That Was Easy

I want to emphasize some easy to understand principles of following Jesus.

Sometimes the walk is tougher than the talk.  But I'm afraid sometimes the talk is more complicated than it needs to be.

As I've sorted through some stuff that has hurt my brain, I have come to some clarity on some simple thoughts.

Easy to understand essential beliefs:

Trust in Jesus

Easy to understand how we should live:

Love God and love others.

Easy to understand how we do that:

The Holy Spirit does the work of the Holy Spirit.

Easy to understand disciple making:

See one, do one, teach one.

Easy to understand leadership:

Demonstrating to others how to follow.

Easy to understand church:

Get together with other followers to encourage each other to follow Jesus.

Easy to understand church unity:

There is one church, it meets in many different places and times.

I'm simply organizing some simple thoughts on what I think it means to follow Jesus.

I'm not claiming that living in this reality is easy.

I'd love to hear your thoughts? Have I missed any big ones?
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Here are some less easy to understand related posts if you want to understand the more complex process I took to come to a place of seeing things so simply:

• What Must I Believe Part 1 - 6 part series looking at passages related to essential beliefs
• What Does It Look Like To Follow Christ? - relating to love, and the work of the Holy Spirit
• Love is Essential - passages that speak to love being the greatest commandment
• Church Etymology - what does church mean?
• Recent Church Activities - examples of simple church activities
• See One, Do One, Teach One - disciple making
• Leading The Way - what Jesus said on the topic of leadership, and a look at other passages

See One, Do One, Teach One

Medical students are familiar with a teaching method refereed to as "See One, Do One, Teach One".   It is a format for acquiring medical skills, based on a 3-step process: visualize, perform, regurgitate.  If there is a procedure that needs to be learned, a great way to learn it for yourself is to simply watch someone do it once, then try the procedure yourself, and then show someone else how to do the procedure.

Some logic behind the 'See One' in this method is that the longer a students spends just watching some expert do a procedure the lower their confidence gets in their own ability to do the procedure.  The student will become more nervous and less willing to give it a try.   But if a student is asked to repeat a process after simply being shown it once, they will give it their best effort.

Can the church improve how it teaches one another?

Unfortunately the main teaching method in the church doesn't even start with "See One".  The main teaching is often more of a lecture where someone talks about what should be done.  How do we move to a point where students spend more time observing the Way of Jesus, repeating how they see it lived, and then teaching others the Way.

How did Jesus teach his disciples?  I see a parallel with how Jesus trained His disciples.

See Some: The disciples of Jesus watched their teacher preach the good news of the kingdom of God, and demonstrate the reality of the reign of God as He brought healing to people. (Matt 4:23, Matt 9:35, Matt 11:5, Luke 4:16-20, Luke 4:43, Mark 1:14-15).

Do Some: The disciples were then given authority to bring God's healing to others as they shared the same message of hope that Jesus preached. (Matt 10:5-8, Luke 9:1-4, Mark 3:14-15, Mark 6:7-13)

Teach Many:
After about 3 and a half years with His disciples Jesus leaves them with this command.:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20 NIV)

So it was these disciples who became the next disciple makers in the early church.  I believe they multiplied using similar teaching methods as they had received.

I'm not saying all teaching needs to be done with the "See One, Do One, Teach One" method.  But at some point all students should be expected to go out and do what they have seen others do, and begin teaching others by demonstrating the Way.

How can we move discipleship out of the lecture hall and into the hands on practicum lab of life?

Related Posts:

• Interactive Teaching in the New Testament
• Learning Triangle 
• History of speaking up in church
• The Way
• Disciple Making 101

Keep It Simple Sir

I'll keep it respectful here. I won't call anyone stupid as the acronym KISS sometimes goes. So here are some suggestions to Keep It Simple Sir  (or Sister).

1) We should keep it simple so the greatest in the kingdom don't get confused.  We are actually commanded to become more like children.

"Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me." (Matt 18:3-4 HCSB)

If we've made something so complex that children have a hard time understanding or replicating it, maybe we are the ones missing something.

2) Recognize that church is simply people - the body of Christ, the family of God.  With a little church etymology  we see that in Scripture the term 'church' did not refer to buildings, institutions, or Sunday morning programs.  It simply referred to believers and whenever they got together.  Belonging to Christ's church is more like belonging to a tribe or people group than like belonging to a club or organization.

3) Consider every moment with others a moment to teach.  You don't need to prepare sermons, study books or DVD's to teach one another.  We see mostly interactive teaching in the New Testament. Teaching others may be simpler than you think.

