One Anothering One Another

“One another” is two words in English, but it’s only one word in Greek: ἀλλήλων (ah-LAY-loan). It’s used in 100 times in 94 New Testament verses. 47 of those verses give instructions to the church, and 60% of those instructions come from Paul. Here are some of the "One Another" passages...

Unity. One third of the one-another commands deal with the unity of the church.

1. Be at peace with one another (Mk 9:50)
2. Don’t grumble among one another (Jn 6:43)
3. Be of the same mind with one another (Ro 12:16, 15:5)
4. Accept one another (Ro 15:7)
5. Wait for one another before beginning the Eucharist (1 Co 11:33)
6. Don’t bite, devour, and consume one another (Ga 5:15)
7. Don’t boastfully challenge or envy one another (Ga 5:26).
8. Gently, patiently tolerate one another (Ep 4:2)
9. Be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving to one another (Ep 4:32)
10. Bear with and forgive one another (Co 3:13)
11. Seek good for one another, and don’t repay evil for evil (1 Th 5:15)
12. Don’t complain against one another (Jas 4:11, 5:9)
13. Confess sins to one another (Jas 5:16)

Love. One third of them instruct Christians to love one another.

1. Love one another (Jn 13:34, 15:12, 17; Ro 13:8; 1 Th 3:12, 4:9; 1 Pe 1:22; 1 Jn 3:11, 4:7, 11; 2 Jn 5)
2. Through love, serve one another (Ga 5:13)
3. Tolerate one another in love (Ep 4:2)
4. Greet one another with a kiss of love (1 Pe 5:14)
5. Be devoted to one another in love (Ro 12:10)

Humility. About 15% stress an attitude of humility and deference among believers.

1. Give preference to one another in honor (Ro 12:10)
2. Regard one another as more important than yourselves (Php 2:3)
3. Serve one another (Ga 5:13)
4. Wash one another’s feet (Jn 13:14)
5. Don’t be haughty: be of the same mind (Ro 12:16)
6. Be subject to one another (Ep 5:21)
7. Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another (1 Pe 5:5)

Here’s the rest:

1. Do not judge one another, and don’t put a stumbling block in a brother’s way (Ro 14:13)
2. Greet one another with a kiss (Ro 16:16; 1 Co 16:20; 2 Co 13:12)
3. Husbands and wives: don’t deprive one another of physical intimacy (1 Co 7:5)
4. Bear one another’s burdens (Ga 6:2)
5. Speak truth to one another (Ep 4:25)
6. Don’t lie to one another (Co 3:9)
7. Comfort one another concerning the resurrection (1 Th 4:18)
8. Encourage and build up one another (1 Th 5:11)
9. Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (He 10:24)
10. Pray for one another (Jas 5:16)
11. Be hospitable to one another (1 Pe 4:9)

Jesus is the Better...

*** I am indebted to Timothy Keller for this post.  I first heard him say something like this (and probably better!) at a Gospel Coalition Conference.

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning HIMSELF." ...then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about ME in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” ~ Luke 24:27, 44-45

Jesus is the better Adam. In Genesis, Adam chose to rebel, broke fellowship with God, and failed in the Garden of Eden. In the Gospels, Jesus, the second Adam, walked in obedience and did not fail his test in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Instead of hiding from God and covering his shame, he went before God in prayer and covered the shame of all who were in the first Adam.

Jesus is the better Abel, who was innocent yet lost his life to his own kin. So too, Jesus’ blood was spilled at the hands of his Israelite brothers.

Jesus is the better Noah. Just as Noah built the ark to save people from the flood, so too Jesus became the true ark who absorbed the wrath of God so that all who would enter him would have eternal life.

Jesus is the better Abraham, who answered the call of God to go to a foreign country and walk in obedience by faith. And just as Abraham was told to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, God the Father would one day sacrifice his one and only son Jesus.

