The next concern we have as disciples is our root system. You will notice in this picture that before the plant pushes its head up out of the soil, a root is developed to take in nourishment and to have a system of support for the structure that grows above the surface of the ground. What is this spiritual system that works below the surface where no one sees what is going on. Paul describes this in Colossians; “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7). This is a growing process that produces fruit only as we are taking in the right kind of food. It is also necessary if we are going to effectively make other disciples. The principle of spiritual growth that Paul modeled is found in Ephesians 3:14-19; “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:12–13). This is the development of a true disciple! Because his roots are drawing from the love of Christ, his whole life is colored by that close relationship. Are your roots deep in this relationship?
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Most of us should be familiar with the parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4-8 (also recorded in Matthew 13:1-9). It gives us valuable teaching on many levels, but I am specifically thinking of this in connection with John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” How we receive the “seed,” God’s Word, will determine our fruitfulness.
The seed is “His seed.” Matthew 13:37 says “the one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man” [Jesus]. It is not my ideas or interpretation. It is not the words of a well-known speaker or writer. It is life provided in a condensed form that the Spirit helps me receive and understand so it will result in spiritual growth and fruitfulness. The seed is “the Word of God” which when it is planted in the heart does things that nothing else can do. David said to the Lord, “I have stored [treasured] up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11). This is only one example of what the “seed, the Word of God” will do as it is received, accepted, and allowed to form Christ in us. Tomorrow we will look at the root system that develops from a seed that is planted in the heart. It is said of Phillips Brooks that he advised young preachers to “never allow yourself to feel equal to your work. If you ever find that spirit growing on you, be afraid.” Paul felt the same way.
“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9). This is the opposite of self-reliance and conveys to those we serve a genuineness and God-centered purpose. Paul was very aware of the dangers of his own flesh, especially because of the high privilege and calling God placed on his life. “So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” (12:7). This attitude draws me to this man. His humility is genuine. In the first letter to Corinth he says, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:3–5). This reflects a sincere desire to be used by God for His glory – nothing more. This approach to any ministry by-passes the speaker and attaches the hearer to Christ and His person. John Piper’s book, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, has grabbed my attention for several reasons. 1) Since I am called on to preach on a regular basis, I am concerned that my preaching is never just to please my audience. 2) The more time I spend in quiet with the Lord, the more He impresses on me the necessity of doing every aspect of ministry for one purpose – HIS GLORY. 3) My growing desire is that every person who hears will want to draw closer to the Lord and “behold the glory of the Lord [and] be transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
“The supremacy of God in preaching demands that displaying and magnifying God’s glory be our constant goal in preaching, that the all-sufficiency of the cross of God’s Son be the conscious validation of our preaching and humiliation of our pride, and that the sovereign work of the Spirit of God be the power in which all this is achieved.” (page 41). I am convinced that when we make these objectives our goal in preaching, God will take care of the results because His glory will be secured. If preaching the gospel of God’s grace saves souls or ignites a deeper hunger for God’s Word, both will glorify God! “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1–2).
“I think what he means by this verse is that he set his mind to be so saturated with the crucifying power of the cross that in everything he said and did, in all his preaching, there would be the aroma of death - - death to self-reliance, death to pride, death to boasting in man, so that the life that people see would be the life of Christ, and the power that people see would be the power of God.” (John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, Baker Books, page 38). WHY? “so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (2:5). How are we to understand what we are observing around the world. As many begin studying God’s Plan for His Disciples, they say, ‘Why has no one told us this from Scripture?’ So many persons who have grown up in a ‘church’ tradition have never been taught (discipled) the basics of the gospel of grace. That was the problem with the Early Christians which the Book of Hebrews addresses.
