Centuries from now, could there be signs of your small group?

Centuries from now, could there be signs of your small group?

A startling story, now a mixture of fable and fact, is told of Oxford University's New College Hall. When the Hall's stunning vaulted ceiling--of 18" oak beams twenty feet in length--was found with a devastating infestation of powder-post beetles, the university's forester was summoned. Were beams of this size--of this quality--accessible? How much did they cost?

And that's when the fascinating answer surfaced. When New College first received its charter in 1379, an entire oak grove had been planted for replacement of the hall. They had planned six centuries ahead. The grove continually reseeded itself with acorns, so as beams were milled to replace those infested, the process had already begun again.

Sustainability like this--in much smaller terms--has become an environmental buzzword as we discuss topics like "carbon footprints" and "reduce, reuse, recycle." But small groups, too, can glean much from the sustainability of these pioneers from Oxford. Small groups can far outlive themselves by creating more disciples through ministry, whether as individuals or together. Feasibly, there could be repercussions of your group hundreds of years from now. But what does that look like? And where should you start?

Turn your eyes upward and outward. Small groups are critical for discipleship of their members. The Bible is clear that God cares more about the condition of our hearts than what's outward. But God is also clear that action follows faith. What vision does God have for your group? Could it reproduce itself in vital ministry--and thrive even more? Acts 13:2 mentions that while the believers at Antioch "were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" As a group, spend time praying for clarity, vision, and love that compels you to reach outward in your community.

Discover passions and gifts. God has brought your group--and the stories of each member--together. You may seek out online spiritual gift inventories (your church may have one already). Spend time discussing personality, passion, aptitudes, and experiences. Talk about how God may be weaving those into one big arrow pointing to his purposes. As time allows, meet with members one-on-one to help them explore and pursue a vision for their part in the Body of Christ.

Take action every week. Each week pick someone outside of your group who needs to be encouraged. Pray for them, and pass around a note card for everyone to write an encouraging message to them. As individuals, pick non-Christians to pray for weekly, and look for opportunities to begin God-directed conversations--possibly about topics you've discussed in small group.

Invest down. Consider how you can invest in the lives of one another's children. What are the needs your kids have--or opportunities you'd like them to have? Discuss how you can provide some investment in the needs and opportunities of kids in your community group or church. Consider inviting kids from the neighborhood to be involved as well.

Take turns. Each week, assign a different couple in your group to come with a person in mind who is in need (not a faceless organization) and what you can do to help meet that need. If materials or funds are required, consider taking up an offering of sacrificial giving. Come back and report on what action was taken.

Start small. Dream big. As you stretch your wings, there are plenty of ways for people to completely exhaust their energies and resources. Rather than burning out, seek God-given, God-sized vision that results in your group wisely, generously pouring itself out in love rather than overextending itself. Help your group remember that ministry doesn't make us more acceptable in God's sight. It's an outpouring of what we've been given freely.

Brothers building Brothers

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  Hebrews 1:1

I love the consistency of the word of God.  In the book of James the bibles says that “faith without works is dead”, and for those like me who believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone there is always going to be that tension that must exist in the area of faith and works.  Hebrews 1:1 has helped me take a giant leap toward resolving the “apparent “conflict.

The question that came to my mind this time as I read this passage was: “How can faith be evidence?”  Faith itself is really not visible, is it?  What a revelation! Yes it is.  I have spent a rather significant amount of time during my ministry career explaining how salvation is by faith alone, and yet it must be accompanied by the requisite works to be valid faith; when all time it seems I missed the biblical definition of faith all together.

Some will call me a heretic, but I’ll risk it, when I say faith and work are one in the same according to the biblical definition.  Faith is substance and faith is evidence.  By faith Able offered his sacrifice and by it the evidence was conclusive that “he was righteous” (vs.4).  By faith Enoch walked with God and God took him (Gen 5:24) leaving behind the evidence that “he pleased God” (vs.5).  By faith Noah prepared an Ark providing evidence that he had inherited righteousness (vs.7).  By faith Abraham obeyed and we know the evidence of righteousness he left behind.

