My "Suffering Testimony"

Note to Friends and Family: This post contains a recent and extremely personal example of how God redeemed a painful experience in the life of my family.  If you are a member of my family or a close friend who experienced this along with me, I suggest you proceed with caution depending on where you are in the healing process.

         I recently completed a course on church ministry during my studies at Liberty University and as a part of the course we read “Ministry Is . . .: How to Serve Jesus with Passion and Confidence” by Dave Earley and Ben Gutierrez (B&H Publishing Group, 2010).  In Chapter 21, “Turning you Hurts into Helps”, Dave Earley suggests that the reader should write up some of their painful experiences into a “Suffering Testimony.”  This process is designed to help turn these painful experiences into opportunities to minister to others.  Below is my suffering testimony in the format suggested by Earley:

My life seemed normal until I received a call from my mother-in-law, who was at the hospital with my five month pregnant wife. 

         It was a Saturday morning in September and I was at work.  At the time I was a narcotics detective with the Sheriff’s Office and was in the middle of serving a search warrant a drug house in our town.  I had left very early in the morning, or very late at night, and while I was searching the house I received a phone call from my wife, Jessica, who was around five months pregnant.  She told me that she was experiencing some severe abdominal pain, which was not altogether alarming because she also suffers from a chronic intestinal disorder that sometimes causes severe pain.  When she told me that she was going to get her mother to drive her to the ER I knew that something was amiss, but did not recognize the situation for what it was.  I told her to call when she found out what was going on and that I would meet her at the hospital when I had completed my work.

          After finishing up at the house I caught a ride with another officer back to where my car was parked.  On the way my mother-in-law called and sobbingly told me that I needed to come immediately to the hospital.  She wasn’t able to tell me what was wrong, and I don’t think that I even asked.  I knew that something was seriously wrong.  I prayed the whole way to my car and then to the hospital.  My mind raced with all the possibilities, both good and bad.

          Upon arriving at the hospital I found Jessica and by her countenance knew immediately that something was seriously wrong.  I asked her what was going on and she replied with words that still ring in my ears and elicit a violently emotional response as I recall them, “Our baby died.”  I held her a tightly as I could and wept with her for some time.  I don’t know if wept is a strong enough word to use, but a better word escapes me.  After that the rest of the day was filled with doctors, nurses, and concerned friends and family.

I discovered hope and help in Jesus when I was at the end of my ability to cope and was not able to go on.

          Jessica and I left the hospital several days later and returned home.  When I returned home I had to go through a process that I hope to never experience again, arranging my child’s funeral.  Because of my involvement in ministry I was familiar with some of the more pragmatic issues involved in planning a funeral service and handled those first.  I must say that I was surprised to see so many who I didn’t know cared deeply for Jessica and I reach out to help us.  I am forever grateful to those who assisted us during that time.

          With the funeral service arranged, music selected, and preacher lined up all of the practical issues had been resolved.  I suddenly realized that there was nothing else to be busy with and that I must face the reality that my son had died.  I had been so busy taking care of Jessica in the hospital, making arrangements, receiving guests, and the like that it really hadn’t hit me yet.  The weight of the whole situation came down on me and I felt as if I couldn’t move.  I had been praying that God would see us through everything and knew that he would, but I admit that I often wondered if my faith was strong enough to some through.  This experience was especially potent on the day of the funeral.

          Jessica and I woke up that morning and started to prepare for the day.  I don’t remember much about that morning, except one event that occurred as we were getting ready to leave for the church.  I told Jessica that it was time to go and she began to weep, I embraced her and I too be began to weep, or sob, or lament, or something.  Those words all do not seem to capture what was occurring.  It was there, at the side of our bed as we were leaving to go to the church for our son’s funeral, that I reached the end of myself.  There was no strength, mental or physical in my body.  I had no energy, no desire to go on.  I physically could not get up, or think, or speak.  It was there that I did the only thing that I knew to do, I cried out to Jesus.  I didn’t ask for strength or wisdom.  I didn’t ask for understanding of peace.  All I could muster was a simple prayer, “Jesus, help us.”

          The instant I spoke those words a miracle happened.  There was no flash of light or angel with a message.  Everything was not all better and I did not have an immediate peace with what was going on, but I had just enough strength to continue.  In that moment I experienced what the psalmist spoke of in Psalm 46:1.  God was my refuge and very present help in trouble. 

