Discipleship by example
My good friend Glenn from “Bad Theology” (isn’t that a great blog name?) has written a great post called “Modeling a godly lifestyle“. He talks about a friend of his who has encouraged and admonished him toward godliness in the past. Then, Glenn recounts a recent encounter with his friend in which his friend encouraged him toward godliness (stimulated him to love and good deeds?) by his actions, without a word spoken. Consider Glenn’s conclusion:
I think that this type of “accountability” or encouragement [having an example to follow] is one of the most effective means of leading others closer to God. While it will often be beneficial and necessary for me to exhort or confront my friends and family concerning our relationships and walks with the Lord, I think a godly lifestyle on my part will always resonate louder and give ample opportunity for the Holy Spirit to personally encourage or convict those around me.
I think Glenn has hit on a basic truth of discipleship, but one that is rarely given the same prominence today that it is given in Scripture. That basic truth of discipleship is modeling godliness – living as an example to other believers in order to help them grow toward maturity in Jesus Christ.
While words and teaching are very important, we are never instructed by the authors of Scripture to simply follow a set of rules. Instead, we are given examples – sometimes even the authors themselves. Consider these passages:
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:14-15 ESV)
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV)
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Philippians 3:17 ESV)
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9 ESV)
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 ESV)
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 ESV)
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16 ESV)
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12 ESV)
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7 ESV)
Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11 ESV)
…not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:3 ESV)
Are you surprised at the number of examples? Are you surprised at the extent to when this idea is spread throughout the New Testament? Believe it or not, this is only a small sample of passages that teach us to both follow the example of godly people and to live our lives as an example to others.
Modelling and example, then, are a major aspect of biblical discipleship – of teaching people what it means to live as a child of God. Notice that throughout Scripture we are taught to follow those who actually live as a child of God, not those who speak about or teach about being a child of God.
Of course, in this idea of discipleship by example, there is a built in assumption: the people involved in the discipleship relationship must have access to one another’s lives. Furthermore, this access can’t be a surface level access. This type of discipleship requires sharing life together, both the good times and the bad times, both the high points and the low points, both the good examples and the bad examples.
I believe this last point is exactly why we have de-stressed discipleship by example and stressed discipleship by teaching only. In our individualistic and entertainment driven society, we are not willing to share our lives with other people. We want what we want, when we want it. We want to do things that are fun or pleasing to us. The idea of inviting someone else into our lives, to consider their needs, or yielding our will to theirs is completely foreign. In fact, in order to think about and live this type of discipleship by example it would take a new way of thinking – a renewed mind, in fact – a mind that is not conformed to the common ways of thinking. But, of course, this is exactly what Paul exhorts us toward – a renewed mind.
So, whose example are you following? Are you living your life as an example to others? Are you sharing your life with other people in such a way that you both see the example of others and you allow others to see your own example?
Accept one another… and your little dogs too
Over at “spermologos“, Alan Reynolds has written a wonderfully perceptive post called “The Dog Park and Church“. He recounts a recent visit to a local dog park and some of the interactions he he had with the people that he met there. (By the way, we drive by this dog park every Sunday, and I always notice a crowd of people there. I’ve often wanted to stop… perhaps I will one day.)
After recounting a few conversations, Alan says:
We met several people and several dogs. I hated to leave, and Kinja did too. As we left, I thought to myself, “Why can’t church be more like this?†I have no real answers. While there are usually a couple of people at church who will come talk to you, the majority are content to just ignore newcomers. At the dog park, we were all there to enjoy the outdoors and play with the dogs, and we were all friends, even if we didn’t know each other’s names.
Of course, Alan isn’t the only person who has noticed that Christians aren’t always the most welcoming and accepting people, especially when meeting together as the church. I think Alan’s question deserves serious thought: “Why can’t church be more like this?”
Connecting… on a real life level
Last year, I had the opportunity to post several “guest blogger” posts. These posts were written by other people, usually sent to me in emails. I would get their permission and post them here in hopes that the guest posts would be an encouragement to my readers, and that my readers would be able to encourage the guest bloggers.
In November 2007, I posted a guest blog called “Searching for fellowship“. The author (Teresa) has stayed in email contact with me. I asked if I could publish this latest email that demonstrates how God is bringing true fellowship and community into her life. Please feel free to interact with this post in the comments as you would with other posts. You can address your comments to Teresa or to me.
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Here is an update from my letter that I had written to you in November.
