Tag Archives: discipleship

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Three Questions | Part I

Muscular Christianity Billboard

Hello, Daily Broadsiders! Thanks to my buddy Dave for the opportunity to jump into the “Daily Ball Pit” and interact with some quality human beings!

I wanted to kick things off by posing three questions which we’ll cover in the course of a three part series.

It’s called, “Three Questions.”

I believe the way you answer these three questions do an excellent job of revealing the “practical reality” of your walk with Christ (Col 3:18). By “practical reality,” I mean either those times when “ministry” includes working alongside dynamics that aren’t agreeable or safe, or those instances that go beyond the boundaries typically established by textbook examples.

Take a look…

1) If you had to create a billboard that promoted a relationship with Jesus Christ and you couldn’t mention anything about heaven or hell or how Christ helps you with your problems, what would your billboard say?

2) You’re the Good Samaritan. But instead of encountering the victim after they’ve been beaten and robbed, you encounter him as he’s being beaten and robbed. What does your ministry look like?

3) Your neighbor’s house is on fire. You’re working alongside several people put out the blaze when all of a sudden you realize that among those you’re working with, there are several whose lifestyles you seriously disagree with. Do you keep working to put out the fire or do you walk away believing that it’s wrong to be a part of any effort involving people who don’t believe as you do?

In this installment, we’ll be looking at Questions #1.

You ready?

If you had to create a billboard that promoted a relationship with Jesus Christ and you couldn’t mention anything about heaven or hell or how Christ helps you with your problems, what would your billboard say?

It’s one of those questions that can take you by surprise in that conventional church culture puts a lot of emphasis on who we are apart from Christ. Many of the sermons and a lot of the Praise and Worship we sing focus more on the insufficiency of the believer rather than the all sufficiency of God. As a result, the inclination is to process one’s relationship with Jesus as something that comes to bear primarily in the context of a crisis rather than a Resource that’s poised to positively impact every play you deploy on the field rather than something that only applies when you’re on the sidelines.  

You are more than your wounds and better than your sin. Not because of who you are but because of Who Christ is in you. To restrict Christ’s Influence to crisis situations only is to overlook both the Attitude and the Ability He’s given you to excel and not just endure.

Bear in mind, when God says, “excel,” He’s talking about all things at all times (2 Cor 9:8). That includes your performance at work, the way you love the people you care about, the way you work out, even the way you mow your lawn.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 3:17)

Do you smell that that? That’s the aroma of excellence!

Imagine the kind of woodworking Jesus did as a carpenter. Do you think it looked good? Just imagine what your performance at work would look like if it was unhindered by the influence of sin. Have you ever noticed that the people you tend to enjoy hanging out with the most are those that make you feel good about yourself and the world around you? Typically, they’re happy individuals and they’re genuinely interested in your welfare. Those two characteristics are practical manifestations of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Philippians 2:3-4.

Do you see where this is going?

We are here to make a difference and not just an appearance. But we’re not “tending to our Father’s business” if we spend more time rehearsing our mistakes than we do reviewing His Perfection.

And it’s that Perfection that drives the way we think, act and feel IF we’re astute enough to allow Him to work in and through us so we’re putting some points on the board rather than just complaining about how intimidating the defense is.

There is a time to heal and apart from Christ we can do nothing. But we are commanded to be excellent and if you want to take Matthew 5:16 literally, we should be lighting up every room we walk into with a demeanor that makes people look forward to our arrival.

  • The Joy of the Lord (Gal 5:22-23)
  • The Power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Phil 4:13; Col 1:29)
  • The Mind of Christ (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 2:16; Phil 4:8)

I know, right?

Our relationship with Christ is far more than a Divine Emergency Kit as much as it’s a Divine Tool Kit that we’re given to use in a way where we’re able to reek of excellence in everything we say, think and do so we’re making a difference and not just an appearance (Ps 19:14).

So, how about that Billboard?

Here’s some ideas…

Dream Big, Pray Bigger (Eph 3:20) | Don’t Just Try, Win (Josh 1:8) | Don’t Just Make an Appearance, Make a Difference (Matt 6:19-21; Jn 14:12; 1 Cor 3:12)

Go get ’em!

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Daily Broadside | Can You Be Both a Christian and a Patriot?

Daily Verse | Job 20:4-5
“Surely you know how it has been from old, ever since man was placed on the earth, that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.”

Hello Broadside friends. It’s mid-week and day two of the sixth month of America under siege. Fortunately, bell bottoms are back in style.

One of the things that I often ponder is whether a Christian can also be a patriot, that is, a person who loves his or her country. For instance, I am a bible-believing, Christ-following evangelical Christian. I am also a proud American citizen who was born and bred in these United States.

I admire our Founding Fathers. I think the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution (along with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers) are brilliant documents. The system of government we have, with its three branches that check and balance each other, was created with a wise understanding of human nature.

I am proud of our capitalist economy which allows our citizens to flourish and prosper. I am proud of the good we have done in the world, including the war that ended slavery. Or the heft we contributed to defeating the Axis in World War II, and then rebuilding Japan — our mortal enemy! — after the war. I am proud of the modern medicine, technologies, arts and entertainments, and breakthroughs we have accomplished as a nation, like putting a man on the moon.

Most of all, I love the freedom we have to live responsible lives without government interference (although that is being severely tested these days).

So I am both a Christian and a proud American.

In that order.

I have to consciously not conflate the two or to allow my affection for America to displace my first love. I love my country, yes, but my ultimate allegiance is to the God of heaven.

That was brought home to me recently as I studied the first chapter of John’s gospel and was reflecting on verses 35-37:

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

In those days, a “disciple” followed a rabbi because the rabbi was authorized to interpret God’s Word for living a righteous life. Being interested in living such a life, the disciple agreed to a complete submission to the interpretive authority of their rabbi in his life. He was “all in.”

In this case, John the Baptist has disciples, but when he announces “the Lamb of God,” two of his disciples leave him to follow Jesus. That caused me to wonder if there were things I was a “disciple” of in life that I needed to stop “following” in order to be fully surrendered to the work of Christ. That question, in turn, got me to thinking about my interest in politics, my patriotism, and the amount of time that I spend reading and writing about the political (mis)fortunes of the United States.

I currently believe that you can have an affection for your country and can be patriotic, but it’s a matter of degree. Equate being an American with being a Christian? No, that’s going too far. Willing to salute the flag and defend the U.S. from all enemies, foreign and domestic? As long as your allegiance to the flag doesn’t displace your allegiance to God, yes.

I’m thinking out loud here and have only drawn tentative conclusions. But surrendering my love of America and pride in my nationality might be required of me as I seek to follow more closely the life of my Savior.