Currently Browsing: Discipleship
Feb 15, 2012
Posted on Feb 15, 2012 in Discipleship | 0 comments
I wake up each morning pretty much the same. My alarm goes off on my phone, I walk to the other side of the bedroom and hit the snooze button. I lay back down for another five minutes until my alarm goes off again. Annoyed by the fact that it’s only been five minutes since it went off last (intentionally), I question why I have my alarm set to this often insane time so early in the morning that I question whether the Almighty even knows about this hour of the day or not. At that point I am reminded of why I have to beat this earthen vessel into submission: to be a true disciple of my Master.
So, I say Modeh Ani (the prayer upon rising, thanking the Almighty for another day of this life), get dressed (sometimes) and make may way to my office at the other end of the house (not very far away in my 1400 sq. foot home). Often I’ll make a cup of tea (Chai, Oolong, Early Grey) or coffee (decaf), and then begin my morning study routine. I first pray the Hareini Mekasher (the prayer for binding oneself to Yeshua as my Master and the Righteous Messiah), then recite a long portion of the Sermon on the Mount (memorization exercise), then move on to study several other things — mussar, Torah, the Gospels, Paul, Torah Club, Daily Dose of Torah, chasidic commentary/insights, contemporary writings among my peers, views that are opposed to mine, blogs, etc.. I’m not saying I study every single one of these each morning. However, I will gravitate toward a particular topic or three, but maintain my “core” sources in the mix.
After that, I try to write. And although I haven’t posted daily on my site, I do try to write at least something each day. Currently, I’ve been very focused on my discipleship book. I have intentionally reserved my site for what I consider more important, complete thoughts, rather than filling it each day with my stream of consciousness that seems to be prevalent among most blogs (and arguably which is actually more of a blog anyway). My choice in this has been to spare people my ramblings, my rants and my questions and offer a few nuggets here and there which may be of value.
From there I spend time in Shacharit (morning prayer) and then begin my work day.
Anyway… a few weeks ago, the eldest daughter of one of my best friends painted a picture (above) for her family of a burning lamp with a couple of scrolls in the background. Her caption reads, “STUDY while the light still shines…” Her father made me a copy of it, and I hung it in front of my desk yesterday. It will serve as a constant reminder of why I have to beat this flesh into submission, rather than getting the extra hours extra sleep that most people would enjoy.
The sages say that one of the first questions we will be asked by the Holy One in the world to come is, “Did you set aside fixed times of study?” (b.Shabbat 31a). Whether this is true or not is not my point. We should make it, however, as important to us today as it was at the time of the disciples. Where the disciples had the Torah-made-flesh as their instructor, today we mainly have the written works of others to guide us. Some of us are fortunate to actually walk in the dust of a great teacher to whom we have been taken under their wing. Most are not that fortunate. So, until we have that opportunity, studying the writings of holy men and women who have walked this journey ahead of us is our primary means of staying the course and molding our minds into godly vehicles by which we convert information into action, thoughts into deeds. It is in these times of concealed, un-noticed self-discipline that our minds, hearts and souls are transformed. It is this preparatory work that tills the soil for hearts that are receptive to the work of the Almighty during the day. It is this preparatory work that I enjoy sharing with my close friends, knowing that they, too, are seeking the Holy One daily.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a boast feast. I have nothing to boast in. I struggle daily with submission. My point is this: I’ve been writing a lot about discipleship. However, it doesn’t mean beans if I’m not living it. So, I’m throwing the ball back into your court: Are you actively making effort daily to be a better disciple of Yeshua?
When Yeshua returns, I want him to be able to look at me with loving eyes and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” What about you?
Feb 4, 2012
Posted on Feb 4, 2012 in Discipleship | 1 comment
I am constantly amazed at the various depictions of Jesus in popular and religious culture. It seems there is a “Jesus” for every ethnic group and every activist organization on the planet. I’ve seen depictions of Jesus that portray him in every shape, form and fashion. I’ve seen a European Jesus, an African Jesus, an Oriental Jesus, a Zoroastrian Jesus, a Catholic Jesus, a hippy Jesus and even a dinosaur-cuddling Jesus. It seems everyone has a desire to in some way identify with this man named Jesus.
