When my dad and my childhood pastor talked about my salvation, I didn’t want to disappoint, so I told them I had asked Jesus into my heart in my bedroom. I was baptized in Mount Olive Baptist Church in Girard, Kansas. My baptism, however, was a farce. The only thing I had accomplished was to “turn over a new leaf”. More or less in those words. I didn’t want to beat my brother up anymore so I prayed one night to literally turn over a new leaf and start being nicer to him. The night my dad asked me about salvation, I counted this as the shining moment. I was baptized soon after, and that’s about the time the nightmares started.
I don’t remember how many of them I had, but I remember many nights when I would wake up after a bad dream. I remember one in particular. I was in my bedroom on the 2nd floor of our house looking out the window and down below, I saw a giant spider. The spider was Christ. How I knew that in the dream, I don’t know, but somehow I just knew that the spider was Christ coming back. But I also knew that I hadn’t disappeared like everyone else. I got down on my knees and prayed for God to take me, but when I opened my eyes, the spider was still there, and so was I. The point of that dream, which was clear as day to me, was that Christ had come, and I was still there, in my bedroom, where I had claimed to have accepted Christ.
After that, I lived a life of fear. I feared coming home and my mom not being there. One day I got off the bus alone and no one was at the house. I screamed for my mom, thinking that she had been taken to heaven and my brothers with her. I was so scared. She came home a few minutes later, having not heard my screaming because of the wind. She and my younger siblings had taken our dogs for a walk.
Then there was the inevitable hand-raising at church. The pastor would ask if anyone had not accepted Christ as their savior, and I would start debating in my mind. I would replay the message over and over in my head. Did I hear him right? Did he ask for people who were saved to raise their hands? Should I raise mine? What if he said that he wanted those who hadn’t been saved to raise their hands? I didn’t know what to do as a boy.
I was also scared to be farming with my dad. I knew the verses in Matthew about two being in the field, one taken, and the other left behind. If my dad’s tractor would go over a hill and disappear from sight, my heart rate would pick up substantially until he came back into sight.
Why…why did I live a life of such fear? Why did I put myself through that? Why did it take me until high school to truly accept Christ? The fact is that I was scared. Sometimes I was scared of disappointing my family, or others, if they learned that I had lied. I was scared that God might not love me if I admitted that I had lied to Him. I was scared that it just wouldn’t work out. And unfortunately, I wasn’t sure just who God was. I suffered a lot of pain and fear needlessly because I didn’t want to disappoint people as a little boy.
A fairly competent writer whose name I forget now wrote that these fears are a sound reason for ditching the theology of the rapture. I think that's hogwash. Just because my childhood pastor didn't really follow up with me too well doesn't mean the rapture isn't going to happen. If you struggle with fear, and believe in the rapture, just understand that once you know your salvation is secure there is nothing to be afraid of.
Is Mentoring the same thing as Discipleship? PT II
The last several days have seen my feelings about mentoring and discipleship change slightly. In PT 1 of this post I contended that mentoring and discipleship were two different things. Mostly I stated that because of how I see the church perceiving discipleship. In fact, I think the church misunderstands discipleship. So many churches view discipleship as the same as their small group ministry or mens group. Or, perhaps worse yet, view their membership classes as the same as discipleship.
This is woeful and should be stopped immediately. Jesus told us to make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. True discipleship starts at the moment of conversion and goes on through much of life, certainly until the disciple is ready to work on his/her own.
I've been honestly so frustrated in the last several years at what I saw was a gross misrepresentation of what Christ wanted from Christians. People treat the word discipleship like it's a catch-phrase, not a way of life. It's so frustrating.
Thanks be to God and my loyal readers! I believe I understand better what it means to do both mentoring and discipleship. The bottom line is that, if the discipleship is true to nature and follows what God and the fathers suggested, then it is legitimate and the same as mentoring. In fact it's a better word to use. It only becomes an issue when churches misuse the concept of discipling that we need a new word (or rather a reconfigured word) to make things work.
Clear as mud? Good.
This is woeful and should be stopped immediately. Jesus told us to make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. True discipleship starts at the moment of conversion and goes on through much of life, certainly until the disciple is ready to work on his/her own.
I've been honestly so frustrated in the last several years at what I saw was a gross misrepresentation of what Christ wanted from Christians. People treat the word discipleship like it's a catch-phrase, not a way of life. It's so frustrating.
