The Cost of Nondiscipleship; excerpts from The Spirit of the Disciplines, by Dallas Willard

1-2. Willard makes it a point to say that discipleship is for all Christians. Rather than being called a Christian, we should have more of the perspective of being identified as disciples. The image I get of being a disciple is that of a young Buddhist monk learning the art of Kung-Fu. He dedicates his life to discipline his mind and body, he secludes himself from all other worldly distractions and gives himself completely to his training. This is what the Christian life lacks in many of us, including me.

3. We have neglected the very command Christ gave us. He says to make disciples, we have failed. We have substituted genuine Christian growth and maturity for increasing numbers in attendance and membership in the church. Everyone says that discipleship is important, but our actions don’t reflect this attitude.

More and more I realize that I, too, am in need of discipleship. I am not an island to myself, nor have I lived long enough to know all there is to know about faith and love. All I know is that the victorious Christian life the Bible describes is not being lived out like it should. I am a part of a broken world that is continually falling, and we Christians are conceding to it.

LORD, you have set me apart from this world, called me holy and belonging to you. Let this be evident and true in all I do and all I say. I want to be more like you, and I want to do that which you have called me to do. I want to be a disciple and a disciple-maker. I want to live victoriously through Christ’s sacrifice.

4-5. “And if we intend to become like Christ, that will be obvious to every thoughtful person around us, as well as to ourselves.” That is a challenging take on becoming a disciple of Christ. I am my own worst critic when it comes to comparing myself with Christ. How can I, knowing all my sins and all my baggage say that I’m becoming more and more like Christ?

Though maybe it is possible. Maybe one can see his own self becoming like Christ when someone else can point it out to him. This thing of discipleship clearly has a relational component to it. As Jesus discipled the twelve, and the Apostles discipled the early Church, we are meant to be in a discipling relationship, both as a discipler and a disciplee. It takes encouragement and guidance, rebuke and restoration, a heavenly relationship that can speak into one another and bring each other closer to Christ. I think this is the picture of true community and fellowship. I think this is the true picture of Church.

I want to become more like Christ. Let my relationships push me towards that, and let my words and action push others toward that as well.

6. There is a cost to being a disciple. One must give up his own rights, deny himself of things he might otherwise want when he lives for himself. But the cost of not being a disciple, Willard points out, is to give up the joy of Christian life Jesus promises to his disciples. Willard says that nondiscipleship costs peace, love, faith, hope and power. Discipleship prevents the person from having the Fruit of the Spirit.

Your gift of discipleship is more valuable than my own desires of the flesh. The wonderful cross bids be come and die to find that I may truly live. Help me to put to death my selfish and sinful flesh. I want Christ to live in me.

Giving All to Christ; excerpts from Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

taken from: Foster, Richard J., and James Bryan Smith, eds. Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups. San Fransisco: HarperCollins, 1990.

1-3. Jesus’ call for discipleship always sounds so radically to me. He says to count the cost before following him, for the cost is dying to yourself and taking up our spiritual cross. I didn’t count the cross when I first became a believer. I thought that God would take my sins away and life would become easier. God did take my sins aways, and continues to do so to this day. But the cost of discipleship is great, and its benefits even greater. This, however, does not make counting the cost any easier.

I have a great hope and a future in and through Christ. I dare not regret my decisions or question Christ’s merciful power. He desires to give me his best gifts, and I will faithfully obey him.

God, give me eyes that see how you are working in my life. I want to trust your leading through good and bad times, that you are leading me through difficult situations for a reason. When you ask me to count the costs, it is not because you are selfish but because you want me to have more of you. Christ, be the center of my life and help me to fix my eyes on you in all things.

4-5. Lewis says that the harder thing to do is to wait until it is too late to do anything about it. It is better to be prepared for the long run when you know the difficulties will arise. But it certainly doesn’t feel like it from where I am standing now. Self-discipline is always hard, and no one ever knows what lies ahead of us anyways.

The Scripture says that there is a time of judgment coming. There will be a time of persecution for following him. We can also listen to the counsel of wise elders who say that things don’t become easier in life, but harder. So why is it hard to keep this in perspective and prepare for what is coming? Christ says to give our whole selves to him when it is easy. It will be more difficult to give my all to him when there is more to give. Yet I hold onto even the smallest things I have, what little power I have over my life. Christ wants this and all else.

Jesus, you are LORD of all, and LORD over me. Help me to loose my life now and not when it becomes harder to do so. I say that my life and my future is yours, so I want to surrender my present circumstances and dreams and ambitions for your glory, not my own.

6. Be perfect. That’s easier said than done. Christ calls me to be like him, bearing his image, without sin, the perfect child of God. The mere thought of that seems ridiculous because it is so impossible. Of course if I try to do this on my own, it is impossible.

But with God, all things are possible. He doesn’t give me a command without the means to carry it out. The means are not found in any gift or talent that’s in me, but the very means for perfection comes from the one who is perfect. So I must learn to submit to the perfect Father who is eagerly desiring to give perfect gifts. I must first turn to him daily. He must be my priority, he must be first in this life.