Jesus is the better Isaac, who carried wood to the place of his sacrifice just as Jesus would carry his cross of wood to Calvary.

Jesus is the better Jacob, who wrestled with God and walked away limping. Jesus wrestled with God in Gethsemane, and though wounded and limping, walked away from his grave blessed and victorious.

Jesus is the better Joseph, who after suffering was appointed to the right hand of the King of Egypt and extended forgiveness and provision to those who betrayed him. So too, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, extending grace and providing for us who also betrayed him.

Jesus is the better Moses. Just as Moses was the mediator between God and man and gave us the Law, so too Jesus is now the only mediator between God and man, giving us the Law of the New Covenant, which is not engraved on stones but is written on our hearts.

Jesus is the better rock that was struck in the desert, giving us water for everlasting life.

Jesus is the better bread that has come down from heaven.  Just as the Israelites were fed in the wilderness by heavenly manna, the Christian is continually preserved by Jesus’ body.

Jesus is the better pillar of fire.  Just as Moses and the people were led by a pillar of fire in their wanderings toward the Promised Land, so too Jesus is the light of the world who leads us home to the true Promised Land.

Jesus is the greater Samson, who in his last feat pulled the coliseum down upon himself and his enemies. Jesus pulled down the wrath of God upon himself and spared his enemies.

Jesus is the greater Boaz. Boaz redeemed Ruth and brought her and her despised people into community with God’s people. So too, Jesus redeemed his bride, the church, from all the nations of the earth and gave them an eternal community.

Jesus is the better David. Just as David killed the giant Goliath, who defied God and taunted his people, Jesus slew the giant Satan at Calvary and comforts the people of God.

Jesus is the greater King David.  Rather than staying home from war, Jesus went to war. Rather than committing adultery like David, Jesus saved the prostitute and gave her back her dignity. Rather than covering up sin by murdering Uriah, Jesus, the true light, exposed sin and saved the dying criminal crucified beside him.

Jesus is the greater Solomon, and, because of his wisdom, when he taught it was not as one of the scribes.

Jesus is the better temple of God that we enter to worship the Lord.

Jesus is the greater Elijah, who, after defeating the false prophets of Ba’al, offered up the sacrifices at Mt.Carmel. So too, Jesus exposed the religious frauds for who they were and, rather than offering a sacrifice to prove Yahweh is the one true God, he is Yahweh’s sacrifice.

Jesus is the greater Nehemiah. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, but Jesus ushers in the city known as the New Jerusalem.

Jesus is the greater Esther, who risked her life by entering the palace of king Xerxes.  But Jesus gave his life at Pilate’s palace.

Jesus is the better Job. Job suffered as an innocent man under the onslaught of Satan, and so too Jesus suffered as an innocent man and bore the wrath of God, the wrath of Satan, and the wrath of mankind. And just as Job’s friends were of no use to him in his agony, Jesus’ disciples slept when he was in great distress.

Jesus is the greater Jeremiah, who in exile was known as the weeping prophet just as Jesus, the man of many sorrows, wept at Lazarus’ grave and over those living in exile in their own land.

Jesus is the greater Isaiah, who saw some future events unfolding. So too, Jesus has perfect knowledge of eternity past and eternity future.

Jesus is the greater Hosea, who married an unfaithful, whoring wife yet pursued her in love. Jesus does the same and more for his unfaithful bride, the Church, every hour.

Jesus is the greater Jonah. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish because he ran from the will of God, and, by God’s power, he appeared again and proclaimed God’s Word, which led to the salvation of the Ninevites. But Jesus spent three days in the grave because he ran toward the will of God, faithfully preached the gospel, and appeared three days later, which led to the salvation of the world.

On and on it goes. Jesus is not only the true and greatest of all the people in the Bible - He radically recycles everything in the Old Testament according to his person and work. 

He is the better prophet.

He is the better High Priest.

He is the better King of all Kings.

He is the better lamb to be sacrificed.

Jesus is the better.