Thanks be to God and my loyal readers! I believe I understand better what it means to do both mentoring and discipleship. The bottom line is that, if the discipleship is true to nature and follows what God and the fathers suggested, then it is legitimate and the same as mentoring. In fact it's a better word to use. It only becomes an issue when churches misuse the concept of discipling that we need a new word (or rather a reconfigured word) to make things work.
Clear as mud? Good.
FAQ #5: Can Mentorship be used to Evangelize an Unbeliever?
I would highly recommend that you not do that. The Bible says that we are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Jesus never used the term mentorship, but what we know for sure is that he meant for us to make our own protégés. He wanted us to make followers who would learn the doctrines and then teach them to their own followers. For a more detailed discussion on the difference between mentoring and discipleship, see Chapter 2.
Here's the deal: Jesus wanted his followers to make more followers. But before they could be followers of Peter, Matthew, James, John, and the others, they had to be followers of Christ. Before a young believer can be your protégé, he must be God's son by adoption. Then he is ready to become a protégé so that he can be a good disciple.
The reason you don't want to enter a mentoring relationship with an unbeliever in the hopes that he will convert to Christianity is that it probably won't happen that way. If you attempt to bring Jesus into the discussion every time something comes up, then you'll find yourself undoubtedly turning the would-be believer off to the Gospel. It might even make the young man think that you're only mentoring him so that you can try to convert him. That’s not fair to anyone in the picture, including yourself and Christ. Your goal is to make followers of Christ, but you shouldn’t use a mentoring relationship to do so. Win them to Christ first, and then mentor them on what it means to be a Christian.
You must understand, however, that I do mentor unbelievers. As a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, I am constantly guiding my staff in what I hope will be a successful career. I am quite adept at understanding the difference between a Christian mentoring relationship and one of a secular nature. I can certainly guide a Sailor in making competent career choices, and even competent personal choices, and remain on a neutral field. I would certainly hope someday to be able to share the Gospel, but only as I would hope to one day share the Gospel with all of my unbelieving friends, not just the ones I mentor. The important thing to remember is that while it is certainly ok to hope to share the Gospel with a protégé, it shouldn’t be the reason you enter into a mentoring relationship.
Here's the deal: Jesus wanted his followers to make more followers. But before they could be followers of Peter, Matthew, James, John, and the others, they had to be followers of Christ. Before a young believer can be your protégé, he must be God's son by adoption. Then he is ready to become a protégé so that he can be a good disciple.
The reason you don't want to enter a mentoring relationship with an unbeliever in the hopes that he will convert to Christianity is that it probably won't happen that way. If you attempt to bring Jesus into the discussion every time something comes up, then you'll find yourself undoubtedly turning the would-be believer off to the Gospel. It might even make the young man think that you're only mentoring him so that you can try to convert him. That’s not fair to anyone in the picture, including yourself and Christ. Your goal is to make followers of Christ, but you shouldn’t use a mentoring relationship to do so. Win them to Christ first, and then mentor them on what it means to be a Christian.
You must understand, however, that I do mentor unbelievers. As a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, I am constantly guiding my staff in what I hope will be a successful career. I am quite adept at understanding the difference between a Christian mentoring relationship and one of a secular nature. I can certainly guide a Sailor in making competent career choices, and even competent personal choices, and remain on a neutral field. I would certainly hope someday to be able to share the Gospel, but only as I would hope to one day share the Gospel with all of my unbelieving friends, not just the ones I mentor. The important thing to remember is that while it is certainly ok to hope to share the Gospel with a protégé, it shouldn’t be the reason you enter into a mentoring relationship.
Is Mentoring the same as Discipleship?
Is mentoring the same as discipleship? That question could keep a group of Christians occupied for hours. By straight definition, according to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, to be a mentor means to be a trusted guide and a disciple is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another person. So basically, a mentor is someone who guides or counsels, meaning that mentorship is the process of guiding and/or counseling. Discipleship, then, is the process of teaching someone the doctrines you want spread and then having them spread by your pupil.
That's a pretty technical way to say that, mentoring is like discipleship, but not the same. The church is currently fascinated with the idea of discipleship. A search on the internet will show that there are entire curriculum programs for discipleship in various church settings. However, mentoring curriculum does not exist in the same way that discipleship curriculum exists. Sites exist that will tell you how to establish a mentoring program, but not a specific curriculum. I have trouble accepting mentoring programs, by the way, and I'll discuss that in a later post.