I am glad that I have a personal relationship with Jesus today because I have experienced what the psalmist wrote about those who call on the Lord in their day of trouble (Psalm 50:15).

         There are two ways to know something, academically and experientially.  To know something academically is to have “head knowledge,” to know fact and principles pertaining to a specific subject.  To know something by experience is to have “heart knowledge,” to know something because you have seen it.  The New Testament uses the Greek word ginōskō to describe this kind of knowing.  It is an intimate understanding of a subject that comes through experience.  The word ginōskō is the same word that the Septuagint uses to describe the intimate relationship between a man and wife that brings forth a child.  Coming into the experience I had “head knowledge” about how God relates to people going through these types of problems, but I now have ginōskō knowledge about God’s provision in trouble.

         We often relate what the prophet Joel wrote in Joel 2:32 to the crying out of the sinner as they accept Christ as Lord and Savior.  But the truth is that it applies just as much to Christians as to non-Christians.  The Gospel is just as much the center of Christian’s life and it is the turning point of the sinner’s.  Just as we begin our Christian walk by the spirit we are to continue to be made complete by the spirit, not by our own power (Galatians 3:3).

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

          One can argue that the most significant claim that Christ made regarding His divinity was not divinity itself, but divine exclusivity.  That is to say that there are no other gods but the God of the Bible, the God who reviled His name to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM” and instructed Moses to tell the people of Israel that “I AM” had sent him to them (Exodus 3:14); and that the only way to have a relationship with the only true God is through the man Jesus Christ.  Jesus highlighted this truth when He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” in John 14:6.  This statement was made in response to a question from one of the disciples, Thomas, during a conversation that took place as Jesus and the disciples shared a meal and talked in the last several days before His crucifixion, this conversation has come to be known as the Upper Room Discourse.[1] 

            This discourse took place in the time leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Jesus had spent the past three years teaching and walking with the disciples and now He was having an intimate conversation over a shared meal with these twelve men whom He had poured His life into.  It is significant in itself that the conversation took place over a shared meal or banquet.  In the first century a banquet was an elaborate meal which was prominent in sealing friendships, celebrating victories, and for other joyous occasions.[2]  While this banquet was no doubt linked to the observance of the Passover, it also was a time for Jesus and the disciples to seal their friendship and celebrate the coming victory over sin and death, whether the disciples recognized it or not.

The conversation in which Thomas asked his question of the Lord was immediately proceeded by Jesus’ washing of the disciples feet.  This event, Jesus’ washing of the disciples feet, is important in its own right.  The work of footwashing was regarded as so lowly a task that it could not be required of a Hebrew slave.[3]  Yet here we have the Son of God washing the feet of His students.  Through this act Jesus teaches that if one wants to lead, he must first serve.  No doubt this was an important lesson for the disciples to understand before they could truly understand the significance of Jesus’ greatest act of service, His atoning sacrifice on the cross. 

            It is in the context of the discussion of these coming events that we find Thomas asking his question.  In the upper room on the eve of the crucifixion, Jesus spoke of His imminent departure, finishing with “and where I am going you know the way” (John 14:4).[4]  Jesus’ statement that the disciples knew the way triggered a question in the mind of Thomas.  Even though the Lord had assured the disciples that they knew the way Thomas responded, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John14:5).  Thomas’ question elicited an interesting response from the Lord.  Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubt, but patiently explained the truth; that Thomas indeed knew the way, because he knew Jesus.  Jesus responded that a life given in belief and faith in Him would pave the way to eternal fellowship with Him.[5]  One must not miss the significance of the statement that Jesus is the way.  Jesus did not come to earth wrapped in baby’s flesh to show us a new or better way to the Father.  He came, as God incarnate, to be the way.  It is the difference between trying to find your way to a particular destination by the use of a map provided by someone who knows the way and taking them along for the ride.  Jesus, as the way to the Father, is the ever-present help (Psalm 46:1) in one’s spiritual journey back to the Heavenly Father.