May we see Jesus -- his death, resurrection, and reign -- as the fulfillment of all God's redemptive activities! 
May we see HIM as better. 
May we follow HIM as he is superior to all else.
May we receive HIM as our Christ. 
And may we share him with those around us.

Reading the Bible for All Its Worth

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Though it, at times, can be hard to understand, and though many people use it to bring division, the Bible is one of God's best gifts to humanity.

Dig into it.
Pursue the truth within it.
Treasure it within your heart.
Explore God's Self-Disclosure.

Embrace the Christ it unveils (every page points to him!)
And share it with those around you!

Here are some thoughts and tools to be equip you to better read and understand the Bible:

Reading the Bible For All Its Worth

Spiritual Disciplines + Practices

One way Christians have spoken about embracing the journey of learning how to follow Jesus - to be Christian - is to incorporate routine spiritual disciplines and/or practices into your life...

What are spiritual disciplines?

• The disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us. ... They are God’s means of grace.” ~ Richard Foster, Celebration of Disciplines
• Henri Nouwen saw the disciplines as a means “to create space to meet with God that you other wise had not planned on.
• M. Robert Mulholland described them as “things that intrude into our lives to align us with God’s purpose.”
• My favorite description…Douglas Rumford said they were “a means to develop soul memory for reflexive spiritual responsiveness.”

Another way of referring to the disciplines is to call them spiritual practices. Spiritual practices are exactly what their name suggests; they’re ways to be deliberate about matters of the soul. A spiritual practice is a tool for becoming aware of God within the normalcy of life—it injects the sacred into elements that could otherwise seem just everyday.

Dallas Willard, in The Spirit of the Disciplines, compiled a list of spiritual disciplines + practices he believe were modeled in the life of Christ. He also placed these disciplines into two categories: the disciplines of abstinence (or “letting go”) and the disciplines of activity.

Disciplines of Letting Go

These practices allow us to relinquish something in order to gain something new. We abstain from the busyness of life. We stop talking for a while to hear from God. We give up buying another material possession to experience God more fully. First Peter 2:11 warns us to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Identify what is keeping you from experiencing greater strength and perspective.

Do you talk too much and end up gossiping or complaining?

Are possessions controlling you?

Are you too worried about what others think?

Are you, at times, overcome with anxiety?

Are you usually stressed and easily angered?

Here are some of the disciplines that will help you LET GO and become more dependent on God.

Solitude—Spending time alone to be with God. Find a quiet place to be alone with God for a period of time. Use the Bible as a source of companionship with God. Listen to Him. Remain alone and still.

Silence—Removing noisy distractions to hear from God. Find a quiet place away from noise to hear from God. Write your thoughts and impressions as God directs your heart. Silence can occur even in the midst of noise and distraction. But you must focus your attention on your soul. This could mean learning to practice some forms of meditation; but it could also mean changing your life is rather simple ways…talking less or talking only when necessary and in it’s place quietly thinking about God. And it could mean turning off the radio, the music, the podcast, and the TV.

Fasting—Skipping a meal(s) to find greater nourishment from God. Choose a period of time to go without food. Drink water and, if necessary, take vitamin supplements. Feel the pain of having an empty stomach and depend on God to fill you with His grace.

Frugality—Learning to live with less money and still meet your basic needs. Before buying something new, choose to go without or pick a less expensive alternative that will serve your basic needs. Live a simple, focused life.

Secrecy—Avoiding self-promotion, practice serving God without others knowing. Give in secret. Serve “behind the scenes” in a ministry that you are assured few will know about.

Sacrifice—Giving of our resources beyond what seems reasonable to remind us of our dependence on Christ. Choose to give your time or finances to the Lord beyond what you normally would.

Disciplines of Activity

Dallas Willard writes, “The disciplines of abstinence must be counter-balanced and supplemented by disciplines of engagement (activity).” It’s choosing to participate in activities that nurture our souls and strengthen us for the journey ahead.

