Discipleship is personally transferring the full dimensions of your relationship with Christ to the person you are walking with.  It is not the imparting of spiritual disciplines as much as it is acquainting another with a Person you love.  Paul said that he would teach and urge with all his strength that every person God placed in his life would come to a complete experience of the person of Christ (Colossians 1:24-29).  He was not satisfied with people becoming partially like Christ.  He would not rest until those around him were perfect, or complete, in Christ.  That is, that the fruits of the Spirit were being fully expressed through each life and the character of Christ was reflected in each person (Galatians 5:22-25).

We can mistake Christian activity with becoming like Christ.  Christian activity and Christlikeness are not the same things.  We must not assume that because our friend attends church and reads her Bible, she is growing as a Christian.

Christian activities are an important expression of your relationship with Christ.  They can lead you to a relationship, but the danger is assuming that your religious activity is the relationship.  If you are only encouraging those around you to attend Christian activities, then you have not "discipled" them the way Paul did.  You do your fellow Christians an injustice by teaching them that Christian activity is equal to Christian maturity.  Do not rest until those around you have become "perfect" in Christ.  If God has put new Christians under your care, you have an obligation to "stay with them" until they have reached Christian maturity.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying “Master, Master, we are perishing!”Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
Luke 8:24-25

Truth is a Person, not a concept.  Jesus said He was the Truth (John 14:6).  That means that you can never know the truth of your circumstances unless you have first heard from Jesus.  The disciples thought they were perishing in the storm.  They were fishermen who knew the sea and knew what their condition was.  They had allowed their circumstances to convince them that the “truth” was their imminent death.  But they were wrong.  Truth was asleep in the back of their boat!

Since some of the disciples were fishermen, they trusted in their own expertise and wisdom rather than recognizing that only Jesus knew the truth of their situation.  At times, our human knowledge in certain areas of life can blind us to our desperate need to hear a word from Truth.

When Jesus spoke, the disciples saw the real truth of their situation.  There was absolute calm.  The disciples had seen Jesus perform other miracles, but they had not yet witnessed His power over nature in such a dimension.  Often we are like the disciples.  God may have recently demonstrated His power to us in a mighty way; we may have experienced many spiritual victories in the past.  Yet, when a new and frightening situation comes upon us we, too, panic and say, “Lord save me.  I’m perishing!”  God will remind us of His provision, saying, “I can handle this situation, too, and you will know more of Me because of it.”

Have you become fearful instead of faithful?  If you have, prepare for the rebuke, for it will come.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Originally posted Tue, Mar. 30 2010 at the Christian Post

Evangelical theologians expressed concern at a recent conference that fewer churches in America seem to be preaching the biblical Gospel.

The Gospel is not "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," nor is it "God gives you meaning for life," said Dr. R.C. Sproul, prominent author and founder of Ligonier Ministries.

Sproul was in Los Angeles this past weekend for Ligonier’s West Coast conference, which ran under the theme "Christless Christianity." He was joined by prominent theologians including Dr. Michael Horton, John MacArthur and Peter Jones to examine the popular misunderstandings of the Gospel today.

"Together we’ll sort the true gospel from the gimmickry," conference organizers said.

Objectively, the Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being born under the law, as a human, living a perfect life (by the aid of the Holy Spirit), and giving His life as a substitutionary sacrifice for others, Sproul explained to conference attendees.

But it doesn’t stop there, he continued. By the power of the Holy Spirit He was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and promises to return to consummate His kingdom.

And it is by faith alone – sola fide – that we are justified, he added. Righteousness is imputed to you and appropriated to us by faith alone, the theologian stressed.

The biblical Gospel, however, is not being faithfully preached in many churches, the speakers indicated.

MacArthur, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., specifically criticized one of America’s most well-known pastors – Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston.

He accused Osteen of making Jesus "a footnote in his ministry to satisfy his critics" and for offering "the unregenerate" things that appeal to their immediate desires.

Osteen, MacArthur said, has no biblical understanding of God or man. The Houston pastor teaches that everyone was made to be winners but the idea that man is helpless and hopeless, a loser, is also the most Christian doctrine, MacArthur noted.

Borrowing Osteen’s bestselling book title, MacArthur said this is not "your best life now."

Our best life, he said, is what is to come.

Amid much misguided teachings, Horton noted that a majority of Americans are religious but have their own spiritual playlist.

Christianity for many is just "a subjective affair between the individual and his own construct of God," said Horton, professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California.

The movie of our life is about us and God just has a supporting role, he lamented.

Christians today are shifting from a historic faith towards a more amorphous spirituality – epitomized by the trivializing of God, our human condition, and the salvation wrought by God in Christ for us, Horton said.

The professor called for leaders who will pass down the historic Christian faith and for churches where the Word of God is rightly taught, the sacraments rightly administered, and church discipline practiced.

Ligonier Ministries is an international Christian education organization committed to faithfully present the "unvarnished truth of Scripture and help people grow in their knowledge of God and His Holiness." The Lake Mary, Fla.-based ministry will hold its national conference in June in Orlando.

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness,and sin is lawlessness.
1st John 3:4

It is a dangerous thing to live your life without a spiritual "plum line," or standard, by which you determine right from wrong.  God’s Word is that plumb line.  Spiritual laws, like physical laws, are meant to protect you, not restrict you.  You may exercise your freedom to challenge the laws of electricity, but to do so can bring you death.   Likewise, you will not break God’s laws, they will break you.  God established absolute moral and spiritual laws that we are free to ignore, but we do so at our own peril.  These laws are timeless.  Culture does not supersede them.  Circumstances do not abrogate them.  God’s laws are eternal, and they will save you from death if you follow them.