            It is also important to understand that Jesus is not a way or a truth or a life, but the one and only way, truth, and life.  It is here that Jesus teaches the doctrine that has put Christianity at odds with culture for two-thousand years; the fact that the only way to the Father is through Jesus.  Jesus was the perfect revelation of the means for reconciliation with God, because He was God incarnate.  Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, without ceasing to be what He is, God the Son, took into union with Himself what He before did not possess, a human nature.[6] 

In addition to being the way to God Jesus also claimed to be “the truth” (John 16:6).  Being fully God and fully man Jesus was not only able to say that He knew and spoke the truth, but that He was the truth.  This claim reminds us first of all of Jesus’ utter reliability.[7]  Jesus was not only conveying the true teaching of God, but was God and His truth lived out in human flesh.  Many religions are led by people who claim to possess the teachings of a Supreme Being or creator, but Jesus was the Supreme Being.  Because of this unique relationship with God the Father, God the Son also possesses the same attributes, specifically God’s veracity, or truthfulness.  God’s truthfulness means that he is the true God, and that all His knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth.[8]  In other words, not only is all that Jesus said true, but He is the ultimate measure of what truth is.  Everything that is not in line with Jesus is not true.

The last claim that Jesus made in this profound statement is that He is “the life”.  Here Jesus is closely associating life very closely with Himself.[9]  Jesus is not saying that He can give life, but that He is the source of life (John 1:3).  This is in contrast to all of the legalistic rules that permeated Jewish culture in Jesus’ time, which brought death (2 Corinthians 3:6).   A person has access to the God’s gift of a fulfilling and abundant life through a real and personal relationship with Jesus (John 10:10).

After making the statement, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life), Jesus goes on to say, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”  This thought better illustrates the fact that Jesus is not only a way, but the only way to the Father and builds the case for the exclusivity of Christianity.  This was a bold statement for a first century Jew, there is no mention of Abraham or Moses, who were the agents of the precious dispensations.  Here Jesus teaches that one cannot come to the Father based on their righteousness through works nor on their family line, but can only come through Him.

It is interesting to note that after Jesus taught on the fundamental element of Christian doctrine, one’s relationship with the God the Father thorough and only through God the Son, he build on this foundation as we see the conversation turn to matters of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in verses 8 through 21.  The mystery of the Trinity is one of the most difficult of all doctrines to understand.[10]  Here we find Jesus teaching on His relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus reminds the disciples that He is the perfect revelation of God the Father and that He carries out the Fathers work.  Jesus also go on to explain His work in the sending of God the Spirit to guide those who have trusted in Him as the way, the truth, and the life; those who have come to the Father through Him. 

Jesus used this intimate setting, a private banquet with His closest followers, to solidify the teachings that He had been instilling in them all along; the fact that in Him was the only way for mankind to be reconciled to God the Father.  Since a right relationship with God is the heart of all religion, reconciliation that makes access, welcome, and fellowship possible for all may be held as the central concept of Christianity.[11]  Jesus also explained how a relationship with Him would lead to an understanding of the Father and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.  In this one statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, Jesus identifies Himself with Jehovah of the Old Testament and underscores the point that He is the only Savior.

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[1] Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), 139.

[2] Chad Owen Brand, Charles W. Draper, and Archie W. England, “Banquet” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 166.

[3] Brand, Draper, and England, “Footwashing”, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 592.

[4] Leon Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 118.

[5] David S. Dockery, Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, Tenn: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 624.

[6] R. L. Reymond, “Incarnation,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Reference Library) 2nd ed., ed. Walter Elwell (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2001), 601.

[7] Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John, 119.

[8] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 195.

[9] Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John, 119.

[10] Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, 142.

[11] R. E. O. White, “Reconciliation,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Reference Library) 2nd ed., ed. Walter Elwell (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2001), 992.

