Choices

Our Christian life is full of choices. In fact, God made us to have the ability of moral choice. I believe the image of God within us is the ability to choose and to be responsible for our choices and their consequences. The tree in the garden, with the command to not eat thereof, was the activation of our moral choice. Instead we made a consumer choice. Big mistake.

Jesus, second Adam and image of God, came along with the same ability to choose. He came not only to atone for our poor choice, but to show us how to make the right choice. First he faced the devil in a wilderness contest where the adversary presented Jesus, weakened from a forty-day fast, with tempting choices. Unlike the first Adam, he didn’t take the bait. Instead of taking the tantalizing consumer choice, he chose the more difficult path, and left the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit. He went on to embrace probably the most difficult choice of all: he chose to take up a Roman cross and give his life to atone for our poor choices.

It should be no surprise that Jesus leads us into the same situation. In today’s lectionary text, Jesus left the region of Perea after several testy confrontations with religious leaders. Healing on the Sabbath and hanging out with “sinners” appeared to them to be the wrong choice, and they told him so. Not one to be too concerned about the good opinion of the Pharisees, Jesus did what he needed to do. Of course the Pharisees were fit to be tied, but the crowds loved it.

So when Jesus decided to leave that area and continue the journey to Jerusalem, many of his new fans came after him. They wanted to follow a rabbi that stood up to the Pharisees on their behalf and did such wonderful things for people. But instead of the warm welcome they expected they got a stern warning … about their choices.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned to them and said, “If you come to me and you cannot choose between me and your family, you cannot be my disciple. If you cannot bear your own cross, you cannot be my disciple. If you cannot forsake all you have, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:25-26, 33).

That is strong language. A tough challenge full of difficult choices. Far from consumer choices, the decisions Jesus requires here are loaded with difficult, life-changing consequences.

Deciding between Jesus and family was a huge deal. In first-century Israel one’s first obligation was to one’s family. To breach that obligation was unthinkable, yet necessary in Jesus’ kingdom.

Luke tells of another time when Jesus invited a young man to follow him as disciple. The man replied, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” What he meant was, “Let me wait until my father dies and my obligation to him is finished.” Jesus replied tersely, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” Another fellow signed up but asked for a few minutes to hug his mama goodbye. Jesus rudely said, “If you look back you are not fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:59-62). Jesus is serious that there is a price to pay for following him.

Taking up a cross was equally threatening. Everyone in the Roman-occupied world knew the horrors of the cross. It was state-of-the-art torture and execution reserved for those who would challenge the authority of the Roman state. Anyone caught resisting Caesar in any kind of uprising would be made an example of what happens when one resists the Caesar. Victims were forced to carry a heavy cross through a crowded street of jeering, spitting spectators toward the execution site. There they would be nailed to it and hung a few feet off the ground. Nails penetrated the main nerves of arms and feet, causing severe and unrelenting pain. After several days of hanging that way the victims would finally suffocate to death.

And Jesus said followers must be willing to take up the cross. Two things jump out at me. First, one must go against the grain of accepted thought and behavior for Jesus. We don’t follow Jesus the same way we follow a popular fad. Jesus is not a consumer choice, he is an against-the-grain lifestyle. Second, one must be willing to face painful consequences for following Jesus. Unfair treatment, brutal torture, jeering spectators, and slow agonizing demise.

Forsaking all is not a pleasant thought. It refers to the radical renunciation of all possessions. It means setting aside all things that would hinder from following Jesus. “You can’t serve God and mammon,” Jesus said several times. All must be surrendered.

All these things … family, life, and property … must be laid on the line to follow Jesus. It is a high cost to be carefully considered. Underestimating here brings heavy consequences in itself.

Jesus illustrates: A man plans to build a tower in his vineyard, but underestimates what he will need. The unfinished tower reduces him to the role of village idiot and brunt of all jokes. A king goes to expand his territory by declaring war on his neighbor, only to discover that his neighbor’s forces greatly outnumber his own. He winds up losing his kingdom to the one he hoped to supplant, and that without a fight.

