CHANGE

How many times have you come across a tip jar at your favorite coffee shop that has a hand written paper sign attached to it encouraging you to leave a few coins behind.  The most common one I’ve seen goes something like this, “Fear change? Leave it here.”  To which I reply in my mind, “I like change, and not just the round metallic kind.” I then grab my extra foamy latte and head back out into the world without leaving a tip.

Life is full of change, bad, many times unnoticeable other times for good.  The moment we’re conceived we begin to change.  In fact if you aren’t facing change your dead.  I read a quote today that illuminates this topic today, “The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”  Spoken by Harold Wilson former British Prime Minister during the 60’s and 70’s.  For the purpose of our discussion today I am editing Mr. Wilson’s quote to say, “The only human institution which rejects progress is the church.”

 

The discussion isn’t whether or not the church is a “human institution”.  For the record, I love the church in all of its expressions and believe it’s God’s model, but that is another entry waiting to be written.  Today we need to look at change as it pertains to the church and why we the church are so reluctant to embrace it.

Change in the church isn’t a new topic.  In Acts Chapter 6:11-14 we see Stephen accused of promoting change and it costs him his life.   Why was the reaction of the current church leadership so violent in its opposition to healthy change? 

A wise musician once sang, “The key to change… is to let go of fear.”  Fear is an enemy of change.  There are healthy types of fear that keep us from sticking our hands in a campfire and there are unhealthy fears that control us and keep us from living life abundantly.  God reminds us “Perfect love cast’s out fear” and Paul reminded Timothy, “You were not given a spirit of fear…” The fear of change is an unhealthy fear when it comes to the church and one that leads the church to decay and die.  Still, some of us are stubborn enough to cling to the attitude that “Change is bad.” And we insist as W. Edwards Deming did that, “It's not necessary to change.  Survival is not mandatory." 

Life is full of change, bad, many times unnoticeable other times for good.  The moment we’re conceived we begin to change.  In fact if you aren’t facing change your dead.  I read a quote today that illuminates this topic today, “The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”  Spoken by Harold Wilson former British Prime Minister during the 60’s and 70’s.  For the purpose of our discussion today I am editing Mr. Wilson’s quote to say, “The only human institution which rejects progress is the church.”

I don’t think that God wants to replace anyone who is willing to work with Him.  He does desire for us to abide in him so that we remain moldable and responsive to the prompting of his spirit.  The only time we see people replaced, so to speak, is when they outright refuse to submit to Spirit led change.  God’s plan will not be stopped by our stubborn refusal to change.  And according to advertising executive Bruce Barton, “When your through changing, your through.”

Discomfort is another reason we avoid change.  As Americans we go to great lengths to avoid discomfort.  Most of the innovations in the past 100 years are focused on efficiency and comfort.  Last week as I was flying across the US and I was bored, so I dug into the seat pocket in front of me and pulled out the “SKY MALL” catalogue.  It’s full of all sorts of contraptions to make my life more comfortable.  Blankets with sleeves, alarm clocks that gently encourage me to wake up.  There were even fancy stepladders to help my old dog climb into bed with me, all of which my minimalistic missionary heart found unnecessary.

In my previous life (life before missions) I was a public school teacher.  And it’s not uncommon in the world of education to find old teachers who are unwilling to adapt.  They have developed their system of teaching, more for survival than success, and are unwilling to incorporate new techniques no matter how effective they are.  Adapting to change and including new methodology causes discomfort and it takes more energy and thought because it requires learning and real work.  Let not the church be lazy, instead let's be willing to work to wrestle and strain leaving it all on the field as we labor alongside the Lord of the Harvest.  Try to embrace Spirit led change.

The proverbial winds of change arise again with each new generation as they seek to practice their faith in a way that’s relevant to them.  George Bernard Shaw expresses perfectly the complaints the next generation has in regards to the church,   “The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me.  The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.“   We the church, could learn so much from the wise tailor who understood that he needed to take new measurements.  We can’t expect the next generation or culture or subculture to fit the current model of church no matter how attached we are to it.

I realize this is difficult for some, for we simply love the now decaying model of church.  After all it worked for me and I turned out all right.  Right?  Nostalgia can get in the way of Spirit led change.  As the French poet Anatole once lamented, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”  Are you willing to leave a part of yourself behind to discover a new facet of God and life and church?