Study—Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives. We are nourished by the Word because it is our source of spiritual strength. Choose a time and a place to feed from the Word of God regularly.

Worship—Offering praise and adoration to God. His praise should continually be on our lips and in our thoughts. Keep praise ever before you as you think of God’s mighty deeds in your life.

Song —Scripture has many references to singing praise and prayer to the Lord. There‘s something significant about the fact that whenever we gather, historically, God's people sing. It’s a weekly practice for most of us—even if you don’t sing, you’ve still shared an experience with a group of people, and that is at the heart of what happens when we sing: sharing an experience with God and one another. It’s a profoundly countercultural practice. Song can also to be done on your own. Read psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs from the Scriptures; or sing along with a favorite praise song or hymn.

Prayer—Talking to and listening to God about your relationship with Him and about the concerns of others. Find time to pray to God without the distraction of people or things. Combine your prayer time with meditation on the Scriptures in order to focus on Christ.

Fellowship—This is mutual caring and ministry for one another within the body of Christ…meet regularly with other Christians to find ways to minister to others. Pray for each other. Encourage one another.

Confession—Regularly confess your sins to the Lord and other trusted individuals. As often as you are aware of sin in your life, confess it to the Lord and to those you may have offended.

Submission—Humbling yourself before God and others while seeking accountability in relationships. Find faithful brothers or sisters in Christ who can lovingly hold you accountable for your actions and growth in Christ.

The Secular + Sacred Combined
The spiritual disciplines + practices are a tool for becoming aware of God within the normalcy of life—it injects the sacred into elements that could otherwise seem just everyday. They make room for God the Holy Spirit to fill us and shape us in simple and spiritually refreshing ways. So in applying just some of these spiritual disciplines + practices, we find that the lines can be blurred between those things spiritual and what is secular.

Incorporating these disciplines + practices into our daily routine reminds us: 
Gratitude can happen when we’re mowing the lawn.
Worship and grocery shopping are compatible.
God can be pursued and experienced during your daily commute.

Intelligent Mysticism

Following Jesus is not simply learning to believe certain things nor is it only spiritual experiences. Following Jesus will always involve both the mind and the heart -- a kind of intelligent mysticism of sorts…

“It is necessary for us to recognize that there is an intelligent mysticism in the life of faith…of living union and communion with the exalted and ever-present Redeemer…He communes with his people and his people commune with him in conscious reciprocal love…The life of true faith cannot be that of cold metallic assent.  It must have the passion and warmth of love and communion because communion with God is the crown and apex of true religion.” ~ John Murray, Redemption Applied

Intelligent mysticism. Wow, now give that some thought. An encounter with God is a mixture of the affections of the heart and the convictions of the mind. In other words, our choice isn't between doctrine or experience, nor is it between knowledge or spiritual power. Encountering God involves both; in fact, when done well, they actually stimulate one another.

How about you? Are you emphasizing one over the other?

What are some ways you can cultivate an intelligent mysticism in your daily life?

Is Homosexuality a Sin? Resources to Help You Better Understand the Issue(s)...

At Grace Church, all are welcome to come and discover Jesus with us, to worship with us, to find community with us, and to explore what God’s Word has to say. So, as a church set and centered on unifying on the historic Christian faith and welcoming all to come, including those with different perspectives on homosexual relationships and gender issues, it's imperative that we grow in our understanding of this ongoing discussions and debates.

The topics of human sexuality and gender aren't as simple as some people think or claim. And though the Bible lists many sexual activities as clearly wrong, there are many genuine Christians who are making a case that monogamous and committed ("marital') homosexual relationships are not forbidden in the Scriptures. Their claim is that the Bible passages referring to homosexuality are referring to other sexual pervasions (e.g., multiple partners, practicing bi-sexiality, rape, prostitution, the ancient practice of pederasty, etc.) or they claim the passages referring to homosexuality in the Old Testament's holiness code (Leviticus chapters 17-27) do not apply to New Testament Christianity (see Acts 21:25). 