The fact is that I don't think discipleship and mentoring are the same thing. Discipleship, at least in the modern church context, is essentially a method of teaching church doctrine to a person's followers. Mentoring is a bit more than that. For example, right now I mentor a handful of younger believers on the Navy base I work on. My work with them consists less of teaching them church doctrine or theology and more about how to run a Bible study on a ship, how to be good husbands, and the like. In the end, that’s the difference between mentoring and discipleship.
That's a pretty technical way to say that, mentoring is like discipleship, but not the same. The church is currently fascinated with the idea of discipleship. A search on the internet will show that there are entire curriculum programs for discipleship in various church settings. However, mentoring curriculum does not exist in the same way that discipleship curriculum exists. Sites exist that will tell you how to establish a mentoring program, but not a specific curriculum. I have trouble accepting mentoring programs, by the way, and I'll discuss that in a later post.
The fact is that I don't think discipleship and mentoring are the same thing. Discipleship, at least in the modern church context, is essentially a method of teaching church doctrine to a person's followers. Mentoring is a bit more than that. For example, right now I mentor a handful of younger believers on the Navy base I work on. My work with them consists less of teaching them church doctrine or theology and more about how to run a Bible study on a ship, how to be good husbands, and the like. In the end, that’s the difference between mentoring and discipleship.
Unnecessarily Pressured
I have felt extremely pressured lately. Part of it was taking two classes at the same time from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. That was honestly a dumb idea made worse by the fact that it was actually an accident. I didn't intend to schedule both classes at the same time. I managed an A- in one class and a B- in the other, which is a blessing and something I'm grateful for, but it was taxing.
Then part of it was a conglomerate of several things. Still getting squared away with a new position at work (which I love), preaching about once a month at Advocate Condell Hospital, being a father and husband, and several other smaller thing.
Finally, I've been hoping to get some things going on a mentoring ministry. The problem is that I don't have a ministry, and I don't really think it's a good idea for a church to have a mentoring program. Mentoring needs to be something that just happens, not something that is directed or forced. So to be honest, I've been forcing it a little.
And that has just about pushed me over the edge. I was 3 weeks behind in my Bible reading. That is pretty much the crux of it all. All of this pressure I was putting on myself was taking me away from God. It's hard to imagine that a man in seminary could be drawn away from God, but it is possible.
Hopefully, I've reset a little lately now that those classes are over. I'm catching up on my Bible reading (slowly) and I've put my priorities where it should be: Getting ready for my baby to arrive in 3 weeks!
Don't put undo pressure on yourself. It causes stress that just isn't worth it.
Then part of it was a conglomerate of several things. Still getting squared away with a new position at work (which I love), preaching about once a month at Advocate Condell Hospital, being a father and husband, and several other smaller thing.
Finally, I've been hoping to get some things going on a mentoring ministry. The problem is that I don't have a ministry, and I don't really think it's a good idea for a church to have a mentoring program. Mentoring needs to be something that just happens, not something that is directed or forced. So to be honest, I've been forcing it a little.
And that has just about pushed me over the edge. I was 3 weeks behind in my Bible reading. That is pretty much the crux of it all. All of this pressure I was putting on myself was taking me away from God. It's hard to imagine that a man in seminary could be drawn away from God, but it is possible.
Hopefully, I've reset a little lately now that those classes are over. I'm catching up on my Bible reading (slowly) and I've put my priorities where it should be: Getting ready for my baby to arrive in 3 weeks!
Don't put undo pressure on yourself. It causes stress that just isn't worth it.
Funeral Sermon for Frances Smith
What follows is a sermon I preached on March 11 at my grandma's funeral. I was so blessed to be asked to preach that day. There were 10 preachers in attendance that day, and any of them could have done a great job. Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to honor my grandma and honor her Savior.
One of my fondest memories growing up was grandma's Bible. It was worn from use and had hand-written notes scribbled along the margins. That's really all you need to know about Frances Smith. She had a Bible, it was well-worn, and she scribbled in the margins.
That's why this service is more for us who are still here than it is for my grandma Frances Smith. Those who knew Frances know that she is in heaven this afternoon, and even those who do not believe in heaven know that Frances believed she would go there.
