Rethinking Discipleship: The Science of “Wine”

Let’s get scientific, shall we? 

Many secularists accuse Christians, especially Evangelicals, of being at best unfriendly to science. Some of our long held beliefs tend toward raising doubts, at least for some, about the lack of scientific integrity of our Christian faith. Dogmatism can be especially opposed to scientific inquiry. 

Of course, much of this is rooted in misunderstanding and can be challenged at the worldview level. Certainly, just because we can’t prove something doesn’t dismiss the possibility of it being true. Such an attitude would itself be unscientific. Science must maintain an openness toward the new and in the process of discovery.

Science (from Latin scientia), meaning "knowledge," is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about all things related to life in our universe. Not that all things can be explained and that’s not the role of science to do so, but all things can be examined and explored, which is the proper role of science. 

The problem is that the Church for too long has held to an “unscientific” posture, lacking knowledge, of how to best make disciples. We get stuck in an old paradigm that simply is not working to produce reproducing and multiplying disciples. 

Jesus addresses this “stuckness,” when he says in Matthew 9:17: 

 “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus was explaining why the church leaders of his time got stuck and the need for a paradigm shift. 

According to Thomas Kuhn, in his influential book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” (1962), a paradigm shift is a change in the basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science or knowledge. 

What Jesus was telling the church leaders of his time in Matthew 9:17 was that long held assumptions needed changing. The knowledge system, regarding God’s will and his ways as they were being expressed for God’s purposes by God’s people, was in need of change. What Jesus was starting– a new wineskin for new wine - would be different than what came before. 

Jesus himself is the new wine (Mark 14:23-25). He came to bring new knowledge (Luke 1:77). He also came to replace a religious system that was ineffective, broken and stuck for hundreds of years not accomplishing God’s purposes. The knowledge was outdated and not working. It was time to explore something new and workable. 

To the church leaders of his time Jesus said: 

 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” (Luke 11:52).

How unscientific of them! But let’s fast forward now to the 21^st Century.  

Every indication is that the Church is failing at one key area that Jesus instructed his followers to do – “make disciples” – especially in the West. From only 1 in 10 U.S. Christians who have a Biblical worldview, to mega-studies of a mega-church that prove disciples are not being made, to studies that demonstrate just how “Unchristian” too many Christian are – our “science” should tell us that we are in need of a new paradigm – a new wineskin. 

In Steve Addison’s excellent book, “What Jesus Started –Joining the Movement Changing the World,” Steve shares a story about Julius Ebwongu, a Ugandan church planter, and about a paradigm shift that Ebwongu led. The case study Addison examines is of a disciple-making/church planting movement that is changing the Church of Uganda, at least for one denomination who embraced a new wine skin. The Ugandan Assembles of God grew from 240 churches in 2004 to over 5000 in just over five years. 

Why did this happen? God used Ebwongu to change the existing paradigm of church leadership. Ebwongu challenged the unspoken assumptions, the old wine skin, regarding the nature of the church and who was qualified to make disciples, plant and lead churches. They explored how Jesus made disciples. 

Perhaps we can learn a lot from Ebwongu’s example, as well as others God is using to change the paradigm and establish a new wine skin (see the most recent edition of Mission Frontiers). Is there any reason we should operate under old science when we have new knowledge of what is working?

The challenge of course, as Jesus points out in Luke 5:39 is that “no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” But shouldn’t we be scientific about it, use good scientific method to examine the available data, and make some new discoveries about this ‘new wine’? My friend J.D. Payne also makes this missiological point in this recent post.

Addison offers us two grace points to consider when he reminds us: “First, we should not be surprised when we don’t 'get it.' Our training, knowledge and experience do not guarantee clarity and accuracy…We can assume there are huge gaps in our understanding that by ourselves we cannot bridge….” Such is the nature of science. 

And, “there is a second reality…God is in charge of his mission. We can expect God to intervene, even shake us to the core, to reveal his purposes.” 

Science needs to ask good questions. Jesus asked lots of questions including, “Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51). Below is a comparative chart of the old wine skin and the new wine skin adapted from “What Jesus Started.” Let me know what you think.

