BookPastor >> "Becoming a Healthy Disciple"

We all like to talk about discipleship in the Church. Often, we keep asking the questions of how, and fail to see that there are already materials that show us how. We need a inner desire not just to talk about discipleship, but to fervently look for ways to do discipleship beginning with ourselves. This book is one of such resources. This review was first published on May 21st, 2010.

conrade

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Title: "Becoming a Healthy Disciple" - Traits of a Vital Christian
Author: Stephen A Macchia
Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004 (256pp)

Stephen Macchia is a distinguished Gordon-Conwell alumnus (see bio here), and founder of Leadership Transformations. he begins the book by thinking back to that fateful September 11, 2001, commonly known as "Nine-eleven." Calling out 9-11 helps to remind many Americans about the time where people remember the words like:

• "God bless America"
• Firefighter, Police, Rescue Worker
• United we stand; Freedom
  
• .....

If such words can evoke memories of unity, patriotism, community spirit and all the positive aspects of human beings, what about the Christian? Does the Christian has a known set of characteristics that can be floated up? What are the basics of discipleship? Macchia lists ten traits of a 'healthy disciple' as a sequel to his popular "Becoming a Healthy Church" published in 1999, also by Baker Books.

Short Preview of "Becoming a Healthy Church"
Main Point: "A healthy church is prayerful in all aspects of church life and ministry, reliant upon God's power and the authority of his Word, and values the following:" (14-16)

1. God's Empowering Presence
2. God-exalting Worship
3. Spiritual Disciplines
4. Learning and Growing in Community
5. A Commitment to loving and caring relationships
6. Servant-Leadership Development
7. An Outward Focus
8. Wise Administration and Accountability
9. Networking with the Body of Christ
10. Stewardship and Generosity

In his book about healthy disciples, he made an important observation about Christians.

".. Jesus is our example to follow, the ideal to achieve. Our tendency, however, is to focus on two primary attributes of Christ and his teaching - his prayer life and his evangelistic outreach in need. This gets translated into our day to the quiet time and the testimony. When our understanding of discipleship is wrapped up almost exclusively in these two areas, we tend to miss much of what Jesus said to his disciples in the first century and what he desires to say to us today. " (17)

What about the Healthy Disciple?

Well said. Indeed, the goal of healthy discipleship is to imitate Christ in loving God, and in being faithful to practice what he taught us. Macchia defines a healthy disciple as:

"The healthy disciple is prayerful in all aspects of personal life and ministry and reliant upon God's power and the authority of his Word." (18)

Macchia makes no extra effort to re-invent his ten traits. In fact, just as a healthy disciple flows out of a healthy church, his ten traits for a healthy disciple, flows out of his previous book on healthy church. In summary, his ten traits for a vital Christian are:

1. Experiences God's Empowering Presence
2. Engages in God-exalting Worship
3. Practices the Spiritual Disciplines
4. Learns and Grows in Community
5. Commits to Loving and Caring Relationships
6. Exhibits Christlike Servanthood
7. Shares the Love of Christ Generously
8. Manages Life Wisely and Accountably
9. Networks with the Body of Christ
10. Stewards a Life of Abundance.

My Comments
I have previously posted a comparison of the 2 books here. Most of my thoughts about the two books are there. Let me add one more. As I look at this list, it is quite impossible to pin-point which is most appropriate for any disciple of Christ. Safe to say, if I am one looking to grow in discipleship, and Macchia's 10 points are listed before me, I will do the following.

Firstly, I will pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show me which part of the spiritual journey I am now in. This is important because, being human, thoughts change. Feelings alter. Acts differ from time to time. What is normal yesterday cannot be easily assumed today. Neither can today's high be easily translated into tomorrow's ecstasy. The same can be said for other forms of emotions.

Secondly, I will seek out mentors and mature Christians to probe me about my spiritual condition. Sometimes, in ministry, we can try to help others so much that we forget to look at our own. This easily leads to hypocrisy in ministry.