There is no room for presumption in the serious matter of the kingdom. We cannot afford to be consumers, for we’ll wind up like Adam and Eve, considering the benefits of the fruit we’ve been offered. Following Jesus cannot be the latest fad, as it became in Perea when Jesus stood up to Pharisees and befriended common folk. It must be seriously considered, and seriously carried out.

The multitudes came after Jesus because it was the popular thing to do. It would be fun to follow him, they thought. Not so fast, said Jesus. Have you considered what this means? Are you ready for these consequences? Your choice …

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP)

When Jesus barges in

Disciple-making sometimes requires intruding on other people’s plans. Jesus didn’t mind in the least barging in when it suited his cause.

Take for example Zacchaeus, the tax collector of the rich and famous in Jericho. Tax contractors in his time made a commission as they collected revenue for the Roman government, and if they could get away with charging more by false accusation it was even better. Zacchaeus took full advantage of the opportunity in the affluent “city of palms” built by Herod and winter home to the who’s who of Jerusalem. So much so that he was hated and reviled as “that sinner.” His name meant “righteous one” but he was anything but. Everyone thought of him as a greedy, powerful, ruthless traitor, a sort-of mafia don who didn’t really care what poeple thought of him.

Jesus passed through one day on the way to Jerusalem from Caesarea-Philippi, and barged into Zacchaeus’ life. Jericho was the last of a long list of whistle-stops before reaching Jerusalem. The road was busy with travelers enroute to Jerusalem for Passover celebrations, and Jericho was abuzz with excitement about the famous rabbi traveling through.

The streets in and around town were crowded with people. Crowds pressed on every side as people hoped to get a glimpse of the miracle-working prophet from Galilee. Zacchaeus, short in stature, wanted to see. So he decided to climb a tree along the street he thought Jesus would travel. In modern terms picture a powerful businessman in a $1,000 designer suit climbing a tree to see a celebrity. Lets you understand how interested Zacchaeus was.

Jesus wasn’t usually impressed by the rich and powerful, but he stopped right under Zacchaeus’ perch, called him by name, and invited himself over for lunch. “Hurry Zach, and get down from there! I want to go home with you for lunch!” Jesus barged in for the day, without invitation and without advance warning. What nerve!

I think the crowd was a little jealous. Someone said, “He’s going home with that sinner!” Most of them wouldn’t dare go into the home of a tax collector. They would be afraid of [gasp] eating food that had not been tithed! Heaven forbid!

Despite the criticism of the church folks, Jesus went home with Zacchaeus. He barged in, intruded, and changed his life. We don’t know what transpired between them, or what they talked about. But we do know that some time into the conversation Zacchaeus stood and said, “Look, Lord, I will give half my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I will restore four-fold.”

Zacchaeus’ life was changed. Transformed. He repented and vowed restitution in a manner that was beyond what both the law and the legalistic Pharisees would require. His center moved from gathering wealth to affecting restoration. Which is what Jesus’ kingdom is all about.

For his part Jesus was elated. “Today salvation has come to this house,” he said. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus often comes to us at unexpected and unplanned times. It is seldom convenient for us to meet the risen Savior. Claiming, “Today is the day of salvation,” Jesus barges in and intrudes on our plans. He confronts us with his agenda.

How do we know when we have had an encounter with the living Jesus? He finds us where we are well-hidden, intrudes into our plans, and changes our lives. Abruptly. Our values change. Our lives change. Our motives change. Our relationships change. Our work changes from gathering for self-fulfillment to affecting restoration. The business of the kingdom.

Has Jesus barged in on you lately?

Jesus, Patriot

Today we observe the Fourth of July and the birth of our nation. Sometimes we remember the historical significance and we might read the Declaration of Independence. We speak of patriotism and sing patriotic songs. Playing Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” on the stereo is an annual Fourth of July ritual at my house.

Webster defined patriotism as love of one’s country, and the passion with which one aims to serve his country, either in defending it from enemies, protecting its rights, or maintaining its laws and institutions.

