In His Grip

(this is the conclusion of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' .) 'I will build my church…' - Jesus, from Matthew 16:18 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NASB) ...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 NASB) ...and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. (Colossians 2:19 NASB) In this series on shepherding and discipleship, we have covered the following:   - ...

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' .) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB) So f...

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Jesus, Luke 14:33 ESV) We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (The Apostle Paul, Colossians 1:28-29 NASB) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:10 NASB) You may have noticed that there are many varied definitions of spiritual and church growth floating around these days, but which are truly biblical, that is, growth as God has defined it?  Certainly we would say that we would want to grow 'with a growth that is from God' (Colossians 2:19) and reject ...

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart,  who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15 NASB) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NASB) In the previous blog, 'Disciples: Born, or Made?' we recognized that a Christian is one who is born of God (John 1:12-13) and grows by means of the word of God (1 Peter 2:2) and the discipling of other believers (Matthew 28:19-20).  In that sense, a disciple is both born (initially) and made (continually), both a work of God, but using human agency. We also ...

(This is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has  cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33 ESV) And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20 ESV) "Lee, what do the disciples do?", I said to my (then) five year old son.  "They follow Jesus," he said.  Indeed.  Disciples follow Jesus.  There is much that can be unfolded here regarding the cultural context of the Jewish rabbi (teacher), but suffice to say that to be a disciple of someone was to fully submit to following their teaching and way of life.  It was a total commitment. While the Scriptures give no illusion that the life of a Christian is a sinless one (see 1 John 1:8-10), it knows nothing of a Christian whose heart and life are not unalterably changed to become more like Christ.  A journey through 1 John...

"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15 NASB) And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. (Nehemiah 8:1 NASB) The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men  who will be able to teach others also. (The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:2 NASB) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (Jesus, John 10:27 NASB) like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word,  so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, (1 Peter 2:2 NASB) For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13-14 NASB...

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ( - Jesus, Luke 7:34 NASB) 'You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.' (James 4:4 NASB) 'It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.' ( - the Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 1:15 NASB) Was Jesus, in fact, a friend of sinners? What is to be the nature of our relationships as believers with unbelievers? As believers, should we refer to ourselves as ‘sinners’? As I've reflected on much of the teaching I've heard in recent times, as well as many conversations I've had, it seems to me much confusion abounds regarding these questions.  I hear the term 'contextualization...