Thirdly, I will look at this list, and force myself to pick out 1-3 specific traits. Like many self-tests and personal surveys, every time we take the test, our results can differ drastically. If I were to choose one of the traits as my top need right now, it is basically #1 - to experience God's empowering presence. Well, as an additional pointer, do this periodically, say each quarter.

Having said that, there is one more thing for the uninitiated. If you are not exactly sure how to go about doing discipleship, maybe, as a start, just treat each trait consecutively. You will begin to see the logic of Macchia putting #1 as one, #2 as two, #3 as three and so forth. Maybe, along the way, you will suddenly feel the Spirit prompting you, "That's right! That trait is the one I need to address right now."

Have fun.

conrade

An Inspiring Video - Derek Redmond

This video has been making the rounds among some people I know. It is a reminder for a culture intoxicated with winning, that there is a virtue in completing the race.



conrade

October is Anti-Bullying Month

October is anti-bullying month. This video clip shows how a brave lady keeps her cool and hits back at the insensitive attempt at bullying her.


conrade

CV5: Looking at The "iPhone 5" Phenomenon

Bigger. Better. Beefier, promised the Apple ad. Just the mention of the magical number '5' is enough to cause techno-geeks to salivate. On September 21st, 2012, iPhone enthusiasts can be seen queueing up at Apple stores all over the US and selected countries. The pre-orders run in the millions, and the orders are still piling up. Such is the result of a hugely successful iPhone line of products made by Apple, the computer company.
 

One video actually pokes fun at the people queueing up to buy the new gadget.  A man supposedly disguised as an Apple employee happens to be pushing four boxes stacked on top of each other. He pauses in front of curious people on the line and says: "You guys know what are these?"

People nodded. Suddenly, he carelessly tilts the boxes over. The horrid looks by the people tell it all. People are indeed very passionate for this sexy new device. After all, it is just a phone. Is it? Perhaps, it is not exactly the phone features that are attractive, but the insatiable desire of people to desire the most hip and popular product out there in the market.  It is one thing to have a phone. It is yet another to say to friends, "I have an iPhone 5." Show off? You tell me.

Many people upgrade to the next latest and greatest device without much thought. Not only will that diminish the value of the older models, it heightens the hype surrounding the iPhone 5. Despite complaints over the new mapping feature in the new operating system, sales continue to grow unabated. How do we think Christianly about this iPhone 5 phenomenon? Rather than for me to go on a pros and cons argument about iPhone 5, in this article, I like to concentrate on the passion behind the iPhone 5 hype.

Do we really need to upgrade? If Christians can desire after each fruit of the spirit with the intensity of the iPhone 5 craze, that will be phenomenal. What if Christians are upgraded to CV5, or Christians Version 5? Imagine the following scenario.

• People lining up to enter churches (I know some churches are in this category)
• Pre-orders for any material that aims to helping the disciple want to know Christ more
• News reviews of the wonderful promises of God in the Bible
• A new insight of the Word of God that lifts people up toward God;
• People wanting to get their hands on the Bible, just like they want their hands on the iPhone 5.

What if there is a new version of Christians?

Wishful thinking? Perhaps. If Christians in particular are as passionate for the gospel, more than those people wanting to lay their hands on the latest device. Here are some of my dreams for disciples of Jesus Christ, which I call, "CV5" or "Christians version 5," a better improvement than the previous version.

A) "Brilliant 4-inch Retina Display" => "Shining Good Works That Glorify God"

Can Christians live a life of clarity and purpose, that their good works will shine forth, and manifest God's goodness that people long to want to see God more? The iPhone device promises great visuals and lifelike images. Christians version 5, (CV5) will let their works shine before men, that people will see and know that we live not for ourselves but for our Lord.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NAS)

B) "Ultrafast Wireless" => "Heavenly Speed Prayerfulness"

Much has been touted about the speedy and super-fast wireless connectivity. What if Christians grow to pray more naturally, directing their thoughts constantly and continually to God in prayer. This is possible through a life of prayerfulness.

