Sorry it’s been a while since our last post.  Hopefully, there are still a few folks who will drop in every now and again to read or share.

Dee is doing well.  Actually, she’s working on her dissertation today (meeting with her adviser this afternoon).  She’s making good progress in her studies and very much enjoys her class that she teaches each week (consisting of both graduate & undergraduate students).

I was thinking today of the impact of our communication with one another, especially as members of the faith family.  Do we consider much the influence our conversations bear upon those around us?  This seems to be an area where one can ever-so-easily drift, slowly but surely, from the shores of guarded words.  When does general conversation concerning someone else transition to being ‘gossip’?  How do we safeguard against going ‘too far’ concerning information, opinion, or ‘concern’ in talking of others?

Oftentimes, we celebrate those who speak well.  Those who can wow us oratorically tend to stand out from the crowds.  Yet, what of those who are silent well?  What of those who seem not to belittle others in order to make themselves look all the better?  How do we cultivate good conversation?  That conversation that exalts Christ and radiates his love toward others.

Just thinking… :happy:

I was reading through Mere Discipleship tonight after our Bridge meeting (the young adult meeting that we’re having at ACoG) and came upon this quote by Lee C. Camp:

When the word of God was made flesh, ‘all hell broke loose,’ and we should expect no less when the body of Christ continues its work of faithful discipleship. (p. 118)

Camp explores a bit how the Church serves as an extension of the ministry of Jesus.  Meaning that if we look at the ministry of Christ as found in the Gospel accounts, then we find the model of how the Church should operate.  The same Spirit who led and empowered Jesus also empowers the Church to be, as my good friend Jason Toole says, “Jesus with skin on.”  When Christ was here on earth it was as if there was a big bulls-eye on his life, set there by the devil and his imps.  And since the resurrection of Jesus and the empowerment of the Church, the bulls-eye has been transferred onto those who follow in the Way of the Lord.

As we have mentioned in the past few posts (as well as in the comments of our readers), discipleship is by no means an “easy” task.  It costs everything.  However, the return is that we have Him.  And in having Him, we have each other.  In pledging our lives to Jesus, by faith, we turn our back on the ways of the rebellious worldly system.  In doing so, we participate in the Kingdom of God – a Kingdom which is not here yet in its fullness but, nonetheless, is here.

What are some ways that you think discipleship should be re-centered into the local church?  How does your church go about training folks to follow in the way of Jesus?  If your church has “discipleship programs” in place, please describe the programs a bit and tell whether these are sufficient in your estimation?  Is the church building the place where the heart of discipleship occurs?  Why or why not?

Peace,

Shannon

I would like to unpack a bit further the issue of our last post (Sunday-Monday divide).  I appreciate the comments shared thus far.  The replies have been very helpful.  Sonny brought out a good point concerning the transition that occurred in the church’s identity during and after the time of Constantine.  For those who are unfamiliar, Constantine (ca. 272-337 CE) was a Roman emperor who allegedly had a vision that instructed him to draw the symbol Chi Rho (the first two letters of the word “Christ” in Greek, as seen in the picture above) on his soldiers’ shields during the battle of the Milvian Bridge, Oct. 312 CE.  It is said that in the vision Constantine was instructed, “By this sign you shall conquer.”¹

After emerging victorious in this battle, Constantine attributed the victory to the God of the Christians.  Thus, he and his co-emperor at the time, Licinius, issued what is known as the edict of Milan in 313 CE, which called for religious toleration throughout the empire.²  Until this time, as Sonny mentioned, the Christians were a suffering, persecuted minority.  However, after this edict, Christianity began to take on a more respectable, prominent role in the empire.  That’s a good thing, right?  Not necessarily.

Slowly but surely, the church, in her identity and purpose, began to merge with the empire.  And by the end of the 4th century CE, “the emperor Theodosius finalized the conquest of Christianity, making the faith of the Christians the only legal religion in the empire… The Church had arrived, or so it appeared.  Thus arose ‘Christendom’ – an alliance between church and empire.”³  After this transition, the church began to define the faith in a more compartmentalized manner.  If the empire is understood to be “Christian” and many of its members, for the most part, live in an un-Christlike manner, then discipleship (living under Jesus’ lordship) is emphasized less and less in teaching what it means to be “saved”.  And when one falls prey to the myth of a Christian “religion,” acknowledging proper teachings/doctrines takes precedence over entering a new way of life (now lived in allegiance to Jesus).  Thus, we divorce what we “believe” from how we live.  And as Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”

As Jeremy, Mike, Dee and Jason have also alluded, salvation entails more than simply claiming to be a “Christian” by title, church membership, and/or experience (e.g. saying the “sinner’s prayer” however many years past).  Not to belittle the relevance of admitting to others (verbally) that we are “Christians,” being part of a local assembly, or surrendering one’s life to Christ in prayer – at the heart of “salvation” in the New Testament is “to participate in the kingdom of God, that long-awaited rule of God, in which the rebellion, with its corollaries of lust and violence and greed and self-seeking, is undone.”4  And, in order to participate in God’s Kingdom, there has to be a change brought about in a person’s life.  He or she must “repent” of the old world order and, by faith, pledge his or her life to Christ.