The knowledge of what is working today should challenge all church leaders to rethink discipleship, as God reveals his purposes, for Living Sent Today.

Personal Reflection: Remembering April 13th

April 13th is a very significant day, for me.

It was 35 years ago today that my darling Debbie and I had our very first date, pizza and Superman (circa 1979). I still remember the small little peck she gave me on my cheek as she bolted from my car.

It was 7 years ago on this date that I was lying on an operating table and a cancer battle would begin.

Both happened on Friday the 13th - 28 years apart.

I would definitely choose the first again, for my darling Debbie has blessed by life in countless ways, as a faithful wife, best friend, life partner, mother of my two children, a truly Proverbs 31 woman of God, beautiful inside and out. My darling Debbie has stood by my side through life, through "good times and bad, in sickness and in health." She has made me "rich" in ways I too often don't express. Honey, I love you - always and 4ever!

I think I would also choose the last seven years again, of battling a rare form of cancer. Why? Because it was obviously God's will for my life. That doesn't make it an easy choice but I know that through this journey he has revealed his faithfulness time and again, deepened my faith, and given me a perspective of who he is for me that I would not otherwise have. Sure, it would have been nice to have not had to deal with the suffering and pain, the life sentence of a drug that keeps me alive, but the loss would be the work God has done in my life, the understanding of who he is even through the trials and tribulations.

My life verse is James 1:2-4:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

The "anything" cannot be purchased with money, it cannot be bartered for or acquired by any worldly means. The "anything" is not of this world but is rather an eternal reality, an abding faith, a deep assurance that can only be entered by a soveriegn work of God.

Have you considered that God loves you so much that he allows your suffering, your trials, your hardship? He does. When we submit to his will for our lives we gain a better understanding of our trials. God sets the standards for "testing" in our lives for one glorious purpose - so that we will be "mature and complete" - in Christ. He who has begun a good work will see it to completion, so that we are "not lacking anything." That is anything he wants for us. Can it get any better than that?

Thank you, Lord, for loving me so much that you gave me my darling Debbie to take this life journey with. Thank you, that you loved me so much that you worked through this seven year cancer battle to "mature and complete" in me your purposes so that one day I would "not lack anything." Thank you, Lord, that you are not finished with me yet and that together with my darling Debbie. we can trust in your good, pleasing and perfect will as you work out your plan for our lives. We love you, Lord, because you first loved us.

Rethinking Evangelism: 8 Questions Jesus Asked

I got to thinking about asking questions this past weekend. That’s good, right?

With about 120 other pastors and leaders, I had the opportunity to participate in a four day training seminar with Kevin Greeson in Austin, Texas.

If you don’t know about Kevin’s work, he is the author of “The CAMEL Method – How Muslims are Coming to Faith in Christ.” I had heard of this resource for a few years now but had only limited exposure to it and have just ordered his book.

What Kevin does is simple and reproducible. He asks Muslims questions from their own context, their own understanding -- right from the Qur’an (or Koran). This is what is called ‘Qur’anic bridging.’ The idea is to use what the Qur’an does say about Jesus, or Isa, to probe what Muslims understand, as a bridge back to the Bible, which leads to sharing the Gospel – who is Jesus.

For some reason this method has met with some controversy and pushback, probably because some people just aren’t asking the right questions. Ya think?

We can think we understand how to present 'the Gospel' but do we understand where people are at? Do we think about how they might be thinking about whatever it is they are thinking about? What obstacles of understanding do they have to hearing Jesus’ message?

Greeson’s ‘CAMEL Method,’ a form of pre-evangelism, uses what a Muslim might, or might not, understand about his worldview and his faith, and about the Qur'an, to get them to think outside their “box.”

We all have a “box” we think in and we may seldom challenge our thinking, our presuppositions, to ask good questions. That is why we end up with the same results we’ve been getting. The working definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results, right? But if we are to be more effective at sharing with Muslims, or anyone for that matter, maybe we need to ask better questions?

There’s more to it than that, of course, so I got to thinking about Jesus or rather asking “what would Jesus do?” Isn’t that always a good question? An even better question is "What did Jesus do?"

Jesus always met people right where they were and Jesus asked a lot of questions. Being fully God, certainly Jesus knew what people were thinking but he asked anyway. Maybe we should as well?

