Humility: A Key to Christian Leadership

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A Christian leader should be humble.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” –John, speaking of Jesus, John 3:30

Humility is a hallmark of a Christian who is truly modeling Christ in their life and leadership. We are called to humility as Christian leaders. Jesus modeled this humility when He said this of Himself, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). As Jesus gave his life to serve others, to minister, and lay his life down, the Christian leader is called to serve in this way in humility as well.

Paul talked about Christ’s humility in Philippians 2:4-8 when he said that “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

As leaders we are tempted to lead in our own power and strength and to make our leadership’s central focus ourselves. We cannot lead in our own strength, nor do we have the power on our own to lead in humility. We must seek Christ out and live and lead in the power of His Holy Spirit. We cannot go at it alone. Even in our trying to lead in our own strength, our pride is illustrated.

Scripture is clear, our pride and strength will get us nowhere in our leadership. Proverbs 16 says this about pride and humility, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord” (Proverbs 16:18-20).

Our job as Christian leaders is like what John said about himself in relation to Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This humility exalts God in Christian Leadership and not self, and humility like this is central to Christian leadership.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 20:28

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Php 2:4-8

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. Pr 16:18-20

You Are Not All That

Photo From: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9781600240324.htm

By Robbie Pruitt

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” –Romans 12:3

In 2007 Paula White published a book under the genre of “Christian Living” entitled You're All That: Understanding God's Design for Your Life. At first glance this book is appealing and draws the reader in with the hope of understanding God's design for their life. After getting into the book, however, the author rarely focuses on the biblical God, and instead focuses on the reader and on herself. This book’s subject is the individual and not the creator. White makes the case that we are “all that” and puts emphasis on self much more than God. Scripture is clear that the focus should be on God and not on us. As a matter of fact, scripture speaks clearly that we are not “all that,” contrary to what White’s book title has the reader believe. The title is misleading. Scripture is clear, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Author and theologian G. K. Chesterton is credited for answering the question "What's wrong with the world?,” posed by The Times, with this wise response: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton.” This is a very different outlook on self than the one that Paula White illustrates in “You’re All That.” Chesterton’s response is also a more biblically accurate view of self and the fallen nature of humanity. It is not that we are “all that,” it is that the God we serve is “all that.” God should be our focus and should be elevated and we should be submitted to God in humility. John the Baptist said it this way in John 3:30, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” This statement puts self in the right place and exalts God.

The believer should never boast in themselves or rely on themselves alone. The self taught theologian, preacher, evangelist, and author A.W. Tozer says, “Boasting is particularly offensive when it is heard among the children of God, the one place above all others where it should never be found” (Tozer, p. 74). Tozer goes on to say that “Boasting is an evidence that we are pleased with self; belittling, that we are disappointed in it. Either way we reveal that we have a high opinion of ourselves” (Tozer, p. 76). According to Tozer the Christian should look very different than a boaster or braggart. Tozer paints this picture for us of the victorious Christian: “The victorious Christian neither exalts nor downgrades himself. His interests have shifted from self to Christ. What he [or she] is or is not no longer concerns him. He believes that he has been crucified with Christ and he is not willing to either praise or depreciate such a man.” (Tozer, p. 76 ).

Paul addresses this issue of self in Romans 12:3 when he tells the church in Rome that they should not think more highly of themselves than they ought to. Paul writes, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Paul also addressed this with the church in Galatia when he wrote to them saying, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3). To claim that we are more than we actually are is a lie. This is the worst form of deception, because it is self-deception. Tozer states that “self-deception is the most deadly, and of all the deceived persons, the self-deceived are the least likely to discover the fraud” (Tozer, p. 96).

If we are to understand the truth about ourselves and God’s design for our lives we must begin with God and His life and not with ourselves. Jesus said it this way, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). Paul also said that we are to be crucified, or to die, with Christ so that we can live. And when we do die to ourselves, it is not we who live, but Christ who lives within us (Galatians 2:20). The emphasis is on Christ and not self. Tozer points to this truth about God’s work with this assertion: “The man who believes that he is worthy of heaven will certainly never enter that place” (Tozer, p. 10). It is not all about us at all.