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). This is a statement of fact, not condemnation. That is why the writer takes thirteen chapters to explain in detail the person and redeeming work of Jesus Christ. It lays a foundation for faith in His person and sacrificial work on the cross. This was the same situation at Ephesus. When Paul went there (Acts 19:1-10), he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (19:2). That was normal in the Early Church, but in their case, “No, we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” The problem was not their faith but the lack of discipling that should go along with proclaiming the gospel of grace. I am convinced that most in the Church today have never been discipled as Scripture teaches us. What should we do? Paul shows us the model in Acts 14:21; “When they had preached the gospel to that city[Derbe], and had made many disciples.” This method will revive the Church, spread the gospel, and multiply disciples. Today we received a text message from a brother in Nepal. This is the first bit of information we have received since Tim and Terry were there introducing God’s Plan for His Disciples in Nepali. “Hello Pastor, Good morning. I have given your books to many church leaders. I am planning to send some books to my friends in India as well. They are in different parts of India. Planning to send some books to Siliguri (West Bengal) and Bangalore as well. I will teach them how to use the book and the purpose of the book (God’s Plan for His Disciples – Nepali). Please be praying. Thanks.” Simon is also distributing GPHD to about 40 churches in Nepal. Please keep him in your prayers. He is a servant who is catching the vision for what God can do when we are submitted to Him and want others to experience the power and authority of God’s Word. Distribution of our training material will be a challenge in a country like this but this commitment will enable him to give a testimony of what God has done in him. Nepali GPHD is also spreading and being taught at that large church in Kathmandu. Though we do not focus on numbers, they have 142 daughter churches in Nepal with over 2,000 cell groups. They eventually want GPHD to be taught in all cell groups. We desire that each disciple move into the unreached people groups along with the other churches since Nepal has the largest number of unreached people groups per capitala in the world. After leaving Bangladesh, Tim and Randy met in Bangkok, Thailand for a couple of days to prepare for introducing God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Two days were spent in wonderful ministry starting with a graduation for those who had completed God’s Plan for His Church (GPHD). This was followed with interactive sessions on GPHC. The plan to be there four days did not work out, so what did the Lord have in mind? With visas in hand for Laos, they decided to spend the next couple of days in Vientiane, Laos. As soon as they arrived, they learned that some of the students had already finished GPHD. These are eager learners who are ready to pass on what they are discovering in Scripture to others. They are true “Bereans” that God is preparing for His work of disciple-making. I have often used this blog to emphasize the importance of disciple-making. It is a central theme in Jesus’ and Paul’s ministry. There is one essential element of being a disciple that cannot be overlooked or minimized. Mark is the only Gospel writer that mentions this part of Jesus’ calling His disciples. Here is his comment:
“And He (Jesus) went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:13–14). It is absolutely correct to emphasize Jesus’ calling and being sent out to preach. Calling is the beginning of a disciple’s relationship with our Lord and Master. Preaching will never happen unless we are called by the Lord, but it may never be effective unless we are “with Him.” That means spending time with the Lord learning His heart for those we take the message to, learning His method of reaching those He sends us to, and receiving His power for assignment. Anything short of these will make our preaching ineffective. This has been an amazing day! It began with a heart-to-heart conversation with one of my “Timothy’s” who is growing in his commitment to serve the Lord. He has gone through many trials and tests which have sharpened his discernment in knowing God’s will and direction in ministry. Then we had eight young disciples in our home for a meal to encourage them in serving the Lord in our local church. This was followed by receiving a picture from our partner in Ecuador, S. America showing young people faithfully going through God’s Plan for Young Disciples in Spanish (see picture). Seeds of God’s Word planted several years ago are bearing fruit in a new generation. I was just downloading this picture and I received a phone call from Tim in Cambodia. Fourteen of thirty-six students just graduated after completing God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD). Vibol’s son John is carrying on the work in Phnom Penh (see picture). Tim and Randy were just starting to introduce God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC) when he called. God has been so faithful over the years to revive what was started. Please pray for this training to take deep roots in God’s Word so it will continue long after we have left it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. |
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