The thing about asking questions is that those questions aren’t always meant for us simply to acquire knowledge. Jesus asked questions to get people thinking!  May we could use his model?

We know that Muslims really don’t understand Isa and that the Qur’an contains some wrong ideas about Jesus. By asking questions however we allow Muslims to discover truth for themselves. Yes, we need to be prepared to bridge them into the Bible but we don’t need to be experts in Islam, or for that matter Theologians, to share our faith with Muslims. We just need to love them enough to ask the right questions. Perhaps that applies to more than just Muslims?

Asking good questions allows us to come as learners and come from a posture of humility, if we are sincerely interested in the life of our Muslim friends, and others. It’s arrogance to just tell people what we know. We erect barriers to understanding by doing so. Jesus didn’t do this in his ministry. Rather what we see Jesus doing is asking good questions.

Below are seven powerful questions Jesus asked in different contexts in the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 13:51 - “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

Matthew 15:16 - “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. (Probably only Jesus should ask this question?)

Matthew 16:8 - Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?”

Matthew 16:13 - he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Matthew 17:25 - Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?”

Matthew 20:32 - Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?”

Matthew 22:41-42 - While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

I will get to the eighth question in a moment.  

The two questions that Kevin Greeson begins with in the ‘CAMEL Method’ are these, “Can you help me?” “and "Can I ask your thoughts behind the meaning of two verses in the Qur’an?”  The first question puts us in the posture of a learner, and I know I certainly have a lot to learn about Islam and Muslims. The second question leads into a discussion about  “was Isa only a Prophet?” toward answering Jesus' question “who do people say that I am?”

The third question Greeson asks is this: “What do you think this means?”  Without getting to this question, our Muslim friend is not challenged to think outside their “box.”

Like most Christians (only 1 in 10 having a Biblical worldview), most Muslims really don't understand their faith. Like most Christians, they only know what they have grown up with. But the good news is that many are seeking truth and willing to have a spiritual conversation, if only we know how to lead them their. Greeson shows that asking good questions is the way to accomplish that task.

In the West our teaching methodology, or pedagogy, as well as our evangelism and discipleship, is too often a one-way exchange -- telling others. This gets expressed in how we "preach" the Good News. While Jesus did tell us “that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached” (Matthew 24:14), and Jesus and the Apostles demonstrated this method as well, what we see Jesus doing frequently is asking questions.

Carl Medearis shares in his fine book “Muslims, Christiansand Jesus – Gaining Understanding and Building Bridges”:

“I believe the most important question of all is found in the annals of the New Testament and was aimed at Peter. Jesus asked, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ (Matthew 16:15-16). I believe that if we introduce people to Jesus, he will take the responsibility of asking each person the same question. Jesus revealed himself to every person who earnestly sought him. Should we believe now that he has ceased to do so?”

Not when Jesus’ promise is, “I am with you always to the every end of the age!” (Matthew 28:20).

Are we willing to allow people to discover who Jesus is for them, by asking good questions?   

Asking questions will help us point people to Jesus, more than telling them what we know about him. Real relationships require asking questions for Living Sent Today. 

Rethinking Discipleship: 12 Disciple-Making Essentials from Luke 10

Many are talking about "making disciples" these day. But what exactly is disciple-making, really?

What disciple making, or discipleship, has become in most American churches is a program for becoming the best ‘Christian’ an individual can be, whatever that may look like.

Certainly we are called to pursue personal holiness (Ephesians 1:4, Hebrews 12:14, James 1:27) and to grow in the knowledge of the Lord (Colossians 1:10). That’s great...unless it is the only result of our discipleship.

In our self-focused marketing-driven culture, the problem with most discipleship models is that they are, well, self-focused. If I only read this book, attend that seminar, go to that conference, study my Bible, and pray – I can be all that Jesus wants me to be. Or so popular thought goes.

Then we struggle, in our own power, to become that better person and have the ‘ideal Christian home.’  This model of discipleship sells big in the U.S.A., to the tune of many billions of dollars per year.