Here are the Bible passages concerning homosexuality: 

• two references to homosexual rape -- Genesis 19:5, Judges 19:22
• three references to intercourse between men -- Leviticus 18:21-22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:27
• one reference to intercourse between women -- Romans 1:26
• one seems to be a reference of male prostitution and/or pederasty -- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (this could be argued to refer to homosexuality in a general sense)
• and one seems to be general -- 1 Timothy 1:8-10.

At our church, we have brothers and sisters on both sides of this interpretive dispute. And though we may not all agree, we are, nonetheless, committed to the process of discovering and exploring God’s Word together, even if it means, from time to time, that we will respectively agree to disagree. If we center ourselves on what has always unified the church, Christ and him crucified, there will always be a sense of mutual edification and community with one another.

To better help inform you about how Grace Church is pursuing this debated topic, be sure to listen to What is Grace Church's Stance Toward LGBT Christians? and a recent sermon entitled, Jesus + The Centurion. 

Additionally, here are helpful resources from some Christian leaders and teachers on the whole subject of homosexuality, LGBT, and the church...

"Traditional Interpretation" - Resources making a biblical case for all homosexual behavior being sinful and, therefore, not God's best for humanity:

• Podcast - The Gay Discussion by Q
• Book - What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality by Kevin DeYoung
• Article - 40 Questions for Christians Now Raising Rainbow Flags by Gospel Coalition
• Article - The Bible and Same Sex Relationships (a review article) by Timothy Keller
• Article - Four Appeals to Christians Embracing Homosexuals by Gavin Ortlund
• Video (segments) - N.T. Wright on Gay Marriage (and Homosexuality) and  N.T. Wright on the Homosexuality Debate

"Non-Traditional Interpretation" - Resources making a biblical case for monogamous and committed homosexual unions:

• Book - God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
• Book - A Letter to My Congregation by Ken Wilson
• Video - A series of short videos from The Gay Christian Network
• Video - The Gay Debate: Homosexuality and the Bible by Matthew Vines

Also, here's an example of Christians disagreeing on what the Bible says concerning this issue yet, nonetheless, remaining committed to pursuing Christ-centered unity together as they continue to dialog and seek truth: 

• The Great Debate by The Gay Christian Network

One other book, which is worth your attention, doesn't really fall under either of the categories listed above and is probably the closest to my own personal approach to the issue(s). It's called People to be Loved by Preston Sprinkle. Definitely worth checking out.

Additionally, Preston did a two part review of Ken Wilson's book, A Letter to my Congregation, and, in my opinion, handles some of Wilson's errors and highlights moms of his strengths quite well. You can read them here:

• A Review of Ken Wilson’s “Third Way” Approach to Homosexuality: Part 1
• A Review of Ken Wilson’s “Third Way” Approach to Homosexuality: Part 2

Lastly, Preston also wrote a two part review on Kevin DeYoung's, What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? You can read them here:

• Kevin DeYoung’s New Book on Homosexuality: A Critical Review (Part 1)
• Kevin DeYoung’s New Book on Homosexuality: A Critical Review (Part 2)

Personal note from Pastor Heath: 

If you are wondering where I (Heath) land on the issue, after much reading, after many conversations with gay, straight, bi-sexual and transgender individuals, after much consideration and prayer, I still think, despite the sexual propensities of some, all forms of homosexual relations are not God's best for humanity. And though I'm quick to agree with those who recognize the interpretive possibilities of passage such as Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:8-10 (and others), the overarching paradigm for sexuality set forth in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 of the complementary male and female marital unions and sexual relations, and then seeing this paradigm running throughout both Old and New Testaments, seems, for me, to be a hard argument to beat. I say this knowing that it is contentious to some and possibly hurtful to others; but that is not my intention. I am not a homophobic bigot. I will never shun or shame a brother or sister who has differing view on this issue. I'm open to change my views if convinced by Scripture. And, furthermore, I will never shun or shame a friend who comes out as gay or bisexual or becomes transgender. These are complicated and sensitive matters. We need to meet each other with love and forbearance. Assumptions and traditions need to be challenged by the Word of God. And we need to maintain a sincere desire to learn and grow together. Let's keep going!