The fact is, Jesus has been a focus of fascination for people across the globe since he physically walked the face of this earth two millennia ago. He is an historical figure which one cannot merely ignore. Christian artist Charlie Peacock wrote a song about the global popularity of the person of Jesus. It’s called “One Man Gets Around.” Here are the lyrics:
They know of You in Hong Kong, they know in Baton Rouge
They know in Carolina, they know in Kathmandu
They know of You in Baltimore, they know in Germany
They even know of You in Nashville, Tennessee
It’s amazing, so amazing, it’s amazing how one man gets around
It’s amazing, so amazing, it’s amazing how one man gets around
They know of You in Cape-town, they know in Amsterdam
They know of You in Mexico, they know in Vietnam
They know of You in Hollywood, though that’s up for debate
They know of You in what was Russia, pick a Baltic State
You can’t pick up a newspaper without
Reading a story of somebody somewhere
Saying they caught sight of Elvis or witnessed a tear fall
From the eye of a statuette of the Virgin Mary
(Hey now) What’s your deal you don’t seem to care how people feel
Forget about dignity, you could get a spot on MTV
If you only knew how bad people want to get a look at you
The multitudes are waiting, waiting on pins and needles
For the one more famous than the Beatles
It is true. Even the religious leaders of non-Christian religions have an affinity with Jesus. In the last few decades, there have been an increasing number of Jewish scholars and authors who have taken up with Jesus. Orthodox Jewish scholar David Flusser devoted some sixty years of his life to studying Jesus. Jewish author & Dead Sea Scrolls translator Geza Vermes has had a fixation on Jesus for nearly four decades as well, publishing more than a dozen books on him. More recently, other Jewish scholars such as Mark Nanos and Amy Jill Levine, have added to the discussion. Even more recently, television show host, author, and rabbi Shmuley Boteach has published a book entitled, Kosher Jesus, which has caused quite a stir in the Jewish community.
Leaders of other religions follow suit. Mahatma Ghandi is quoted as saying that he liked Jesus and his teachings. In fact, he frequently quoted him and referenced his parables. Ghandi was attracted to Christianity at an early age, and even considered becoming a Christian. It all fell through, however, when a representative of Jesus, a “Christian,” put a bad taste in his mouth that he would never forget.
During India’s struggle for independence from British rule, a man named Mahatma Ghandi, The Mahatma, as he was known, (Mahatma, means “great soul”) pioneered the use of active, but non-violent resistance as a means of achieving his goal of freeing India.
It was well known that in his struggle for independence, Ghandi often quoted Jesus’ sayings and parables from the Gospels, and was especially fond of the passage in Matthew’s gospel that we call “The Sermon on the Mount.” Yet, he was not a Christian and steadfastly rejected any suggestion that he become a Christian.
That fact intrigued a Methodist missionary in India named E. Stanley Jones. He met with Ghandi on one occasion and asked Him, “Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?”
Ghandi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Ghandi’s rejection of Christianity grew out of an incident that happened when he was a young man. During his years studying law in Britain, he had become attracted to the Christian faith, had studied the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, and was seriously exploring becoming a Christian.
One Sunday, in South Africa where he had gone to practice law after getting his degree, he decided to attend a church service.
As he came up the steps of the large church where he intended to go, a white South African elder of the church barred his way at the door.
“Where do you think you’re going, kaffir?” the man asked Ghandi in a belligerent tone of voice.
Ghandi replied, “I’d like to attend worship here.”
The church elder snarled at Him, “There’s no room for Kaffirs in this church. Get out of here or I’ll have my assistants throw you down the steps.”
From that moment, Ghandi said, he decided to adopt what good he found in Christianity, but would never again consider becoming a Christian if it meant being part of the church. [1. Jones, E. Stanley, (1925). The Christ of the Indian Road. Abingdon Press, 72-73.]
Ghandi appreciated and admired Christ, and even considered following him. However, a single mis-representative of Jesus destroyed his opportunity of ever becoming a believer. Ghandi had a high regard for Jesus, but like many others he was not fond of Christians. Because, according to him, Christians are not anything Jesus.
There is hardly a Sunday that goes by where a teacher or preacher doesn’t make the claim that people can’t stand for Christians to talk about Jesus. “Everything is good, until you bring up Jesus.” Is it really because of Jesus? Or is it because the only time they hear about Jesus is in the context of a high-pressure, evangelistic sales pitch from hypocritical Christians? Contrary to what we claim in our churches, the aversion people have to Christianity is not Jesus; it is Christians. So much so, that there is a documentary entitled, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, which tries to answer this specific question. I believe if we are honest with ourselves, the example of Ghandi is an an accurate reflection on our current status as disciples of Jesus. As a whole, we aren’t doing so well. It’s time we change that.
Feb 1, 2012
Posted on Feb 1, 2012 in Discipleship | 0 comments
This is not at all in sequence with my previous posts. However, I had to get this out while it was fresh on my mind.