This is not what Jesus taught as discipleship. Jesus taught his disciples to “teach them to obey” not “teach them everything I taught you” and there is a huge difference.  We are over-educated beyond our level of obedience. The result is we have large and growing churches that are not making disciples.

Jesus taught his disciples to put God’s mission first (Matthew 28:19-20), to put the welfare of others second (Matthew 25:40) and to share life with them – just as he did. That is how we love God and others best (John 14:15). Which is why Jesus sent his disciples out – first the 12 and then the 72.

In Luke 10 (may I recommend you read the chapter before you continue), we learn a lot about how Jesus made disciples and what was important to him in the process. Let’s look briefly at 12 disciple-making essentials, what we need understand to make disciples, from this passage:

1.       Jesus elects us to mission

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others.”

Jesus had initially sent out the first 12 on a mission training exercise. Either from the fruit of their disciple-making or from Jesus’ own ministry as he set the example, a new crop of disciples is sent out. This now growing band of disciples had been “appointed” by Jesus.  The word “appointed” means to proclaim any one as elected to office. We are “elected” by Jesus to be his messengers, his ambassadors (2.2 Corinthians 5:20) to represent him. This is not a role we self-elect but rather are chosen for (1 Peter 2:9 ). The word “appointed” also means to “lift up anything on high and exhibit it for all to behold.”  Being “elected” to God's mission is a high calling that must be taken seriously and it is a call for all believers.

2.       Jesus directs our going  

“and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.”

Jesus directs are going in two ways. First, there are no lone rangers in disciple-making. Jesus sent out his disciples in teams of two. We can conclude that this was done not only for companionship but for accountability. Second, we can make our plans but Jesus directs our path (Psalm 37:23), which is more about attitude than location.

3.       Jesus instructs us how to pray

“He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'”

Prayer is essential for the task of disciple-making, as it is to the mission of God, as the abundance of opportunity is overwhelming. The fact is today that we don't really have a shortage of workers. As one church planting friend puts it, "There is no shortage of workers. The workers are in the barn, instead of in the field." We need to pray that the "barn" doors would be opened. 

4.       Jesus sends us out

“Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

Jesus was well aware of the challenges and hazards of the mission he is sending his disciples on but he sends us out anyway. No soldier should enter battle unaware of the perils (2 Timothy 2:3). Jesus  does not want us to be unprepared. As he was sent, he sends us out (John 20:21).

5.       Jesus taught dependence on God

“Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.”

Our dependence is on God alone. Our focus is to be on the task. Jesus was saying do not be distracted from your assignment. There is a sense of urgency and priority in what Jesus was communicating here. How often do we allow even good things to get in the way of great things (Luke 9:57-62)?

6.       Jesus instructs us who to look for 

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.”

The term “house of peace” is used today to describe this particular instruction of Jesus. What Jesus is saying is that as we “go” we are to look for those places where God is already at work. When we come in the name of Jesus and we are received, if our message is received, that is where God is at work (John 6:44). We are to stay and develop a relationship, not randomly move from “house to house.” We are to work strategically where God is already at work.

7.       Jesus instructs us what to do

“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’"

The two part mission Jesus sends his disciples on is serve the needs of others and proclaim the Kingdom. We should not separate these two, because Jesus doesn’t. One may follow the other effectively as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead. The Kingdom is more than a message of salvation. It is a living reality where the will of God is done - “on earth as it is in heaven.” That is why the “heal the sick” is so instrumental to the “tell them” about the Kingdom, and vice versa.

8.       Jesus will be rejected

“But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’”

The point here is don’t waste time on those who are not receptive, there are many waiting to hear. What Jesus is saying needs to be understood in the context of the culture of that time. We should be confident in our Kingdom message, while extending a blessing to those who do not receive it. It is simply our job to go and tell, to plant seeds, look for where it is taking root and cultivate that new growth.

9.       Jesus is the message

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

When people reject our message, they are not rejecting us but the one who sends us. We should not take personally such rejection, but pray that the Lord would open their hearts to receive his word. This should help us to overcome the fear of rejection. Jesus is the message (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ).

10.   Jesus 'name' is power  

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'”

Good things happen when we follow Jesus instructions, because Jesus’ 'name' is the power of life and death. Jesus' 'name' is everything that he has revealed about himself.

