Partners In Discipleship
Communion With God, Communion With Others
May 29, 2008
May 2008 -
Vol 2, Issue 3
|
Do The Porcupine Shuffle
|
 Thanks
for being part of the Sunday School luncheon at District Assembly. What
a great time together. Dr. Woodie Stevens rang the bell for
discipleship with his question, "who are you discipling and who is
discipling you?" And wasn't the food incredible? Our theme
this year was "Partners in Discipleship: Communion with God, Communion
with Others." The body and blood of Christ is at the center of what it
means to commune with God and with others. This is a noble theme,
but is it realistic?
This kind of communion sounds great, doesn't
it? We are created in the image of God, relational, designed for
community. Biblical community sounds warm and fuzzy, but
sometimes it feels more like trying to snuggle with a porcupine.
Getting close to others can be hazardous to our health! It's
frightening to let down your guard, to be voulnerable. And yet it
is an absolutely necessary part of true biblical community.
John Ortberg notes that even porcupines can learn to
share their space. Occasionally, one raised in captivity will
learn to keep its quills to itself and eat from a human hand. And
obviously enough of them manage to get past their prickliness in order
to perpetuate the species. Do you know how they do that?
The old saying is "Very Carefully!" John Ortberg says, "They pull
in their quills and learn to dance."
If the Church is to be the Church, we must
learn to do the Porcupine Shuffle! Do you have a "porcupine" in
your life? Are you someone else's porcupine? Achieving
biblical community is not about seeking out people just like ourselves,
it's about coming together in Christ to do what seems impossible.
Yes, we do have porcupine tendencies, so let's pull in our quills and
learn to dance.
Following Jesus Together,
Pastor Tim Brewer
District SDMI Team Leader
|
|
Resources
of the Month
|
 Beyond Sunday,
compiled by Woodie J. Stevens
"As faithful followers of Christ, we study His
teachings and worship together; we sing in the choir, attend Sunday
School classes, and volunteer in the nursery.... We invest our
lives in the people, programs, activities, and instruction of our
churches. But surrounding ourselves with church and Christian
ideals does not make us devoted disciples...."
Dr. Stevens, Director of Sunday School and
Discipleship Ministries International (SDMI) for the Church of the
Nazarene, is passionate about helping God's people to make the shift
from being simply followers of Christ to being devoted disciples,
living out God's love every day in ways that draw others to Him. Beyond Sunday helps us to step
beyond the safe walls of our churches and into the world God desires to
reconcile to Himself.
|
Click here to read an
overview and preview chapter of this book on the NPH website.
|
Everybody's
Normal Till You Get to Know Them , by John Ortberg
We are made for relationship; it's part of being made in the image of
God. But it's not easy. People around us may seem normal
enough, but when really we get to know them -- and they get to know us
-- all of our faults become so clear. We face the "porcupine
dilemma," wanting to be close to others but finding it dangerous. Ortberg writes
with wisdom about the struggles and wonder of developing true biblical
community, including authenticity, acceptance, empathy, conflict
resolution, forgiveness, confrontation, inclusion and gratitude.
"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view....
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us
to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation.... And he has committed to us the message of
reconciliation" (II Corinthians 5:16-19).
|
|
Click here for previews,
reviews, links and other information about this book. |
Basic
Disciple Making: Philip The Evangelistic Disciple Maker
|
Read Acts 8:26-40
These fourteen verses could very easily become the seed material for a
series on disciple making. My temptation is to launch into that
series right here, but it is more than you can now bear. So here
is the outline that comes to me in these verses. If you find it
helpful, you are welcome to use this outline and develop it any way you
want.
A quick background on Philip, called the Evangelist. He was one
of the seven men who were chosen to head up compassionate ministries in
Acts 6:1-7. By chapter
eight we find him being sent south by God's direction, evangelizing in
the towns along the way until he reached Caesarea (see Acts 21:7-9) where he seems
to have married, settled down and built a family. Here are some
key thoughts on evangelistic discipleship from Philip.
Fearless
obedience: Philip was immediately and fearlessly obedient
to God's leading. Notice that he was led both by an angel and by
the Holy Spirit. Quick and decisive obedience is key in following
God's timing in disciple making.
Great
Questions: Philip asked this man a great question.
Questions are like doorknobs that open doors of spiritual
conversation. We cannot assume that people understand all that
they know. The eunuch's answer is classic, "How can I
[understand], unless someone guides me?" Great questions provide
opportunities for us to guide people to and in Christ.
For some ideas about questions that lead to spiritual conversation check out this page.
A
good grasp of the Word: Philip was able to take him from
that very passage and lead him to Christ. The Holy Spirit
obviously aided him in this conversation, but Philip had spent time in
the Word of God and had the message of Christ firmly embeded in his
heart and mind.
Follow
Through: Philip's process is easily lined up with the
Great Commission. Go, make disciples, of all nations, baptizing
and teaching. Philip had made a disciple of someone from another
nation, he had taught him the truth about Jesus and baptized him, all
in the span of a few hours.
We do not know what kind of time we will have to make disciples. In
some cases we will have years; in others we may only have hours, maybe
even minutes. I am not suggesting that you baptize the guy in the seat
next to you on the plane with your Dasani, but we are responsible to do
all we can to develop disciples while we have opportunity.
One last thought.
In our effort to disciple believers, let's not divorce evangelism from
discipleship. Philip was an evangelist who made disciples. In
some ways I can see evangelism as the result of discipleship. Like this
Ethiopian eunuch, most people in America today have at least some
exposure to Christ, or at least to spiritual things. This man was in
Jerusalem to worship even though he was worshiping with a certain level
of ignorance. Discipleship takes them from where they are and
leads them in the direction of Christ. I am, even now, in the
process of discipling a non-believer. Whether my friend knows it or
not, I am building a heart for Christ in him by purposeful conversation.
Ben Turner
|
|
| Upcoming
Events |
Discipleship Summit
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Nampa First Church of
the Nazarene
Registration is $25 but at the door it will be $35. So remember to go
on line before June 4th and pre-register!
District SDMI Tour
February 16-20, 2009
Four locations, TBA
District NMI Convention
April 24-25, 2009
Nampa College Church of
the Nazarene
District Assembly
May 13-15, 2009
Nampa College Church of
the Nazarene
General Conventions & Assembly
July 24 - July 3, 2009
Orlando, Florida
|
|
|
Tour
Tidbits
|
Are you a
Sunday School teacher? Small group leader? Mentor? In
whatever types of relationships you choose to live out the Great
Commission, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind for developing
strong biblical community:
Do Life Together!
Be intentional in
seeking out opportunities to be together outside of Bible study.
Share a meal, celebrate special occasions, attend the kids' sports
events, walk the dogs together. Get to know the ones you lead --
and allow them to get to know you -- during those informal times.
Create space for God to work, and follow His lead wherever you sense
Him working.
Grow Big by Growing Small.
When a group grows past a certain size, it becomes impossible to
develop and maintain close relationships or to make sure everyone can
actively participate. As you lead, be intentional about developing at
least one other potential leader. Provide guidance and
opportunities for these leaders-in-training to practice their
skills. Then when the group is ready to multiply, excellent
leadership will be ready, and the resulting groups can continue to
fulfill their mission.
|
|