At the time I had written to you, I was questioning what the following scripture meant to me: “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25 NASB)
The reason that I was questioning this is because I am a soul that has been “in church” every single Sunday since the 2nd grade. Then about 4 years ago I suddenly found myself not attending church at all after our church had a traumatic split. We were devastated by what had happened, meaning- how people had behaved toward us and toward each other.
The process has been difficult and painful. But God has been faithful to who He is. He is good and he never changes! No matter our circumstance. So, through this painful season we have learned alot about ourselves, alot about our God, alot about people, and about church as an institution. Our pain kept us from attending any churches in the beginning, but our understanding is what has been showing us the real reason we do not desire to walk through the sanctuary doors as we once had. We desire more than programs and religion. We desire connecting with people on a real life level wrapped in the understanding of our identity in Christ and the Grace of God.
Since the time I had first written to you, I have made some wonderful connections with a few dear people online. I hope to meet each of them in person someday soon! My husband had the opportunity to travel to Europe to be a part of a conference in Bulgaria. The conference spoke to Pastors there about the message of Grace. I surprisingly have made a connection with a woman there who had been an attender of a conference. I have been enjoying connections God has provided with people in many different places. I feel that through these connections I have been able to live the scripture of Heb. 10:24-25. Of course it does not look like what we are accustomed to in traditional church. But the result is that there is an assembling and encouragement taking place.
We are also looking into an opportunity of hosting and facilitating grace walk groups through the ministry of Steve McVey. We hope in this opportunity we will make more tangible connections with people in our community.
Last week we had attended a funeral in which many people from our past church were at. We were welcomed by some, and to our expectation, shunned by others. God did a lot in our hearts through that day. And I realized that I am walking on the path of healing with a hope and a future. There are some who will never choose that path because holding on to the past is where they seem to find their life. But for those who do choose a path of healing and restoration we welcome them by our side.
I believe we have crawled out of the “rut” and are walking ahead on the other side. Resting in Jesus is what brings us comfort and HOPE. We know He is in control and that He is GOOD! We are excited for all the things to come as our God lays out our future for us.
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers through this journey.
Peace,
Teresa
(formerly, anonymous child of God)
Birthday Weekend
So, today is my birthday. The good new is that I’m no longer 40. The bad news is that I’m now 41. Of course, I guess that for next few years I can say, “I’m in my 40’s”.
Friday evening, Margaret and I went out to dinner with Miranda. It was fun spending a little time with her. We haven’t gotten out of the house much lately because we’ve been sick for a couple of weeks.
Saturday, we went with some friends down to Apex (south of Raleigh) to watch a friend of our children in a play. On the way to the play, we stopped by a barbecue restaurant called Holy Smokes in Garner. The brisket was excellent! (Sorry, Stan… we didn’t save you any.) After lunch we enjoyed the play together.
Saturday night, a friend dropped by with a birthday cake. Since Margaret had made a cake for Sunday, we decided to go ahead and cut the cake. It was delicious!
Today – Sunday – we were glad to be able to meet with the church, since we had been sick and unable to meet with them last week. We also stayed after our meeting to have lunch together. This is something that several families have started doing after our weekly meeting. Each family brings lunch for their family (and usually a little extra to share with others). They eat and play games together for a few hours. This is the first Sunday that we’ve been able to stay. Margaret brought the cake that she had made, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to me.
I was also presented with a very special card. Some of my young friends drew a birthday card for me and asked people to sign it.
This has been a very fun birthday weekend. The fun almost makes it worth getting older and being called the “elder elder” (meaning I’m the oldest elder in our church). Anyway, I thought I would share with you how I celebrated my birthday with my family and with the church.
Focusing on forms
Since I usually write about the church on my blog, many people assume that I spend alot of time talking to people about the church. In fact, the opposite is true. Unless someone brings up a topic related to the church, I’d much prefer talking to people about what God is doing in our lives and how we can help each other mature in Christ. Dave Black wrote a good reminder concerning focusing on forms (Sunday, March 23, 9:20 PM):
The obsession with institutionalism and ritualism is something the evangelical church has long possessed. Yet the Holy Spirit is still at work in our institutions and rituals. Love is more important than the external forms of “doing church,” and a small, apparently tradition-bound congregation held together by strong bonds of love may be of far greater significance than an apparently “New Testament” church that is in reality permeated with an over-emphasis upon the wineskins. The reality of genuine friendship, spontaneity, and spiritual liberty is of the greatest importance, and too much emphasis on the externals can be stupefying.