11.   Jesus overcomes the world

"He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'”

Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). The enemy is a defeated foe, in the authority of Christ, which means we can be assured that as we follow Jesus pattern of disciple making, we can anticipate Kingdom results. It is not our work that makes the difference but Jesus and our obedience to “go” as he commands.

12.   Jesus rejoices at obedience

“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.’”

Our obedience yields Kingdom results that brings great joy to Jesus. All glory to God!

At the conclusion of this now second short term mission trip. Jesus declares this amazing truth:

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

We are so greatly privileged to be disciples of Jesus!

The more I learn about discipleship Jesus' way, the more I realize just how simple Jesus model of disciple making really is. It can be boiled down to this…

A. It’s all about Jesus

B. It’s not about me, myself and I

C. Therefore, go and share Jesus with others

This is not to discount training in theology, missiology, sotierology, or cosmology. All training however should serve the process of disciple-making that is Jesus-focused. Our knowledge does often get in the way of our understanding (1 Corinthians 8:1).

He must increase we must decrease (John 3:30). There is no better way for living sent today!   

Rethinking the Gospel: Chicken or Egg Theology?

Word or deed? Deed or word? Which comes first?

The question is like asking the proverbial question, “which came first the chicken or the egg?” The answer is that one is intrinsic to the other. 

Many wrestle with which comes first or, more to the point, which is more important – Word or deed? My answer is ‘and/both. ’ They are both essential to the other. 

Jesus didn’t separate the two when he sent his disciples out and neither should we. What we need more than ever today is a whole Gospel for the whole person for that is what Jesus taught his disciples. 

In Luke 10 we read about a training exercise that Jesus sent seventy-two of his disciples out on. This story has been rediscovered for the powerful principles it teaches us about making disciples (more on that in another post). Today, I want to focus on two important points from this story, as they relate to the whole Gospel. 

I. The whole Gospel includes Prayer and Action

We read in Luke 10:1-2, “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

Many today know this passage as a call to prayer for laborers. It certainly is that. Praying Luke 10:2 is even a prayer initiative, with thousands taking a moment to pray at 10:02am each morning for more workers. Prayer is vital to the mission of God. But we cannot stop at prayer because Jesus didn’t. He continues.

“Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:3). 

When I teach Perspectives students this passage the question I always ask is, “do you know what happens next?” The seventy-two go out on a short-term mission trip to the cities Jesus was going to visit. They become the answer to their own prayers for laborers for the harvest. 

Many today believe they are called to intercession alone. While there are certainly Biblical and historical examples of men and women given to intercession, Jesus never separated prayer from action, praying and going must work together.  What we really need for the Kingdom today is not simply more prayer for laborers. Our first priority must be more praying laborers. 

William Carey, one of the great pioneer missionaries of the late 18^th and early 19^th Centuries, takes away the excuse from those who simply want to be pray-ers when he said: "If you want the Kingdom speeded, go out and speed it yourselves. Only obedience rationalizes prayer. Only Missions can redeem your intercessions from insincerity." 

II.  The whole Gospel is Word and Deed

As we pray and go what should our message be? What should we do? Jesus gives further instruction in verse 9 when he instructs the seventy-two that they are to “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (NIV)

Many assume that this healing of the sick was miraculous and being myself a recipient of miraculous healing I don’t discount that this may have been so in some cases. We do see miraculous healing power at work in Peter's ministry, in the Book of Acts (Acts 4:30). But there is no evidence to suggest that these disciples were performing miracles and we should not read that into the text.

Instead, what we see is Jesus instructing his disciples to serve the needs of the those who are weak, infirm, feeble – the vulnerable and marginalized, the outcast and broken, the confused and despairing – the sinner. The word “sick” is translated from the Greek ‘asthenēs’ which means all of these things. 

We know that Jesus came to seek and save the least (Matthew 25:40), the last (Matthew 19:30) and the lost (Luke 19:10). He sent his disciples out to do likewise, in his authority. He calls us to a life of service (Mark 9:35).

