One of the growing tendencies is for churches to add ‘gimmicks’ or methods to their services and ministries with the hope to draw more people to their gatherings. I see a major problem with these attempts. They increase the numbers, but do not disciple those that come (Matthew 28;19) or to bring everyone to spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:11-16).
For Paul, it was very important that his ministry not be marked by gimmicks. Notice what he says; “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). Those are very strong words, but they cover any possible way of manipulating people for personal or ministry gain. “Tamper with God’s word” is a serious charge. The following verse clearly shows “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” is what transforms the unregenerate heart, not man-made methods. The proclamation of “the truth” is what impacts “everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” The “power of God” is in “the word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18). As this is communicated in the power of the Spirit, God works in multiplication (Acts 6:7; 12:24; 13:49). My earnest prayer is that every church will RETURN TO SCRIPTURE, its AUTHORITY and METHODS! Then we will see God begin a movement of multiplication such that no church building will be able to handle the numbers. The expansion will be a spontaneous work of God and no human program will be able to contain it – we will not want it to be contained!
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We live in a time when there are people everywhere who boast of their own abilities and clamor for recognition and a position of prominence. Along with that there are scores of people boasting of some leader or prominent person, even in the Church. It is no different today than it was in Paul’s day. He issues some severe warnings to those in Corinth who were following men and not Christ. “Let no one boast in men” (1 Corinthians 3:21). This is especially important in the Church. Even if there are persons of great spiritual influence who have accomplished great things for God because of His gifting through the Spirit, the fact is that we in the body of Christ are ONE (3:23; 12:4-31).
In the second letter to believers in Corinth, Paul writes to redirect their focus on Christ so that they (and us) are being transformed by looking at His glory. That will also shape the way we do any kind of ministry. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). After the mind and heart becomes fixed on the glory of Jesus, there is no room for boasting about ourselves. I will put this another way to get a point across; if we boast about ourselves, then we have robbed Jesus of the place that only belongs to Him. This grieves the Holy Spirit! On the other hand, “God…said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). This is what we must proclaim! This is the gospel! We at New Foundations International do not want to make anything of ourselves or have others making much of us. OUR PASSION IS CHRIST! We want to spread HIS aroma everywhere (2:15). There was one particular area of Paul’s life that he wanted others to follow. Most do not think about how we view money and hard work as being that important when it comes to ministry, but it is often the indicator of where our hearts really are. Paul clearly shows this.
This principle was presented by Paul to the Thessalonians in his second letter to them. He and those with him were the kind of ministers who “toil and labor…night and day, that [they] might not be a burden to any…but to give in [themselves] an example to imitate” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-9). This was a very important example because many were “walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition” they received from Paul. Idleness has many dangers. Paul pointed to some who became “busybodies” – poking their noses into other people’s matters instead of “doing their work quietly and to earn their own living” (3:12). He spoke of the same principle to the Ephesian elders; “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:34–35). As Paul wrote his last letter to Timothy, he gave him three models to emulate their qualities; the “good soldier,” the “athlete,” and the “hard-working farmer” (2 Timothy 2:3-6). “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” (2 Timothy 2:6). As idleness has many dangers, so hard work has many blessings. This is especially true of leaders in the church. Their example without words will impact the flock and pass on much needed character. Paul was not afraid to set an example and to ask others to follow him. It was not a request to blindly follow a man without discernment. Notice how Paul states this matter to the church at Corinth; “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the standard, not Paul. Earlier in Chapter 4, Paul wrote to these believers as His “beloved children” (4:14) because he “became [their] father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (4:15). Through this intense spiritual relationship, Paul had a basis to say to them, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me” (4:16). Communicating the gospel of grace through word and life became the moral basis for exhorting them to follow his example.
Would others see the gospel clearly revealed in our lives and ministry such that we could say to others, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”? I am very challenged by this. Because it is challenging does not mean that it is not attainable or not a model to follow. If we really want to be effective in spreading the gospel and equipping others to do the same, this should be our goal. Remember, the key to being an effective model that can be followed by others is that we are following Christ. One cannot happen without the other! In Paul’s mind, this was an expanding process that did not center around himself. “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). There were others who saw Christ in Paul and they in turn became examples for others to follow. The Thessalonian church imitated Paul and they in turn “became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7). Each of us are examples of something. The challenging question is; of what? In a world full of bad models, we need to step up and be followers of Christ that others can follow. Examples are followed whether they are good or bad. Some are followed more easily because they cater to my natural bents and require very little effort on our part. Others are harder to follow because they require personal sacrifice and denial of selfish interests.
Jesus whole life was spent in setting an example for others, but there were very few who were willing to deny themselves enough in order to follow His example. In John 6:66, some disciples quit following Him because they did not like His teaching which required that their lives be conformed to His life. In the few remaining hours before His crucifixion, Jesus spent them with the eleven disciples giving them critical teaching on being a servant and how the Holy Spirit would come and continue His ministry in them. Judas leaves during this time, unwilling to follow. Jesus began those final hours by washing their feet. Though He is “Lord and Teacher” (13:13), He had come to earth “by taking the form of a servant…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus did not want that “mind” to escape the careful attention of the disciples. To make the point abundantly clear, Jesus told the disciples, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Do we really want to follow His example? It cannot be done in our own ability. How thankful we must be that the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell us, empower us, and through Him, “God…works in [us], both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). How closely are you following His example? My mind thinks of two examples, a person and a church, who were very busy, but failing at the most important task Jesus expected them to do.
