Transparent Connections with Other Christians

The second element of becoming/making disciples of Jesus that I mentioned on Sunday was Transparent Connections with Other Christians. This is rooted in the 'life on life' discipleship model.

The model we've often adopted in the West is the knowledge on knowledge model. Some one lectures, or recommends a book then expects that information to transform the listener. Not exactly the Jesus model. Jesus simply said come and follow me, not come to a one hour lecture. He withheld nothing from his disciples, living life in front of them and with them.

I often think of the time Jesus was sought out by his mom and brothers. They were trying to get him out of the public eye as they thought he was out of his mind. The disciples had a front row seat to this interaction. The rawness of a son interacting with his mom and brothers. How did he handle their accusations? How did he respond without being angry or disrespectful? This would have been difficult to cover in a lecture.

This is life on life. This is a messy, messy model, however it's highly effective. Just look at the results Jesus got.

Remember, Jesus had a method to sharing life...

He had 1 - John

He had 3 - John, Peter and James

He had the 12

He had the 70

And He had the masses

I find this to be so helpful. Who do I give my time and energy to? Who do I open up to? Who holds me accountable and who do I hold accountable? Who is really speaking into my life? i.e. my marriage, how I'm doing as a dad, my relationship with Jesus, my finances, my influence on people outside the church Who do I go to when I need encouragement and prayer?

Who is your 1? Your 3? Your 12? Your 70? Your masses?

I highly recommend that you figure this out and begin to live life on life with these people. I don't know what is more difficult to hear, that someone is really struggling, or that no one new this person was really struggling. I often hear this when divorce is on the table. "We had no idea they were struggling." The Gospel is that we have been reconciled to God and to each other. (Ephesians 2:16) We have been made new, not only that, but have been added to a new race of people. We all have the same story, creation - chaos - redemption - new creation. Shame and guilt have no hold on us. There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.(Romans 8:1) We can be honest, we can speak freely with each other out of love.

I mentioned in the previous post that there is power in asking questions. This is how we get to know each other. We need to get over our western privacy issues and ask the hard questions and... answer the hard questions. There is too much at stake. The 1, 3, 12, 70, masses model helps us in this. We don't have to air our laundry to all, just to those who really care, those who can really help.

I pray New Community Church is full of transparent relationships!

More on Making Disciples...

I hope Sunday's message on What if We Made Disciples? was inspiring, but I know it may have left some questions unanswered. I want to follow up that message with a series of posts that I hope fill in some gaps. Feel free to comment on each post and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

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The three crucial elements of discipleship are: 1) Interactive Relationship with God, 2) Transparent Connections with other Disciples (Christians), and 3) Impact the World Around You and Beyond. I'll post on each one separately.

Interactive Relationship With God

Becoming a disciple of Jesus and making a disciple of Jesus is first and foremost about Jesus becoming our Savior, Lord and the thing we treasure more than anything else in this life. In the Old Testament one of the ways God revealed himself was as El Shaddai, which can be translated, God the Enough. Is Jesus enough? This is a great question to ask ourselves and those we are discipling into Jesus.

Jesus doesn't become ultimate in our lives just through intellectual ascent. We can study the Scriptures and find his value, but we must also experience it in our lives. We must, as the Psalmist implores us to do, "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) I love this invitation!

How do we get to this place?

1) God's Holy Bible -

The Bible is the primary authority in our lives. It is everything we need to know about God, but certainly not everything there is to know about God. It shows the proven track record of God with His people. It shows us that God is the great Sovereign, the great King of all. It clearly lays out who we are in Christ. It tells us of the character and the attributes of God. The Bible is the history of redemption. It is totally God-breathed and all scriptures are useful for our lives.

But if we're honest, there are some portions of scripture that are difficult to understand. Below are some helpful tools to help us understand the scriptures. Remember, the primary lens that we must read the Bible through is God's plan of redemption. It is the central theme of the Bible. Everything in the Old Testament is a spotlight that shines toward a redeemer and everything in the New Testament shows us that Redeemer and the implication this Redeemer has on us. Teach people to love this gift. Teach people to hear God through His word, and to apply it to their lives. As they do, they will taste and see that He is good and enter into this interactive relationship with Him.

Helpful tools -

A Good Study Bible - NIV Study Bible or ESV Study Bible

A Good Reading Plan - Click here for multiple options, I really like this one (it has a plan if you fall behind a little)

Other Resources - How to Read the Bible For All it's Worth and New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (There are a ton of other resources out there, these are very helpful for all to have on their bookshelves though.)

