Reading Luke weekly

Part of sermon preparation each week for me is to read through the entire book of the Bible through which I am preaching. I will read through that book every week at least once. I began a series I am calling Investigating Christ which will take us through the Book of Luke over the next year or so.

I challenged the congregation to join me in reading through the Book of Luke each week. If read silently, the average reader can read through the book in approximately 2 hours. I have had many who have taken the challenge. Yes, it's early, but I believe we will see many carry through. If you are one that has taken the challenge, I can say with confidence God has some amazing things He will teach you through this book on this life of His Son. If you miss a week for some reason, don't let that get you down. Pick it up again the following week.

I got several emails about this challenge, but I wanted to share one with you that can help you with the project. I received this from a member of ClearView. It really helps to break reading up into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

"How can I possibly find time to read thru the entire book of Luke every week for the next year?"
24 chapters; 4 chapters a day for 6 days with Sundays off ; 2 chapters in the morning - 10 minutes; 2 chapters in the evening - 10 minutes.

"But my day is already too full; I just don't have 20 minutes to spare"
Get up 10 minutes earlier and go to bed 10 minutes later; Your body will never know the difference.
Turn off the news after the top stories; You'll be back before the weather.
Read it on the treadmill; You'll be done before you break a sweat.
Download it to your ipod and listen on the way to work - http://www.freeaudiobible.net/ ; They're going to play the 3 songs you missed 5 more times today.
Facebook junkies: Read it online - bookmark http://www.biblegateway.com/ ; you're 3 clicks away and you'll be back before your chat friends notice you're gone.
Do you REALLY want to be the one who doesn't raise your hand when Mark asks who read thru Luke this week?

Thanks Todd!

Reflections on Piper's decision

I have admired John Piper's ministry from a distance for some time. Anyone who can plant his life in a church for 30 years has some things to teach us all as pastors. Last Sunday John Piper made an announcement to his church that he is taking an 8 month leave. You can read about it here.

I have a desire to stay where I am pastor for at least a couple of decades. So, I have reflected on this decision by John Piper more than once over the past few days. Here are a few random thoughts as I have done so.

1. My family (especially my marriage to Leigh Ann) is front and center. If I lose my marriage, I lose my ministry. More than that, if I lose my marriage I lose my most prized earthly possession. I must be intentional about cultivating my relationship with my best friend.

2. Guard my heart (soul). John doesn't share details but he does point to pride in his soul. What a wake-up call. There is a great nugget in Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life . I am still working through what this means.

3. The church is more than one man. Trust me, no one is more keenly aware of this than I. However, I sometimes catch myself, in weaker moments, thinking "it all depends on me". If someone of the stature and visibility of John Piper can step away, it is obvious he has done a good job of leading a group of people to not be dependent on him, but on the Lord. That is my heart's cry for ClearView.

4. Accountability is vital to long term health of a leader. I would add, especially a pastor. The elders of Bethlehem have obviously been a major part of helping John make his decision. A man who stands alone will not stand for long.

5. Transparency. John has been transparent with his church about the fact that he is working through some things. There is a delicate balance a pastor must walk. Share enough that people understand you are human (which should keep you humble). Yet, not so much that people think your life is falling apart. A humble strength. I think this is what is termed "meekness" in Scripture. I am still wrestling with what to do with this one, but transparency for John is a part of who he is as a pastor / leader. John mentions a culture of transparency at Bethlehem. How do you create that? Is length of time as a pastor a factor in doing so? Trust is obviously a key factor. You can't be transparent with someone if you think they are going to hit you over the head with it.

The primary lesson for me is not to fall asleep at the wheel of my own life. I admire John for sharing this with his church. And I appreciate his church for being an example of what it looks like to want the best for her shepherd.

God bless you John. And God bless you Bethelehem Church.

Responses to Discipleship Questions

Yesterday, I had someone send me an email with 4 questions regarding discipleship and my thoughts on the subject. This was an interview they were doing for a class at a University. I thought I would share what I shared with this person. The 4 questions were:


1. How do you define being a "disciple"?
2. What is your vision for how Clearview can "make disciples" (strategies, methods, materials used, etc.)?
3. How do you evaluate success on an individual or corporate level?
4. What advice would you give to a minister just getting started and designing a discipleship program?