6 Simple Ways to Make Disciples without Adding Anything to Your Schedule...

Click HERE for helpful Gospel Leadership Resources from Grace Church.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Living in Grace against the Missio Malum

The Story of Scripture is clear on one thing, Evil has a mission. This mission is seen in the destruction caused in the Edenic scene, where a beautiful and happy humanity become broken exiles, hiding from God out of shame. It is seen again in vivid color as the whole of the New Testament letters are dedicated to seeing that the community of faith see through the bickering and differences between them and to the reality of the new humanity they have together become. Evil has a mission, to see humanity ravaged by disunity and hate. For a humanity that is broken in this way ceases to be humanity. If Evil can take humanity away from the world then God too will vanish. With no humanity to bear his image and reflect his beauty Evil will have won accomplishing its mission.

God has a mission as well: To see Evil vanquished. The Good News of the "Gospel" is that in Jesus God's mission has come to the world and has a great victory. This. Missio Dei is the whole point of the Biblical narrative, its main theme. Israel was created out of Abraham in order to see to the riddance of Evil from creation. A people through whom God would call all the other nations back to himself. Indeed Paul understands this eschatological intention as the foundation for God’s covenant with Abraham, “in you all the nations are blessed” (See Romans 8 for the cosmic end of a restored earth followed by Romans 9-11 where Paul makes the argument that through faith in Jesus people become members of the “Israel of God” and this people, “all of Israel will be saved”). Jesus, while dying on a cross cries out for God to forgive his killers because he understands what is at stake: Evil is the true culprit responsible for his death and his death will be ironically the death blow to death itself, Evil has been dealt with. The death of Jesus and his resurrection bring God’s mission to its climax and to its accomplishment. Evil is no longer hidden and reigning without challenge, in fact it is only a matter of time before it’s completely gone from this world. Since the cross, God has given his spirit, his “glory” to his people as his new Temples. These people have the authority and power to resist evil and be victorious over it. The most important way this is done is through the living out of the good news announcement. Proclaiming that Jesus is now indeed King must be accompanied by a self-sacrifice of relentless forgiveness. To forgive is to bring the Kingdom of God into our lives and confrontations. Like the demons and sickness that encountered Jesus when he began his ministry, so Evil will not be able to stand, Mark 1. Forgiveness is essential to obeying the Gospel and not being a false or counterfeit follower, Matthew 6:14.

Do not allow Evil to accomplish its mission in your life. Be reconciled to your enemies, forgive all who have wronged you. When we fail in this we deem ourselves of more importance than God's mission and to choose the wrong Kingdom in which to live. There is no such thing as neutrality. One will either promote the Missio Malum (Evil) or the Missio Dei. This holiday season seek that family member, co-worker, Church member or neighbor who you do not like, who does not like you and forgive them. Speak blessing to them, apologize and tell them that you want to be reconciled and ask if they would work together with you to see this done. Obey the Gospel. Otherwise, all of our religious work, bible study, church attendance, and community group involvement is in vain. Evil doesn't care if we are religious, it wants us to have broken relationships, pretending to be a disciple of Jesus while we are violating the very essence of his Gospel. Do we want to be true disciples, to really see the glory of God in our lives? Then we must repent and with all of our energy and resources...with all our life can pour out, be reconciled to our fellow image bearers. There is nothing more important in the life of the disciple of Jesus. Be like the Rabbi.

When the Rabbi Says "Come"

In the days of Jesus, what did the term disciple (talmid) mean to them; and what can we learn from that today? Ray Vander Laan, a scholar of the Hebrew texts and customs, Christian teacher, and Ancient Middle East expert, helps us understand.