God does the work, because we do not have what it takes. We are not “all that.” We are unworthy of God, yet God gives us His grace. In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this about grace: “Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of His Son: ‘Ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God so much cannot be cheap for us” (Bonhoeffer, p. 45). It would also be wise to add: what costs God so much cannot be “about us,” or convey the message that it is we who are “all that.” It is indeed God who is “all that,” and because God has indeed “bought us with a price,” we should “glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Bibliography

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Touchstone Publishers. New York, NY. © 1937, 1959, 1995

Tozer, A.W. Man The Dwelling Place of God. Wingspread Publishers. Camp Hill, PA. © 1966

The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Ro 3:23

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Ro 12:3

White, Paula. You’re All That. Paula White Enterprises, INC. Faith Works. Hachette Book Group USA. New York, NY. © 2007

Leadership Sessions: Righteousness, Wisdom, and Integrity

Prayer: "God cover us with Your Righteousness, give us Your Wisdom, and help us to walk in integrity. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who is our righteousness, who is the Wisdom of God, and who empowers us to walk in integrity by His Holy Spirit. Amen!"

Recently I sought God for help with my leadership. I was caught off guard when God spoke. I know that we should not be surprised that God speaks when we seek Him, but often we are indeed surprised, and I was. God’s word promises us that if we lack wisdom that we should ask God to give us His wisdom and God will give it to us (James 1:5). So with this scripture promise in mind, I prayed that God would give me His wisdom on leadership, and God led me to Proverbs 10. I read it and three things stood out to me: righteousness, wisdom, and integrity. A leader seeks out and walks in God’s Righteousness, a leader seeks out and walks in God’s Wisdom, and a leader walks in integrity by God's Holy Spirit.

A leader seeks out and walks in God’s Righteousness.

“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, but He casts away the desire of the wicked.” – Proverbs 10:2-3

“The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.” – Proverbs 10:11

“The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.” – Proverbs 10:16

“The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.” – Proverbs 10:21

When reading Proverbs 10, it became clear that righteousness is important and it comes up over and over again. The more I thought and reflected on what it means to be righteous, the more evident it became of just how unrighteous and sinful I am. The verse from Romans 3:10 came to mind, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” If a leader is to be righteous, and there is no one with righteousness of their own, then how does a leader walk in righteousness? The next prayer I prayed was “Help me lord to be righteous.” Then this verse came to mind from Romans 5:19: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” I continued, “Lord, give me your righteousness and help me to walk in it.” We do not have any righteousness of our own, but we are called to be righteous. If we are going to live and lead in righteousness we must yield to Christ as it says in Philippians 3:9, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”

A leader seeks out and walks in God’s Wisdom.

“A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.” – Proverbs 10:1

“The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall.” – Proverbs 10:8

“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.” – Proverbs 10:21

Proverbs 10 speaks volumes of the importance of wisdom. A good leader is a wise leader and wisdom is found in God and His word. When I was at my wit’s end and needed a fresh word from God on leadership, He met me there. I needed wisdom, and God gave it to me, when I sought Him out. I love what Dallas Willard says about finding God. He says, “I have found the address of God, it is at the end of my rope.” We do not have all we need on our own, but with God and His word, we have His knowledge and His wisdom. Again, scripture says that if we ask it will be given unto us, if we seek, we shall find, and if we knock, the door is opened to us (Matthew 7:7-11). God’s word encourages us to seek wisdom and promises it will be given to us (James 1:5). Scripture says, “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel (Proverbs 1:5).” I cannot think of a better source for wise counsel than God, the author of wisdom Himself. If we are going to be good leaders, we must seek out and walk in God’s wisdom.

A leader is empowered to walk in Integrity by God’s Holy Spirit.

“He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.” – Proverbs 10:9

“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” – Proverbs 11:3

Integrity is important in leadership. Good leaders have excellent integrity, and there is integrity in being who you know God has called you to be. When we walk in God’s righteousness and seek his wisdom we are able to see more clearly how we are to walk in Him for God’s glory, and to God’s glory. Integrity is honesty and truth. Integrity speaks to being complete and whole and it speaks to walking in firm adherence to your values, standards, and beliefs, which should align with God’s word. When we are following Jesus in our leadership, we can be confident that we are walking in God’s integrity. Again, this is nothing that we can do on our own. We must rely on God’s Holy Spirit to give us the fruits of His Spirit (see Galatians 5:15-26). Paul tells us in Galatians that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Paul also says in Philippians 4:13 that we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” If we are to be leaders of integrity we must be empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to walk in integrity.