Someone forgot to tell that to Jesus. I looked for a passage in the Gospels speaking of Jesus’ patriotism and I drew a blank. In fact, Jesus said very little about nationalism and civil government and our role in it.

The closest thing I could come to was a passage in Mark chapter 12. The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about taxation. “Do we pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus’ response was brilliant. After looking at Caesar’s likeness on the coin they would use for paying taxes, he replied, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”

Jesus was not the kind of patriot the Pharisees were looking for. They wanted someone who would organize an insurrection and rid territorial Israel of its hated Roman oppressors so they could establish their idea of God’s country. They were most displeased that Jesus did not even so much as criticize the Caesar, much less organize a rebellion. Jesus was not very passionate about restoring Israel’s fortunes.

Jesus had bigger things on his mind. The vast Roman empire, most powerful civil government ever known, was small potatoes to Jesus. He wanted to establish a new nation without political borders or tribal boundaries or ethnic distinctions. He wanted to establish a government that went far beyond powerful empires. He wanted to bring his kinsmen the Israelites into it, but they were distracted by the little institution they wanted to build. He wants to bring us into that wonderful kingdom, too.

To that end Jesus is a true patriot. He was so passionate about his kingdom that he promoted its laws and ideals. He defended it from the adversary, the devil. He gave his very life that it might advance forcefully in the hearts of men.

Today I hope you we remember our Christian heritage and the significant sacrifices our forbears made to establish a God-fearing nation. But more importantly, I hope we will see beyond the red, white, and blue to the eternal kingdom Jesus seeks to found in our hearts. I pray we will be most passionate about loving, advancing, and establishing Jesus’ kingdom. That is the patriotism of Jesus.

Jesus comes

Advent reminds us of the ways Jesus comes into our lives. Actually, the ways Jesus intrudes into our lives. He calls us from comfortable situations and leads us into the uncomfortable and uncertain. He expects us to live in both expectation and uncertainty, taking risks and knowing that life forever changes. Someone has said Jesus comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.

The text for the first Sunday of Advent Nov. 29 took us to the Mount of Olives, where the country-boy disciples looked down with awe on the indescribably magnificent temple complex. Jesus said, in effect, “Don’t get too attached to it. The day is coming, in your lifetimes, when it will be completely destroyed and no stone will be left on top of the other!”

Of course the young men, now in their early 20s, were shocked out of their minds. The center of their religious universe was to be leveled and never restored. Jesus used strong, colorful language to describe the significance. Sun darkened, moon not shining, stars falling from the sky. In Hebraic metaphor he means the event will change their lives forever. Drastic, catastrophic.

Jesus told them that in the midst of that upheaval he would “come.” It would be the “day of the Lord.” He had already told the arrogant Sadducees, priests, elders, and keepers of the temple, “Today the kingdom of God is taken from you and given to a nation who will bear the fruit thereof” (Matt. 21:43).

Yanking stewardship of God’s kingdom from the Jewish temple hierarchy meant doing away with the Jewish temple. It would no longer be needed. The once-for-all sacrifice Jesus made of himself at the cross did away with the need for ongoing animal sacrifice. God would now dwell in a new kind of temple, a temple not made with hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24). The temple made up of those who follow Christ Jesus.

While we no longer worship with animal sacrifice, sacrifice as the center-piece of worship continues. Paul reminds us to present ourselves living sacrifice, untainted from the world (Rom. 12:1, 2). Through our baptismal covenant we follow Jesus into sacrifice by taking up our own cross and following him in discipleship (Matt. 16:24). We remind ourselves of his sacrifice -- and ours -- through frequent observance of Holy Communion.

While some are content to redefine discipleship as gathering a large number of people into a service they enjoy, discipleship described by Jesus involves forsaking personal enjoyments and living a life of total sacrifice, a continual expression of worship. Baptism and Holy Communion, sacraments of the church, remind us of these commitments.

Advent is a great discipleship tool because it gives us cause to hold back on excessive celebration we often see during the holidays. It calls on us to pause to reflect on how Jesus abruptly comes into our lives, changes our entire world, and sets us on the path of genuine worship through sacrifice and life-commitment.

