Category: Discipleship

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Family, Parenting

As we close out this week, I’m sharing some links/blogs that have impacted me this week.  I believe they will be of encouragement to you.

 

Christ’s Body: The Mission of the Church —Watch as Jason Ormiston delivers a message that all believers need to hear.  (Bob Jones University Chapel, September 24, 2014)

  • You would also be greatly edified by listening to Dr. Steve Pettit’s messages on Walking in the Spirit.

How I Learned to Win Souls — You will find this practical post by a dear man of God, Dr. Don Sisk, to be a rich blessing in obedience to the Great Commission.  One other feather in his cap is the fact that he is a UK Wildcat fan! 😉

Parenting – Have We Lost Our Way?— How grateful that we have the blessed opportunity to support this family on the mission field.  Here are some very timely questions that need to be answered in regards to modern-day parenting.  If you are a parent, please read and answer with genuine honesty and transparency.  Here is hope for you.

Are You Leeching the Local Church? — Enough said.

Eliminating and Concentrating — Help for busy ladies!

The Power of the Cross

by Dale, posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Joy, Salvation

Yesterday, we saw God work in so many ways throughout our Sunday at church, at home, and in our church’s neighborhood!  The greatest event of the day was a lost soul walking the aisle to receive Christ as her Savior.  The invitation was given prior to observing The Lord’s Supper.  While this dear lady was being shown the gospel from the Word of God and receiving Christ as her personal Savior in a side room of our auditorium, the congregation began to partake of the bread and sing “The Power of the Cross.”  To be singing these words and knowing a soul was being set free from sin, death, and hell by the wonderful work of Christ was a glorious moment indeed!!

So, to begin your Monday, listen to this song and consider the words.  Rejoice in the Lord and share with someone today who has never heard about our wonderful Savior!!  And when you do, make sure your countenance reflects the joy in your heart just as these students are doing.

The Power of the Cross

The More I Do It, The More Exciting It Gets!

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

“The more I do it, the more exciting it gets, and the more I want to do it!”  These are the words of an older gentlemen who has captured the vision and passion of Christ for lost souls.  He is one of many in our church who because of Christ’s last words (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15) are joining the ranks of an empowered community of believers who are commissioned for the gospel!  As a matter of fact, the man mentioned above and a deacon went visiting after church last night and saw a dear lady trust Christ as her Savior!

This has been an awesome summer of conflict, conviction, challenge and change in my life!  We have seen some interesting things take place at our church of which surprised many, but God has used it to strengthen His church and prepare us for His ministry, the Great Commission.  During my first trip to the Spiritual Leadership Conference in Lancaster, CA, back in June, the Lord convicted and challenged me about having a greater heart for the His harvest (Matthew 9:36-37; John 4:35).  Upon returning, the Lord led me to have all of our adult Sunday School classes and Teen Class study Dr. Paul Chappell’s book, Out of Commission. We are currently in the middle chapters of this book, and it is being used of the Holy Spirit to convict, challenge and change.  This is a final piece of the puzzle after studying Trellis and the Vine and The Exchange.  We even have an old “out of commission” truck in our parking lot to remind our folks of how we need to change to being Great Commission people.  This past Thursday through Saturday, businessmen from our church gathered at Elijah’s Harbor, Greeneville, TN, with other businessmen to learn how to use their business opportunities to be more an evangelistic center on mission for Christ. How marvelous it is to see the ministry of BCBC change from an inward focus to outward and upward focus of discipleship going-and-teaching (Matthew 28:18-20).  We have had our adversaries, but the grace of God is always greater!

Just as our brother said, “The more I do it, the more exciting it gets, and the more I want to do it!”  That excitement is growing because our mission is one of light and life!  The most exciting event in life is watching a soul be delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, through faith in the cross work and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13).  Yes, it’s getting more and more exciting!!

Little Sponges

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Parenting

This week we have the privilege of hosting a Vacation Bible Club at our home.  These children are precious to watch as they sing, listen to the Bible lesson and missionary story, make crafts, play games and enjoy a snack.  They may be wiggly at times, but they hear and retain more than you think.  Most of them sit with their eyes locked in on their adult leader.  They are like little sponges taking it all in!