In each case faith was a substantive thing an evidence of righteousness; faith and works are one in the same.  Uh oh; do I feel a conviction coming on?  Why would I ever have a difficulty with the relationship of faith and works?  Could it be that the problem lies in the fact that I am trying to excuse my inactivity?  Could I be trying to excuse the fact that many times my faith is barely visible?  Paul tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.  According to Hebrews my faith should be the evidence!

Stepping on my own toes again,

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers

And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.  1Corinthians 6:11

In my reading this morning I was once again struck by the completeness of Christ’s work on my behalf.  How is it that I can claim any credit for any part of my salvation?  The first phrase of the verse refers me back to a description of what I was without Christ and it isn’t pretty.  However time after time when I give the Gospel the individual insists that; “I’m not that bad I’m just like everyone else”.  Why is it that as long as we’re talking large numbers of people it makes sin OK?  If I remember correctly God destroyed the entire population of the earth minus eight because of sin and his holiness and justice hasn’t changed since Noah’s time.

I want so much to be able to convince people that just because everyone else is doing it, the consequences are not mitigated.  And many times I am tempted to do the convicting myself.  But just like the washing, the sanctifying and the justifying in the verse above, the convicting is of God also.  I can be direct, clear and unambiguous but without the Spirit’s work the person will nod their head in agreement and walk into an eternity without Christ.

But O what joy when you see the light come on and the person realizes for the first time that they are hopelessly lost and in an act of desperate self preservation they reach out to Jesus.  Then God washes them and sanctifies them and justifies them and the process begins all over again.

Share the Gospel today!

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them . . .  Acts 4:8a

Is it our custom to speak for our Lord, only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit?  Sadly, too often my motives are less than holy and my power is less than spiritual.  As believers we are tasked with spreading the Gospel and because we are indwelt by the Spirit of God we are fully equipped to communicate for God.  However when I am faced with the opportunity to speak for my Lord there are a host of competing motives and sinful human desires seeking to be satisfied by my “godly” actions.

Peter and John were arrested for doing a good deed and had every human right to react indignantly toward their captors, but they instead were filled with the Spirit and thus spoke.  That did not happen automatically.  There was a preparation of heart that began days before on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, (John 21) and continued in the upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-14).  The preparation basically included confession of sin and corporate prayer and fellowship.

We are once again faced with a new week not knowing what the Lord has in store for us.  What we do know is that we are still on mission and through confession of sin fellowship with the believers and a constant attitude of prayer we can, like Peter, be filled with the Spirit and say to them . . .

Praying for you mission,

Your brother Jack    

Brothers building Brothers

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.  Hebrews 10:14

What a beautiful supremely interesting verse that gives the believer cause to rejoice in the matchless work of the savior.  A group of saints in Diamond Valley/Eureka Nevada have been studying Hebrews now for about 3 months.  It has been truly a life changing study.  The assurances found in this letter are foundational to experiencing joy and peace and growth in the Christian walk.  Many of them are subtle and must be dug out of the text with an understanding of the Jewish religious system but many are like the one above; so clear that while maybe not fully understanding all the implications of it, even a babe in Christ can appreciate the wonder of it.

The finished work of Christ has so many facets but justification is the one that jumps out at me in the verse above.  One of the results of being justified is often explained like this: made (just as if I had never sinned).  While it sort of explains justification it does not go far enough.  “For by one offering He has perfected forever”, says something slightly different.  In the eyes of God and through Christ’s blood I have not sinned.  You say, “Jack that just is not a true statement”.  OK I challenge you to find the evidence.  You may be able to point to my failure here on earth but where it counts, in the courts of heaven, you will not find a shred of evidence against me because God said “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Heb.10:17).

That brings us to the last part of the verse, “He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”  A second part of Christ’s finished work in this verse is of course sanctification; that work of God in my heart that sets me apart from sin unto God.  This verse reveals the continuing nature of the work while verse 10 of this same chapter claims that, “we have been sanctified”.  Isn’t the word of God great!  Without contradiction we understand that as with justification, sanctification is a finished work of Christ with continuing results in our lives.  And the fantastic truth is that no matter how I struggle I can be assured that Gods work of sanctification in my life is as sure as his work of justification.  “He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”, PRAISE GOD !!!!

