The Spiritual Life Process
The Spiritual Life Process is all about engaging in living life the way Jesus intended. The Bible mentions time and time again that there is a more and better life available to anyone who chooses to fully follow Christ. The Spiritual Life Process is a spiritual map to help us experience all that God has for us in this life.
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A Church Like Jesus – Part 2
As the take-away from this past Sunday’s Vision 2K10 Day, we asked the question – “How do we become a Church Like Jesus?” We came up with single words that described what a Church Like Jesus would look like, feel like and be like.
Here are the words that you came up to describe a Church Like Jesus:
~ Caring
~ Selflessness
~ Loving
~ Non-judgmental
~ Doctrinally sound
~ Active in the community by sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ with others
~ Active in the community by caring for others
~ Consistent
~ Serving
~ Compassion
~ Forgiving
~ Sacrificial
~ Prayer-focused
~ Authentic
~ Uncompromising
~ Courageous
~ Encouraging
~ Exhibit humility
~ Full of praise and worship
~ Focus on people’s needs
Let’s copy this list and pray that TCU would live this out even more in 2010 – and beyond.
A Church Like Jesus – Part 1
This past Sunday, as we looked at the three “lost” stories that Jesus shared with some pretty irate religious leaders of the day in Luke 15, it was clear that the most important person in each story was the “one that was lost.” “Lost” simply means “out of place.” People are out of their place of belonging with God. In Luke 15, Jesus is trying to show these religious leaders that the heart of God is for people who don’t have a personal relationship with him. God’s desire is to bring every single person into a place of belonging with Him by trusting in Jesus Christ.
In this day and age, it seems to me that more and more people appear to be lost. They don’t know who they really are. They don’t know what they’re supposed to do with their lives. They don’t know what’s going to happen to them in the future. The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for people because it paves the way for us to live life with God – to the fullest – now and discover a place of belonging that we never experienced before.
If you think about it, perhaps more than It’s the stories and parables of Jesus that show the that God loves deeply – especially those who don’t know Him. As a take-away from these stories Vision 2K10 Day, we did an open share time and reflection on this question: “How do we become a Church Like Jesus?” (SEE THE PART 2 BLOG FOR THE ANSWER.)
Experiencing Jesus e~Devotional | 5/28
PASSAGE: Matthew 28 [18] Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
INSIGHT: The focus today is on the final command that Jesus gave the disciples here in Matthew 28. After spending just over three years in public ministry and relationship with his disciples, Jesus wanted them to pass on life with God to others: making disciples who make disciples.
A disciple is simply a student who emulates his teacher in everything. So what is this last challenge that Jesus gave his followers here that could be summarixed as – “making disciples who make disciples”? Disciple-making is apprenticing another person in the things that God has shown you as a follower of Christ and then encouraging them to pass it on to a third generation.
Pass on what you heard from me to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2
Disciple-making isn’t complete until there is a third generation.
The levels of learning:
• Teaching – “I do, you watch.”
• Mentoring/Modeling – “We do together.”
• Disciple-making – “You do, I affirm.”
Jesus focused his time on disciple-making. Often, he would model life with God in front of his disciples and then turn them loose to reach others in the towns they visited – “you do, I affirm.” He stretched their faith as he sent them out. They had to rely on God as they went out.
The one challenge that I would leave here is – how many disciples do you have? Who are you pouring into as a follower of Christ so that they can, in turn, pass on life with God to someone else. And the chain of disciple-making goes on and on and on.
PRAYER FOCUS: Ask God to help you identify one person on your life that you can begin building a disciple-making relationship with and begin to fulfill Jesus’ command one person at a time.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TODAY: Once you identify that person that you can pass on life with God to, pray and ask them if they would like to meet weekly for seven weeks to interact about what it means to go deeper spiritually. For example, read the Gospel of John together and discuss how to live out life with God that’s discussed in the gospel. Remember, there are formulas for disciple-making. It can be messy. But, as you enter into an intentional disciple-making relationship with someone, the spiritual joy and rewards are out of this world as you see someone grow in Christ and then pass on life with God to someone else. Disciple-making and helping others to experience Jesus is the greatest adventure that this life offers. Start today. Join God in what he is doing in this world to reconcile others to him and give them “more and better” life.
I hope the best for you on your journey with Jesus.
Experiencing Jesus e~Devotional | 5/28
PASSAGE: John 20 [24] Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” [26] A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
[27] Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” [28] Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” [30] Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. [31] But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
INSIGHT: In this passage in the Gospel of John, Thomas doubts the testimony of the other disciples about the veracity of the resurrection. Doubt is something that we all have struggled with at some point on our spiritual journey. Doubt has become a dirty word in many churches. It shouldn’t be. It’s healthy. If faith is the engine that propels our life, doubts are the brakes that stop us from going down the wrong street. It’s healthy to have doubts. For instance, doubts can lead us to investigate our faith and search for viable reasons to believe that build spiritual confidence. So, doubt, when recognized and addressed, can lead to a healthier, more realistic faith.
But doubt can also be problematic. For instance, it would be unhealthy is to have only doubts, and no faith. That’s like having a car with great brakes, but no engine. You can’t go anywhere.
In this passage, Thomas went too far with his doubt. It overshadowed his faith. It would have been reasonable for him to believe the testimony of the disciples about the resurrection because he had been in relationship with them and Jesus for quite a while.
How are you doing with you own doubts about spiritual things like God, faith or Christianity? Are you dealing with your doubt by seeking viable answers?
PRAYER FOCUS: If you’re struggling with doubt, let God know it. Ask God to help you deal with doubt in a healthy way.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TODAY: List out your spiritual doubts. Take one of them and begin some spiritual investigation about it. If it’s an intellectual issue or something that has to do with believing something in the Bible, start with some online investigation. A great starting place is this blog site. Read the blog series, Faith On Trial. Faith was never intended to be blind. There is a plethora of evidence that supports the basic tenets of Christianity.