You see, children are like sponges.  Parents, Sunday School teachers, VBS leaders, grandparents, they watch what you do; listen to what you say; mimic your actions; and follow you around.  Just like a sponge they soak it all in.  As they get older, the sponge is squeezed and  . . . out comes YOU!  They talk like you, act like you, think like you, respond like you, use the same words you do, get excited like you, are sad like you, etc.

So, what are the children soaking up from you today?  When they are “squeezed” will they be excited about reading the Bible because you are?  Will they be singing in church with great enthusiasm because you do?  Will they share the gospel with others because you do?  Will they memorize the Word because you do?  Will they be friendly and hospitable because you are?  Will they be compassionate to others because you are?

How my heart is grieved when I see parents place greater importance on the temporal over the eternal. As their children grow up, they have no passion Christ and the eternal things because of their parent’s example.

What would come out of your sponge (child) if he/she was wrung out right now?

2 Chronicles 33:22  And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them.

Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:12  Be an example of the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Risk-Takers

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism

When I think of someone being a risk taker, immediately my mind goes to Extreme Sports adventures such as BASE jumping, whitewater canoeing, ice climbing, wing suit skydiving,  free running, slacklining, cliff diving, and a many others.  Folks involved in such escapades are risking injury or loss as they seek for the next extreme rush of excitement.

In recent days, I’ve been reading 1 Corinthians and have been stirred by the words of a genuine risk-taker, the Apostle Paul.  He was a gospel risk-taker!  His life, motivated by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14), was lived for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:23).

For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! . . . For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:16, 19-23).

Then we read in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 the dangers he endured in his risk-taking adventures of advancing the gospel. With far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food ,in cold and exposure.  Now that’s extreme adventure, or dare I say, extreme sports?

You want an exciting quest?  You want an emotional rush?  Be a risk-taker for the gospel!  Be willing to really put your life on the line! Forget about what men think of you and consider your character before God and share the gospel with family, workers, strangers and friends.  Join up with a team and go on a mission’s trip to some remote area of the world. Get involved in the lives of those who are forsaken, hurting, abused, trashed, and shackled by the grip of sin.

Jumping off a cliff only gives you a chance to expand your ego.  Being a gospel risk-taker gives you the opportunity for reward in Heaven with eternal ramifications.  Ice climbing may result in a few clapping for you when you reach the summit, but when you have the opportunity to see a lost soul come to Christ, you are privileged to join the saints and angels in the heavenly chorus of rejoicing that once again has eternal significance.

So, what kind of risks will you take today for the gospel’s sake?

The Nature of Neglect

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

The title of our new Sunday School study is Out of Commission:  Getting Every Christian Back to the Great Commission.  As you have seen in a previous post, the picture of an old truck graces the front cover of the book.  The author says, “The old, out-of-commission truck is an example of the cost of neglect.  What had once been a useable truck was put out of commission simply through neglect.  It is also an example of the possibility of repair.  The neglect can be reversed.” (p. 5)

This week, Wayne “put his thoughts to paper” like he did last week Have Ya Got the Time and has written  a home-spun piece about this subject of neglect.  With joy and the hopes you will take it heart, I share what the Lord gave him early in the morning on his back porch.

Neglect does not usually take place over-night. Take the old country store in the photo. It is located in Washington County Tennessee, but could be in any part of the United States.

Please, indulge me as I exercise some “literary liberties.” Think back 100 years. It is the year 1914.… This is the country store. The nearest town is 18 miles away, the road is dirt and the transportation of choice is a team and wagon or the mule. The store is the center of the community. In one corner is the beloved Post Office. A 4’by4’ squared dedicated to the United States mail. The shelves are lined with items that cannot be growed or made on the farm. You can also buy farm tools, shot-gun shells and sewing notions. Everything from Anvils to Zippers.

It had a front porch at one time, its gone now. Neglect. The roof is saggin’ and the walls are cavin’ in. Neglect. It is not safe to go inside now. Neglect. What we see is a visible application of neglect. …

Our Sunday School classes at our church are beginning a study on neglect. The neglect of God’s command in Matthew. The command we call the Great Commission….Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matt 28:19).

Can you see what happens when we neglect?

This, neglect, can also take place in the life of a believer. Our lives become un-useful as a testimony of God’s grace. When we don’t spend time with God in his word, the front porch, where we can talk and fellowship with Him, begins to rot away and disappear. When we don’t spend time with Gods people,… Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Heb 10:25).…we allow the “vines” of the world to take over and eventually consume us. Very soon, we come to the place as the old country store, out of place.