Rejoicing in the finished work,

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 12/27/10

Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.  To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.  Colossians 1:28-29

A friend of mine sent me these two verses a few weeks back as an encouragement and as often happens to me, when I am encouraged I am also challenged.  In this passage (the paragraph begins in verse 24) Paul is reviewing, and I cannot help but think, marveling in his call to gospel ministry.  As an act of His stewardship and to fulfill His word, God has called on this “chief of sinners” to make known the mystery, which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

The Apostle Paul was a man who had come to that most satisfying and rewarding place of knowing his purpose; that idea, that focus, that all consuming mission for which God had saved him.  As a minister of the gospel I realize that this mission to which Paul was called is also my mission and my call and I am just as amazed as Paul that I am part of God’s plan to fulfill His word.  But I must point out something about verse 28.  Paul writes, “Him we preach.”  This is a collective effort.  No matter whom you wish to include in that pronoun “we”, Paul is clearly indicating that he is not on this mission alone.

We are all on this mission together, we should all be preaching and warning and teaching and presenting new believers, perfected in Christ to our God.  But lest we get any idea that God actually needs us we must read verse 29.  Our labor is “according to His working which works in us mightily.”   It is comforting to know that the mission is first of all God’s mission and I am His tool.  Once again words cannot express the wonder I feel at the awesomeness of our God’s plan for us.

Humbled by his wisdom,

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 12/6/10

“but speaking the truth in love, (we are to) grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

I am becoming more and more convicted that in many ways the twentieth century church seriously lost its way in the area of discipleship.  I really don’t remember being taught that discipleship was one of my primary responsibilities as a “church member”.  I knew that I was to pray and study God’s word, I knew I was to give and support the ministries and programs of the church, and I even knew that I was to witness of my faith in Christ and invite people to join me at church; but teaching was all done in the church building.

The picture painted by Paul in Ephesians 4 is vastly different than what is happening in much of today’s church.  Love, of course is the key.  We are instructed to speak the truth in love so that edification can happen in love.  But the interesting thing to me is that although Paul begins this lengthy sentence by speaking of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers; by the time he addresses the actual, “on the ground” discipleship he has included the whole body.  Every joint is to be supplying something to the growth of the body and every part is to be doing its share to cause growth and self edification.

I suppose you might be able to interpret this passage to include sitting a pew week after week but I rather believe that Paul has something a bit more active in mind.  Who are you discipling?

For the cause of Christ

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 11/29/10

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said:  “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:12-15

Beware is a word designed to get our attention.  Most of us are tuned to words like, CAUTION, ALERT and DANGER.  In the bible, “beware” is one of those words.  Caution, there is something dangerous that you need to (be aware) of; beware!  So what is it that is so important that we need to be startled to attention?  The writer of Hebrews is warning us about the dreaded heart of unbelief.

I fear that most of us are not as keenly aware of this problem in our lives as we should be.  Being bombarded by media as we are in this generation, our minds are constantly at work accepting and rejecting information as worthy or unworthy of belief.  The news media, education, religion and even science have proven to be unreliable and even, it seems, deliberately skewed to distort the truth.  So when we come to the bible many times we are still picking and choosing what we will believe and what we will reject.

The problem in our lives that causes us to reject those difficult parts of the bible is sin.  The text calls it deceitful and warns us of a hardening effect that it can have on our heart.  It’s a gradual thing that can start with something as simple as hurt feelings at church.  It is amazing how unfulfilling the worship experience can become when someone has rubbed you the wrong way; or how dry and long those sermons can get when the pastor hasn’t lived up to your expectations.  Sin is deceitful and it is the source of the evil heart of unbelief.

So what does the writer say is the solution?   Because sin is so deceitful and because our hearts are desperately wicked; (so wicked in fact that sometimes we can’t even know them), God has given us each other.  The unclouded eye of a brother is sometime all that stands between us and shipwreck.  “Exhort one another daily while it is called “Today”.  Of course if we would do it daily we wouldn’t find so many of our brothers broken on the rocks of unbelief and despair.  Exhort someone today in love and, O yes, remember to accept exhortation humbly yourself.

Your needy brother,

Jack