2) Through your life -

Paul simply says, 'imitate me'. 2 Corinthians 3 talks about us being letters of recommendations! We 'recommend' this new covenant of grace. As you shine with the glory of the Lord you lead people into worship and an interactive relationship with God. Be open about how you relate to God and what that looks like. This is how I pray, this is what my personal times of worship are like, this is what I do in the corporate times of worship, this is how I listen to God. Your life will demonstrate how to have an interactive relationship with God.

Then ask lot's and lot's of questions. Asking questions demonstrates that you care and are interested in that person. It will also help you gauge where that person is in this interactive relationship with God. I find it very peculiar when I meet with someone who wants to be 'discipled' and they never ask questions. It makes me wonder if they really want my input, or if their hiding something, or they want to prove to me how much they know. Both parties need to be open and honest about everything. This is life on life. This is Jesus' model of discipleship.

Jesus was a great question asker and the disciples asked Jesus some great questions too (and some dumb ones, which is helpful!). This is how we value people and train people.

Your life will show people how to have an interactive relationship with God. Like the Psalmist, we can invite people to taste and see that the Lord is good... through our lives. Does your life say Jesus is enough?

3) Worship, Worship, Worship!

Worship literally means to 'shape-worth' in something. It helps put everything in perspective. We need to discipline ourselves to worship in all situations. Worship puts everything in the right perspective. It was David's worship and understanding of God that killed Goliath. He knew who God was and he knew how God felt about His people... and then he acted on it.

Worship is not only for the tough times though. In the good times worship helps us to not grow self-righteous. We continue to ascribe worth to God, the maker of Heaven and Earth at all times. Worship is our primary calling as Christians. One day missions will end, but worship will never cease. As we declare the awesomeness of God in our lives, we really begin to taste and see!

One way to do this is to buy worship CD's, turn the volume up so you can't hear yourself sing, and let it rip. I mean really go for it. Know that God loves it when we come to him with nothing in our hands, without fear, without insecurity, but as His kids. Some people talk about having 'quiet times' with God... that's okay sometimes, but what about 'loud times' with God?

Finally, remember we are all in process. The grace of God is sufficient in all times. Walk through life with people. One sure way to lose a person is to run way ahead of them, they'll stop trying to keep up! We wouldn't teach kids to dunk a basketball before we teach them how to dribble, pass and make a lay up. Lay the foundation of grace in the person so they know where they stand before God and how they got into that place. Otherwise, we can easily lead people in legalism and striving. Enjoy the process of growing together!

Women's Conference!

The registration deadline for the Women's Conference in Silverton, OR is Friday! This means you need to have your registrations and checks in the mail by Friday. Please let us know ASAP if we can help get you there. We DO NOT want money to be an issue. You can email me or call 253.241.6203 to let me know.

As soon as we know who all is going we will talk about rides and all that.

What if the Church Were the Missionary?

I don't usually do this, but I really want to recommend that you listen to Sunday's message if you weren't there. We have embarked on a new series called What if? and we really feel that it will shape us as a new church and propel us forward. If you were unable to make it or need to continue to process it please listen to our podcast. I am really looking forward to seeing God's transforming power working in us and out of us!

What if?

This Sunday we will start a new series called What If? This series will call us to reevaluate what the Kingdom is and how the church fits into it. Jesus' main message was that the Kingdom of God had come... he proclaimed that and demonstrated that.

Somehow over time in the West some churches have lost sight of the Kingdom and have focused on meetings, conversions, and resourcing a few people to do Kingdom stuff. (Certainly not bad in and of themselves, but certainly has not produced the transformation we all long to see!)

This Sunday we will ask the question, What If the Church was the Missionary?

I am so grateful for the growth we have seen at NCC. I continue to here amazing testimonies of how God's grace has totally affected people's lives. I love that! However, now is the time for us to unite as God's people and pray let Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!

This is a good time to bring along a friend or family member who may wonder what this whole church thing is about. Hope to see you all there!

Easter is Coming!

This Sunday we will gather to proclaim and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! I look forward to joining with all of you and our guests to declare the most wonderful of truths. Please come a little earlier than usual and consider parking in the upper lot if you can. Also, it would be helpful to sit toward the front and the middle as people will be staggering in full of ham and chocolate a little late no doubt.

Directly after the meeting we will be having an Easter egg hunt. Parents will need to get their kids, bring them down, and be present during the hunt. We are hoping for good weather, but even it's not we are hunting eggs!

I will be preaching on the subject of "Why do You Look For the Living Among the Dead?" from Luke 24. I love the resurrection narrative and hope to capture not only this story, but invite people to life. As you know, all of life is worship, why worship the dead and dieing when you could worship the living?

“The early Christians did not believe in the resurrection of Christ because they could not find his dead body...They believed because they found a living Christ” C.T. Craig

Hope to see you all there!

Bo Noonan