The Sign Miracles of Christ

There are several Greek words in the New Testament that are used to describe miracles.  While the synoptic Gospels prefer the word dunamis (to emphasize the power of Jesus), John employs the word sēmeion some seventeen times to point out the spiritual significance of eight miracles in the (John’s) Gospel.[1]  While the Gospels teach that the significance of all the miracles of Christ is that they are prophetic works of the Messiah[2], there is a distinction to be recognized between a miracle described by the Greek word dunamis and a miracle described by the Greek word sēmeion.  To understand this distinction one must begin by understanding the meaning conveyed by the words in the original Koine Greek.  The Greek word δύναμις, transliterated as dunamis, can be defined as power, might, strength, or force,[3] while the Greek word σημεῖον, transliterated sēmeion, can be defined as the distinguishing mark by which something in known, a token, or an indication.[4]   The use of dunamis to describe a deed performed by Jesus carries with it the idea that the work was done to display His mighty power and the use of sēmeion conveys the idea of an outward indication of something deeper.  Therefore, the use of the term sēmeion in John’s gospel then is very important; for John it is a way of drawing attention to the hand of God in the ministry of Jesus.[5]  Each of the miracles in John’s gospel reveals the deity of Christ in one way or another.  Here we will examine each of the “sign” miracles performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John.

The first “sign” miracle recorded by John, and the earliest recorded in any of the gospels, is the turning of water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, found in John 2:1-11.  Here Jesus and His disciples were in attendance at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee when it was brought to Jesus’ mother that the wine was running out.  Jesus then miraculously change the water into wine.  This miracle point to Jesus as the source of all the blessing of God’s future,[6] and demonstrated His power over creation.[7]  Little information on the wedding in included in John’s account, which itself is a significant fact.  Weddings of the day were focused, much like weddings today, on the bride, while in this account the focus is on Jesus, perhaps symbolizing that Christ is love and is the fountainhead of love that is usually manifested at weddings.[8]  It is also important to note that Christ chose to change into wine the water that was contained in pots used for ceremonial cleansing.  The symbolism of this detail should not be lost on the reader, for the water used for purification was replaced by wine, that which would come to symbolize the blood of Christ.[9]

The next “sign” miracle recorded in John’s gospel is the healing of an official’s (nobleman’s) son, recoded in John 4:46-54.  Through this miracle Jesus reveals that His is the master over distance,[10] that His power is not limited by physical space.  Here an official comes and begs Jesus to return with him to his home and heal his son, who was sick to the point of death (v.47).  Jesus, instead of accompanying the official to his home, simply speaks a word and heals the boy.  Thus, Christ demonstrates that He is the source of healing power, and not limited by distance.

The account of Jesus’ healing of the official’s son closes out the fourth chapter of John’s gospel and the fifth chapter opens with John’s account of the next “sign” miracle, the healing of a invalid at the pool of Bethesda.  The man at the pool had been an invalid for thirty eight years (v.5) when he met the Lord.  Jesus showed compassion on the man and healed him.  The healing of a man who had been an invalid for such a long time points to the fact that Jesus is master over time.  John points us to the divine characteristics of Christ by emphasizing His special knowledge.  Of the great multitude, Jesus saw one man and knew that he had been by the pool a long time.[11]  Jesus also revealed His deity by stating that He and the Father are working together to accomplish the Father’s goals.

The next “sign” miracle observed in John’s account is the feeding of the five thousand people who had gathered to hear Jesus, recorded in John 6:1-14.  In this narrative five thousand people had gathered to hear the teachings of Jesus.  As they gathered, the Lord had compassion for their human needs and from provided food enough to feed the entire crowd from two small fish and five barley loves, with enough pieces of bread left to fill twelve baskets.  Through the feeding of the five thousand Jesus prepares the hearts of the people to receive His teaching on the bread of life that follows.[12]  Jesus also demonstrates that He is master over food with this miraculous multiplication of the bread and fish.[13]

The next demonstration of Christ’s deity occurs the evening following the feeding of the five thousand and is found in John 6:15-21.  After the multitude tried to take Jesus by force and make Him king, He withdrew to the mountain by Himself.  That evening the disciples boarded a boat destined for Capernaum, leaving Jesus behind.  During the trip the weather began to deteriorate and after the disciples were about four miles off shore, in the midst of the storm, they observed Jesus walking on the water up to the boat.  This “sign” pointed to the divine nature of Jesus, demonstrated by His power and authority over the natural, created world.[14]