Jesus sent his disciples out to “heal the sick.” The Greek for 'heal' is ‘therapeuō’ from which we get our word ‘therapy.’ In the Greek, ‘therapeuō’ means to serve, do service, to heal, cure, restore to health. Jesus was as concerned with the physical, emotional and financial (read proper attitude about money) wellbeing of people, as he was with their spiritual condition.   

Jesus also taught his disciples to share the good news that the Kingdom of God had come near. There was now hope for restoration and redemption. Salvation had finally come in the person of the Messiah. This was more than sharing good news, a salvation message, but "proclaiming" a new reality – the Kingdom of God was breaking in. The offer was to repent and believe (Mark 1:15) to receive the new life being offered. 

Is it instructive that Jesus put the “heal the sick” before the “tell them" about the kingdom of God? It was as if Jesus was saying, “Demonstrate my love and mercy by acts of service so that my message will be received.” But the message is of paramount importance because without repentance and believing no one can enter the Kingdom of God, present and future. 

Rethinking the Gospel

Like the chicken and the egg, both word and deed are in fact intrinsic to the other. Only God knows the answer to the “chicken or egg” quandary.

So which are we to put first? I have dear friends who have distinct differences on this point. Some insist that we must put the “tell them" first. Others insist that the “Heal the sick” part comes first. 

Some add the additional requirement that we need to earn the right to share the Gospel.  I don’t know how many times I have heard or seen this thought, of earning the right, expressed today in our Christian culture.  There is however no Biblical support for the idea. 

In fact, there is no logical reason why we must earn the right to share good news. Do you need to earn the right to give someone a free gift, something that you also have freely received? People do not have to receive the gift, we are not force it on anyone (another instruction given in Luke 10), but there is no reasonable way to earn a right to pass along something that is free. It must be offered graciously  - freely we have received, freely give. 

What we must do is allow the Holy Spirit to direct which comes first as we continue to live our lives as sent ones.

Certainly there are times when the “heal the sick” should come first. Someone starving needs to be fed. But there are many times when what people need the most is a message of hope. Many today need authentic relationship, which Jesus also taught about in Luke 10 (which is for another post).

We are called to live a whole Gospel life, because that is the Gospel Jesus preached and taught his disciples to live out. The “whole” Gospel speaks to the Hebrew concept of shalom and we need to recapture the essence of this reality for Christianity in the 21^st Century. 

We must minister to the spiritual needs of people, as well as their physical, emotional and financial needs. If any one of these four is not in right order, there is a lack of wholeness, of shalom, and we need to apply the Gospel in that area. 

Asking the question, "which comes first," isn’t asking the right question. The right question is what should I do about both? Word and deed, prayer and action must come together into a cohesive whole, as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus taught and sent his disciples out to “preach” a whole Gospel, as seen in Luke 10.  That is the way we must “go” for living sent today. 

What do you think?

Rethinking Recap #1: Personhood, Principles, and Propaganda

Famously Facebook asks, “What’s on your mind?” Potentially, it is a profound question.

This past week I came across this Facebook photo that I thought speaks well to where we are as a culture. Yes, on one level it is amusing, and it’s always good to laugh at ourselves. On another, it is also indicative of what we have become as a society, what we think is important and how we relate to others. 

At our fingertips is the stored knowledge of humanity, even as Daniel 12:4 foretold, that we too often use for the meaningless and mundane while the culture decays around us. 

As a new occasional post on my blog, I will recap some of what I have been thinking and shared recently on social media – a Rethinking Recap. On social media, I do occasionally engage in conversations, sometimes debate but try these days to avoid “arguments with strangers.”  

This Rethinking Recap will spotlight some of the better conversations I’ve been having, hopefully. This week, these posts can be boiled down to Personhood, Principles and Propaganda. 

Personhood

My friend, Dr. Paul Louis Metzger, blogs at “Uncommon God,Common Good” asked this question this past week: “What is a Person?” Most likely, when we think about this question, if we ever do, we simply assume that “we” are persons. But it is actually a provocative question to consider in relation to this Facebook image and what is truly important. Here was my response: 

 “Okay, here's my attempt to answer the question: "We hold these truth to be self-evident" that if we are created in the "image of God" we are a person. Whether we fully grasp personhood is I think a journey of discovering all it means to be made in the image of God. Descartes "Cogito ergo sum" leads us in that direction, since to think about these things gives us a created capacity to grasp the Creator. As Kierkegaard, questioning Descartes, points out concerning the "Cogito ergo sum," we can assume existence. And, perhaps, that is what a person is, a created being,made in the imago Dei, who is self-aware and has a capacity to ask the question "What is a person?" But what of a fetus? We do not know at what point the fetus becomes self-aware, so we should protect that life so that the ability develops to do so. I am sure there is more to it than that.”