So, remember the words of Jesus……..The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly…(John 10:10).

If we continue to do the things we’ve always done, we’ll continue to get the results we’ve always got.

Ponder on that, and don’t NEGLECT!

Scripture For Today:  Amos 6:1-7; Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:35-48; 1 Timothy 4:14 (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)  Be sure to have your study questions answered and be ready to give your whole heart to class discussion and the Great Commission!!

Reaching Your Own People

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Uncategorized

Last night in Prayer Meeting, we watched a portion of Dispatches from the Front, Episode 3, I Once Was Blind.  “The third episode . . . goes deep into the lands of West Africa, lands broken and bloodied by years of horrific civil war, desperate poverty, and dark religion. For centuries Islam and demon worship have held millions in the grip of fear, violence, and blood-guilt. However, the Gospel is changing all of that!”  What a powerful testimony to the power of the Gospel as demon worshipers are being converted to Christ and are making a difference for Him!  We even have one of church members headed to West Africa on a medical mission’s trip very soon to reach people in darkness with the light of the transforming Gospel!!

As I watched along with the rest of our congregation, a statement caught my attention as never before.  As Tim Keesee, Director of Frontline Missions, narrated, he made a statement about how these Liberian believers “were reaching their own people with the Gospel.”  How often when a native missionary comes to our church and we think, “Wow!  That is the best way; a native going to reach his own people.  He doesn’t have to spend time learning the language or the customs.  He can start preaching the gospel as soon as he returns to his native land!”  Then it struck me; I need to see myself in the same vein.  I can “reach my own people with the Gospel.”  They live across the street from me.  They speak my language.  They have many of the same customs.  They are in my family. Now, I’m not very good at reaching the Hispanics or Bosnian or Chinese in our area, but I can reach the East Tennesseans!  They are my own kind!!  J

How about you?  Are you reaching your own people with the Gospel whether they be Hispanics or East Tennesseans? What would it take for you to be fully engaged in the Great Commission?  You speak their language fluently!  Go tell them about Jesus!!

Scripture For Today:  Luke 9:6; Acts 8:4  (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)  Are you going everywhere?  Be sure to keep reading and answering your study questions for our first Sunday in the study of Out of Commission.  Looking for God to touch down in each class!!

 

Out of Commission

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Renewal

“We are not called to hold the fort, but to conquer the world.  We are not called to merely preserve the faith, but to advance it.” (Paul Washer)

What a compelling charge to the saints of God!  This reminds me of the following recorded words of Jesus Christ:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature  (Mark 16:15).

For the truck pictured above, there’s no conquering, no advancing, no going!  Now, there was day when that truck was new, shiny, functional and the engine was revved up ready to go!  It was on the move!  Remember the day you were born again and the successive weeks thereafter?  You told everyone about your salvation.  You were exciting to share the great work of the Gospel in your life!  You were on the move!  Question—When it comes to sharing the gospel today, July 23, are you parked, rusting, and out of gas or conquering, advancing, and going?

For the next eight weeks, the teen and adult small group SS classes of our church will be using this book as a resource guide along with Scripture to help us be greatly involved in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ, the Great Commission!  In other words, we are  moving from theology to “legology;” from fleshly response to Gospel work to heart-change about Gospel work; from talking about the Gospel to talking to someone about the Gospel; from doing nothing to doing the good works because love works; from rusting to relaying the Words of Life; from being parked to pursuing; from being out of commission to being engaged in the Great Commission!  These will be exciting days as we “look under the hood” and see the Lord exchange “the broken, worn out parts” for functional ones and “tune up” the others by His grace for the special supernatural work of “conquering, advancing and going”!

Scripture For Today:  Romans 1:14-16  (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)

Pals Brigade

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism

Without question, a Jr. Burger from Pal’s is always a winner!  How dare them build an eating establishment so close to our church!! 🙂  Now, this blog post is not about a brigade of church members heading to Pals for a burger after the evening service on Sundays or Wednesdays.