Would we be clothed with God’s Righteousness, walk in the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ, and walk in integrity in Him by His Holy Spirit, fulfilling the words of Paul, from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, in our leadership: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’”

Seeking to be led by Jesus in leadership,

Robbie

Bibliography

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Your God is Not Big Enough

http://wp.bikerschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/god-is-pic1.jpg

I was one of three guys in a sea of women at a packed theatre last night for the opening of “Eat, Pray, Love.” Not that there is anything wrong with being one of a few guys in a sea of women, I just felt a little out of place . . . The movie was as bad as I thought it would be, but unraveled a lot of what I have been thinking about lately concerning idolatry, worship, and God. There was a quote in the movie that was pivotal for me in illustrating one of our greatest obstacles to our understanding of God. Here it goes: “God dwells within you as you yourself, exactly the way you are” (p. 192). In other words, God is like you. This is basically saying, “You are God.” This is simply and profoundly false!

In the book “Eat, Pray, Love” this idea is expressed this way, “We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme Self who is eternally at peace” (p 122). Is the author saying that this “supreme Self,” is God?! Is this god, little “g,” that dwells within us ourselves?! Nothing could be further from the truth; however, I believe that many people think this way. Many think they are looking at God, but in fact they are looking at and to themselves. If this is true that God is our “supreme Self,” then god is no bigger than our selves, illustrating the saying, “God has created humankind in His own image and we have returned the favor.” This sin is as old as Adam and Eve in the garden, and their wanting to be like God at the fall of humanity (see Genesis 1-3).

I have noticed among the youth and college students that I work with that there is boredom with God. It is my suspicion that this boredom is no boredom with the one true God at all. This boredom is with a lesser God, a self made and self resembling idol. If it is God that we are worshiping and following, we will not be bored at all. To paraphrase a quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas, who said, "If you comprehend God he is not God.” If you are bored with God, this is not God that you are dealing with at all. As it sits, it looks like most of the boredom that is being experienced with God comes from the same idol worship of a self made, self resembling, little god idol, as illustrated in the above quote from “Eat, Pray, Love,” “God dwells within you as you yourself. . .” So in effect, we are not bored with God, we are bored with ourselves and our idols because we have made “gods” of ourselves and other lesser things.

Our gods are too small. J.I. Packer, in his book “Knowing God,” says that most of us are “pygmy Christians,” because we serve a pygmy God. A pygmy is something that is weak, diminished in size, of lesser intelligence, or miniature. In other words, Packer is saying that our gods are too small. If we have a lesser god, are trying to add something to God, or subtract something from God, this is not the one true God at all, but a portion of God, a reduced version of God, a made up God, or manufactured God, or simply put, we have an idol.

John Stott commented on this by asserting that “Nothing is more important for mature Christian discipleship than a fresh, clear, true vision of the authentic Jesus." A.W. Tozer, in “The Knowledge of the Holy,” states that “The church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be unworthy of thinking, worshipping men.” He goes on to say that “With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the Divine Presence.”

If we want to not be bored with God, we must get to know the true God and get beyond our own “spiritual narcissism,” as John Stott puts it. We are not God. It has been said, “There is a God. You are not Him.” Dallas Willard said it this way, “I have found the address of God; it is at the end of my rope.” To say it another way, if you want to get to know God, you must get beyond your limited self. Tozer puts it this way at the end of “Knowledge of the Holy,” “God is a Person and can be known in increasing degrees of intimate acquaintance as we prepare our hearts for the wonder. It may be necessary for us to alter our former beliefs about God as the Glory that guilds the Sacred Scriptures dawns over our interior lives.” We must drop our petty views of a “lesser god” to catch a glimpse of the one true God. We must rise above our self imposed presuppositions and projections of who God is for a clearer more biblical view of God. As Stott says, quoting Jerome, “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

Tozer, in his book “And He Dwelt Among us,” asserts “No Religion ever rises higher than its concept of God.” This sheds light on one of the more popular quotes from Tozer, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If we are to grow in our relationship with God we must get beyond ourselves and begin to think rightly about God. If we are to grow in our faith and not just grow weary in boredom, our view of God must be a larger vista form a higher mountain. As the Psalmist says, in Psalm 61:1-2, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. . . Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Our concept of God must be a concept of God and not just a loftier exaltation of ourselves. It is then that we will find ourselves in worship and in awe.