So, if you ask me in person, I’ll be glad to explain to you my views of the church. But, if you don’t as me, you’ll probably never hear me explain my views. However, hopefully, you will see me live out my views of the church in my relationships with the people around me.
Brother or "Brother"
Chris at “Filtering Life Through the Cross” has written a very thought-provoking post called “Church as ‘Extended Family’“. Chris says:
As I was reading these words I was struck by two things. First was the truth that I see in them. The NT has numerous references to fellow believers as “brothers.” This is not just a title for another believer, it demonstrates how we are to look upon fellow followers of Christ. We are to see them as family (Matt. 12:46-50). The second thing that came to my mind involved thoughts about our culture. In this world of broken families I think it would be hard for many to view other followers of Christ as family. To some it may even be viewed as another opportunity for them to get hurt or burned by another human being.
With that said, the believer, with the help of the indwelling Spirit, can and will grow in the ability to view the church as the family of God. This goes against our individualistic culture and tradition in which we find ourselves today. Let us once again see one another as our “brother” and “sister” under our heavenly Father’s guidance.
As I was thinking about this post, I started thinking about the terms “brother” and “sister”. When I call people “brother” or “sister”, do I call them that because I truly consider them my family? Or has “brother” and “sister” merely become Christian titles?
What is the difference between calling someone “brother” or “sister” because you actually think of them as family, and calling someone “brother” or “sister” because that’s what you’re supposed to call other Christians?
Romans 16 and Fellowship
In the final chapter of his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul sent greetings to many individuals and groups. Also, Paul encouraged these people to greet one another. I think that we can learn much about fellowship among believers by thinking about the “greetings” found in Romans 16.
For example, Paul had never been to Rome – at least as far as we know. In fact, most scholars believe that in Romans Paul was introducing himself to the church in Rome. Now, Paul did know some of the Roman believers personally. For example, he knew Prisca and Aquila, because he met then in Corinth (Acts 18:1-2) and travelled with them to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19).
However, we do not have records of Paul meeting all of those listed in Romans 16. And, there are a large number of people listed in Romans 16 – at least 27 individuals in Rome are listed in Romans 16:3-15. Paul greets them all by name. So, somehow he has heard of these people and he knows them well enough to greet them and to encourage them to greet one another. Perhaps travellers had told Paul about these believers. Perhaps Paul had received correspondence from them or from others who know them. However Paul found out about these believers in Rome, he considered them to be important enough to mention them by name.
But, Paul does not only mention individuals. He mentions several groups of believers: 1) the church that meets in the house of Prisca and Aquila (16:5); 2) those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus (16:11); 3) the brothers and sisters who are with Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas (16:14); 4) the saints who are with Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas (16:15). Paul is not only familiar with individuals in Rome, he also knows about several groups of Christians who are meeting together. He encourages his readers to greet these groups, and for the groups to greet one another as well.
From the emphasis in his letter, it is entirely possible that these groups included both Jews and Gentiles. It is probably that some within these groups believed that one day was more important than another. Others probably believed that eating certain foods and drinking certain drinks was prohibited by God. (See my post “Stumbling blocks” for a discussion of the differences in belief in the Roman church.) And, yet, Paul expected all of these believers to “greet one another”.
Perhaps, when Paul instructs these different groups of believers (churches?) with different sets of beliefs to “greet one another” he means simply that they should nod in each other’s general direction when they pass in the marketplace. Or, perhaps, he means “greet” in the fuller sense of “to engage in hospitable recognition of another” or “to express happiness about the arrival of something” (BDAG). Perhaps, if Paul cared enough about all of these different individuals and groups that he would mention them by name from hundreds and thousands of miles away, he would also expect them to care about one another from across town.
I think that we can learn alot about fellowship between believers and groups of believers from Paul’s greetings. I think it is past time that we begin to “greet one another” – even those who may disagree with us.
Two Weeks
The last two weeks have been an interesting contrast. Two weeks ago, it seemed like everything that I heard was good news. Several friends called me or talked to me in person about some wonderful, exciting, positive things that were happening in their lives. It was an uplifting time that caused my spirit to soar. I praised God for those reports!
Last week, it was almost the opposite. Several friends called or talked to me in person about struggles in their lives: spiritual struggles, physical struggles, emotional struggles, financial struggles. It was a difficult time that often drained me spiritually. But, how can I do anything but praise God for these reports as well!
