Archive for April, 2009

Being a connector of people

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

I realized not too long ago that an aspect of my job I have neglected somewhat is being a connector of people.  In cross-cultural church planting and discipleship, I find it easy to get tunnel vision.  Without noticing, I start focusing almost exclusively on the one-on-one discipleship that our team is doing with different people.  We meet with this person over here, disciple that person over there, but very little of it ends up being connected to much of anything else.  Each relationship is in its own little bubble.

I see two problems with that:

  1. One of the outcomes of this discipleship should be to see people coming together into new church fellowships.  It’s hard for that to happen if each disciple is on an island, not connected with any other followers of Christ.  It seems harder to connect people later on, when one-on-one discipleship has already happened for a while.
  2. This is a more communal culture than our own.  Focusing on your “personal relationship with God” doesn’t get you quite so far around here, because culturally it might not be quite so personal.

We have never wanted to be the leaders of church fellowships.  We have wanted to see them come together somewhat naturally and help the locals step into leadership almost from the very beginning.  I think God is showing us, though, that we have an important role to play in connecting people.

Before, my mentality was more that we would disciple new people individually, and then when they are ready (whatever that means) we’ll bring them together into groups.  But it could be that bringing people together into groups is what needs to happen first, and then the discipleship will come a little later.  I’m wondering what it would look like to get groups of neighbors together for nothing more than fellowship, and then from there see what kind of spiritual interest there is.  Before having to suddenly go home, Pam and Tucker were working with their friends in a village to see about putting on a meal for the people of the village.

Around here, I think establishing the connections with people first can help remove many of the barriers to them living as the Body of Christ later on.  It may be that one of the best things we could be doing right now is throwing parties!

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Recognizing pride

Monday, April 27th, 2009

God has sobered me a lot the past couple of months regarding the danger of pride.  Pride was Lucifer’s sin, and I think if you could say that one sin is more deadly than all the others, pride would be it.  It is so dangerous because it is so blinding.  Think about this:  Unless your conscience is totally seared, you know it if you’re living in sexual sin.  You know if you’re robbing people, too, even if you refuse to deal with the sin.  You feel the sting of conviction when you gossip about someone.  Few people, though, know they have a big pride problem but refuse to deal with it.  Most people in bondage to pride have very little idea it’s there.

John Bevere explains that a prideful person will always become more religious.  Religiosity covers the pride, and pride keeps a person from seeing the religious spirit.  Nasty little cycle, huh?  That’s why Jesus said that many people who have done all kinds of great spiritual things will be blown away on the day of judgment to be rejected by God (Matthew 7:21-23).  What a scary thought!

I haven’t always taken pride that seriously.  I sort of assumed that as long as I was in “mostly good standing” with God, He wouldn’t be too put off by a little pride.  I recently realized how ridiculous that thought is when I started meditating on James 4:6:  “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (emphasis mine).  In other words, God isn’t just a little disappointed if I’m prideful.  It doesn’t slow down His work in my life a bit.  God is flat-out opposed to me if I’m proud.  Every good thing in our lives comes because of God’s grace, and He gives that grace to the humble, not the proud!  That got my attention.

I am learning that a prayer God is quick to answer is, “God, I don’t care what it takes, please expose every area of pride in my life.”  I never used to have the guts to pray that prayer, but now I do.  I am growing in the fear of God, and I see that pride can separate me from Him without my ever knowing it.  I don’t care what it costs me anymore, I don’t want to fall away from God.  So I’m asking Him to expose pride, and He is.

The trouble with a blind spot, of course, is that it’s hard to see.  Something John Bevere said in a sermon I recently listened to really helped me.  He explained how humility is simply fully trusting God in absolutely everything.  Looking at it that way, I have begun to see my pride more readily, because I can recognize a host of areas where I don’t fully trust God.  Until my life is 100% submitted to God in everything, pride has not yet been fully conquered.

Oh God, keep me from pride.  Expose every single area of it in my life.  Don’t let one little bit hide in darkness.  I only want to do what you want me to.  I don’t want to fall away from you.  Give me your grace as I walk in humility.  Knowing how susceptible I am to falling, I’m trusting you to keep me.  It’s only by your grace.

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