A disciple-making church will keep this in mind as it seeks to win the world to Jesus.

Getting their attention

Simon bar Jonah was not easily impressed. After all, he was a fisherman. He lived a hard, coarse life not known for social graces. As the saying goes, he would “just as soon cuss you as look at you.”

Every night Simon and his fellow fishers risked their lives trawling the lake for fish. Frequently, and without warning, a violent storm would erupt out of the darkness. Many a fishing boat and crew had been lost that way.

One morning Simon and his brother Andrew came in after a hard night on the lake. Their efforts had been in vain. No fish. Nothing to sell at market, no money to take home to the family. They just wanted to clean the nets, stow everything away, and go home for some sleep. The last thing they wanted that morning was to meet the new rabbi. Like most hard living men they weren’t too impressed with rabbis.

But the new rabbi knew just how to get Simon’s attention. He attracted a large, noisy crowd and headed straight for the lakeside, right were Simon and Andrew were finishing their chores.

“Excuse me, is this your boat?” the rabbi asked. “I need to borrow it. Could you do me a favor and push out a little?”

“What?” Simon protested. “I’m getting ready to go home. I’m whipped. Can’t you . . .”

“It won’t take long,” the rabbi insisted. “Come on, push me out a little.”

The rabbi taught. It seemed the rabbi would never finish. Simon was miserable. He didn’t hear a word. All he could think about was how tired he was. Finally the rabbi finished. “Good! Now we can go home,” Simon thought.

“Now,” the rabbi said to Simon, “put your nets in over here.”

“What?” an exasperated Simon demanded. “We’ve been out all night. Didn’t catch a thing. We’re exhausted. We just want to put everything up and go home. What do you know about fishing, anyway? You stick to the rabbi business, we’ll stick to the fishing business.”

“Put your nets in over here,” the rabbi insisted.

“Alright, alright! We won’t catch anything but we’ll humor you.” Simon threw the heavy nets into the water, where the rabbi pointed. “There. Satisfied?”

Suddenly the boat began to list to one side as the nets filled with fish. Now Simon had a new problem. The nets were breaking, and he and Andrew couldn’t pull them in. Simon called partners James and John to come help. Together they pulled in the largest catch they had ever made.

“Now I’ll teach you to fish for men,” the rabbi said. All four fishers left nets, boats, record catch, everything, to follow the rabbi.

He got their attention.

Is the church a democracy or not?

Well, I think I stepped in it Sunday. I said in my sermon that the church is not a democracy. It just came rolling out. I could feel everyone tense up in the room as I finished the thought with, “It’s just not in the Bible!” It was one of those moments where it momentarily becomes hard to breathe because all the oxygen was sucked out of the room because everyone gasped at one time.

I was talking about the fact that Jesus calls us to make disciples, not decisions, and how we are ineffectively organized to make disciples because we are so meticulously organized, through a plethora of boards and committees, to make decisions. Administration is top-heavy, ministry is almost non-existent. And where it does exist it is inverted and self-focused. I was talking about how I dislike this time of year, with the dreaded charge conference looming, and how we do the “names-beside-titles” routine every year.

The concept of democracy did not originate with Americans, but we have indeed latched onto it. Democracy is of ancient (pagan) Greek origin and it means “rule of the people.” People gathered into local assemblies to debate and vote on issues relative to the town. The Greek word εκκλησια (ekklesia, church) was unfortunately used in Greek translations to express what Jesus described when he said he would gather his people together (Matt. 16:18) to invade the gates of Hades. In the Greek (western) mind εκκλησια conjures up notions of gathering to discuss and vote; in the Hebrew frame of reference, from which Jesus speaks, the gathering is for organizing, preparing, and initiating war. A hierarchy of officers and chain of command is established. The mustered militia does not vote on these things. It follows designated leadership into battle. I have a really hard time believing that Jesus suddenly went pagan on the disciples.

