that the Messiah, not the law, would usher in the Kingdom.

The Hebrew word for law, hallakah, is essentially the same as the word for “way.” Can you imagine the shock when Jesus said ,“I am the way”?

In other words, the kingdom does not come through the law, but through the Messiah to whom the law points. And the Messiah is working in the hearts of His people to transform the hearts “on earth” to be more and more responsive to the reign of Christ “as it is in heaven.”

And one day, He will return to consummate the physical kingdom comprised of a new heaven and a new earth. So that in every sense (not just our hearts), things are “on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Keeping Small Groups Out of the Ministry Junk Yard

It was exciting news. My friend’s eyes lit up as he shared the exciting changes in the church he recently began pastoring. One of the neatest transitions the congregation had made was to begin small group meetings.

Small group ministry has been around for decades now. However, it is still a relatively new concept to many churches. The main idea is that people hold Bible studies in groups of 10-12 (depending on the context) for the purpose of Christian growth, edification, accountability and fellowship. Most small groups meet in homes in order to promote a family atmosphere where people are comfortable discussing God’s Word and its application to their lives without the formalities and intimidation of traditional classroom models.

For many churches, small groups balance the reception of Scripture from a congregational sermon setting with the discussion, response, and application of Scripture within the setting of mutual trust and encouragement.

As my friend and I were talking about his church’s move toward small groups, one burning question arose: how can a church guard their small groups from becoming institutionalized and ritualistic in the way that other church programs have devolved? (i.e. Sunday School, Bus Ministry, Christian Life Centers –aka “Gymnasiums,” etc). Please understand, these programs aren’t bad in and of themselves and have not become institutionalized or degraded in every situation. However, there are plenty of other examples in which they have devolved to stale rituals.

How many churches do you know that experienced incredible growth and baptisms due to bus ministries in the 60’s and 70’s only to sell their fleets in the 80’s? What if the evangelistic zeal and effort had continued on? Now, think about the wonderful growth, fellowship, and community your church may be experiencing from small groups. How will you avoid your groups going the way of the busses? How will you keep your groups out of the ministry junk yard of the future?

I certainly don’t have all of the answers, but here are some ideas my friend and I discussed for fighting against institutionalism within small group ministry:

1)   Pastoral leadership. Pastors, its fine to delegate organization. But when it comes to small groups, don’t let delegation become a cop-out for involvment. The strongest small group ministries are found in churches where the pastor is the #1 cheerleader for small groups. He champions group ministry in sermons, newsletters, blog posts, and conversations. He participates in a group (not necessarily leading one), spends time with leadership training, and has direct input into direction and focus.

2)   Give people a break. One of the greatest lessons we can learn by looking back at extinct ministries is the strange desire churches have to make every activity a year-round weekly meeting. While I am an advocate for having worship services every Sunday, I am not an advocate for treating every ministry of the church with the same weight. Just as schools take summer breaks and families take vacations, many successful small group ministries schedule intentional breaks throughout the year. For instance, churches who organize small group meetings by quarterly series may take off a week or two at the end of a quarter. Others may take off an entire summer to give leaders an adequate break. Just like our physical bodies, small groups can experience valuable renewal after taking a break.

3)   Give groups a mission to rally around. Whether it is a community service project, an adopted “shut-in” from the church, or fundraising for a local mission project, groups who serve together grow together.

4)   Schedule special nights for men and women. Many churches have found that having a special night where men and women meet separately within their groups have paid benefits to their families. From time to time, men may want to discuss their difficulty in leading their wives spiritually, but don’t want to share their struggles in front of other ladies in the group. Likewise, women may have special concerns or prayer requests that they would be uncomfortable sharing in front of men.

5)   Make time for group evangelism. The witness of a group meeting together can be powerful. Consider scheduling periodic nights where groups are asked to invite neighbors and friends over for dinner or a bar-b-que where they can meet new friends. Find ways to share the gospel through the new relationships.

6)   Let multiple groups meet together. Many times the key to avoiding staleness is to observe other groups. By scheduling dates where 2 or more groups are encouraged to meet together, different leaders can discuss and observe ideas and practices they have found beneficial to their group. It also adds variety (the spice of life) for group members.

7)   Constantly communicate the vision. Have you ever sat in a Sunday school and wondered if the teacher had a clue why everyone was gathered together? More than likely, over time, the church leaders began to assume that because Sunday school was a staple of the church, everyone (including new teachers) would automatically understand the vision of the ministry. Sadly, most church volunteers have no idea why they are doing what they are doing –other than to “fill a spot.” That’s a recipe for ritual! Combat ritualism by communicating regularly to the congregation and leaders.

8)   Never allow someone to lead alone. Every group leader needs a co-leader. The best way to develop a leader is by example and involvement –not by a 3-hour-Saturday-afternoon-crash-course. It’s much better to have fewer groups with co-leaders than more groups without co-leaders. The difference will be seen in the future when the “new” wears off and the “institutional test” is applied.