Learn more from Ray Vander Laan at FollowThe Rabbi.com

Discipleship Simplified From Down Under

The wonderful publishers from Down Under, Matthias Media, has provided an excellent resource that aims at equipping believers in having one-to-one bible reading times with their friends who are non-believers, young believers, or, like them, growing believers. 

The name of the short book is One to One Bible Reading and it's by David Helm, the pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Chicago. Part of Helm’s premise is inspired by a paragraph from The Trellis and the Vine, another resource from Matthias Media:

Imagine if all Christians, as a normal part of their discipleship, were caught up in a web of regular Bible reading—not only digging into the Word privately, but reading it with their children before bed, with their spouse over breakfast, with a non-Christian colleague at work once a week over lunch, with a new Christian for follow-up once a fortnight for mutual encouragement, and with a mature Christian friend once a month for mutual encouragement. 

Prior to referring back to this quote from Marshall and Payne, Helm says in One-to-One, “What is this way? What is this activity that is so simple and so universal that it meets the discipleship needs of these three very different people? We call it reading the Bible one-to-one.”

By design the one-to-one concept is meant to remove all the programmatic pressure that today’s American church-goer is inclined to burden himself or herself to in the discipleship process. Rather than approaching discipleship with the expectation of having a directed program, professional curriculum, and polished facilitation, Helm frees Christ-followers from feeling like they have to be a bible study specialist and gives us confidence that meeting to read scripture together and discuss will be a catalyst for gospel, spiritual, and community growth.

Helm writes:

Any committed Christian is capable of initiating a good conversation on a biblical text. In reality, your fears in this area of personal work betray two Screwtape-like lies that every Christian must resist. First, that gospel growth depends on us and on our abilities. This is simply not the case. Our proficiency in the Bible is not the final arbiter in seeing spiritual growth occur. The Holy Spirit can and does use timid people just like us. The second lie we fight against is disbelief—disbelief in the potency of God’s word. We need to be reminded that God does his work in his way, and it is his word that accomplishes whatever he desires in the world.

I love this approach!  And, if you've been around Grace Church for a while, you know this approach  resonates what we've been pushing since our beginning. The concept of One-to-One centers Christian fellowship around scripture. By design this fellowship leans heavily on the Holy Spirit’s work in the lives of two people developing a mutual friendship around the Word of God.

Go figure…a discipleship method that depends on the Spirit and Scripture! And here's the best part, any and every Christian can do it!

This concept is not novel. This concept is not trendy. This concept is not vintage. It is simply rooted in historic biblical Christianity. Order it today or pick up a copy this Sunday at Grace Church!

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.

When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.”

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship 

BEING the Church; Not GOING to Church

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:18-20

There is plenty of room for Grace Church to grow and expand.  Let's pray that more and more people come, get connected, and become part of Grace Church's mission + vision.  But we have to remember what kind of church we are called to be.  

We're not looking to simply grow numerically, we want to see more disciples, more Christ-followers.  We want to see people connected to the mission of Grace Church, and then watch them begin to see their life as one who is called to live on mission as one of God's sent people.  And this kind of discipleship is not something that happens immediately.  Discipleship like this happens when people engage the truth of God's Word and enter into Christ-centered community with one another on a regular basis.  Discipleship like this happens when people begin to reach out, build relationships with others, and then personally invite them to be a part of what's happening at Grace Church.

Remember, our goal isn't to simply see the auditorium of DHS filled with people on Sunday (though that would be awesome and let's shoot for that!); more so than that, we want to see people following Christ.  We want the auditorium filled with people who do not simply GO to church rather, we desire that room to be filled with Christ-followers who ARE the church, 7 days a week, and in all spheres of life.

