WHY ARE YOU HERE?
As many of you know, I went to St. Pete Beach, Florida last week for a conference on discipleship. We stayed at a place called the Tradewinds Sandpiper Resort – not a bad place to be in January. When I went to check in at the resort I said, “My name is Brian Jensen and I’m here for a conference with the Presbyterian Church.” The man behind the counter looked for my registration and said, “Ah, here you are. And you’ll be rooming with Michelle?” I said, “No, no, no! There’s no Michelle! My wife would kill me if I was rooming with a Michelle!”
What had happened is that their computer immediately located the only Brian Jensen that it had in the system. Apparently there was a Brian and Michelle Jensen from Lawrence, Kansas who had at one time stayed at that resort. In any case, the credit card information was correct and I was able to check into my room…even without Michelle.
It was a conference on discipleship and it was led by some of the best people in the country. The first day of the conference, I sat by a man named David Hosick, who – of course – served this church for 16 years. Before they really got into the subject of discipleship, they had each of us introduce ourselves and answer the question, “Why are you here?” And that’s what all of us did.
Dave Hosick, however, really summed the issue up for all of us. He said in essence, “I am working harder now than I have in all my years of ministry. But somehow I just don’t seem to be getting the same results. Somehow I feel as if I no longer know what I’m doing.” We could all relate. It’s a very different world out there. We ministers are working harder than we’ve ever worked before, but the results we are getting are not the same results we are accustomed to getting. How can we minister effectively in the 21st century? Where should we be trying to lead our churches in this day and age?
Twenty years ago it was almost as if we measured the success of a church by how many members it had. Then about ten years ago, the measuring stick changed. We started to measure the success of a church by how many people were in worship on Sunday mornings. Either way, the measuring stick of success had to do with numbers. The conference I recently attended, however, had a different measuring stick in mind.
Let’s take a look at the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. There we see Jesus calling his first disciples. He called two sets of brothers – Peter and Andrew, James and John – to be his first disciples. The question we have to ask is this: Do you think Jesus calls us to be disciples as well? Or, let me put it a little differently. Does Jesus call us to be disciples, or does Jesus call us to be members of a church? And is there a difference?
In theory, perhaps, there is no difference between a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of a church. But in reality, unfortunately, there can be a big difference. Let me share a poem with you that I wrote many years ago. It’s called, “A Church Member,” and it goes like this:
I’m called to be a church member
At Easter – Christmas, too.
And in between I’ll do my best
If I’ve nothing else to do.
At church I hear of Jesus Christ
And how he came for all
I’ll listen to the words unless
A sale’s on at the mall.
If Jesus has a word for me
He knows where I will be.
In summertime, when church begins,
I’ll be on the first tee.
My Christianity, it means
A lot to me, you know.
If asked to usher at the church
I’ll surely try to go.
Just don’t ask me to serve the church;
I haven’t got the time.
I need to same my schedule for
Things so much more sublime.
The world’s much busier today
Than it was in times past.
The rat race, it goes on and on.
I don’t want to place last.
Besides, I know of Jesus Christ;
It’s all here in my head.
And isn’t that where faith resides,
That I not be misled?
So don’t ask me to bear a cross
And others to remember.
I’m not a disciple of Christ’s,
I’m only a church member.
Perhaps this has become the problem with the church. For centuries we sought to raise up good church members and failed to emphasize discipleship. In this day and age, we seem to have a lack of focus. Life is full of shallow commitments, and our commitment to God seems to have become one of those. We seem to have misplaced our priorities. Thus, in the 21st century, perhaps we need to start emphasizing discipleship once again. Perhaps we need to help church members become disciples of Jesus Christ.
I did a sermon series a while back on what constitutes a healthy disciple. The six criteria for determining a healthy disciple that I talked about in that sermon series came from Glenn McDonald’s book, The Disciple Making Church. The six criteria, you may recall, were as follows:
1) Who is your Lord? In other words, when everything else is said and done, whose agenda are you truly following?
2) Who are you? At the beginning of each day, do you wake up thinking you’ll have to go out and win your own share of security and significance, or can you truly say that those are priceless gifts you have already received?
3) Who is your Barnabas? Barnabas spoke up for the Apostle Paul and was something of a mentor to him. Who is your spiritual mentor – the one from whom you are learning how to follow Jesus Christ?