This gospel then records the next “sign” miracle of Christ in John 9:1-12, the healing of the man whom had been born blind.  In yet another example of Christ’s compassion, He brought sight to a man who had been blind from birth by anointing the blind man’s eyes with a mixture of salvia and dirt.  When Jesus and His disciples first came upon this man the disciples asked if the man or his parent’s sin had caused him to be born blind (v.2).  Jesus responded that it was not sin that had caused the man’s blindness, but that the man was blind so that Jesus’ power could be manifested and God glorified.  God sent His blessed Son to him at just the right time to make him a wonderful witness to His delivering power.[15]  In this “sign” Christ demonstrated His power over natural laws.[16]  He also revealed another facet of His divine nature by providing an illustration of the fact that He was the light of the world.[17]

The next “sign” miracle is found in John 11:1-44 and is perhaps the most spectacular, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  The raising of Lazarus from the dead was not Christ’s last miracle before the cross, but it was certainly His greatest and the one that aroused the most response from His friends and His enemies.[18]  In John’s account of this event Jesus raises Lazarus, who had been in the tomb four days (v.17), from death back to life.  Jesus demonstrates He possess power even over death in the performance of this miracle.[19]  Also, note that the raising of Lazarus serves as something of a foreshadowing of the power to resurrect all believes one day to fellowship and eternal life in Christ.[20]

Finally, in John 21:1-11 is recorded the last of the “sign” miracles, the miraculous catch of fish.  Here Jesus appears, post-resurrection, to His disciples from the shore as they are fishing, but they do not recognize Him.  Jesus asks them if they have any fish and they reply that they don’t.  He then instructs them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and when they do they catch so many fish that they are unable to pull the net into the boat.  In this event Christ displays His power over the created world and uses the events on the lakeshore to instruct His disciples.[21] 

By and through these eight events Jesus of Nazareth revealed Himself as the Christ.  As signs the miracles serve as symbols of the true significance of Jesus.  However, while many marveled at Christ’s supernatural exploits, only true believers saw the spiritual implications of the signs.[22]  While signs can and do point to God and to Christ, they are inadequate to bring anyone to saving faith.[23]  The production of saving faith in a person is a work of the Father, as evidenced by Jesus’ own words recorded in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

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[1] Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), xiii.

[2] J. D. Spiceland, “Miracle,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Reference Library) 2nd ed., ed. Walter Elwell (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2001), 779.

[3] William Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: A Translation and Adaptation of the Fourth Revised and Augmented Edition of Walter Bauer's Griechisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch Zu Den Schriften Des Neuen Testaments Und Der Übrigen Urchristlichen Literatur (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979), 207.

[4] Ibid., 747.

[5] Leon Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 13.

[6] David S. Dockery, Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, Tenn: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 612.

[7] Townes, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, xiii.

[8] Ibid., 18.

[9] Dockery, Holman Bible Handbook, 611.

[10] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 341.

[11] Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, 49.

[12] Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John, 13.

[13] Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, xiii.

[14] Dockery, Holman Bible Handbook, 616.

[15] H.A. Ironside, John (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 229.

[16] Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, xiii.

[17] MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook, 341.

[18] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1. New Testament (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008), 333.

[19] MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook, 341.

[20] Dockery, Holman Bible Handbook, 641.

[21] Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, 212.

[22] Dockery, Holman Bible Ha.

[23] Chad Owen Brand, Charles W. Draper, and Archie W. England, “Sign” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1501.ndbook, 621

Christ's Redeeming Work in My Life

Over the past year or so I have reconnected with many people who I have had the pleasure to know during different chapters in my life.  It has been a pleasant surprise for me to find out that many of these people whom have meant so much to me in one way or another have come to faith in Christ.  Many have asked me about the circumstances that led to my conversion and I have never really answered the question out loud.  The other day I, through the wonders of modern technology, was able to watch a video of my friend Jeff Norman giving his story (Video – Here / Blog Post – Here).  Inspired by Jeff, I have deiced to share the following.  It is by no means an exhaustive auto-biography; I found it hard to condense thirty years of life into something interesting enough that a person might take the time to read.  I hope that you enjoy and that maybe the Lord will use it in someone’s life.  If you have any questions, or if something in not clear, please feel free to ask me.

I was born in May of 1980 to loving parents in League City, TX.  My parents raised me and my father taught me about Jesus, but they didn’t attend church regularly.  I attended church frequently, but not regularly, with my grandmother at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Texas City, TX.  During those years I continued to learn the ways of the Christian religion, but was missing the relationship with Jesus.  I knew what I should have been doing, but being still dead in my sin I was incapable of doing what was right.  I had an intellectual knowledge of the Christian lifestyle and when I my conduct was contrary to that lifestyle I was aware that I was sinning, but without an experiential knowledge of what it meant to be a Christian I was not convicted.