Such a faith-commitment means that one no longer lives in accordance with the rebellious worldly system (cf. Rom 12.2).  By the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we surrender each area of our lives to Jesus’ lordship.  Meaning, all of life is sacred or lived out “as unto the Lord.”  As followers of Christ, it is important to realize that our relationship with God is inextricably connected with our relationship with others (even our enemies!).  That at the heart of being witnesses of Jesus is living and loving as Jesus did.  We enter into a Christlike, Spirit-empowered life of love for God and others.  And, of course, we don’t do this by our own strength or smarts.  It is through the empowering grace of God that we enter into this new order; a way of life inaugurated by our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Shannon

¹ Lee C. Camp, Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2008), pp. 25-27.

² See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I

³ Camp, Mere Discipleship, p. 26.

4 Ibid., p. 81.

I recently found out that Dr. Adewuya (my advisor at Seminary) preached a message last month in Edmonds, Washington. Fortunately, the church made the sermon available for download.  So, we have his message available via The Bridge LIVE and encourage all to check out this timely word.  (*Remember that once you visit the site of The Bridge LIVE, you can subscribe to the podcasts via iTunes.  For those who cannot access the podcasts onsite, iTunes works well in allowing you to download the messages to your computer.)  

Dr. Adewuya and his wife, Sis. Grace Adewuya, (M.Div.) are some of the most committed Christians that I know as it relates to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As a brief intro:

• He and Sis. Grace have four children, Toluwalope (“Praise belongs to the Lord”), Iyanuloluwa (“the Lord is wonderful”), Ruth, and Jonathan.
• He is a member of East Cleveland Church of God.
• He is the Associate Professor of Greek and New Testament at the Church of God Theological Seminary.
• He is a seasoned preacher, pastor, missionary and church planter.
• From 1984-2001, he served in the Philippines as a missionary and church planter.
• He served several years as adjunct faculty at Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary and Asia Seminary of Christian Ministries.
• He is an active member of Society for Pentecostal Studies, Wesleyan Theological Society, and Society of Biblical Literature.

Dr. and Sis. Adewuya have extensive ministries which serve various persons in need of God’s love.  You can find more information about these ministries at the following sites:  Amazing Grace Christian Foundation and Hope and Abundant Life Ministries International.  As co-laborers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I encourage all to pray for these tremendous ministries as they are impacting so many lives with the love of Jesus and furthering the Kingdom of God. Also, as God leads, I would invite all to contribute to these ministries in every way possible.  I know without a doubt that Dr. and Sis. Adewuya are persons of integrity, and they serve as conduits of God’s love and mercy to all those around them.

Blessings, 

Shannon

Recently, I read a thought-provoking article by John Ortberg called, “Your Hidden Curriculum,” found in the winter 2009 volume of Leadership Journal (a good journal I might add that can be found at Barnes & Noble). Below the title, Ortberg asks – “What do people learn from you about the Christian life?  Sometimes it’s what you never intended to teach.”  The author contends that if there ever is a contradiction between our “formal curriculum” (small group studies, sermons, lessons on prayer, etc.) and our “hidden curriculum,” folks always believe the “hidden curriculum.”  He describes the hidden curriculum of a church as

“Who gets fawned over, and who gets ignored?  How do the staff and leaders get along when they’re off the platform and think nobody’s looking?  How does a small group respond when someone shares a problem that is untidy and unresolved?  Do leaders respond with panic or irritation or confidence or gentleness when a problem strikes?  When there is a conflict, do people face it head on or go into avoidance mode?  Does the church staff run on fear?” (p. 50) 

A few months back, some dear friends of ours visited from Georgia. We were hanging out in the living room for some good ole’ conversation over coffee (or soda for some).  Knowing that the couple recently relocated, I asked if they had yet to find a local church.  The young lady shared with us how she and her husband visited several churches.  One particular congregation (of the same denomination of which they were part in their last locale) seemed to be very promising at first.  However, after the announcements were given before the congregation, our friend said that she was greatly dissatisfied with how inwardly-focused the church was.  

Now, if you took a sweeping glance in the bulletin, there seemed to be no way to arrive at such a conclusion.  There were all kinds of “ministry groups,” “community projects,” etc. that had the trappings of a “successful” church.  But our friends heard and observed something different than what was listed in the bulletin (or on the church website).  They observed folks talking about various fellowships, get-togethers, luncheons, trips, etc. that centered around the satisfaction of those attending.  What was missing was a missional message laced within the conversations and actions of those attending, particularly the leadership.  

Thankfully, our friends did in fact find a local assembly in which to participate; one whose body-life looked more like that of Jesus. However, this conversation, coupled with Ortberg’s article, sparked some questions in my own mind about the traditioning (discipleship) of the church.  What exactly are we passing on?  What legacy of love are our children learning?  If we slow down a bit and prayerfully observe our attitudes, actions, conversations and vision, are we leading people in the way that Jesus is the Way?  Eugene Peterson’s excellent work, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way, highlights the ways by which Christ embodied the way of salvation.  It’s an interesting and helpful critique.  

• Do I affirm undying love for Jesus but treat others around me in an unChristlike manner?
• If I claim to love all persons, do I surround myself with friends who are only like me?
• Do I profess that all persons are important and then rush past everyone without slowing to hear their concerns?
• Do I preach reckless abandon in worship and then hoard my resources and satisfy my own impulses for stuff?
• Am I undermining God’s love for all by my negative conversations and snide remarks concerning others?
• Do I pray at home with my family or only at church when called upon?

Asking myself these questions and more,

Shannon