There are two biblical references to an attempt to take a vote on action in Scripture. In Numbers chapter 14 the Israelites became anxious when they heard the promised land was full of giants too great to conquer. So they said to each other, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt” (v. 4). They took a vote to remove leadership appointed by God. Apparently it was a majority vote. But God did not ratify it. God was so angry that he wanted to destroy the entire nation and start over with Moses. Moses interceded for them, and God said he would preserve the nation but let the people who voted “no” die in the wilderness over a 40-year penalty for disobedience. Not a happy day. The kingdom was delayed 40 years because of a congregational vote.

In the Gospels Pilate stands the beaten Jesus before the people gathered at the Praetorium. He takes a democratic vote. “Do you want me to release Jesus or Barabbas?” The people, worked into a frenzy by the overactive priests and elders, vote for Pilate to release the insurrectionist Barabbas and to crucify the true Messiah, the Son of God. Democracy prevailed.

The problem with Greek-style democracy is that we get the impression that we can vote and by majority vote tell our authorities what and how to do. Many times we get the impression that we can vote to tell our authorities to do what we should be doing, and to wait on us hand and foot.

Another serious problem with democracy becomes obvious from the biblical examples. Simple democracy lends itself to government by those who vote from emotional reaction instead of informed thought and reason. Too often, we look to avoid controversy and satisfy the least mature so they won’t create more disturbance. Sometimes they simply outvote us. As with both the Israelites in the wilderness and the people in Pilate’s courtyard, the reactive emotion governs the day. The fact is that democracy is a short step away from mobocracy, or rule by mob. Is this what we want in the church?

But the major problem with Greek-style democracy is the simple fact that it is totally foreign to biblical thought and practice. The two times it appears it is presented to teach us from the negative consequences of applying it. We can call meetings to discuss and vote or we can do God’s work but I’m afraid we can’t do both.

We must remember that it is Jesus’ church, not our church. We must allow him to direct us, through divinely appointed authorities, into the mission of the church. We are still gathering to organize, prepare, and initate war against the strongholds of the devil. What we do at church is what they do in military briefings. We train, equip, encourage, give mission orders, and mobilize.

But there is a sense in which the church is democratic. We are the kingdom of priests each involved in ministry. Everyone needs to help lead worship. Everyone needs to be involved in outreach and witness, deployed to take down the defenses of Hades and transform lives for the kingdom. We don’t pay the preacher to do that! Hebrew democracy means we are all part of the militia, all part of the effort of making disciples.

Jesus called us to make disciples, not decisions. So let’s make one last decision. Let’s decide to make disciples. Together.

Discipling youth, part 2

Last weekend I went along with my daughters to another youth-oriented event. The difference between this event and the last one I wrote about was like night and day. Twins Alex and Brett Harris (age 20) encouraged almost 2,000 teen-aged young people, average age 15, to do hard things. The Do Hard Things message is has become the “Rebelution” against low expectations, featuring a blog, best-selling book, and a series of conferences encouraging young people.

I could not be more amazed at the contrast between the two experiences. In the previous event youth told pastors and church leaders they wanted to be respected and treated to basketball and wifi connections at church, and then went out for pizza and games. For them it was all about what they could gain. But this past weekend young people challenged young people to not settle for low expectations, but to aspire to do great things even in the teen years. Emphasis was more on what they could give.

The basic premise of the Rebelution centers on the realization that the concept of adolescence and the term teenager did not come about until some time in the 20th century. Before then there were only two chronological categories for life development, childhood and adulthood. These are the two recognized in the Bible. Paul said, “When I was a child I acted as a child, . . . but when I became a man I put away childish things.” The Rebelution also notes that the culture for the most part has very low expectations for young people and challenges them to aspire to take on difficult and ambitious projects.

So the question comes up again. How do we best disciple youth? I think the answer comes in the realm of challenge and responsibility. DeVries wrote of it in his book Family-Based Youth Ministry. Train them to do the work of the church and let them work alongside adults in the church. Challenge them and equip them to do hard things.

To jump-start our thinking, I refer to the Harris twins’ book (pp. 57-60) for what they call hard things, to see if we can incorporate them into ministry to and by youth.