May we come to know Jesus, and become more like Him as we see Him as he truly is as John says, “When He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Robbie

Bibliography

Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat Pray Love. Penguin Group Publishing USA. New York, NY. © 2006

http://www.shepherdproject.com/resources/wordpress/?p=449, accessed August 14, 2010

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Ps 61:1-2

Packer, J.I. Knowing God, 20^th Anniversary ed. Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, © 1993, p. 12.

Stott, John R.W. The Radical Disciple. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove IL. © 2010

Tozer, A.W. And He Dwelt Among Us. Gospel Light Publishing. Ventura, CA. © 2009

Tozer, A.W. Man: The Dwelling Place of God. Wing Spread Publishing. Camp Hill, PA. © 1966, 1997

Tozer, A.W. The Knowledge of the Holy. Harper Collins Publishers. HarperSanFrancisco. © 1961

Discipleship Sessions: Megaphones and T-Shirts: Always Teaching, Always Representing

“If we claim to be Christian, we should be like Christ.” -John Stott

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

- St. Francis of Assisi

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” - St. Francis of Assisi

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

– Jesus, Matthew 12:34

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . .”

-Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20

A disciple of Jesus is always learning and is always teaching.

Our lives, indirectly and sometimes directly, teach people what we are about. Our lives are constantly speaking about what we believe. This can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing depending on what our values are and depending on the information we take in and the content that we are learning. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” We speak what we have internalized. We proclaim what we know and hear.

As disciples of Jesus, our lives are to be megaphones for the good news of Christ. We are to know Christ so intimately that our lives proclaim Jesus. When others look at us, they should see Jesus in us. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying it this way, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” In other words, our lives teach the lesson. When our lives are consumed by Christ, others will see Christ in us. Our lives should be lived in such a way that they speak of our God. It has been said that “People will believe a sermon they see before they will believe a sermon that they hear any day.” As disciples of Jesus we must intimately draw near to Christ so that we are so connected with Him in a way that people who observe us will not know where He starts and we stop, or where we start and He stops. To be a disciple of Christ is to be Christ like.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be “little Christ’s.” However, being a disciple of Jesus and being like Jesus is impossible for us. We cannot do this in our own power or in our own strength. We can, however, do this by and through God’s Spirit, power, and strength within us. John Stott, in his book Radical Discipleship, says that Christians should look like Christ and that “God has given us His Holy Spirit to enable us to fulfill his purpose.” God will empower us to be like Jesus in our lives and to be megaphones proclaiming Christ to the world. God’s Spirit will enable our lives to proclaim the message of His good news, His son Jesus Christ.

You may have heard the expression, “Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt.” Usually when we have “been there and done that and gotten the t-shirt,” the shirt we have gotten usually says something about where we have been. This shirt sends a message about that place where we have been, what we did there, what we value, and where we have spent our time. Some people who follow Jesus think that it is enough to share Christ by wearing a shirt that reflects or states their love of Jesus. This is not enough. The world will not know we are Christians, or who Christ is, simply by our t-shirts. The world will know we are followers of Christ by our lives and conduct, as well as our words and teachings. The disciple John says, in 1 John 3:18, we should “not love with words or tongue (only) but with actions and in truth.” Our lives devoted to Christ, and how our lives are lived out in love, will speak of Jesus to the world.

A popular Christian song came from John’s Gospel (John 13:35), and from his first letter of John, and illustrates how people will know Jesus as we live in this love. The song is called “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” According to John, and as illustrated in this song, it is our lives, as they are lived out in God’s love, and as they are lived out in an expression of God’s love, which teach and illustrate Jesus, not our witty Christian t-shirts.

May we live a message of His Love and grace through His great mercy, grace, strength and power,

Robbie

Bibliography

Stott, John R.W. The Radical Disciple. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove Il. © 2010

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 12:34

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. 1 Jn 3:18

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Mt 28:19-20

Discipleship Sessions: Sponges and Yokes: Always Learning, Always Following

“A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” –Jesus, Luke 6:40

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” –Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30

"Nothing is more important for mature Christian discipleship than a fresh, clear, true vision of the authentic Jesus." -John Stott

“If we claim to be Christian, we should be like Christ.” -John Stott

We cannot teach what we do not know and we cannot lead people where we are unwilling to go.