The June 20, 2014, edition of the Knoxville News Sentinel, carried an article entitled “Pvt. Smith’s rescue strikingly close to ‘Saving Private Ryan’” (News Article). Within that story was mention of the Pals Brigade of World War I fame in which there were “some 9 million soldiers” killed.   These pals battalions of the British Army were made up of men who enlisted with the promise of serving together with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.  As a result, “it was common for families to lose more than one son.  Communities sometimes found that a single skirmish could wipe out a generation of their men.”

After reading the article, I was deeply moved at the desire of these men to serve together with their family and friends, even with the looming threat of death, and to be known as the Pals Brigade.  As “Pals” they fought and died together for the cause of freedom. They gave up their liberties for each other to be pals in the fight.  They gave up their homes to join their pals in the war.   After all, they were a part of the Pals Brigade.

In his speech to encourage men from Liverpool, England, to join the Pals Brigade, the Earl of Derby said, “This should be a battalion of pals, a battalion in which friends from the same office will fight shoulder to shoulder for the honour of Britain and the credit of Liverpool.”  Two days afterwards, 1,500 men had joined the brigade and in the next few days, three more battalions were formed.  Near the end of 1914, fifty towns had formed battalions and larger towns formed several.

Every local church needs to be known as a Pals Brigade made up of born again individuals who would join with their blood brothers (Romans 5:1-11), family members (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 1:5; 4:25) and co-workers (2 Corinthians 5:20) to serve and fight together for the lost souls of men and women!  There’s the Adult Sunday School battalion, the Teen battalion, the Senior Saints battalion, the Deacons battalion, and the Pastoral Staff battalion.  They are trained in the boot camp of prayer and are striving together for the Gospel!  As Paul exhorted the church at Philippi, Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).

You know, if a “Pals Brigade” does go down the street after church for a hamburger, they are not going to Pals just to eat. They are going side-by-side, striving together, looking for someone to hear the gospel.

The man instrumental in starting our church, Dr. Gillis Partin, wrote:

Souls for Jesus,is our battle cry

Souls for Jesus, we’ll fight until we die!

We never will give in,

While souls are lost in sin!

Souls for Jesus,is our battle cry!

Renewed Passion for the Great Commission

by Dale, posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Renewal

While walking to the last workshop that I attended during the Spiritual Leadership Conference in Lancaster, CA, one of the pastoral staff said to me, “How’s the conference so far? Any take-aways?” My wife asked me yesterday, “What is the one thing you are taking away from this conference?” Without hesitation, that take-away is a renewed passion for the Great Commission found recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

On the flight home yesterday, I finished reading Church Zero by Peyton Jones. Before the final chapter, the author quoted C.T. Studd, “I pray that when I die, all hell will have a party to celebrate the fact that I am no longer in the fight.” That, my friend, is a startling, heart-stopping statement! Am I so motivated by Christ’s love for me (2 Corinthians 5:14) and zealous to share the gospel that hell would rejoice when I am gone?

As I write this, my mind runs back to yesterday and the opportunity to share Jesus with Pierre who sat next to me on the flight from Los Angeles to Charlotte. Pierre professed to know Christ and gave good evidence of it. Another man on that same flight as well as the “crop duster” flight to Tri-Cities is well-known in the NHRA Drag Racing world, John Force. I wanted to get to him and share at least a gospel tract. When I finally had the opportunity, he was engaged in a stressful conversation on his cell phone while waiting for his bag at the luggage turnstile. John Force is a highly successful driver, a winner of fifteen NHRA championships.  But does he know Christ? That opportunity came briefly, but I missed it. I missed it. He was standing next to me, still stewing over his phone call. I wish I had turned, introduced myself and said, “John, I can tell you are under stress. My name is Dale, and I pastor a local church in the area. Could I stop and have a brief word of prayer for you right now?” I missed it. He grabbed his bag, and immediately was engaged again with someone on his phone as he walked toward the parking lot.

God is good, in spite of our failures, as He gave me the opportunity to briefly chat with one of John Force’s associates and give him a tract. When I arrived in Johnson City, the Lord sent two other opportunities along to minister to three people. Thank you, Lord!

I share all of this to simply be transparent with you. I want the last command of Christ to be my first priority. Christ came to seek and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). My commission is not to be an omission. I want to have the same passion as my Savior and missionary statesman, C.T. Studd. I want my “take-away” to be what other individuals take away from me—hearing the Gospel and knowing the love of God (John 3:16).