EXAMPLE #1: “Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me”” (Luke 10:40). Jesus response: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her”” (10:41–42). EXAMPLE #2: “You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” Jesus Response: “Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). What is it that makes us blind to our own condition and needs? In both cases, Martha and the church in Laodicea, they were occupied with themselves, very complacent, but had lost the attitude of dependence on Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. As we see with Laodicea, their condition was nauseating to the Lord (3:16). Rick Wood in his article (ibid) says that “most churches are operating with a broken compass.” A compass needle will always point north. If our spiritual compass, personally and as a church, always points to Jesus Christ as our Head, and the absolute authority of Scripture, we will not fail to be led by the Holy Spirit. Following this compass means that we will be making disciples who are steadfast in faith, obedient to the Word of God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This compass will make us successful in disciple-making. This thought made me stop and think carefully about my own commitment to Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 and whether I have been effective in teaching others to make disciples. If Jesus were to evaluate my faithfulness to this simply command on a success or failure rating, I am afraid I would fail.
What is the key to being successful in this requirement? The command in verse 19 is, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This is followed in verse 20 with instructions how to make disciples; “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The word “observe” means to “obey, keep or guard” as you would guard something of extreme value. Understanding the word “all” would prevent us from being selective about what we want to obey! As disciple makers, there is another motive behind the command that is critical to our success in making disciples. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). In others words, our success in making disciples depends on our love for Him. First, we obey, and then we teach others to obey. Disciples will not learn to obey the commands of Jesus unless they see us following His teaching carefully in the power of the Holy Spirit. The process is so simple. Where we have failed is in not keeping to the simple model. The percentage of believers who are making other disciples is very small. The disciple making principle is for ALL believers. When this principle is understood, we will go from adding disciples to multiplying disciples. It is a very searching moment when God examines my life and points out where my practice does not agree with HIS Words. To this point, “Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice” (Matthew 23:1-3). This is called hypocrisy. There is nothing that destroys credibility faster than someone who tells others to follow a certain set of rules or patterns, but they do something very different.
It is the same with religious practices and doctrines that are not biblical. Again, I quote from Rick Wood (ibid). “Since the time of the Apostle Paul when he employed simple, biblical and reproducible models of ministry in making disciples and planting churches, the Church has added a lot of things to church ministry that are not simple, biblical or reproducible by the average person. These practices prevent movements [of God] from developing” (page 5). If we are truly concerned that the Church fulfill the Great Commission so the Lord will return, then we will make sure we operate on a biblical foundation. We may be forgetting that everyone’s work is going to be tested to see if it was built on the one and only foundation, Jesus Christ. “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13). Will we suffer loss, or receive a crown? Rick Wood in the article mentioned yesterday, points to the problem of tradition when it weighs us down so that we serve a leaders vision for ministry and the programs he has initiated, “rather than equipping and releasing every willing believer to live on mission with God as a disciple maker and church planter” (same reference as yesterday).
Is this a new problem? Jesus faced the same obstacle of tradition in His ministry. “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”” (Matthew 15:1–2). Note how Jesus puts His finger on the real issue. “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (15:3). If we ever place tradition above the direct instructions of Scripture or the model which Scripture presents, we will hinder the progress of God’s work. So many today make the argument that we are not living in the days of the Book of Acts or Paul’s letters, and things have changed. Therefore, the models in Scripture fail to work in our day. Such an argument assumes that the authority of Scripture has changed — God has changed. In no way! What we need today more than anything else is persons and churches RETURNING TO THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR FINAL AND ONLY AUTHORITY. Submission to the Holy Spirit as the Author, will open the door for effective and powerful ministry under HIS DIRECTION. It continually amazes me how the Holy Spirit confirms a deep concern on my heart through some conversation or article or just reading the Scriptures in my quiet time. In the last week or two, Tim, Terry and I have been increasingly convinced that there is a serious lack of making disciples in the church. When the gospel is presented to unbelievers and they receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior, we fail to follow this up with the command to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). The result is that spiritual stagnation takes place because new believers are not established in the faith.
As I was pondering this critical need, I came across an article by Rick Wood, Editor of Mission Frontiers, Nov./Dec. 2017, page 4, Cutting Loose the Anchors that Keep Us from Movements. “The Church is on the verge of sinking in too many places. Forward progress is often unthinkable — survival is the critical issue…The key is to return to what is truly biblical and empower average people as the royal priesthood that they are to become entrepreneurs of new ministry — living on mission with God to make disciples.” Paul combined the two essential functions of an evangelist; preach the gospel and make disciples. “When they had preached the gospel to that city [Derby] and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch” (Acts 14:21). This is the biblical process that creates a movement of God — expansion of church planting. We need to examine our own methods and see if they are truly biblical. |
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