In response to another poster who suggested that he preferred the thinking of Martin Buber over Descartes, I added:

“The point is not about Descartes, since as I also pointed out Kierkegaard thought Descartes was simply stating the obvious. The point was about being self-aware as unique individuals in the imago Dei, as a definition of Personhood. The Trinity requires an incomprehensible self-awareness by the unique Persons of the Godhead which informs their ability to relate and be as One. To even begin to approach the ideal of the Trinitarian community requires a healthy, the better term would be Shalom, level of self-awareness and self-acceptance of our uniqueness, such as exists in the Trinity. The image of God inherently implies relationship with God and others, in redeemed community. But to quote Buber, “We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves." But thanks Steve for your comment.

Principles

Miguel Labador blogs at “God Directed Deviations.” I like Miguel because he tends to think outside the box, as the name of his blog implies. In his recent post, “Putting all your Eggs in the ‘Person of Peace’ Basket. Another Look at Luke 10” Miguel asks three questions regarding the Biblical principle of finding a “Person of Peace” to share the Gospel with. If you are not familiar with this term, in comes from Jesus instructions to his disciples in Luke 10. Here was my answer to these questions: 

1. Have we made entirely too much of this doctrine? Why or why not?

I don’t know if I would call Person of Peace/Luke 10 a doctrine but rather a principle and the disciple-making that is emerging from the application of this principle a philosophy of ministry. This philosophy is rooted in actively discovering where God is working and joining him there. Certainly we can make anything related to a spiritual principle into a system or program and when we do it can become something other than intended.

2. Should we seek to make many persons of peace and let the Lord sort them out, or is that counter productive?

We don’t “make” persons of peace, that was not Jesus implication in Luke 10. Rather, again, we discover them, build relationships with them, and disciple them. One of the keys to understanding this philosophy of “Person of Peace” is John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them”

3. We stumble on these people of peace by going out and announcing the Gospel of the Kingdom. Shouldn’t that be our primary concern?

This question doesn’t follow from #2 but it better speaks to the philosophy of ministry that emerges from Luke 10. Yes, our primary focus should be to live the Gospel everywhere and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal who the Father is drawing. Because it is the Holy Spirit at work in the life of a Person of Peace they will self-identify. I think the clearest Biblical example of this is Cornelius.

If you want to know more about this Person of Peace principle, the latest edition of Mission Frontiers covers this in some detail. Living and teaching these principles is where the Lord has directed my ministry, so this subject is near and dear to my heart. I’ll be blogging about this subject more in 2014, as I believe we need to refocus our attention on some basic principles that we can glean from Jesus example. 

Propaganda  

While doing some quick research in response to the Personhood post, I came across this quote from Martin Buber, which I posted to Facebook with the accompanying comment: 

 “'The real struggle is not between East and West, or capitalism and communism, but between education and propaganda.’ Martin Buber. Unfortunately, today in our nation, propaganda is winning the day and our education system is failing miserably.” 

Propaganda is used to convince us an idea is the right way to move us in a direction we may not want to go. It is found across the ideological spectrum with extremes that miss the truth, on both sides as Buber points out. In our sound-bite culture, both sides use propaganda to convince us that their way is right. Propaganda wins when our education system does not produce people who can think for themselves. When that happens we see the rise of totalitarianism, as those with better propaganda win sway over the uninformed. The real struggle, of course, is against powers and principalities in high places ( ) that seek to keep us in the darkness - uneducated. Now reconsider again the photo above in light of this fact.

How do these three - Personhood, Principles and Propaganda – relate? 

When we realize who we are in Christ, understand the principles he has established for us to live by, we won’t buy the propaganda of our culture and will be freed for Living Sent Today.