Yesterday was a turn around. Again, I heard some very encouraging reports about God working in people’s lives. The interesting is that several of those positive reports came from friends who were struggling the week before. Even they now recognize that God was working in spite of and in some cases through their difficulties. I thank God for friends who are willing to share their lives with us – the good news and the bad news.
Too idealistic?
Did you catch this wonderful snippet on Dave Black’s blog last week (Friday, February 1, 2008, 10:49 am):
Have I been blinded by idealism when it comes to my views about the bride? Some seem to think so, and I do not doubt the accuracy of the charge. Paper perfect churches can be just as disastrous as churches wearing the grey of compromise. But I cannot escape the portrait of the church that I find on the pages of the New Testament. Can you? The glowing description in Acts 2:41-47, for example, is not meant to be a picture of the “ideal” church — lovely to contemplate but impossible to realize. The believers in Jerusalem were not being super-saints; they were enjoying normal spiritual health. Why should we consider every-member ministry and a non-professionalized and non-clericalized ministry as something unusual, occasional, and irregular?
There is one line in particular that needs to be repeated (re-repeated, I guess): “The believers in Jerusalem were not being super-saints; they were enjoying normal spiritual health.” Normal spiritual health… If we are not experience fellowship (not fellow-attendance) with brothers and sisters in Christ then we may not be in “normal spiritual health”.
What do you think? Are the glimpses of the church that we get from Scripture (especially Acts) meant to be idealistic, or do they picture believers in “normal spiritual health” living and serving together?
The Lord’s Supper as Communion
As I mentioned a few days ago in my post “A Spiritual Remembrance“, I am reading through Understanding Four Views on the Lord’s Supper, edited by John H. Armstrong. The first “view” is the “Baptist View” presented by Russell Moore. Since I was raised in Baptist churches, I’m very familiar with the popular version of this view. There are problems with this popular view, which I’ve mentioned before. However, Moore speaks against many of these same problems. He says:
The need for a community focus around the table cannot, however, be eradicated. Baptist churches that celebrate a curt “Communion” every three months still find themselves with this need for a truly communitarian Lord’s Supper. Often these churches seek to fill this need for table fellowship with a “Dinner on the Grounds” Sunday meal or coffee and doughnuts before the Sunday School hour or lunch after services at the local steakhouse. These moments of fellowship are crucial, but they cannot take the place of the Supper Jesus has given us. Part of the problem is the individualized way we present the elements themselves. Most contemporary Baptist churches – and many other evangelical Protestant churches – distribute chewing gum-sized pellets of bread and thimble-sized shot glasses of juice. Increasingly this practice is even more individualized by companies that sell to churches “disposable” Communion “sets,” a plastic container filled with juice with a wafer wrapped in cellophane on top (ideal, we are told, for the college group’s summer retreat in the mountains).
This practice nullifies the thrust of the New Testament emphasis on a common cup and a common loaf, both of which signify the unity of the congregation in Christ. It also mitigates the meaning of the Supper as a supper, as a meal. The meaning of the Supper would go a long way toward recovery in our churches if we asked the congregation to tear apart the bread and to drink together from a common cup of wine – practices that would have been commonplace in the early New Testament communities. Some would shrink from such a practice, no doubt, out of fear of illness or discomfort with such close contact with others. But that is precisely the kind of American individualism that is obliterated by the gospel emphasis on the church as the household of God, a family united through the Spirit. As we encourage the congregation to eat together around the table of Christ, we call them to faith, asking them to recognize and welcome the presence of Christ – not in the elements or in the heavens about them, but in the body he has called together, the assembly he rules and protects even now as King. Only then will we understand what the New Testament Scriptures mean when they call us to “fellowship”. (pg. 41-42)
Similarly, in the last sentence of Moore’s chapter, he says, “It is true that, in one sense, ‘the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking’ (Rom. 14:17). But we must remember that, in another sense, the sounds of the kingdom of God are not those of eerie cosmic silence but of the murmur of voices, the clinking of cups, and the tearing of bread.” (pg. 44)
From my experience, the popular Baptist view – that is, the view that I heard and saw growing up as it was expressed in many different Baptist churches of many different sizes and in different states – focused on many good things. They encouraged quiet retrospection. They required everyone to eat and drink at the same time. They reminded us that the bread was unleavened.
However, I think that while these focuses are good, they completely miss the best about the Supper that is stressed in the New Testament: the one loaf, the one cup, the sharing of a meal, the equality around the table, the concern for one another. Primarily, they missed the idea of the Lord’s Supper as it reflected the church as a community – a group of believers in fellowship with one another through the Spirit.