• Thanksgiving: "Thank you Lord for this fine day."
• Intercession: ""I like to pray for my friend today."
• Confession: "Lord, help me to forgive."
• Help: "Lord, empower and enable me to listen well, and to be a good contributing member to society."

 C) "IOS 6" => "Human Heart Empowered by the Holy Spirit"

I remember a software developer at a conference telling me about the latest advancement in his company products. I have asked him about what is the difference as the hardware appears similar to the older version. He said to me: "The magic lies in the improved software." The Holy Spirit can empower old hearts with new life.

D) "Powerful A6 Chip" => "Powerful Change of Heart"

The most critical component of any electronic or computer system is the central processing unit (CPU). This CPU makes up the main cost of the whole device. If you buy a computer, you will easily see that the price distinction among the different models available is directly related to the quality of the CPU inside. One can see many bonus features, but no one component beats having a powerful CPU. When a person has a change of heart, great things can happen. What about CV5? When members of the Church have a change of heart, moving from lethargy to spiritual vitality, great things happen.

E) "Visit a Nearby Store" => "Visit a Neighbourhood Church"

What if the sign of a cross is a sign of grace and mercy extended? What if people are more open to Church when they see the impact CV5 is making in society and the neighbourhood? What if people find that the Church has become the central engine of neighbourliness and good works? With more CV5 people, we may very well see lines forming to entire the Church every Sunday.

Am I dreaming? No. I am praying. My prayer is that Christians will continue to improve and become more Christlike each day. I pray that that CV5 will lead to CV6 and beyond. Always a better version of ourselves. For God and for neighbours.

conrade

Midweek Meditation: Unimportance

This week, I want to reflect on the importance of feeling unimportant. As an early reviewer of Christian books, there is one that has recently caught my eye and attention. Written by someone who has chosen to remain anonymous, the writer urges us to keep ourselves small, even nothing, so that everything of God can be manifested. He writes,

"It's not self-confidence that humans lack, it's that we have too much self-importance, says an author who, by virtue of that, has chosen to remain anonymous. Or Anonymous."

It's ok to be unknown.

The writer continues.

"We have such a high opinion of ourselves that to live and die unnoticed seems a grave injustice. Yet, has God called us to be anything else? That very challenge, the very calling, is in fact to embrace obscurity. 'When we accept that our value is not dependent on what we do or accomplish, we are - ironically - liberated to do much for Christ."

Ditto. If you are ready, worship.



conrade

BookPastor >> "What Is the Mission of the Church?"

It is important to understand that while the Church is called to do good works, and be active in social help and justice, let it be clear that the mission of the Church is not limited to these things. All religious have social help initiatives. This book helps us focus on what is the core distinctiveness of Church witness. This review was first published on April 26th, 2012 at Panorama of a Book Saint.

 conrade

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TITLE: What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission
AUTHOR: Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011, (288 pages).

This book puts a laser-beam focus on a word that has become overused unto confusion, and misunderstood through careless use. The authors highlight the whole problem with Stephen Neill's provocative words: "If everything is mission, nothing is mission." What this brings up is that there is a great need for the Church and for Christians to understand what exactly is the nature of mission. Written in three parts, DeYoung and Gilbert first tries to put forth some definition of what exactly mission is. Secondly, they point out that mission is not to be confused with social justice, with peacemaking through shalom, and acts of mercy. Instead, the mission of the Church is exactly the Great Commission as pointed out in Matthew 28:18-20. It is the authors' conviction that Bible passages are not only to be understood, they need to be applied correctly. For example, the mandate to Abraham in Genesis 12 is not about being a blessing to the rest of the nations. It is about being the nation from which the Seed of God is eventually allowed to come and be among us. Another example is the use of Exodus 19 where Israel is often seen as playing the role of "kingdom of priests." Instead, the authors see the Exodus call to Israel as to be separated for God, be focused on being sanctified in God, and to keep the law. Each step of the way, the Scriptures remind us that we are to depend on God, and not to live so independently that we do not need God.