You may feel that God’s laws restrict and bind you.  On the contrary, God’s Word protects you from death (Romans 6:23).  For example, when God said that you are not to commit adultery, He wanted to free you to experience the fullest pleasure of a marriage relationship.  Furthermore, He knew the devastating heartache that would come to you, your spouse, your children, your relatives, your friends, and your church family if you broke this law.  How important the laws of God are for your life!  Without them, you would be robbed of the delights God has in store for you.

Sin is choosing a standard other than God’s law on which to base your life.  If you are measuring your life by that of your neighbors, or society at large, then you are basing your life on lawlessness, and lawlessness is sin.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Colossians 2:6-8

Grace and peace be with you.

And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

Simon Peter is well known to us for his foolish, extemporaneous statements throughout the Gospels (Matthew 16:22; 17:4; 26:33). But Peter was always seeking after Jesus. Peter followed Jesus from afar during the night of Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:58). Peter ran to the tomb when he heard Jesus had risen (Luke 24:12). Peter did not always say or do the right things, but he did constantly seek to be with Jesus. Because of this, he was continually encountering his Lord and growing to be a more faithful disciple.

Whenever we see Peter coming to Jesus he is always accompanied by others. Because Peter was seeking Jesus, others sought Him too. What are you known for by those who know you best? Do they see you searching for fame, power, success, or happiness? Are you known as a person who seeks after Jesus? God promises: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Did you begin today intent on encountering Jesus? Is your search for Him halfhearted, or are you seeking Him with all your heart? Have others grown closer to Jesus because they followed your example and sought Jesus? If your heart is set on pursuing Jesus, you will always find Him. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come” (Revelation 22:17).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
John 6:65

Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, He never seemed intimidated by the crowds.  Instead, He looked into the multitudes and focused on those whom His Father was sending to Him.  Jesus knew that because of sin, no one naturally seeks after God.  Sinful man’s inclination is to hide from God, rather than to come to Him (Genesis 3:8; Psalm 14:1-3).  Therefore, whenever Jesus saw that the Father was drawing a person to Himself, Jesus immediately began relating to that person.

Jesus observed the great lengths to which the despised tax collector, Zacchaeus, had gone in order to see Him pass by.  In response, Jesus immediately left the crowd and spent time with this man in whom the Father was obviously working (Luke 19:1-10).  When Jesus noticed a man following after Him, Jesus spoke to Andrew, “Come!” (John 1:39).  Every time the disciples experienced a new insight into the truths of God, Jesus recognized that it was the Father who had been at work in their lives (Matthew 16:17).

As your desire to spend time alone with Jesus, recognize that this is the Father drawing you to His Son.  You do not seek quiet times with God in order to experience Him.  The fact that He has brought you to a place of fellowship with Him is evidence that you are already sensing His activity.  As you read the Scriptures and pray, trust that God will honor your response to His leading by teaching you more about Himself.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Location: 1007 SW “F” Avenue (Across from Mt. Scott Feed)

When: 23 January, 2010

Time:  Doors open at 6:00 pm

For more information call: 695-8000

Donations accepted

One mark of revival, during which God comes to His people in power, is that God’s people are compelled to offer their lives for His service. Many churches lack people who are willing to get involved in carrying out God’s redemptive work. The mission fields are crying out for Christians to go and share the gospel with those who’ve never heard it. What we need is not more pleas for volunteers, but an outpouring of the power of God. When God comes among His people in power, there is never a shortage of volunteers or resources for His work!

When Christians today are asked what aspects of the Christian life are most important to them, missions is not usually ranked as a priority. This is because we have lost track of why God called us in the first place. We were not saved from our sin simply so that we would qualify for heaven. God delivered us so we would have a relationship with Him through which He could carry out His mission to redeem a lost world.

Only the power of God can free us from our natural self-centeredness and reorient us toward the mission of God. There is no need to pray that God would come in power. That is the only way He ever comes. We need hearts that are so responsive to Him that He will choose to demonstrate His power through us. Is your heart so filled with love for God that you are watching for the first opportunity to say with Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!”?

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Hebrews 4:12

Does God’s word ever cause you discomfort? When you read the Bible does what you read make you uneasy? Do you find when you listen to sermons, that the Scripture seems aimed directly at you? You are experiencing the reality that the word of God is alive and can read your thoughts and judge your intentions.

When God’s word speaks to you, it is always for a purpose. God knows your heart and knows what you need to do to bring your life into conformity to Christ. If you have a problem with sinful talk, the word that comes to you will address the tongue. If you are struggling to forgive, God’s word will confront you with His standard for forgiveness. If pride has a stronghold in your life, God’s word will speak to you about humility. Whatever sin needs addressing, you will find you are confronted by God’s word on the matter.

One way you can escape the discomfort of conviction is to avoid hearing God speak to you. You may neglect reading your Bible and stay away from places where it is taught. You may avoid those whom you know will uphold the truths of Scripture. The best response, however, is to pray as the psalmist did: "Search me, O God, and know my heart" (Psalm 139:23). Regularly allow the word of God to wash over you and find any sin or impurity (Ephesians 5:26). Always make the connection between your life and what God is saying to you through His word. Make a habit of taking every word from God seriously, knowing that it is able to judge your heart and mind.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day