I want you to join me in the book of John and chapter 14 for a few minutes. Frances' heart was never troubled about God, and I think that's a huge takeaway for those of us left behind as she enjoys her time with the Father. If you're at the passage, follow along with me:
John 14:1-6 Jn 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Jn 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jn 14:4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jn 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jn 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If we can believe this…if we can trust Christ for eternity, then it opens us up to so many wonderful thoughts. Has she found Allen yet? Has he found her? Or is he still arguing with someone about the creation timeline? If so, she's probably by his side smiling. Or has she already found a group of women up there to socialize with? Has she invited people over for ice cream yet? Has she met up with any of the greats in the Bible? Or have they found her first?
There are three things in particular from this passage to describe Frances' faith.
1. She believed in Christ like she believed in God.
Jesus encouraged his followers in John Chapter 14 by saying that they should have confidence in him. The King James Version says, “You believe in God, believe also in me.” Jesus wants us to place our trust in him; wants us to be comfortable and confident in him. Just as we believe in God we believe in him. A lot of people believe in God, or at least in a god. Frances would say that isn't enough. You believe in God, you must also believe in Jesus Christ. Some people think that they have pulled it off if they have more good things that can outweigh the bad in their life. That's just not true. Because of our sin, and it doesn't matter how much sin, we are separated from God. You must believe in Christ.
Frances took Jesus at his words. She didn't need to embellish what Christ said; didn't need to defend him. She just believed.
2. She knew where Christ went.
Of course, we have the benefit of the entire Bible, which Thomas didn't have when he asked Christ where he was going. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us, and Frances knew that. Before he could prepare a place for us, he had to go to the Cross to die for us, and Frances knew that too. For around 2000 years Christ has been getting ready for Francis to arrive, and he's getting ready for you and me to arrive as well, if we believe in him for Salvation.
3. She knew how to get there.
There is only one way to get to heaven. There was always only one way. Frances knew that, believed it, and lived it. And I'm grateful for that fact because I believe it in part because she did. Her relationship with God was so important to her that it rubbed off on me.
At some point in my life, I had to realize that there really was only one way to heaven. I had seen a lot of the world, studied a lot about religion, but the fact was, it all comes back to Jesus Christ. He's the only thing that is different. He's the difference-maker in the world.
But what about you? Most of you know who Frances was. You know what she believed about God. You know what she believed about Jesus. What do you believe? If he was just a great teacher with good life lessons, then you've missed the point. If he was a religious leader, then you've missed the point. If he was the savior of the world, then you're ready to join Frances when your time on earth is done.
Jesus Christ said he was the way, the truth and the life. There was no way for Frances to get to God without Jesus, and she was a good woman. Most of us in this room can't hold a candle to her. If she needed Jesus, then so do we. I invite you today to find out what that means if you don't already know. What better day to give yourself to the Lord than on a day we celebrate a great woman going to be with him?
It helps to understand why you need the only way. You see, Jesus is our substitute because of our sin. The Bible tells us that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It then tells us that the wages of sin is death. The just punishment for our sin is death. And not one person in this room can say that they've never sinned; that they've never done anything wrong. I don't care what standard you use. Even if you use your own standard you can't maintain it perfectly. You'll disappoint yourself at some point. I guarantee you won't be able to uphold your own standard, much less God's. Every one of us has messed up. Because of that sin, we have earned eternal hell. But the Bible also tells us that God gave us a gift in Jesus, who died to take away our sins. God made a way for Frances to enter heaven, and it's the same way for you and me to enter heaven.
But maybe you don't care about what happens when you die. I guess that if you don't really believe in God then you might not believe in heaven or hell either. But I guarantee that, if you've seen Frances, you know she's not like the others. She lived with a sense of purpose that a lot of people don't have. And she lived content with her circumstances. I guarantee that she was able to live that way because of Christ. You will never be so fulfilled as you will be with Christ as your savior.
So for the afterlife, and for your present life, won't you join Frances n believing in Jesus? He was her only way to heaven, and he can be yours too. If you've decided to believe today, please allow me to celebrate with you after the service. It would mean the world to me.
That book, with its scribbles in the margins…it told Frances about Jesus Christ. It's all you really need to know about her, and the only thing she needed to know what that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life.
Let's pray.
One of my fondest memories growing up was grandma's Bible. It was worn from use and had hand-written notes scribbled along the margins. That's really all you need to know about Frances Smith. She had a Bible, it was well-worn, and she scribbled in the margins.