I continued to live uninterrupted as a pseudo-Christian until late 2008.  At the time I was living with my now wife, then girlfriend and our daughter.  I knew all along that what I was doing was wrong, but was able to just keep on doing it.  I was able to keep on doing it until the Holy Spirit of God began to stir within me.  I realized that the lifestyle that I was living was displeasing to God and that something had to change.  What needed to change was that I needed to surrender my life to Jesus, but I did not know that yet.  I tried to change my life on my own and in January of 2009 my wife and I were married.  I thought that getting married would line me back up with God’s plan and the conviction would go away, it didn’t.  Still living as a pseudo-Christian and thinking that I was saved, I could not figure out what was wrong.  Thank God for his divine planning because I had also started attending church at Faith Baptist.  As I sat under the Word of God preached by the man of God Sunday after Sunday I began to have a clearer picture, but I still was not able to accept that my life up to that point had been a charade.

In early March of 2009 I was driving down a country road and was listening to some CD’s from a bible conference that my Pastor had loaned me.  The particular CD that I was listening to was a sermon preached by the evangelist Sam Cathey.  As I listened to the message everything became clear.  I was a sinner, undeserving of God’s mercy and deserving of hell.  There was nothing that I could do to change that and I needed someone, Jesus, to save me.  The realization was so profound that I had to pull over and stop the car.  I had tears streaming down my face and I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and save me.  Paul met Jesus along the Damascus Road and I met Jesus along Bailey Mill Road.  My life changed at that moment and has been changed ever since.

Shortly after God saved me I began to sense a desire to serve Him welling up inside of me.  This desire sprang from my deep within my heart and grew greater and greater as my understanding what God had done for me grew.  I began to prayerfully consider God’s call to serve and take inventory of the gifts that God had given me.  As I considered the abilities that God have given me I came to recognize that He had blessed me with an ability to teach and a burden to care for people.  Before I considered these gifts as something that I possessed that I could use to serve God, but then I realized the God had given me these gifts to serve Him and he allowed me to use them from day to day.

Every Christian a Missionary?

Something as simple as a different view of the definition of a single word can lead to great misunderstanding.  One of those times is when we use the word mission in the context of the local church.  We have heard the phrase, “every Christian is a missionary,” and there is no doubt that good intentions motivate the use of that phrase; but is it valid to teach that every one of us should be a missionary?  Before we can answer that question we must ask another question, which leads me to my first point:

What is the difference between mission and missions?

The word mission is used to describe the over arching objective that an organization desires to achieve.  In the case of Christ’s church, our mission is best summed up in our Lord’s great commission as recorded in the book of Acts, to be witnesses for Jesus from our homes to the ends of the earth. 

Missions is the term used to describe the activity and work of  a missionary, a person that is specially called out and equipped by God to perform the work of going out to the nations.

Now that we have a working definition of mission and missions we can address the original question:

Should every Christian be a missionary?

No, not every person who names the name of Christ should be a missionary.  A missionary is a person who is specially called out and equipped by God to perform the specific work of Word and prayer across geographic and/or cultural boundaries in places where is name of Jesus Christ in largely unknown, if known at all.  Every Christian should however be mission minded, that is to say that we should all be working in support of the mission of the Church. 

This principle could is best illustrated by looking at our United States Marine Corps.  Even thought the infantryman in the backbone of the Marine Corps, not every Marine serves in the infantry or even in a combat arms job.  These “support” Marines, while not directly performing the mission, are performing vital tasks that support the overall mission of the organization.

Christians seem to confuse being a missionary with being mission minded, which leads to either the extreme of “every Christian a missionary”, which is ineffective, or the fatalistic belief that we need not carry the message out, because God will take care of it somehow.

The Importance of True Genuineness in Discipleship: Part I – Why Genuineness is Important

Society today is inundated with insincere motives and some just flat-out fake people.  The “reality” television shows have given us “showmances” that are developed only to gain an advantage against another contestant or for entertainment purposes.  We constantly hear about politicians that are found in midst of the very sin that they condemned in public.  Our lives are filled with people and influences that are just plain disingenuous.