By no means are these the end-all, exhaustive keys to successful small groups. Hopefully, however, they will spark ideas and enthusiasm for the small group ministry God has placed in your path!

Seeing Jesus Today

Want to look into the eyes of Jesus today? Just visit your local food pantry, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter.

No kidding, you can look into the Savior’s eyes there –in a sense at least.

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus describes the judgment in terms of separating sheep from goats.  This is where he tells the religious folks that even though they looked impressive on earth, He never knew them and they had never served Him –they cannot enter Heaven.

Then He tells the others that He knows them and they have served Him. This group is surprised because they don’t remember seeing Jesus face to face and serving Him. So Jesus clarifies by saying, ”whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Did you catch it? When you serve the least of these, you serve Jesus. When you foster the child with abusive parents, you foster Jesus. When you take cookies to the shattered widow, you take cookies to Jesus. When you place the anonymous envelope of money in the laid-off neighbors mailbox, you support Jesus.

When you think about it, with all the suffering, disappointment, and pain that surrounds us these days, its really easy to see Jesus –he’s all around you.

One more thing. Jesus seems to indicate that serving Him and knowing Him are inseparable. In other words, a good indicator that you know Him, is that you are moved to serve Him –by serving the least of these of these.

So go ahead, if you know Him, go look into His eyes on the face of a child, a neighbor, a stranger, or a friend.

Have You Created a Monster?

Fact: Some congregations chew up pastors and spit them out every 2-3 years. I don’t have a Barna Study or Pew Research Poll to verify that assertion. But I don’t think verification is necessary. We’ve all seen the tragedy of “Monster Churches.”

What leads me to believe it is the church’s fault? Before I get to that, let me admit that it isn’t always the churches fault. I know many men who are just not effective pastors –no matter their congregational context. (That’s a topic for a future blog post entitled “Monster Pastors”).

Having said that, there are plenty of cases where the church undoubtedly has a problem. That is particularly evident in cases where:

  • The problem occurs over and over for a long period of time with a multitude of pastors. In these cases, the only common denominator is the congregation.
  • Pastors leave the church to find warm welcome and fruitful, long-term ministry in another congregation. When this happens, the change in church makes all the difference. The pastor remains the same.
  • The congregation denies that any problem exists at all. Pride is a powerful deceiver.

Once again, I admit that a church may have experienced all three of these factors and still not be the source of the problems. But that would be the exception, not the rule.

For the rest of us (the ones honest with ourselves), we recognize that these factors point to a Monster Church. If such a congregation does not change course, they will eventually experience more problems such as power struggles, authority issues, financial disagreements, loss of members, a tainted reputation, a diminished effectiveness, lack of conversations, decline of maturity, and eventual dismay. Their course will eventually lead to destruction for the congregation and all within its path.

Eventually, all monster churches become either tiny assemblies with big reputations (for all the wrong things) and/or abandoned buildings full of questions about “what went wrong.” That is, unless they change.

So, how do you stop a monster from destroying itself and everyone in its path? Here are a few ideas:

  • Seek Christ, the foundation, leader, husband, and purchaser of the church. All issues of power struggles and authority disputes must end at the cross. If Jesus is not Lord of your church, you must repent as a congregation.
  • Pray for repentance. Giving intellectual ascent to Christ’s rule over your church is not enough. The congregation must be whole-heartedly submitted to Him. This does not happen without serious heart change. Therefore, you must pray for repentance. Prayers may start with just one person or a small group. God loves to answer the prayers of the few on behalf of the many.
  • Beg for revival. I’m not talking about a set of meetings. Revival is an awakening of the church in light of the glory of Christ! Much like a doctor uses the defibrillator pads to awaken a dying patient, the Great Physician awakens His Body through revival.
  • Be willing to exhort and rebuke (2 Tim. 4:2). This is not a call for vigilante church discipline. In fact, don’t exhort and rebuke without first seeking Christ, praying for repentance, and begging for revival. If you can’t speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) with a heart for Christ’s glory in the church, you will only make things worse. However, keep in mind, that most Monster Churches are created because people neglected to have hard conversations with church members who seek to create division (I Cor. 11:18) and strife within the church for self-serving reasons (1 Cor. 3:3).
  • Be willing to ask for help. There are many ministries willing to help churches identify problems and work through solutions. Sometimes, an objective point of view helps a congregation see things more clearly. One word of wisdom, however: If you think your church needs outside help, the request needs to come from the pastor or current leadership. “Going over the head” of a pastor or leader can cause more harm than intended. Don’t be guilty of helping “create a monster!”

If you are a pastor or leader of a local church in need of assistance, feel free to contact DiscipleGuide. I am blessed to serve alongside wonderful folks at DiscipleGuide who have a heart for helping churches make disciples. You may contact us at [email protected].

Stop Raising Mules

I’m not a country boy. There, I admitted it.