4) Recognize you have a role to play in  disciple making.  I used to think of discipleship as a program or branch of the church that some people got involved with.  But we should consider how each of us can make disciples of Christ. We can watch how Jesus made disciples through living in simple relationships with others.  Discipleship may be simpler than we think.

5) Consider how you can be a pastor or shepherd, one who cares for the needs of others. Are there people in your life that you care for, give guidance, and build up so they mature in their relationship with Christ? This may be the basics of shepherding.


6) Understand that SMALL is sometimes big.  Just consider how rabbits reproduce a lot quicker than elephants.  The same principle may apply to church growth.  Small simple gatherings will be easier to reproduce than larger structures.  Many new small gatherings of believers can be started without multimillion dollar fundraising campaigns. Yes this seems like upside-down thinking, but so was a lot of Jesus' teachings about His kingdom. 

7) Leadership does not always mean decision making. I see two different types of leaders.  There are those that make decisions for others, and claim authority to impose their will on others. However others lead simply by living as an example that others follow. This second type of leading seems to fit better with what Jesus says in passages like Matt 20:25-28, Matt 23:8-12, Luke 22:24-27, Matt 19:30, Matt 20:16, Mark 9:35, and Luke 13:30.  Consider taking some leadership lessons from this dancing guy video.

8) You may want to consider taking a break from serving church programs. Scripture is clear we need to serve and care for people. If you find programs keep you too busy to focus on people, you may want to say no to some activities so you can better serve and love the church (the people).  Could less busy = improved relationships?

9) Simplify your list of essentials. Christians tend to only accept other believers who agree to their list of essentials. Unfortunately many lists of essentials include doctrines that have divided the church over the years. I find by recognizing that love is essential, and unity is essential, I am no longer in a position to judge others over many other disputable matters.

My head is often spinning when I look at church history, and the many church traditions we have today.   But I am finding some clarity when I think of church in simpler terms.

I hope this simple list of how to KISS is helpful to some of you.

Have I missed anything?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related posts:

• What is Simple Church
• Love Feast 
• Church Etymology 
• Small Is Big 
• Caring For Others Is Essential 
• Interactive Teaching in the New Testament

Playdough Scripture Matt 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make converts disciples of all nations, baptising them in water and in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them understand correct theology.  to obey everything I have commanded you.(Matthew 28:19-20 Playdough Version)

This is based on a very well known verse. But a blog post by Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa got me thinking.  How well do we really know it?

Is there a difference between making converts and making disciples?

Immersion in water is a great way to symbolize immersion into our relationship with God, but we shouldn't assume this verse is talking about water.

Do we spend as much time teaching and modelling how to follow the person and teachings of Jesus as we do on teaching our doctrines? Should we be showing as much as we are telling? Disciple making may be more like apprenticeship than classroom style learning.

Thoughts?


Related Posts:

• Baptism Summary Thoughts
• Essentials For a New Disciple 
• The New Conversion

The New Conversion

A friend passed along a Christianity Today article they thought I'd find interesting, and was curious what my thoughts were on it.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/aprilweb-only/new-conversion.html 


How is it that a respectable magazine like Christianity Today can publish some of the same crazy thought's that I've been having.  Does this mean I am not as crazy as I thought? Or does it mean there are lots of crazy folks out there?  Likely the latter.  :)

"Conversion was viewed to be a punctiliar experience: persons could specify with confidence and assurance the time and place of their conversion, by reference, as often as not, to the moment when they prayed what was typically called "the sinner's prayer."

I agree.  I used to think the sinners prayer was the way to become a Christian.
However I realize now that when people asked Jesus `What must I do to be saved`, I don`t see him responding `repeat this prayer after me`. For example Mark 10:18-25 and Matthew 25:34-45 don't mention a specific prayer as moment of conversion.

"The focus of conversion was the afterlife: one sought salvation so that one could "go to heaven" after death, and the assumption was that "salvation" would lead to disengagement from the world. Once converted, the central focus of one's life would be church or religious activities, particularly those that helped others come to this understanding of salvation that assured them of "eternal life" after death."

 I have also converted and repented (changed my way of thinking) on this as well.  :)

The gospel message that Jesus and His disciples preached from town to town was that of the Kingdom of God. This reign or rule of God is one that started in those days and can be a present reality for us today. God's power is available to us each and every day. He wants to defeat sin and death in our present lives.  He wants to heal and restore our lives to what He intended them to be. We can choose to live in the kingdom of darkness, or in the kingdom of light.  I believe there will be a future form of the reign of God as well, but that does not need to be our main focus today.

Further, the church was often defined as in the business of making conversions happen; its life and mission were oriented toward getting more people converted through whatever means possible. Successful congregations were characterized by numerical "conversion growth." 