 

Although our God is unchanging he is a God of change.  He has changed my heart, mind and my future.  He is anything but dead and our lives and churches must reflect that. Navigating change requires greater intimacy with God and that always produces lasting change in our life.  Sometimes we are unable to budge our circumstances but we can with God’s help transform how we think and respond to all of life’s changes. “Change” it’s more than a political campaign slogan it’s a reality.  Embrace it or your as good as dead.

Discipleship: The Heart of the Matter

While thinking about the title and subtitle of this month’s blog post these are a few of the thoughts that came streaming in.  Discipleship: What is it? Discipleship: Who’s makin’em?  Discipleship: What we’re not doing.  Discipleship: Just do it!  Discipleship: You do it.

If we go and look once again at Matthew 28:19 it’s typically called the “Great Commission.”  For most of my Christian life I read this with the understanding as a basic job description for missionaries and pastors.  Since I didn’t consider myself either, until recently, I wrote it off with a sigh of relief. 

For to long we have had a limited perspective of what “Going and Making Disciples” is really about. Ask the average pew warmer what Matthew 28:19 means and they will mention something about mission or that their pastor does it and they would be about 10% right.  It does include missions but it’s in no way limited to missions.  I would like to suggest what I believe the remaining 90% consists of. 

I think making disciples consists of making sure that Jesus would consider you a disciple.  That you would be making disciples of those around you including your friends, children, spouse, co-workers, neighbors and strangers and then other nations.  You can assign your own percentages to the ingredients above.

I would like to propose a new way of looking at the “Great Commission” First, it was the main part of the last statement Jesus gave to his disciples, which means it should be kept close to our hearts and considered important.  Second, it wasn’t a suggestion or a question it was a command that we were given the authority to carry out.  Third, it wasn’t limited to missionaries or pastors, it was given to his disciples at the time and to all that follow, which includes you and me and generations to come.

So what is a “Disciple” anyhow?  Using my nifty Bible software this is what I discovered.  The New Testament word is rendered, Mathetes and pronounced math-ay-tes´ the meaning can be translated as learner, or pupil, to understand. It carries the idea that a disciple would be willing to learn in any way possible.  The rendering of a similar word matheteuo includes in the description, to enroll as scholar, to instruct or teach.

Based on this basic information we can consider a disciple to be an individual who is willing to learn in any way possible and is then willing to instruct and teach others.  I think this is a good working definition.

The other day I wanted to make a holiday dessert that I remember eating every Christmas for as long as I can remember, Persimmon Pudding, which is so much better than it sounds.  If your still not convinced I’ll send you the recipe. Sine I’d never made persimmon pudding before I needed to ask my mother or grandmother for the recipe.  I could have guessed but it wouldn’t have yielded the same results.  I’m pleased to report that because I followed the recipe of those who baked before me, my labor was not in vain.

The same concept applies to how we Make Disciples. If we want our efforts to succeed then we need to follow the recipe of the one who successfully made disciples from scratch, Jesus.  There is so much we can glean from the scriptures on this topic that my brain and blog can’t contain it all.  Here is a feeble attempt at comprising a list.

What Jesus Did…

•       He invited the disciples to learn from him.
•       He made himself available.
•       He provided on the job training.
•     He taught people of different ages and different   backgrounds.
•     He did ministry so his disciples could observe.
•       He did ministry with his disciples
•     He sent them out 2 by 2 to do unsupervised ministry and they reported back to him.
•       He trusted them to do the  important stuff like preach, pray    for the sick, baptize and cast out demons.

       What Jesus Didn’t Do…

• He didn’t make the disciples beg him to teach them.
• He didn’t pay them or charge them for their training.
• He didn’t beg them to take their learning serious.
•  He didn’t assign them titles or positions other than learner.
•  He didn’t make them sit in a classroom for hours earning a  degree.
•  He wasn’t afraid to take risks in how he led especially when it came to breaking with traditions that hindered people from truly worshiping God.
•  He didn’t avoid correcting, confronting or challenging the disciples when they were missing the point.

I believe the main purpose of the church is to make disciples, not converts or fatter sheep.  Here are some things we need to consider as a body of disciples. 

  1. Why do we do what we do?

  2.  Does what we do, make disciples, distract, discourage, or      

       disciples.

  3.  Would Jesus consider me a disciple?

  4.  Am I willing to do anything to learn?

  5.  What have I leaned?

  6.  What do I need to learn?

  7.  Who am I discipling? & Who is discipling me?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…" We call it the “Great Commission” not because it’s an enormous task or because God only calls great people to participate in it, instead it's because it's a commission to the great numbers of disciples living around the world.  It’s the task of every disciple until he returns. Let’s hasten his return.