However, I do live in Arkansas, which means I get a few “country boy points” by default. For instance, I know that horses reproduce horses. I also know that donkeys reproduce donkeys. And, for bonus points, I know that a horse and a donkey together produce mules.

Mules are very patient, intelligent, and sure-footed. However, mules have a problem: they are sterile creatures. That means that every time you want to add a mule to your pack of mules, you have to mate a horse and donkey. That takes extra work on your part. However, if you own horses, they naturally reproduce on their own.

To put it another way, you add mules to your pack by manual addition. Every new mule requires you to start from scratch.

However, you can add horses to your team by automatic multiplication. New horses can grow a family without necessarily needing a human matchmaker.

Today, the choice between a horse and mule may not seem like a big deal. They both can pull heavy loads and contribute to farm life.

But when it comes to long range planning, the differences between horses and mules are drastic. In ten years, you could own dozens of horses by investing in a relative few. On the other hand, to have the same amount of mules would cost a much greater investment.

The choice is between addition and multiplication.

The same is true when it comes to the Great Commission of the church. Simply put, Christ did not call for the simple addition of believers. Rather, He calls us to exponential multiplication of disciples. That’s the only way we will ever see disciples made of all nations.

Unfortunately, many churches still choose to work by addition. For many it is easier and takes less time and patience. For others it is the only method they have ever known. Admittedly, addition may look like a more fruitful approach today. And evangelism without discipleship may be a quick easy way to fill seats right now. But what happens when these people (without a strong foundation of discipleship) leave the church? And what happens when the ones who stay for the long run never evangelize or disciple others because they’ve never been trained? The addition based approach, like breeding mules, causes a church to continuously go back to “square one” and never is able to build a strong community of discipleship.

I know what you may be thinking. We all know people who have made disciples within a church of “addition minded” ministry. I totally agree. But just like Jesus said in Matthew 3:9, God can raise up sons of Abraham from stones. However, it isn’t a frequent occurrence.

To be honest (Google it if you don’t believe me) in a few rare cases, mules have actually reproduced. But it has only happened 60 times in the past 475 years. It’s not exactly the odds upon which you want to build a multiplication strategy.

That’s why intentional discipleship is key to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It may not always draw the biggest crowds at the beginning, but by investing in a few now, you are much more likely to reach masses of the future.

Questions to help determine whether your ministry is addition-based or multiplication-based:

  • Are you raising sterile Christians? (i.e. Do your members make disciples who make disciples?)
  • Who are considered the ministers at your church? The staff only, or maturing “lay people” growing in discipleship?
  • Is real life-investment taking place in people’s lives after conversion?
  • Are you seeing transformational change throughout the lifespan of believers?

Are you geehawing with that? (It’s a country thing; look it up!)

John the Baptist: Disciple-Maker

A great example of how human discipleship should work is provided in the story of John the Baptist. Several of the apostles were first disciples of John, who, in the words of Isaiah, came as a forerunner to Jesus, the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23).

Scripture describes two kinds of discipleship: Discipleship between believers (Col. 1:28) and discipleship between a believer and Christ (Eph. 5:27). John the Baptist demonstrated how the former is a means to support the latter.

In John 1:29-42, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Messiah to his disciples. In verse 35, it becomes apparent that John and his disciples were together day after day as he baptized those who were coming. Discipleship is built on relationships. Paul describes this kind of strategic relationship when he instructs the Corinthians to “Imitate me as I imitate Christ,” (I Cor. 11:1) and when he writes, “To Timothy, my true child in the faith…” (I Timothy 1:2).

Disciple-makers can start the process of helping another believer mature by having an open door policy for the disciple to spend time at their home in unplanned moments, whether watching television, eating dinner, shopping or coaching little league. Use every opportunity to point them to Jesus.

In verse 36, John does exactly this. The day after he identifies Jesus as the Messiah to his disciples, he points them to Christ again, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples who were with him immediately became followers of Christ.

Human discipleship should always point disciples to divine discipleship in Christ. Opportunities to point a disciple to Jesus can arise through acts of sacrificial love for friends (John 15:13), assisting a needy person (Matt. 25:40), or the disciple-maker’s treatment of his own wife (as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her).

Finally, John released his disciples to grow in Christ. He didn’t mind them leaving to follow Jesus, although others complained about it. In John 3:29-30, he compares himself to a friend who attends the bridegroom and states his attitude: “He must increase; I must decrease.” That is the attitude of a biblical disciple-maker.

Disciple-makers are temporary, like a scaffold, and Christ is the structure. All disciple-makers should ask themselves this question: “Is my discipleship causing my disciple to depend more upon me or upon Christ?” Potted plants will eventually outgrow their pot and die if they aren’t replanted into something bigger. Plant them in Christ and encourage them to nurture other seedlings.

John the Baptist understood this model of discipleship, and so he provided an excellent example of how a human disciple-maker can present their disciple “mature in Christ” and prepared for more learning under the Master.