Making Disciples: How's Your Balance?

From the great "Theologian" Bruce Lee: 

"Balance is something you're always running to catch."

As you reach students for Christ, impacting their friends and culture; what's your plan? We've considered the power and synergy of large groups and your meetings briefly, but what's at the heart of your ministry? I ask, because I was reminded by a friend and missionary's recent status update, of Christ's call to His church; "make disciples", here is what he wrote:  

"Great thoughts on disciple-making: If you make disciples you always get the church. But if you make a church you rarely get disciples. "Most of us have become quite good at the church thing. And yet, disciples are the only thing that Jesus cares about, and it’s the only number that Jesus is counting. Not our attendance or budget or buildings. He wants to know if we are “making disciples.” Breen, Mike (2011-08-16). Building a Discipling Culture"

So the questions begging to be asked and answered as you plan and execute your ministry: "Are you making disciples or simply building a group? What does a disciple of Christ look like in youth culture? How would that compare to a disciple of your ministry? Would it be different?  

Those are tough questions to answer, given our propensity and bias to interpret all we do in our own ministries as being biblical. Before we measure our ministries by our own standards take a pulse of your "model" students and look at these characteristics; 

• What is their personal response to and awareness of "sin"? Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And •walk in love, as the •Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.  But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for •saints. Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. Eph. 5:1-4 Are they growing in their personal understanding, disdain and battle with sin?
• What is their personal awareness of righteous?  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light —  for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth —  discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. Eph. 5:8-10 Are they pursuing daily to discover God's directives for all of their lives; work, play love, friends, leisure?
• What is their personal awareness of their daily mission? And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Col. 3:17 Do they recognize the strategic role each part of their lives play for the kingdom; in all they do; school, extra curricular, family, friends, etc.?
• What is their awareness of their need for community to do life? He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the •saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head —Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part. Eph. 4:11-16 They will never achieve all God has for their personal or corporate lives alone!

As my friend reminded me in his status.... make disciples build the church (youth ministry), make a church (youth ministry) and chances are good there won't be many disciples. It can be a real trick to focus on in our current church culture. 

So How's your balance?

 
 

 

Don't Be A Fool!

Our Students seem so unclear on the subject of friends, family and "Love". Give 'em a dose of Wisdom!

You can’t choose your family; you can’t choose, whom it is you love; you must extend that act to all: You can choose your friends; those you would emulate, embrace and take into your confidence. You can choose, “who” you give your heart too!

Are you clear on the difference? Love is not an emotion to be controlled by; it is a gift to be offered. While we are to love all, we do not, should not, offer unwittingly, the key to our hearts and lives to one who would do us great harm.

We are told to: “guard your heart”, to: “…not go with the angry man”, lest we become like him. An English proverb says: “A fool is known by the company he keeps”. A biblical proverb says it this way: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Prov. 13:20

How clear does it have to be? Love all, embrace wisely: give no fool your heart! (No matter the illusion of beauty, wealth or position!)

DON’T BE A FOOL!

Ever Have An Out-of-Body Experience?

Ever had an out of body experience? I have, several times, and it’s always deals with the same thing.

I was driving down the road, hand draped over the steering wheel, drumming a beat on the dash as I hummed the song on the radio. Suddenly I had this surreal feeling, like I was seeing myself from a different vantage point. It was an epiphany and a visual experience. Another occasion I had just gotten out of bed with a terrible cold. As I walked toward the bathroom I found myself making this unconscionable noise but it wasn’t me; it was as if I were an observer looking at myself. Sometimes these times are accompanied by the experience of “deja-vu”: An intense feeling that you have experienced the exact thing, time and moment before.

As I said, I’ve had this happen on several occasions, all revealing the same inescapable truth. As I watched myself; a rush of self-knowledge, a moment of Zen enlightenment struck me: “I was my Dad!” Not only had I left my body; he had taken over! Sayings, sounds, habits, all things I had observed him doing as a child; out of nowhere, here I was, but not me; it was him, doing those same things as I watched!

You have had that happen! Haven’t you? A moment where you found yourself reflecting; imitating reflexively someone you thought you never would. (obviously any references to "out-of-body" experiences were satirical.)

The reality: We imitate the people we are surrounded by. We imitate the individuals we value; the ones we esteem. Who are the people, shaping your life and ministry? We were meant to mature in community, being mentored and influenced by the mature. How do you define this quality, “mature”, in today’s world? As you chew on this and kick it around with your peers, remember this:

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

Imitate God! So what’s that look like? The rest of this section, in light of all our youth experience in their world: The blue humor, the innuendo, and the open contempt for purity; has a bit to say…. dig in.