Have you ever talked with someone who is passionate about something that they love? If you happen to ask them a simple question about their favorite subject, you have to put on your seat belt for the answer. These people can talk for hours about singular topics that interest them. They read and study about the subject and seek out information and the latest discoveries. These people listen to lectures, go to conferences, read magazines, read books, network with other people, and follow “gurus” and experts to the “ends of the earth.” Passionate might be a weak way to describe their behavior as they talk with you about the subjects they are absorbed with. Obsessed might be a better way to describe these people. When people are passionate about something, you do not have to tell them to pursue further knowledge on the subject, or to do more research. These people seek out knowledge and they go to where like minded people gather to discuss it and act on it. When someone is passionate they are students of their passion. These people engage their passion with their lives and their time.

Like someone who is passionate about a subject, a disciple is passionate about Jesus. A disciple, simply defined, is a learner. A Christian disciple is a learner or student of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus, we must learn what God is teaching and go where God is leading us in obedience to Him. We are called to a passionate pursuit of God in learning and in growth.

If we are going to make disciples of Jesus, we must be passionate students and followers of Jesus ourselves. If we do not learn from Jesus and sit at His feet, we will not be able to teach others about Him. And if we are not willing to hear God, obey God, and go where Jesus is leading us, then we will never be able lead others to where Christ is.

Disciples of Jesus are like sponges, always soaking up God’s word and teachings. Disciples are always learning and are always going where Jesus is leading in obedience to Him. It has been said that converts grow old in the Lord; disciples grow up in the Lord. Disciples grow in maturity in their relationship with Jesus.

One of the definitions of a yoke is a rabbi, or teacher’s, set of teachings. Disciples are obedient to their Rabbi’s, Jesus’, yoke, or teachings. Disciples of Jesus are also yoked to Christ. A yoke is a bond or lash that fastens people together. Disciples are bound together with Jesus. Where ever God is, you can find His disciples there also. They are obedient to go where God leads as they are connected intimately with Him in His teachings and in His leading.

To make disciples of Jesus we must be disciples of Jesus ourselves, always learning and always following.

Learning and following Jesus by His grace and mercy and power,

Robbie

Bibliography

Stott, John R.W. The Radical Disciple. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove Il. © 2010

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 6:40

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 11:28-30

Temptation: Drawn Away and Enticed

http://outdoortravels.com/biking_wv_log_kennison.html

James 1:12-15

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

I love to go mountain biking whenever I get the opportunity, and when I am up for the challenge. The last time I went mountain biking was a few weekends ago. It was great! I went with my friend Graham in the George Washington National Forest. During our ride Graham and I talked about the different obstacles and challenges on the trail when mountain biking and we shared stories of dangers, close calls, and crashes. You can really get injured badly on a mountain bike ride if you aren’t careful.

I was telling Graham about how I teach these obstacles and challenges to new riders so that they do not get injured. The method that I use is the five R’s. The five R’s that challenge someone on a mountain biking trip are: rocks, ruts, roots, rivers, and rubbish. Most of these five R’s are challenges to the mountain biker because they steer you in the wrong direction, much like a train on the wrong track. These obstacles can also catch your front wheel and throw you if you hit them wrong. When riding next to the five R’s, especially roots or ruts, one can get their wheels stuck on a course that they did not intend to travel, and that course can lead to destruction. The five R’s can draw you away from the safe trail you are on, or force you off course or into a bad crash. Desires and temptations, like the five R’s, can do the same thing in our lives. These can lead us to sin; a major crash and burn.

When riding and encountering these many obstacles, as in life, it is work to stay the course. If we do not navigate away from the desires, temptations, and sin in our life through God’s Spirit and power, we will end up crashing and burning, just like in mountain biking and the challenges of the five R’s. I was telling Graham that it is best to avoid the five R’s all together, so that we do not crash or have to deal with the dangers and the risks in the first place. It is better not to have to deal with these obstacles at all if possible. However, if we must encounter them, it is best to hit them head on and not let them lead us to their ultimate end, a bad crash. For example, when mountain biking, you usually hit a root perpendicular and pop your wheel so your bike will go over the root and avoid a crash. Basically, you avoid the obstacle by going over it. You resist it!