People in general are in need of a fresh breath of authenticity.  Most folks today are searching for something real, something genuine.  In generations past the issue was credibility, in the sense of establishing that you knew what you were talking about.  In this generation, where a vast amount of information on any subject is literally at your fingertips, the issue seems to be more about if you are “real”.  That is to say, are the concerns that you espouse are your true concerns, or are you simply attempting to fill a hidden and personal agenda.

Christianity is always in opposition to the fallen world.  Whether it is freedom from heartless rituals like in Jesus’ time, wholesomeness in the face of sexual depravity as in the early church, integrity in the face of corruption as during the time of Luther, or sincerity in the face of duplicity as in today’s culture, the Church of Jesus Christ has always stood opposed to the sinful state of the culture around it.  It is this tension between the Gospel and the sin depraved creation that draws people; Christ offers what the world cannot.

We must work prayerfully and diligently to guard against insincere motives when dealing with this generation.  If we do not our message will de indistinguishable from all of the other “static” in the lost person’s life that promises “real change.”  It is not good enough just to check our motives, but we must ensure that we do not project the appearance of an ulterior motive.  To do anything less is to risk not reaching this generation and failing to fulfill the great commission.  The next step, now that we understand why the relationship between genuineness and discipleship is vitally important, is to look at what we need to do to make sure that our message of hope is received and not disregarded as “spam”.

Thoughts on Discipleship and Evangelism

Traditionally, evangelical Christians have done a poor job of discipling people post-conversion. I have heard story after story from folks who were intensely evangelized, only to be abandoned once they had prayed a prayer, participated in believer’s baptism, and joined a church. The prevailing attitude seem to be that once someone has made a decision for Christ, they should know what they need to do and do it without too much involvement from other Christians. The biblical witness of the first disciples seems to contradict this idea. How many times did Jesus have to guide the disciples back on track?
This lack of continued discipleship has resulted in many Christians (who are not doubt converted and eternally secure) living lives in defeat and not becoming effective witnesses for Christ. God’s redemptive plan does not end with a person’s conversion or salvation; His plan is for us to participate in His glory and join with Him is his work while we are still on earth. This means that we should be joining God in his plan to seek and save the lost. If a new believer, or an old on for that matter, is not effectively discipled their ability to participate in this work is greatly hindered.

After carefully and prayerfully evaluating this situation, I believe that the reason that we fail to effective disciple folks post-conversion is our disproportionate focus on evangelism and misunderstanding of the process of discipleship. I am not denying the importance of evangelism, but we must see it as part of a larger process and not our overall goal. In speaking with other Baptists in regards to discipleship and evangelism I have often asked the question, when does discipleship begin in a person’s life? Most people have answered that discipleship begins at the moment of a person’s conversion (fig.1). Their reasoning usually is that a person cannot be a disciple until they have been regenerated and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. I understand where they are coming from on this point, but I think that this is the reason that we miss the mark in discipleship. You can disciple someone, join God is His work, as soon as God has begun His work in their life. This work begins pre-conversion and is what leads people to the Savior.

Evangelism must be viewed a part of a larger process, the process of discipleship. When we make evangelism our goal we bring all of our resources to bear upon it and begin to neglect other parts of the work. To me it appears that evangelism is the first part of the discipleship process and both begin at the same point in time, the first time a Christian enters into a non-Christians life (fig.2). This is the biblical example of discipleship. When we see the disciples initial call from Jesus we must understand that this was not their first exposure to Him or the principles that He was teaching. These men would have heard of this man Jesus of Nazareth, of the things He was teaching and doing, and might have even heard Him teach. This initial exposure was the beginning of their discipleship. When Jesus came to them personally was the point in time that God extended His divine and eternal invitation.

We must remember that we are not called or commissioned to make converts or Christians; that is God’s business. We are called and commissioned to make disciples and to teach others about what Jesus has taught us. This teaching must not end at the point that the person makes a decision for Christ, but must continue for the rest of that person’s life. Evangelism is an extremely important part of Christian life, but it is only that, a part. We must ensure that evangelism is an integral part of the overall discipleship process, without an undue emphasis on any part over the others.