F-A-I-L?

In many ways, it was a sobering week.  I spent it among pastors and church leaders who were asking some hard questions, about a key passage from the Bible.  It's Jesus' parting words to His followers.  It remains His charge to those who follow Him today:

“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.”

It's not that these words are new to us.  Any pastor or church leader worth his or her salt knows that this is to be the overall mission of the Church, our overarching purpose to those who gather together to represent Jesus on this earth.  We are to GO to those with an ear to hear.  We are to MAKE DISCIPLES.  Most churches weave their words into a formal mission statement, or even post them above a door.

Here's the challenge:  If this is to be the mission of the church... are we doing it?

For a long time, and in many places, I've seen the functional definition of a disciple being someone who knows alot about God.  They can spout off Bible verses.  They can find every book of the Bible without checking a table of contents.  They seem to read their Bible regularly.  They pray.  And they attend church religiously.  And I mean religiously.  (They may be cranky, anxious, lustful, divisive, greedy, and judgmental, but justify it with:  "hey, no one is perfect!")

But here's the problem:  That's not how Jesus' defined a "disciple."

When He invited people into a life of discipleship, he invited them with these words:

Come, follow me...

That's not a "read this book and fill your head" kind of invitation.  That's not a "know every book of the Bible" kind of thing.  That's an invitation to "believe with your feet"... meaning, if you really follow that invitation, you'll be going places, doing things, being active in whatever way Jesus asks you to be.

When Jesus invited Peter into a life of discipleship, He finished the sentence:

Come, follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.

Jesus was using Peter-the-fisherman's language.  Jesus was telling Peter that He had a job to do.

In Jesus' last words, he again defines being a disciple in an active way.  A disciple is one who is  baptized (the word actually means immersed) in the triune God, listens to His teaching, and then does what He says.

So here's the question:  How many churches really teach people to listen to what God is saying, and then to do what He says?  And do we collectively understand that if we don't know how to do this... then we really don't understand what it is to follow Jesus?

Do you know what Jesus says about how we are to love? Experience joy and peace?  Extend mercy and forgiveness?  Stand up for things that are right?  Handle money and stuff?  Handle our time?  Rest?  Reach out to others?  Care for the poor?  Jesus offers us "abundant LIFE"... do you know how to live it?

And if you know these things, when was the last time you paused long enough to hear the gentle whisper of God's Spirit inviting you to change in this area?   Re-align yourself more closely to Jesus? Or do something new or different?

Of course, being a disciple goes beyond that, doesn't it?  Because if we listen to Jesus, and do what He says, then we will also GO and MAKE DISCIPLES (again, His last words to us).

No, this post isn't about guilting you.  But it IS about asking this question:  Are churches doing what we're supposed to?  Are we teaching people to BE disciples.... and to MAKE disciples?  Are we giving them the tools to listen to God's teaching for themselves, and then are we helping them understand that God empowers them to do what He is saying?  And then are we training them to help others listen to God and be empowered for His change?

And if not... how do we change?

This is the journey I am on...

Annual Letter to NCC

Every year each church in the NCC (our regional body of the Free Methodist Church) writes an update letter for others to read.  Thought I'd include this year's letter for The Loop to those of you who read my blog:

I’ve been pondering the journey of Abraham and Sarah quite a bit recently.  

God made some BIG promises to them... land, descendants, and that all people of the earth would be blessed through them... but Abraham and Sarah had to wait a long, long time to get to see the hope of these promises being fulfilled.  But still... they hoped.  They waited.  They lived life.   They messed up.  They hoped some more.  They took God’s Promise into their own hands, and they messed up some more.  They waited.  They hoped.  And finally... they saw God “bust out” and work in some new and inexplicable ways, tasting just the firstfruits of God’s fulfilled promises.

The idea of The Loop was birthed in 2007, out of (what we believe are) promises of God.  The first group met in 2008.  We continue, in 2012, to hope.  We continue to have faith.  We continue to live life.  We continue to share the good news of Jesus with whoever comes our way.  We continue to disciple new believers.  We are working hard to not take the promises of God into our own hands, and yet we sometimes mess up.  And we still wait for the day when we see God “bust out” into working in a new way. 

We have begun to find other journeyers who are traveling the same road... talk of “missional communities” is bubbling up in Christian circles, giving structure and mentors to our ideas.  And that gives both hope and direction on our journey.

We continue to, as a group, ask questions about how God can use our talents and gifts to build His Kingdom (no matter how small we are).  Out of this, Art & Soul has been birthed... a group of people who are using artistic skills to make & sell products to raise money to dig a well in Malawi (with Clear Blue).  Helping God’s Kingdom in perhaps not such a small way.

We continue to learn to love one another, to laugh and cry together, to be brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers to one another.  We continue to work through what it means to live a life filled with the truth and freedom and love of Jesus, leaving lies and bondage in the past.

And we continue to remind ourselves that our road is not unique, but has been paved before us:

“By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place 

that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. 

By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents... 

By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, 

because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said... 

How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and 

accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.”     -From Hebrews 11 (The Message)

From a transient journeyer in this world -

Pam Braman, Pastor / Church Planter

http://pambraman.blogspot.com

www.getintheloop.net

Why do we look for the living among the dead?

Over the past few post-Easter days, I've had one phrase from the Easter story roaming around in my head.  It's something that the angels say to the women who first arrive at the empty tomb:  "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"  The angels already know, without a doubt, that Jesus has risen from the dead ("Of course!  He's God in the flesh!  What don't these mortals understand??").  I wonder if they're completely perplexed why God has them at the tomb, waiting to talk to the women.  And I wonder if their question is really a question where they are trying to understand the weakness of humanity.  "WHY would anyone look for the living among the dead?  What don't these people understand?"

The next story (in the gospel of Luke) is the story of two people on the road to Emmaus.  Jesus meets them, walks along the way with them, enters their home to have supper with them... but they don't recognize Him (at least not until the last moment).  Once again, we see humans who are missing Jesus because they are "looking for him" among the dead, and don't expect Him to appear with them on the road.

I think the angel's question isn't just for the women at the tomb or those on the road to Emmaus 2,000 years ago.  It's a question for me - for us - today.  Why is it that we look for the living and for life among the dead?  Why do we look for Jesus in places that are dead -- dead churches, dead ideas, dead methods -- and miss Him as He meets us along the road of life?   Why do we look for LIFE in dead things -- material things, worldly success, possessions, toys, amusements -- instead of looking for true LIFE in Jesus?

Here's my question for you today:  Where are you looking in dead places for Jesus?  And where might He be meeting you today in places where you don't expect him?  Open your eyes and recognize Him as He meets you along the road today...

Okay... so Art & Soul is on it's way!!

And just WHAT IS Art & Soul?  It's a 'giving arm' of The Loop (church). 

We have a team of people who are working on hand-crafted items, which will be sold (probably in the fall) to raise money.  

And what are we raising the money for?  To dig a well in the country of Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world (it's in Africa for those of you who, like me, don't know your geography!).  We've got a long way to go... it will take about $7,000.  I'll post things as they are made... if you're local (Twin Cities) and would like to buy something, let us know!

Check out some of our items on the blog I've started just for Art & Soul:

http://loopartandsoul.blogspot.com