The Author of James, Jesus’ half brother, tells us that we are blessed when we endure temptations. Much like the rider who gets to enjoy a satisfying and safe ride when avoiding the five R’s, or by navigating them properly, the person who endures temptations and does not get caught in the “ruts” that lead them to destruction will enjoy a blessed life. We must resist getting “drawn away” from “the ride” that God has in store for us by our own enticements, desires, sins, and temptations.

May we stay on His course for our lives and not be drawn away and enticed! May we enjoy the ride!

Staying the course by His Power and Grace,

Robbie

Bibliography

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Jas 1:12-15

The Living Rock People

1 Peter 2:5

“Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.”

"If all I had was the Bible as my guide...and I was to read this book and then start a 'church' what would it look like? Would it look like the thing that we've built here and all refer to as church? Or would it look radically different?" -Francis Chan

I have been thinking a lot about church lately. This past Sunday I was reading and talking about Acts 2:40-47 with a few friends. This is a stunning picture of the church. I also just had coffee with a friend and we talked about church. . . What is church? Is church a building? Is church a program? Is church God's people? Is church the Body of Christ? How are we to be the church? What does it mean to be the church? I found a great web site; we are church, which begins to unpack these questions: http://wearechurch.com/. There are some amazing articles under the resource section by Tim Keller on The Missional Church, and some others great articles by some different authors.

I recently took a leave no trace trainer’s course with my wife Irene. Leave No Trace is a wonderful organization that lessens environmental impacts from back country travel and other outdoor activities. The mission statement for The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is: “. . . An educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide.” The mission of Leave No Trace is simple and it minimizes environmental impact by leaving no trace.

When Irene and I got our materials for our LNT Trainer’s Course I found myself thinking about church again. There was a bumper sticker included in the packet that read, “Leaving your mark is overrated.” Now, that is funny and true when applied to not negatively impacting the environment when in the wilderness. However, if we were to apply this quote to the rest of life, or to Christianity or the church, this quote begins to be very ridiculous and tragic. This simply is not true. I began thinking about the church as I looked at this bumper sticker. I thought to myself, “Are there Leave No Trace Christians who think that ‘Leaving their mark is overrated?’” I also thought, “Am I one of them!?” Are we leaving a trace as the church? Because leaving our mark as the church is not overrated; this is our purpose.

The church is called to leave their mark. The church is not a building. The church is the people of God, living for God. Peter in his first letter, the first letter of Peter, asks us to present ourselves as stones for the building up of a living sanctuary that is vibrant with life. Peter is not talking about leaving our mark with physical structures here, or buildings. He is talking about a living structure with massive impact on our communities and our world. It is in this “living sanctuary,” the body of Christ; that we are all called to serve as holy priests offering ourselves up to God, having our lives approved by Christ Himself. In our serving and offering ourselves up, we will be impacted, we will leave the mark of Jesus on our families, on our communities, and on this world. We are called to be the church and to impact our communities for Christ. We are called to leave a trace of Jesus everywhere we go.

It has been said that, “Following Jesus is not ‘a spectator sport.’” This is true. We are not called to sit back and watch passively. We are to engage the world as “living stones” as the church. We are not called to “Leave No Trace” in our faith. There is no such thing as a “Leave No Trace Christian.” We are called to impact the world for Jesus’ sake. We are all implicated in ministry. We are to be the living body of Christ in the world, and to the world. We must leave our marks! We must share Jesus wherever we go. We must “get in the game!” As the church we are to impact our culture with true service, true fellowship, true worship, true teaching, and true ministry. We are to be the church. We are living stones. We are to be a living sanctuary, vibrant with life, in a sin dead world.

May we be the church in the world and impact our communities for Christ.

Impacting and leaving our mark as living stones,

Robbie

Bibliography

http://storage.cloversites.com/cornerstone1/documents/The%20Missional%20Church%20(Tim%20Keller).pdf

http://robbiepruitt.blogspot.com/2010/04/videos-on-becoming-missional.html

Leave No Trace. Retrieved May 24, 2010. http://lnt.org/aboutUs/index.php

Peterson, Eugene H.: The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, Colo. : NavPress, 2002, S. 1 Pe 2:5

We Are Church. Retrieved May 24, 2010. http://wearechurch.com/