I live in the Bible Belt. As a matter of fact, I live in the Bible Belt Buckle. There’s a church on every corner, and it seems that most people profess at least a cultural connection to Christianity. They are a member of one church or another, whether or not they’ve attended in the last twenty years. They are still at least somewhat concerned with conservative Christian values. They generally place a strong value on family and have a good work ethic. Sure, we definitely have our share of agnostics and atheists (personally, I don’t believe they exist), but predominantly, most people around me are in some way connected to the church, whether they have strong convictions in any particular biblical value, or have even picked up a Bible in their lifetime. I call this Cultural Christianity.
Cultural Christians are so, because their “brand” of Christianity has been passed down to them from generations past. They may have never darkened the door of a church but to be baptized, nor opened their Bible longer than to inscribe the names of their children in the genealogical section beneath the cover. However, they call themselves a Baptist or a Methodist, and feel that they have a connection to an organism far greater than themselves. They are “Christian” more by association, than by faith or a living experience with the Living Redeemer. They are “members.”
While at first glance this seems quite innocuous, it reveals a deeper issue that lies beneath the surface. Quoting A. W. Tozer’s argument against Christians accepting Christ as Savior without accepting him as Lord, Dallas Willard makes a very interesting comment that helps to shock us into the perspective of our spiritual reality. First, he affirms Tozer’s statement that “salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.” He then goes on to say,
“This ‘heresy’ has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a ‘vampire Christian.’ One in effect says to Jesus, ‘I’d like a little of your blood, please. But I don’t care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won’t you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.’”
Ouch! A vampire Christian? Yes – that hurts. But truth is often revealed in pain, because it breaks us out of our personal utopia and forces us to confront reality. I know that no one in their right mind would consciously say these words. However, Willard has uttered here the subconscious thoughts of all Cultural Christians. He has exposed the heart of those who would invoke the blood of the Messiah in order to wash away their sinful past, but continue to walk in stride with a life in which the Risen Lord has no place. Paul tells us that if we have life in the Spirit, then our daily walk (life) should also be “in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). If we are walking on our own path, rather than following in the dust of our Master, it should give us pause. Are we a “vampire Christian”? Have we insulted the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29)? Has our Cultural Christianity lulled us into a spiritual coma from which we cannot awaken? The gift of grace through the blood of the Risen Messiah is entirely free. Yet it cost Jesus his very life. Shouldn’t we at the very least give ours back to him, rather than merely feeding off of his blood?
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)
Jan 30, 2012
Posted on Jan 30, 2012 in Discipleship | 1 comment
Since it has been a while since my last post on Discipleship, I thought I would at least give an update on where I am in this series.
First, I’ll let the cat out of the bag. As some have asked & assumed, yes – I am in the process of writing a book on Discipleship. In my writing process, however, I realized that I needed to do more that just present my information. I felt the need to go back, and research the existing materials on discipleship currently available, and give credit to and contrast between the existing views, materials and information and my own. This is where I have been spending the majority of my time lately. With that being said, I still have a long way to go. I have definitely been writing. However, it has caused me to re-organize my thoughts and add quite a bit of background material to my subject. I plan on posting more soon, but working through this background information is causing me to focus my thoughts in different areas.
So… If you would like to help speed things along, I could use some help. I am in need of some research materials and I currently cannot afford to get them. I hate to even ask for help. I feel guilty about it. However, I know some of you are anxious for this material to be out. I am merely offering you an opportunity to help me get it out quicker.
If you would like to contribute to this endeavor, I have a book list below of titles I am needing to help me with my research. Some of these titles I already had, but have given away over the years. Others I have never even seen, but have been recommended to me by others. Also, I have one or two of these titles on Kindle, but as wonderful as the Kindle is, is not conducive to citations. If you would like to donate towards the purchase of these resources you can do so in a number of ways. First, you can use the Donate button in the sidebar to give a generation donation towards these resources. Or, you can donate towards a specific title (just indicate this in the notes section of the donation page). Or, if you have a copy of a particular book that you would like to donate, you can mail it to me (please email me for my shipping address: darren [at] digging with darren [dot] com – no spaces, and replace the special characters).
Here is the list. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have in regard to the books or my research.
- The Great Omission – Dallas Willard
- The Divine Conspiracy – Dallas Willard
- Disciples Are Made Not Born – Walter A. Henrichsen
- The Lost Art of Disciple Making – LeRoy Eims
- Intentional Disciplemaking: Cultivating Spiritual Maturity in the Local Church – Ron Bennett
- Fight Club: Gospel-Driven Discipleship – Jonathan Dodson
- What Jesus Demands from the World – John Piper
- Celebration of Discipline – Richard J. Foster
- True Discipleship – William MacDonald
- Born to Reproduce – Dawson Trottman
- Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ – George Barna
- Jesus, the Jewish Theologian – Brad Young
- New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus – David Bivin
- Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
I am also open to any other suggestions you may have. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give. Blessings…
Jan 6, 2012
Posted on Jan 6, 2012 in Discipleship | 1 comment
Continuing with examples of misinterpretation, I would like to present one additional, more recent example of how a teacher’s words can be replicated, but his original message completely obscured by his followers. This particular example, however, has far-reaching implications and one with which the church struggles today. It is that of Martin Luther and the Protestant church.