Outside the comfort zone. Instead of pizza and rock music, what about expectations and tasks that require stepping out of the comfort zone and into the arena of risk and challenge? What kinds of experiences could we facilitate? What kinds of opportunities for service, previously unlearned, could be trained for and left in their charge?

Beyond expected or required. We don’t really expect or require much of young people these days, so this should be easy to do. What kinds of things are beyond our expectations? How could we encourage them to go “the second mile”?

To big to accomplish alone. Here’s where teamwork comes in. How can we engage small groups of youth and adults, perhaps a mature older child or two, to take on a ministry project they cannot do alone?

No immediate payoff. While immediate results are always nice, the Bible lets us know that there are things we do in kingdom building that will not bear fruit until much later, perhaps after our time. What can we do to instill generational thinking? How can we do ministry that thinks ahead and calculates long-term result? What can we do that lays firm groundwork for others to build on?

Challenge the cultural norm. As Paul writes, we are not to be conformed to the world around us but to be transformed. How can we challenge our young people to build biblically based lives that do not mirror the pop culture in fashion, fad, and worldview? How can we encourage them to live beyond what everyone else does? How can we teach them to discover who they are in Christ, and show them how to live into their baptismal covenant?

This should get the wheels of thought turning. What could we do, in a committed learning relationship, that incorporates youth into the life of the church as equals (not sub-class human beings) that takes them out of the comfort zone, gives them high expectations, requires working with others to get it done, may take a long time to accomplish, and challenges prevailing thought and custom?

Answer these questions within your own context and I believe you’ll be on the way to a productive, fruitful, and effective youth ministry.

Setting boundaries

Jesus knew how to set boundaries. In Luke chapter 12 Jesus was teaching what Luke describes as an “innumerable multitude of people” when he was interrupted by one of the men in the audience. “Rabbi,” he said, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

The man’s request was not all that unusual. People often called upon rabbis to help them settle legal disputes. Under the legal system of Judaism each heir to an estate was entitled to his property, although the oldest son received a double portion of the proceeds. When an oldest son didn’t want to cooperate many times a rabbi would be brought in to mediate.

What was unusual was Jesus’ abrupt response. It was sharp and forceful, and it was completely unexpected. “Man,” he said, “who made me a judge over you?” Everyone in the crowd gasped in shock and disbelief. It was commonly expected that the rabbi intervene, and for Jesus to refuse to do so was offensive and unbelievable.

But Jesus refused to be drawn into the family dispute. He would not be side-tracked from his mission, even to accommodate common expectation. He had one thing to do, and that is what he was going to do. Jesus knew he had limited time, and he had to make the most of it. He didn’t have time to involve himself in a family fight. He established a clear boundary, irrespective of common expectations.

This was not the first time someone tried to hold Jesus accountable to their expectations. The Pharisees often criticized Jesus for not faithfully following their rules. They disapproved when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. They objected when the disciples didn’t follow their hand-washing procedures. They protested when the disciples plucked a few grains to eat on the Sabbath. “Why don’t you and your disciples follow our traditions?” they complained. Once Jesus responded, “You make the Word of God ineffective because of your tradition.”

Traditions, expectations, and “the way we’ve always done it” can have a stifling effect on what God wants to accomplish. Someone brings us an urgency of some kind, pressuring us to delay kingdom work to oblige petty expectation. We can get so busy minding expectations and addressing petty complaints that we become totally ineffective in our mission. We don’t make disciples when we spend our time satisfying the demands of whiny consumers.

Occasionally we really need to stop and ask hard questions about the ways we spend time and resources. Does this bring new disciples into the kingdom? Whatever does not materially add to the bottom line needs to be eliminated so we can be more productive. We define what we are supposed to do, and in the process, establish what we will not do. We learn when to say no. That is what we call setting boundaries.

How to train disciples

How do you teach a group of know-it-all 19-year-old fishermen, a farmer or two, a political fanatic, a tax collector, and an embezzler about God's kingdom? How do you inspire them? Challenge them? Motivate them? Get them to listen to what you are trying to say?