"the mission of the Church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship and obey Jesus Christ now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father." (241)


Why the Authors Emphasize "Great Commission = Mission?"

Five reasons are given. Firstly, The mission of the Church is not to be confused with the mission of God. Otherwise, the Church will be taking the entire Word of God as THEIR responsibility instead of God. God is more specific with regards to what He wants the Church to do. Secondly, the Church's theology of mission needs to come from the New Testament first because the Old Testament is more concerned with the nation of Israel. Thirdly, the mission of the Church needs to be tied to the person of Jesus Christ. Fourthly, the last words of Jesus are of significance as they are His parting message. Fifthly, the Great Commission conveniently sums up what the Church is to do.

The authors explain that the gospels, Acts and the Epistles describe the diversity of the GC. Matthew emphasizes discipleship, Luke-Acts emphasizes witnessing, John describes the theological nature of sending out, while Paul proclaims the gospel.

What About the Social Justice, Shalom, and the other Categories of Christian Witnessing?

The authors choose to tell the whole story of the Bible from Creation to the Fall, the Incarnation, the Redemption, Resurrection, right through to Revelation. One problem the Church falls into is that in trying to avoid making the gospel too small, they have made it too big until we miss out the true mission of the Church. Instead, proper categorization and priorities need to be established. Gospel can be used either in a narrow way or a broad way. No! There is only one gospel, and that is Christ. This is powerfully communicated through the unity of the message of the kingdom with the MEANS to enter the Kingdom, which is Jesus (110-113). The Mission of the Church will do both.

My Comments

This book is an important milestone resource for the Church to remember and to refocus on what is truly their mission. Too often, Christians confuse the things a Church should do vs what a Christian should be doing. Good works alone are not missions. Kind words and deeds are not mission. Teaching, baptizing, making disciples and teaching them to be more like Christ is the mission. Good works and deeds are to be part of the overall mission work, but not to be mistaken as a mission in themselves.

I appreciate the epilogue which puts together some basic advice for a young pastor who wants to start a missional movement. Some of the tips are priceless:

• Things the Church do as a body collectively are different from what the body parts are doing individually.
• Don't make a program out of every good deed. Instead equip people for ministry
• Deal with people, not stereotypes
• Major on the big principles, but minor on specifics
• Don't use guilt to motivate. 
• Doing justice and social help are but one part of the good work of the Church. They are not to be the main thing.

Sometimes, the problem readers may face is that the message is too simple to be true. How can the mission of the Church be reduced to only the Great Commission? As I read the book, I feel that this is not a reduction but a redemption of our understanding of what the Great Commission is. If we fail to see the GC in capital letters, and to give them major attention, that explains why the Church we are in are not missional enough. For the Word is life. This life needs to be shared (Go). It needs to be cultivated in the Church (Make Disciples) and outside the Church (Of All Nations). It needs to be affirmed in members (Baptizing), through understanding of the Triune God. It needs to be used in equipping (Teach), and in living (Obeying). Finally, it is to enable all of us to be aware of God's Presence. The Great Commission is one powerful verse. That is the mission of the Church, the mission of missions, the purpose of purposes for the Church. Miss that and we fail to be the Church God has called us to be.


Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

The 3Ps of Ministry

This week has been a particularly busy one. It has affected my time for reflection and writing. Thankfully, this week I have a friend who will be a guest preacher, so that frees me to do other ministry work. For me, writing is very much a part of my gifting and ministry work. I try to write as much as I can, but as we all know, time and environment is important. That is why I rely a lot on books. I let the Bible direct my thoughts too. Today, my anchor verse is Paul's word to the Ephesians.