And my 4 responses were:

1. A disciple is one who has chosen to follow Christ, taking seriously what Christ said as well as what Christ did. If a person's life has not been changed and if it is not being changed daily by their relationship to Christ, they cannot call themselves His disciple. I would add something here we miss badly in American (Western) Christianity. If a person is not reproducing themselves in others they cannot call themselves a disciple. This is the entire meaning of the Great Commission. The Great Commission was not given to an organiztaion (the church) it was given to each of us as individuals.

2. Disciples are made through various types of accountable relationships focused on God's Word as the content of discussions as people do life together. This may be through 1 on 1 mentoring. This can be in a small group of people who know, love, and trust one another. Currently, we have a number of various kinds of these groups taking place in the life of ClearView. One thing for sure, discipleship is not a simple program. It is life on life. As far as curriculum is concerned, it must be Scripture driven if it is going to make disciples. I have seen a lot of topical stuff that is like eating cotton candy (and it gives the same result). I am not saying you can't start with a topic, but it must drive the person / group to dig into The Word or it is useless for discipleship. Discipleship is not about having some good "discussions" about our opinions. It must be about finding God's heart on the matter which can only be done by digging into God's Word.

3. This is tough. Evaluation of a heart is something only God can do. At best, we can observe behavior. For example, we still do not see the level of personal evangelism (a behavior of a disciple of Christ) on a broad basis that we should see. I still see individuls, families and marriages struggling in ways followers of Christ should not struggle. We have pockets of health, but overall, we have a long way to go as a church. One thing for sure, I do not consider numerical growth in any program (Bible studies or SS classes) as an accurate measure of discipleship. However, I do long to see MORE people involved in these opportunities that may help in discipleship. Hope that makes sense.

4. Start everything with HIGH accountability. We do not set the bar high enough as we begin discipleship. Jesus set the bar at the top when He said, "If you want to be My disciple, you must take up your cross daily ... you must hate mother, father, brother, etc. ..." We have dumbed down what it means to be a true Christ follower and as a result we have anemic churches made up of people who will one day cry out, "Lord, Lord, we cast out demons in your name ..." and He will say to them, "I never knew you". In my opinion, everything a church does depends on its intensity of its disciple making.

Africa Report

Six of us returned from our most recent trip into Africa. What a week. Many of you know I went to a village in West Africa this past October. On that trip, we baptized 19 new believers. With limited contact with the village, we have not known the strength of the believers we left behind. Well, the Holy Spirit has been at work big time. When we arrived this past week, we asked the believers what they had been doing with their new faith. They gather to worship and pray together and tell stories every Sunday. We asked if they would have a worship time Tuesday evening this week for us to be a part of.

Wow! Did they worship! They sang and danced for 4 hours ending some time after midnight. They have created some worship songs that include the stories we told from God's Word. They dance to all their worship music. It was an experience I will never forget as they did this under the moonlight that night.

They have begun to spread the word of God's love and desire for a relationship with people in other villages. We were asked if we would visit one of these villages with one of the believers from our village ("Chewy"). We did so as we left our first village. We brought greetings to the second village and told stories from God's Word. Five men responded that they would like to become Jesus followers.

I know the men that went with me will agree. This was another unforgettable trip. What a privilege to be used by God to make Him famous to the ends of the earth!

Prayer for Africa

I know many of you will be praying for the group that leaves for Africa this coming Saturday. Here are some specific ways you can be praying.

1. Safe flights and smooth passes through customs at all points
2. Safe travel to and from the villages with no vehicle problems (i.e. flat tires, engine problems, etc.)
3. Restful nights so our bodies can be replenished for each day of sharing in the village
4. That we know what to say in the village … questions to ask and stories to tell
5. Recall of stories memorized
6. Openness to the stories by others who have not yet chosen to follow Christ
7. That we will be open to and aware of the guidance of the Holy Spirit
8. That our driver and translators will be open to the stories about Christ (we just found out they are not believers)
9. That the believers we found in October will be strong in their faith and will bring new persons to the story telling times
10. That we begin to discover new villages of our people group
11. That we have no delays in travel coming back to the States.