I am discovering that Jesus was in the disciple-making business, and that should be my focus as well.  The focus shifts away from an agreement of some doctrine, statement of faith, and a prayer. To become a disciple means to follow the ways of Jesus, and that should also involve finding other followers to journey together with.

The article lists different scholars, theologians, historians, philosophers, and others that are contributing to movement on these topics. I found it interesting to see all the different sources of change within the evangelical community. Change is in the wind. 

This begs the question of what it means to be the church. The evangelical tradition is at a fork in the road and, given this sea change in the understanding of conversion and redemption, the most crucial issue at stake is what it means to be a congregation. Evangelicals will only be able to navigate these waters if they can formulate a dynamic theology of the church that reflects the Triune character of God, the means of grace—Spirit and Word—and a radical orientation in mission toward the kingdom of God.

Rethinking what the term 'church' meant to the early church is also changing my role with church. 

Yikes, yes this article sums up a lot of the process I've been going through. 

Related Posts:

• Good News
• Essentials For a New Disciple
• Disciple Making 101
• This is Discipling
• Church Etymology 

Essentials For a New Disciple

Someone recently asked me what things I thought would be key for a new disciple. I think that is a great question for any Christ follower to consider. If/when you disciple, where do you start, what essentials do you need to pass on to the new disciple?

I've recently shared some simple thoughts in a post titled Disciple Making 101. In that post I considered how Jesus made disciples, and how it wasn't primarily an academic process. The disciples lived life with Jesus, got to know Him, and learned how to follow His lead.

But I hadn't really put my thoughts together on what would be some key ingredients for a new disciple. Here are my initial thoughts. I'd love to hear feedback.

I think discipleship is all about following the lead of someone, learning to follow their example and instruction. To be a disciple of Jesus it is important to know who Jesus is, and learn to follow His will and hear His voice. There also seems to be a pattern in Scripture where a new disciple also follows the example of other more seasoned disciples. The goal shouldn't be to become a disciple of that other believer, but to learn from them how to be a disciple of Jesus.

So some key things for a new disciple would be:

1. Have a relationship with another disciple of Christ who will help model what following Christ is about.
2. Understand who Jesus is - studying the gospels is a great place to start.
3. Seek to hear our Shepherd's voice, and learn to trust that voice with both big and small decisions.
   

You may notice I haven't included list of essential doctrines or teachings that a new disciple must learn and agree to. I am interested in disciple making as modeled by Jesus and His disciples.

So this is all that comes to mind at the moment.

What do you think? What am I missing? I am not an expert on this topic at all, so I am open to being taught on this topic. Thanks!

Related Posts:

• Disciple Making 101
• This is Discipling
• Following a book?

Disciple Making 101

Should every Christian be engaged in the task of disciple making? Throughout my life there have been times when I've been active in the disciple making process. But unfortunately I think I've often left this task for people more qualified, or who were freed up to dedicate their lives to this task.

After all, if disciple making means writing books, teaching theology, preparing sermons, lectures or DVD's... disciple making can't be for all of us. Maybe I'm capable of working though some pre-made Bible study material... but really?

I'm wondering if the task of making disciples isn't supposed to be so complex. Maybe it is something all Christ followers should be actively pursuing.

So here is a silly question I have to ask:

How did Jesus make disciples?

He could have held weekly meetings and worked through a series of sermons covering all the essential doctrines.

He could have take some of the future leaders deeper by opening the first Bible College or Seminary. He could have written textbooks, and had these men write term papers as they progressed through the disciple making process.

But He chose to simply ask these men to follow Him. He invited them to live life with Him. He taught stuff along the way, in many different natural ways. The teaching that Jesus did was connected to the life they were living together.

Jesus that was way too simplistic!

I can't see that working today.

Related Posts:

• This is Discipling
• Following a book?

This is Discipling

This is Discipling from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.

What would it look like if, as leaders, we focused less on the things that make our churches entertaining and more on making disciples? As shown by Kelly Tshibaka at Foursquare Connection 2011.

Exciting to see the church rethink its mission.

Is our task primarily to go and bring people to church?

Is our task primarily to go and build the church?

Or is it to go and make disciples?

What does that look like?

Can we leave the task of building the church to God?

Discipleship

When most of us don't have hot clue about discipleship, it is easy to accept that there are a few who are leaders, shepherds, and overseers of the flock. They are gifted at leading, maybe it is best if we let them do all the disciple making.

If we were all making disciples, I think it would be easier to see that most of us are supposed to be leading, shepherding, and caring for the flock. It would naturally occur as we care for new believers, and are cared for by more senior ones.