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1)

3Ps of Ministry

I have always been concerned for committed members of the Church, who run the second, the third, and even the fourth mile. The more I see them run like horses, or busy themselves non-stop like bees, I marvel at the energy. Over time, there will be the state of feeling burn-out, tired, and feeling helpless at the mountain of work and the tiny number of available people. If not addressed, some will move toward discouragement and dejection. A small number even goes into depression. Finally, if the work continues to pile up, when the physical tiredness meets the emotional weariness, we have a formula for burning out. Like a candle burning up on both ends, the time will come when the whole candle disappears altogether.

As I look at the life of Paul, I am encouraged. Such a man of zeal, a man of passion in his constant yearning for the people. A man of purpose, who begins each epistle with a declaration of his identity and calling in Christ, who learns to see people from the eyes of God, I see hope. Here is the 3Ps of Ministry which I hope will encourage you, my reader, and especially the weary worker in Christ.

1) Purpose

When we know the 'why,' the 'how' and the 'what' will fall in its proper place. This is one reason why Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven-Life has made such a huge impact not just for Christians, but also for non-believers. Man is made for a purpose. The trouble is, sometimes, we forget the purpose. In fact, knowing a purpose is not just writing down a purpose or a mission statement. It is to see the SIGNIFICANCE of the purpose. Paul has seen Jesus on his journey to Damascus. It is this sight of the Divine Christ that begins it all. His eyes is so fixed on Jesus that the main part of his ministry is not the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Corinthians, etc. His main purpose is Christ. Everything else flows from that purpose. Note Paul declaring himself not simply as a "prisoner" but a prisoner "for the Lord."

Have we forgotten our purpose of being in Christ when we serve? Have we become too embroiled in ministry work that we forget about the Person of Christ? Mind you, we can serve a lot, do a lot, minister a lot, and still not be a person secure in Christ.

Check our hearts. Check our relationship with God. Caring for others begins with soul-care.

Reflection: How is your personal walk with the Lord today? Strengthen this, and your purpose will naturally be strengthened.

2) Passion

When the demand piles up, we can feel as if we are imprisoned in a cage of ministry work. Any pastor who is too busy working his heart out without adequate reflection is digging his own grave of bruning out. Worse, he may start to lose his passion for God, and subsequently the people he loves.

It is the passion of Christ that has driven Jesus to willingly come to earth, be humiliated, arrested, pierced for our transgressions, and died a cruel death. This passion drives him. His prayer life reflects this deeply.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:35)

How can one man give up his heavenly luxury, and be humiliated so badly on earth? If you watch the movie, "The Passion of Christ," you can feel the pains of the whipping and the torturing. Sometimes you may even wonder if it is all worth it at all to die for people who are ungrateful. As followers of Christ, are we to do any less than our Master? Yes, we may not necessarily be whipped and crucified like Him, but the moment we move our eyes away from our own disappointments, to look at the glory and the sacrifice of God, our perspectives can be renewed from needless competition, to loving passion to compassion.

Reflection: Where is your passion? Radical conviction and deep compassion are the twin engines of godly passion.

3) People

Finally, Christ comes down to earth not to die for a ministry. He comes down to die to for people like you and me. Jesus is not interested in constructing big buildings made of stone. He wants to bring together the lost sheep from near and far. For as far as the East is from the West, that is the extent of His love. Not just some, but all of us.

What is worthy? What is our calling?

If your answer is a project, it is to short term. If your answer is to achieve a certain target in life, that is too limited. If your answer is a tangible benefit, that is too narcissistic. If your answer is to serve people, now you are talking. More importantly, the people ministry is about discipleship.

Our calling as disciples of Christ is to MAKE disciples of Christ beginning with ourselves. Both can be done TOGETHER. Sometimes, making disciples can happen at the self first, or for the others first, but discipleship is never about programs or processes. It is about people. Our calling is never to fight over personal principles at the expense of people.

Reflection: Ministry is more about people than principles.


conrade