Kingdom Community: Disciple Making and Curse Reversing

"From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand". ~ Matthew 4:17 (NASV)

Being raised in a Baptist home as the son of a preacher I can say that I have no idea how many church services and sermons I have witnessed and been a part of, how many "alter calls" I have heard or how often it has been pressed on me to know that Jesus died for my sins. In fact every year for my birthday my grandmother sends me a five dollar bill and a tract containing Romans Road... "just in case".

Yet of all the sermons and preaching, I can honestly say that growing up I never heard anything about the Kingdom of God. As an adult I find this amazing, especially since the phrases, "Kingdom of God", "Kingdom of Heaven", and "the Kingdom" appear so many times in the Gospels. I am even more amazed that I have grown up hearing so much about the "Gospel" yet very little about the "Kingdom".

The majority of the Evangelical church culture is under the opinion that the Gospel is "the good news". But this begs the question, "the good news of what?". The term Gospel is the word εὐαγγέλιον, meaning "good news". We have already spent some time discussing the context of the word, Gospel. The Roman machine was an empire of domination conquering a fourth of the Earth's population. The Empire assured her conquered oppressed peoples that they were better off as Romans, that now they would have the "Good News" of the Roman Peace. Rome would provide justice and usher in a new era for humanity better than anything before in history.

Jesus and the early Christians would take the term Gospel and apply it to God's covenant and mission. The good news was not found in Rome, but in Jesus. Jesus was Lord, Cesar was not.

Jesus movement begins and stays as Kingdom movement.

The above text, Matthew 4:17 is very telling about what Jesus thought and taught. Notice the text does not say "this is one of the things Jesus began to teach...", or "for a little while Jesus taught...". No. "From that time" refers to Jesus' public movement. Jesus went into the wilderness and succeeded in defeating the Satan (Matt. 4:1-11) and upon returning hears the news that John the Baptist, who was himself leading a revolution movement never before seen in Israel, has been arrested. According to Matthew, it is then that Jesus begins his public ministry. So from the time he goes public he preaches that the Kingdom of God is here, and this is the foundational, essential message of his movement all the way to the cross and beyond.

The Kingdom community, making disciples.

Matthew then tells that the proclamation of Kingdom by Jesus is involved with the action of recruiting and making people disciples. After telling of the message of Jesus' public movement, Peter and Andrew are called and come follow Jesus. Matthew then again reads in verse 23 that "Jesus was going around Galilee (with his disciples) preaching the gospel of Kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and illness".

The Kingdom coming was the true good news and this was evident from the fact that wherever the Kingdom Community went, disease and sickness were no more. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God was here and proved that this was the Gospel by demonstrating the power of God's Kingdom. God's Kingdom was now at work reversing the curses of sin and death that had been hanging over the planet since humanities disobedience and expulsion from the garden in Genesis 3.

Gospel according to who?

A startling conclusion I have come to from reading the Gospels is that what most Christians say the Gospel is is something very foreign to the historical gospel demonstrated in the New Testament works with Gospel as their title. Jesus was born and he did die, yes. But like every other human, his life was more than a beginning and end.

What did Jesus dedicate himself to?

What was his vision and mission?

If one uses the new Testament, and particularly the Gospels, to answer these questions one will find a Good News containing more than individual salvation and forgiveness, more than atonement and a promised entry into heaven upon one's death, more than what most Churches in our culture preach it is. The Gospel is the Good News of the Kingdom, that it has come in Jesus and that we are apart of its glorious victory.

The Cross is the great climax of history where Jesus claimed victory over sin and death and secured for himself a people. Not a people for a heavenly afterlife however. Through his death Jesus exodused a people out of darkness so that they could continue his movement of bringing light to a broken world until He returns bringing a consummated Kingdom of God to earth - where "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

We, his eternally blood-bought people, are bought and purchased for the good works of the kingdom (Ephesians 2:10). It is our prayer that Grace Church of Dunedin will be a people conscious of our identity as the community of the Kingdom, a community bringing the good news to Dunedin and surrounding communities.