In our times we like to organize classes. We gather material, prepare syllabi, and develop lesson plans. We assign a text and type reading lists. We lecture and do small-group discussion. We may even assign a paper or some other kind of project.

But how did Jesus do it? That should inform the way we make and train disciples. Jesus taught his by intentionally leading them into situations that scared the living daylights out of them, and showed them the glory and power of the kingdom of God. This week I preached from John 6:1-21, where Jesus did two things that pushed the disciples to their limits so they could see the kingdom at work.

It occurs to me that Jesus adopted the time-honored method of what we in home schooling call “lifestyle learning.” Everything he did in his Galilean ministry was for the learning benefit of the disciples. So when Jesus deliberately lured a large crowd of 5,000 men (not to mention women and children) to a desert place without food, or knowingly sent the disciples into a fierce storm on the lake, he was presenting them with opportunities to respect the kingdom.

A crowd followed Jesus to the wilderness, where he was watching for them. “Philip,” he said, “where are we going to get enough food to feed all those people?” Philip was so dumbfounded he checked the treasury and reported that 200 day’s wages (let’s say about $12,000) would not be enough to buy bread for them. Of course Jesus knew what he was going to do, but he was giving Philip a hard time. Andrew talked a little boy out of his lunch and Jesus let the disciples see first-hand how the kingdom opens to those who are determined to do God’s work. Jesus showed them the glory and the power of the kingdom.

Later, Jesus sent the disciples on back to Capernaum without him. The seasoned fishermen, well-accustomed to severe and unpredictable storms had trouble making it back. They hadn’t rowed four miles when they saw Jesus coming in the distance, walking on the water. They let him into the boat and immediately it was across the lake, in port at Capernaum. Jesus let them see how the kingdom calms the boisterous waves of wind and water. He showed them the glory and the power of the kingdom.

I think that somehow we have made church too academic and too institutionalized. We say we want to transform lives, but then we pour cold water on it all by offering classes. We make it too safe, too passive. We want to be nice, to avoid embarrassing or challenging people. We also make it too easy with what Bonhoffer called “cheap grace.”

If we use the method Jesus used we will deliberately put people into situations where they are challenged, intimidated, and afraid so they can be absolutely amazed at the glory and power of the kingdom of God. We will ask hard questions and do hard things.

How do you teach a rag-tag group of upstarts who think they know it all? First you gather the upstarts. Then you scare the living daylights out of them so that they are sufficiently impressed with the glory and the power of God’s amazing kingdom.

Planning for a Preferred Future

The church development people refer to vision as seeing God’s preferred future for the church. That means, as we have faithfully worked at our mission to make disciples, certain preferred outcomes will take place as God leads and blesses. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts about vision for the future:

Vision interprets our mission. Unquestionably our mission is to make new disciples for the kingdom of God. That means we work together in love and cooperation to seek undiscipled people in our community and include them somehow in meaningful learning relationships. That is our sole purpose for existence. Vision asks the question, “Who does not know Jesus in our community?”

Vision determines our work. Once we identify our mission field, then we can determine how best to reach the people in it. Vision asks, “What are the main problems the unchurched in our community face? What are their most pressing needs? What will communicate with them?” Only after we have a clear vision for our community can we begin to plan and implement strategies to make disciples in it.

Vision identifies our capabilities. Jesus teaches us the importance of understanding our capabilities before starting a project. Vision honestly and soberly identifies the resources at hand and helps us to use them wisely. We have at our disposal a unique array of spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities – all to be used in disciple-making. Vision asks, “How can we match what we have to the problems and needs we have discovered?”

Vision foresees outcomes. Vision focuses on the people who do not yet know Jesus and devises a customized process of moving them from non-discipleship to mature Christianity. It looks deeply and lovingly into the lives of hurting people without Jesus and seeks to gather them into the community of the believing, showing them how God has helped us and how God can help them. It does not emphasize building an organization and getting people to participate in programs.

I have discovered that vision is much more than hoping more people will show up at church next Sunday. Vision means getting actively involved with what the Lord wants us to accomplish in making disciples. It is cooperating with God to bring about his preferred future in our community.