Martin Luther
We all know of Martin Luther as the leader of the Protestant Reformation. He is know by his rejection of the practice of indulgences by the Catholic church (of which he was currently a part), and his theological “discovery” of justification through faith, which has become the foundational doctrine of the Protestant church. His questioning of papal practice and refusal to submit to papal authority caused his excommunication from the Catholic church and forced his hand at creating a “protest” movement against the Catholic church in which papal authority was not at the helm.
Protestants across the globe are indebted to Luther for his revelation in regard to justification through faith. This theological premise has been the cornerstone which has shaped Protestant faith and practice since the time of the Reformation. However, for the last century or more, this confession has experienced a metamorphosis in its interpretation and application. The Christianity of pre-holocaust Germany is an illustration of how this misunderstanding of Luther’s message allowed Christians to believe that their mental acknowledgement of the work of Christ secured their eternal salvation and precluded them from living a life of faithfulness in the present world.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian and Holocaust martyr, is best known for his outspoken opposition to Hitler and the Nazi regime. In his preeminent work The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer explains the problem that arose between Luther’s original teaching of justification through faith, and the practical application of the Protestantism of his day.
“When he spoke of grace, Luther always implied as a corollary that it cost him his own life, the life which was now for the first time subjected to the absolute obedience of Christ. Only so could he speak of grace. Luther had said that grace alone can save; his followers took up his doctrine and repeated it word for word. But they left out its invariable corollary, the obligation of discipleship. There was no need for Luther always to mention that corollary explicitly for he always spoke as one who had been led by grace to the strictest following of Christ. Judged by the standard of Luther’s doctrine, that of his followers was unassailable, and yet their orthodoxy spelt the end and destruction of the Reformation as the revelation on earth of the costly grace of God. The justification of the sinner in the world degenerated into the justification of sin and the world. Costly grace was turned into cheap grace without discipleship.”
Bonhoeffer is writing in a time when Christianity in Germany had been diluted to the point of almost no-return. It is this context that allowed Hitler to rise to power, and the Nazi party to sweep through Europe like a brush fire. For the most part, Christians were more concerned about theology, doctrine & creed than living out lives dedicated to Christ. Like today, Protestants generally did not see a disconnect between Luther’s doctrine of faith and grace, and their modern application. However, Bonhoeffer observed that at the place where theory and practice should meet, they went their separate ways. In his terminology, the justification of the sin, rather than the sinner, became the preeminent function of grace. Therefore, the Christian became justified in his sin, rather than being justified as a new creation.
Instead of maintaining the bar & recognizing that there will be times in which we fall short as disciples, and thus allowing the grace of God to pick us back up, brush us off and set us back on the path again, we have chosen the path of less resistance. We have chosen to lower the bar (or remove it altogether), and justify our inability to conform to the image of Messiah as merely “who we are.” As Bonhoeffer puts it, “The Christian life comes to mean nothing more than living in the world and as the world, in being no different from the world, in fact, in being prohibited from being different from the world for the sake of grace.”
Bonhoeffer saw what persists until today — a diluted Christianity in which confession of creed has swallowed the confession and renunciation of sin. We now have a world in which Christianity has become accepted, but at the expense of its integrity. Bonhoeffer described what he saw as follows:
“It is under the influence of this kind of ‘grace’ that the world has been made ‘Christian,’ but at the cost of secularizing the Christian religion as never before. The antithesis between the Christian life and the life of bourgeois respectability is at an end. The Christian life comes to mean nothing more than living in the world and as the world, in being no different from the world, in fact, in being prohibited from being different from the world for the sake of grace.”
Bonhoeffer summarizes by saying,
“In both cases [which he has previously described - that of which he calls "costly grace" and that of which he calls "cheap grace"] we have the identical formula—’justification by faith alone.’ Yet the misuse of the formula leads to the complete destruction of its very essence.”
Bonhoeffer allows us to see another example of how the teachings of someone can be distorted and misapplied by his followers. As we can see by this example, misinterpretation and misapplication can have alarming results. If we have done so with theologians such as Luther from which we are only a few centuries removed, how much more so have we done with the likes of Paul and Jesus? We will return to this discussion when we discuss understanding the message of Jesus.