That's why this service is more for us who are still here than it is for my grandma Frances Smith. Those who knew Frances know that she is in heaven this afternoon, and even those who do not believe in heaven know that Frances believed she would go there.
I want you to join me in the book of John and chapter 14 for a few minutes. Frances' heart was never troubled about God, and I think that's a huge takeaway for those of us left behind as she enjoys her time with the Father. If you're at the passage, follow along with me:
John 14:1-6 Jn 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Jn 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jn 14:4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jn 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jn 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If we can believe this…if we can trust Christ for eternity, then it opens us up to so many wonderful thoughts. Has she found Allen yet? Has he found her? Or is he still arguing with someone about the creation timeline? If so, she's probably by his side smiling. Or has she already found a group of women up there to socialize with? Has she invited people over for ice cream yet? Has she met up with any of the greats in the Bible? Or have they found her first?
There are three things in particular from this passage to describe Frances' faith.
1. She believed in Christ like she believed in God.
Jesus encouraged his followers in John Chapter 14 by saying that they should have confidence in him. The King James Version says, “You believe in God, believe also in me.” Jesus wants us to place our trust in him; wants us to be comfortable and confident in him. Just as we believe in God we believe in him. A lot of people believe in God, or at least in a god. Frances would say that isn't enough. You believe in God, you must also believe in Jesus Christ. Some people think that they have pulled it off if they have more good things that can outweigh the bad in their life. That's just not true. Because of our sin, and it doesn't matter how much sin, we are separated from God. You must believe in Christ.
Frances took Jesus at his words. She didn't need to embellish what Christ said; didn't need to defend him. She just believed.
2. She knew where Christ went.
Of course, we have the benefit of the entire Bible, which Thomas didn't have when he asked Christ where he was going. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us, and Frances knew that. Before he could prepare a place for us, he had to go to the Cross to die for us, and Frances knew that too. For around 2000 years Christ has been getting ready for Francis to arrive, and he's getting ready for you and me to arrive as well, if we believe in him for Salvation.
3. She knew how to get there.
There is only one way to get to heaven. There was always only one way. Frances knew that, believed it, and lived it. And I'm grateful for that fact because I believe it in part because she did. Her relationship with God was so important to her that it rubbed off on me.
At some point in my life, I had to realize that there really was only one way to heaven. I had seen a lot of the world, studied a lot about religion, but the fact was, it all comes back to Jesus Christ. He's the only thing that is different. He's the difference-maker in the world.
But what about you? Most of you know who Frances was. You know what she believed about God. You know what she believed about Jesus. What do you believe? If he was just a great teacher with good life lessons, then you've missed the point. If he was a religious leader, then you've missed the point. If he was the savior of the world, then you're ready to join Frances when your time on earth is done.
Jesus Christ said he was the way, the truth and the life. There was no way for Frances to get to God without Jesus, and she was a good woman. Most of us in this room can't hold a candle to her. If she needed Jesus, then so do we. I invite you today to find out what that means if you don't already know. What better day to give yourself to the Lord than on a day we celebrate a great woman going to be with him?
It helps to understand why you need the only way. You see, Jesus is our substitute because of our sin. The Bible tells us that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It then tells us that the wages of sin is death. The just punishment for our sin is death. And not one person in this room can say that they've never sinned; that they've never done anything wrong. I don't care what standard you use. Even if you use your own standard you can't maintain it perfectly. You'll disappoint yourself at some point. I guarantee you won't be able to uphold your own standard, much less God's. Every one of us has messed up. Because of that sin, we have earned eternal hell. But the Bible also tells us that God gave us a gift in Jesus, who died to take away our sins. God made a way for Frances to enter heaven, and it's the same way for you and me to enter heaven.
But maybe you don't care about what happens when you die. I guess that if you don't really believe in God then you might not believe in heaven or hell either. But I guarantee that, if you've seen Frances, you know she's not like the others. She lived with a sense of purpose that a lot of people don't have. And she lived content with her circumstances. I guarantee that she was able to live that way because of Christ. You will never be so fulfilled as you will be with Christ as your savior.
So for the afterlife, and for your present life, won't you join Frances n believing in Jesus? He was her only way to heaven, and he can be yours too. If you've decided to believe today, please allow me to celebrate with you after the service. It would mean the world to me.
That book, with its scribbles in the margins…it told Frances about Jesus Christ. It's all you really need to know about her, and the only thing she needed to know what that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life.
Let's pray.
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