God, grab hold of me at every waking morning and in every thought and action. Would you show me once again your goodness, and bring me back to the reason why my life is in you. Help me to break out of my own egg so that I can become fully what you have intended me to be.

7-8. Lewis says that the most important thing for us is to become like Christ. All other things come second to this goal. This segment made me wonder whether I am becoming like Christ more and more throughout my Christian development. For all the growths in knowledge and experience, do I bear the image of Christ or do I bear the image of the world?

I am reminded of what the role of the Church is. Since Christ’s commission to the apostles to make disciples, men and women imitating the Son and bringing others to imitate him as well. We must evaluate whether the Church is making disciples or spending their energies on something else. I must evaluate if I am becoming more like Christ or am I distracted from my task?

Make me more like you. Would you convict me of areas that are far from you. Change my will and my thoughts, draw me closer to you.

The Great (and not so great, but just as exciting) Commission

“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

It’s been a while since I’ve put my thoughts down on paper. Blogging takes time, and taking time means to slow down your life from everything that’s going on. A lot has happened since I’ve last posted anything on this page, but it may be good to take a step back and see what God is doing in my life.

I received my acceptance letter of sorts to the Navy Chaplain Candidate Program Officer (CCPO) Program. It is a mouthful. The journey that started two and a half years ago has finally come to an end (or rather has reached its beginning). Soon I will get commissioned as a naval officer and can then begin ODS and chaplain school. Things seem to be falling in place.

Fighter pilots can sometimes get into target fixation, where one will focus so much on one thing that they miss what is going on in their peripheries. This can be true about many things, whether it is work, or your family, or even in your studies. I’ve been fixated on various different things throughout the past two years trying to make something of myself while in school. We can often see this target as our prize and reward waiting at the end of the finish-line. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the prize is not money or a degree, but or prize is heaven. He says, ”Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14).”

I am reminded again that this journey towards commissioning or chaplaincy or earning my degree is not an ends in itself, but that they are just small steps in running towards the true prize of heaven. My goal is not to be a chaplain, but to be a minister to sailors and marines. My prize isn’t to have bars on my shoulders, but to hear the words of Jesus saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” ~ Matthew 25:31-40

A Theology of Friendship

No one really thinks of friendship as having a theology. I really didn’t, yet there is a deeply rooted component in friendship that is tied to the creation of mankind. From the very beginning God had deemed it not good for man to be alone. Now, “alone” is an interesting concept. One can be in a room by himself for long periods of time and be content with himself while another can be surrounded by multitudes of people and feel completely isolated. Here is a quote from Aelred of Rievaulx, a Cistercian monk from the 12th century,

And those men who were around me, but who were ignorant of the things which went on within me, kept saying, “How lucky he is, how lucky he is.” But they did not know there was an evil within me, where only good should be. Terrible was the distress I felt within myself, tormenting me, corrupting my soul with intolerable stench (Aelred, Mirror of Charity, I: 79).

Aelred has touched on what, I believe, many people are realizing as they become more aware of their own human condition. With all the company surrounding him, Aelred was feeling an un-connectedness in his relationships. While he was wrestling with the things inside him, his “friends” took no notice but rather thought he was doing quite well. There was a disconnect between the two. Aelred then continues to say, ”And unless you had quickly stretched out your hand, not being able to tolerate myself, I might have taken the most desperate remedy of despair.” He points out a critical turning point when someone had reached out to him. While it requires further reading of the context, it is clear that this connection was quite different from the previous.

Friendship indeed requires a theology, for God created man to be in relationship with people. But this requires a certain understanding of what this friendship relationship entails. People can walk down the streets of Chicago to and from work, commuting on the bus or subway and hide from the rest of the world in their own individual apartment units with a box of ice cream and latest DVD. I realize that just being surrounded by people is not enough. It takes a certain intention and strength to seek out exactly what God has intended. I am currently going through the book, “Spiritual Friendship” by Aelred of Clairveaux, after thinking long about the kinds of relationships that I am in and what makes some special more than others. I am hoping to gain a better understanding of the nature of friendship and to see what sort of importance and implications it has on out lives.

One Way of Going About Courtship

I’ve been inspired, recently, concerning the measure to which a man must follow his calling from God. This is a portion of a letter from Adoniram Judson to John Hasseltine, father of his soon-to-be wife, asking for Ann Hasseltine’s hand in marriage. It goes,

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this; for the sake of the perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?

John Hasseltine left it up to his daughter to make up her own mind. They did marry, and she did die in a far off foreign land. her story of perseverance and and dedication to the missionary task is just as incredible as was her husbands.

I have to wonder what kind of man, in his strategy for achieving his wife, would present a myriad of sufferings for an engagement present, and would promise a father would never again see his daughter in this life? I don’t know what possessed Judson to ask in such a manner, nor allow John Hasseltine place his faith in her daughter to make her own decision except for a complete faith and trust in God.

Worship Image: Freedom

After one semester and several finals, I can finally say “I’m free!” I’m not really free from anything that was holding me captive, but just the accomplishment and finality of the semester makes me feel free. Finishing a task, taking a burden off your shoulders, that just makes you want to lift your hands. I’ve been set free!

