“Yes Lord, now what’s the question?”

How much of our time is spent arguing with God, debating our decisions, wondering about what we should do.  Wanting all the info before we “make a decision.”  Surrender is not based on the question or call but the relationship.  god is looking for surrendered sons and daughters who come to Him already willing to go before he tells them where, willing to do before he tells them what, willing to say “yes, now what’s the quesion, call, assignment etc!”  God doesn’t give us his will for us to think about, consider, and make a decision – he gives it to us to do.  And in proper relationship our answer is in agreement with his call no matter what it is.  Stop and think about it for a minute.  When we want more information to make a decision on what we already know God is calling us to we are positioning ourselves in an arrogant place thinking we can make a better decision for our lives than the creator of the universe has already laid out for us.

Are you surrendered and willing to accept His call and challenge for your life no matter what?

True Disciples…

Jesus said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.  Jesus called disciples.  And then he said to those disciples of the earliest church to “go and make disciples”.

 What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the word discipleship?

For most of us the first thing that comes to our mind is something in the context of a class.  We have made discipleship all about teaching.  Discipleship has become an academic endeavor instead of a reproductive process.  Let me ask you, is a disciple someone who knows all about the trade of their teacher or is a disciple an apprentice learning to go and do what the teacher does?

If you are the disciple of a teacher and you know all there is about teaching but you never teach are you a “True Disciple”?

Let me share with you an interesting insight into the choosing of disciples by the rabbis of Jesus time.  When a rabbi was looking for a disciple he would choose the best of the best from the young Jewish boys.  He would look at them and say “come follow me for I think you have what it takes to do what I do – to be like me.”  If a Rabbi didn’t think they could be like them they were not chosen to follow that Rabbi.  Think about who Jesus chose.  They were “ordinary, unschooled” men.  They were not the best of the best.  In that day if you did not make the cut you went into the family business.  The others kept progressing on with hopes of being a disciple of one of the rabbis.

Jesus is walking on the beach and sees Peter working in the family business and says “come follow me”.  One of the greatest honors of the day was to be asked to be a disciple of a great rabbi.  Peter hears what every other disciple of his time heard, “I think you can be like me.”  Why did Peter get out of a boat on a stormy night?  He believed that he could be like his rabbi and do what his rabbi did. 

They were more than just learners.  They were be-comers.  They were “True Disciples”.  When Jesus said “Go and make disciples”  he was not talking about simply educating followers.  When he said “teach them to obey all I have commanded” he was including his command to go and make disciples.

Question: Are you a “True Disciple” or just a well educated follower?

Question: Who is your disciple?  True disciples make disciples who make disciples…

Discipleship is a reproductive process not an academic endeavor.

now, “Go make disciples”.

Known to be…

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.  Brothers choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them.”

What are you known to be?  When others look at you do they see someone “full of the Spirit and wisdom”?  I wonder if maybe we don’t spend too much time concerned about looking like everyone else that we are not “Known to look like Christ”.

Based on your life right here and now….if you were there that day would you have been in the running for the job?  When they were looking for people what would they have said about you?  Hey there is Darrell, he is known to be critical, judmental, a gossip, a lush, a people pleaser……..

What about today…. What will your life reveal about you on the job, at the market place, in the school etc….

Lord, help us today to be men and women who are filled with the Spirit and wisdom and to be a reflection of you for the world to see.

Refrigerator Rights

Who do you have in your life that has refrigerator rights?  Relationships happen at different levels.  There are those people in our lives who are just acquaintances, others who are “friends” and others who have fridge rights.  They are people who I would categorize as “family”.  They are the people who you are so comfortable with you tell them “to get their own coke”.  They feel free to offer you something out of your own kitchen.  Some of you are right now freaking out inside.  One, you would never think about doing that to someone else and two, you would be offended if someone did that to you.  Could it be that you are missing out one one of the deepest and most meaningful levels of relationships?  It has been these relationships (rare as they are in my own life) that have had some of the most meaningful and transforming impact in my life.  It is at this level that the masks come off and the reality of our struggles come out and the honesty of a friend changes our life forever.

Do you have any friends with refrigerator rights?  What fears, hurts, histories, are keeping you out of the kitchen with a few people?  What would it take for you to “get connected”?  Maybe you have discovered this true in your life.  What would you share with those who are struggling to find deep meaningful relationships?