4) Who is your Timothy? Paul was something of a mentor to Timothy. Who is your apprentice – the one to whom you are passing along the life lessons that God has entrusted you?
5) Where is your Antioch? Antioch, to Paul, was something of a safe haven where the call of God could find him. What small group of friends is your safe haven…that is helping you to discern the call of God in your life?
6) Where is your Macedonia? Macedonia was a field of ministry for Paul. What field of ministry is most closely aligned with the call of God on your life, and hauntingly stirs your deepest passion?
The problem with that sermon series, as I look back on it now, is that I don’t think I took it quite far enough. It was something that may have been interesting to listen to and think about, but I’m not sure it made a fundamental difference in the way we do church. So let’s take this discipleship issue one step further. Glenn McDonald goes on to list what he calls the six marks of a disciple. In other words, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you have: A heart for Christ alone; a mind transformed by the word of God; arms of love; knees for prayer; a voice to
speak the good news; and a spirit of servanthood and stewardship.
To have a heart for Christ alone is to make Jesus Christ the priority in all of life. We come to worship him with all our heart and soul and strength and mind. A mind transformed by the word of God is a mind that sets aside the world’s values and comes to prioritize God’s values. To have arms of love is to say that we become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in the world. We are on a journey of unconditional love. To have knees for prayer is to say that our posture before God is one of continual dependence. A voice to speak the good news is a voice that comes to offer hope and encouragement to people everywhere. And a spirit of servanthood and stewardship is one that sees us as servants of God, and as people who use their time and their treasure to glorify God.
What might that look like, practically speaking? The Vienna Presbyterian Church has come up with what they call, “The Seven Covenants of a Disciple of Jesus Christ.” They are highly practical and I strongly suggest that we come up with a similar slate for our own church. In fact, the Church Revitalization Task Force – in conjunction with the session – is preparing to do just that. In any case, here are The Seven Covenants of a Disciple of Jesus Christ as proposed by the Vienna Presbyterian Church.
1) Pray daily. Prayer is essential to the life of faith. It is the chief way we communicate and stay in touch with God. Begin by setting aside at least one time period a day when you will talk to God. The ultimate goal is to pray without ceasing and to live prayerfully.
2) Worship continually. Communal worship is the primary way Christians connect both with God and with each other. In other words, worship matters. It is not something we do when it’s convenient or we’ve nothing better to do. Worship is integral to the life of faith. Begin by worshipping with a congregation every Sunday. The ultimate goal is to worship God in every moment of life and to join with God’s people in worship as often as possible.
3) Study diligently. Studying the Bible, theology and the history of Christianity develops our minds and helps us to focus on the will of God. Begin by participating in at least one group learning experience each week. The ultimate goal is significant time devoted to study, and several group learning experiences each week.
4) Live faithfully. To have integrity, our lives must reflect what we believe, and we must seek to live in harmony with God’s will. Begin by seeking God’s help in overcoming bad habits and behaviors. The ultimate goal is complete honesty and integrity in all aspects of our daily lives.
5) Serve creatively. All Christians are called to ministry in Jesus’ name. In our ministry we should creatively channel our spiritual gifts and interests to give glory to God. Begin by engaging in one ministry activity. The ultimate goal is to generate ministries in which you engage others as partners in ministry with you.
6) Give generously. You knew there’d be a stewardship angle, didn’t you? Our lives should reflect the self-giving love of God in Christ by the way we give of ourselves and our resources. Begin by committing to giving a set proportion of your time and your income for God’s work. The ultimate goal is to commit to giving freely of your time and resources – tithing and beyond – as God calls you to give.
7) Witness boldly. Openly share your faith with others, both through your words and your actions. Begin by sharing and discussing your faith and values with your family or close friends. The ultimate goal is to freely share and discuss your faith and your values with everyone you encounter.
There you have it, The Seven Covenants of Discipleship at the Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, Virginia. What do you think? First of all, do you believe the future of the church is centered around church membership, or do you believe it is centered around discipleship? And, if you do, in fact, believe the future of the church is centered around discipleship, do you think we can establish a similar covenant here?
At the heart of the matter, I think, is this question: Do you believe God was created to serve us, or do you believe we were created to serve God? Again, do you believe God was created to serve us, or do you believe we were created to serve God? I think you know the answer to that question. So let me ask you, as they asked us at that conference in Florida: Why are you here? Are you here because you’re a member of this church, or are you here because you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Amen.
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