A letter to my brothers and sisters
To my dear brothers and sisters
I once took a class on ethics and morals. The class was on ethics and morals as a Christian, a minor difference. You might think that someone might obviously be a Christian if they have good morals. You would be wrong. Not every good hearted or good intentioned person is a Christian. Good morals are not enough when we consider the dire situation of our salvation. Good morals are not enough when it comes to that eternal salvation. While attending this class, I had an assignment to do a biography over one person from the textbook. I chose Aristotle. I knew that Aristotle had that good heart and good morals belief. My professor ended up having me write mine on Augustine. I had already done much of the work on Aristotle. I didn’t want to change now. It was more than that. I didn’t want to write about someone who was so far from Christ the first half of his life. Augustine was raised by a pagan father and a Catholic Christian mother. It wasn’t until a series of wrong turns and following flawed theology that Augustine found Christ. I grew up knowing about God. The theology of God. The list of laws you are to follow in order to get the golden ticket. I was not much for rules. In my research of the law, I missed the grace. Augustine heard one thing that drove his soul to conversion.
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:13-14
It only makes sense that this is the letter from Paul, that Augustine related to so well. This letter was written to the Romans who, even with all of their education, were still dead in their sin. This letter was written centuries before Augustine ever read it, and yet the Romans were still the same predicament when Augustine got his hands on it. So, I have to ask, what scripture stirred your soul enough to change your entire being? What scripture allowed you to hear the voice of the Lord?
- Your Sister
The Importance of Language in Making Disciples...Part 2
4 BODIES IN 4 MINUTES
Hey There,
Indulge me for 30 seconds as I give you a beautiful picture of the power of sharing a common language.
It was just about noon today when Jenny, Priscilla, and myself were wrapping up our weekly, Thursday morning meeting, when in walks some good friends from three other churches.
It’s probably not fair to call these guys and girls “good friends” because actually they are disciple-makers from other churches or more accuratley said, “disciple-making brothers and sisters from other bodies of Christ”.
As we stood in the hallway with one another (all 7 of us), we quickly conversed about what was going on with us in the process of discipleship, where our people were, and what phase of discipleship we enjoyed and hated the most. In addition to this we also revealed, in not so shallow terms, our APEST gift set to one another. All of this, in less than 4 minutes, with some of us barely knowing each other. Why?
Because we all originated from the same disciple-maker who taught us the same language while each of us are playing in different bodies of our Lord.
The great joy in all of this is the mass unity between us as we move the Kingdom via disciple-making. Sound too good to be true?
I am reminded of these things..
“How good is it when brothers dwell together in unity". Psalms 133:1
“They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common” Acts 2:42-44
Grace and Peace,
Chris
The Importance of Language in Making Disciples
Hello Disciple-maker,
Indulge me for 30 seconds as I lay out the importance of sharing a common language in disciple-making.
I remember being in Bogota, Colombia walking back from the local orphanage when suddenly we were surrounded by 10-15 military men with guns drawn. They did not speak english and our weak Spanish was of no use. We were held in separate rooms for a couple hours while an interpreter was brought in to separate out what was fact and fiction. Needless to say we were released, unharmed, several hours later due to a simple case of mistaken identity. If only we had shared a common language.
I am reminded of the tower of Babel in Genesis where The Lord Himself said, "Let us go down and confuse their language or nothing they attempt will be impossible for them." These are infinite words that reveal the power of speaking the same language.
Let us add to this the second piece of the formula for starting a movement. Do you remember it? It is a commitment to making disciples who can make disciples, sharing a common culture and language.
Do you see the connection....The Lord Himself says that nothing is impossible when men/women share the same language and in fact, sharing the same language is critical in starting a movement.
I understand fully that there are several ways to make disciples and I believe that The Lord is into all of them; but make no mistake, The Lord is after the glory of His Name. What better way for The Lord's name to receive His glory than seeing a full blown movement of Jesus across the globe of men and women who share a common passion, culture and language.
I must stress to you....share the common language. Here's a few reasons why.
1. It is critical for a movement to begin
2. It allows us to help each other "cross pollinate" enabling us to help parent each others "kids"
3. It simply moves things faster and removes barriers of explanation
4. It promotes the unity that Jesus spoke of John 17 and destroys denominational lines
5. It will allow you to "own" the basic concepts and put flesh on them accordingly as you grow
6. It will make your spiritual kids and grandkids be part of something bigger than their spiritual family.
There are more reasons than I can account for but this is a start and we will unpack some of these in the weeks to come.
Grace and Peace,
Chris