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). God has called us to a life of freedom, freedom from slavery, freedom from sin, freedom from oppression, freedom from the Law… If we truly knew that we have been set free, how can we not help but to lift up our hands?

But here’s the other side of the truth. Had Andy Dufresne escaped from prison without any money he had stashed away, he’d have nowhere to go. Freedom for the sake of freedom is useless. It’s like escaping from a prison to find that it’s in the middle of the ocean. Freedom through Christ, on the other hand, is not a dead-end situation. Galatians 4:7 says, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” God has signed us out of prison, picked us up in his limo, gave us his robe and ring and called us sons and daughters. He has not freed us to let us fend for ourselves. How can we not help but to lift up our hands? 

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me…

Worship Image: Surrender

In the Spring of 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces. The fact of Hitler’s suicide decisively brought down any hope for victory in Europe. Many factors may have led to the point of the Axis’ defeat, but the loss of their leader was a decisive moment in the mindset of its people. Some continued to fight for days after Hitler’s death, though most knew that they were headed in no positive direction. Eventually the war did end, and peace came home.

Surrender is an interesting word (I realize only after doing a little research for this blog). Break up the word into its parts and you get “sur” and “render”. To render is to give something or to present something to someone. In the case of surrender, one is giving over themselves to the will of the other party. This means giving no resistance, a passive act, but it also means giving cooperation, an active approach.

We raise our hands in surrender to show that we are no longer resisting. The hands are your tools for action. You need your hands to start the car, open a door, brew a pot of coffee, shoot a gun. When you raise your hands, you’re saying, “Here I am, I can’t do anything.” Traditionally you are also saying, “I give up.”

When we raise our hands in worship we are saying, “Here I am, I can’t do anything.” It’s the same idea. We worship in the presence of God presenting (rending) ourselves, showing that we are here. We also acknowledge that we can’t do anything. We can’t truly worship on our own, we can’t save ourselves on our own, we can’t understand God on our own. We need the Spirit to act on our behalf in worship.

When we raise our hands in worship we are rending ourselves to God. We are surrendering our old way of life and returning to what God desires. We are offering ourselves as a gift, or better an offering. Paul writes to the Romans, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (12:1). There is a giving component in the worship concept. Worship is rendered and surrendered.

Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God…
Joel 2:13a

Worship Image: Hail to the Victors!

Picture this, you are hunched over a 15 inch computer monitor overlooking espn.com realtime scores as Michigan makes an incredible comeback from a 19-0 deficit. You can imagine the room is tense and you can hear a pin drop falling in the back of the room. Then you see the webpage automatically refresh itself to show that Michigan has won the game, and an uproar fills the room of the news of sweet victory!!!

Well, maybe not. Michigan did win, and I retired to my room quiet and solemn, being the lone Wolverine fan on campus. In contrast, the victory held in Ann Arbor must have been quite different. There was no silent moment of meditation, no reflection of how technically and tactically effective a certain play was at that very key moment. No, that job is for those who sit behind desks and get paid to share their thoughts. No, in the Big House a very different thought must have been running in people’s minds. We won! It’s over! Victory! And with conditioned training, the words, “Hail to the Victors!” may come to mind, because we were victorious, and that’s something to be said this season.

An athlete may raise his arms, representing the strength and effort that was called for in such a victory. Or he may stretch out his arms declaring that the race is finished. A soldier may hold up his standard high declaring the battle is won. Much like these, the worshipper declares all this and much more. The worshipper knows that victory is achieved, the work is finished, the battle is won. He is able to raise his hands in light of that.

Look Up!

The one thing I can appreciate about being in the middle of nowhere is that you can look up and see the stars. You don’t get that in Chicago (though I remember being able to see stars when I was younger). It seems pretty fitting for seminary to not only teach you the theologies and such about God, but also show you God’s handy-work of creation.

I can’t help but give another plug for Louie’s talk that makes Him Indescribable. He truly is.

Worship Image: Cry Abba!

Once in a while I catch myself wondering why we do the things we do during worship. Is it a natural response, or is it learned from watching others? I am not here to argue the nature/nurture debate, but am merely making observations of worship in everyday life. That is, after all, probably the best place to find worship occurrences, in the everyday.

Before we learned to talk, or walk, or were able exegete Scripture, before we were able to sing or dance or make music unto God, we learned a simple but most profound act of worship. This worship can be described as dependence. As little babes we learned to depend on our parents for all that we needed. We learned to reach out with our arms and cry at the top of our lungs an incoherent yelp that could only translated by one gifted to interpret tongues as “ABBA FATHER!”

Perhaps God did create us to depend utterly on Him, as a little babe and as grown men and women yet precious children in His eyes. Can you help but reach out to the Father in those moments of complete dependence? Can you help but cry out to the Abba when your perfect Father is the only one who knows the joys and torments of your inner-most being? Our hands turn to Him, our cries reach His ears, and as the Father He picks us up in strength and gentleness simultaneously into the comforting arms of our Abba.

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6