WATCHWORD:
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22
Meditation:
Jesus and the Church
Churches throughout country seem to be failing when viewed through the perspective of numbers, memberships, attendance. We look for reasons everywhere. My own church has changed drastically over the years. From two services, nearly at full seating capacity, to our current attendance of 30 or less. And we wonder.
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius says to Brutus, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Ourselves? No, no, no, we aren’t the cause of churches struggling. Not us, we are in the pews. Must be something else, right?
Michael W. Foss, in his book Power Surge , speaks of the changing church and the marks of discipleship that could make a difference. Foss points out that discipleship is a personal matter, not a congregational one. The first disciples individually responded to the call, “Come, follow me,” and they did, and they walked right along with Jesus. Maybe we need to re-learn how we “walk with Jesus”.
Randy Alcorn, in his book The Grace and Truth Paradox, writes that the only “church growth formula” the early church possessed was a body of truth flowing with grace from Christ. Starting with small home gatherings scattered throughout the Middle East, gatherings that drew thousands to Jesus by being like Jesus. What does that mean, ‘being like Jesus’?
In John 14, we get a clue: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Ah, there it is…grace and truth.
Theologian J.C. Ryle writes of the grace and truth that came together in Jesus Christ: “This constant undivided union of two perfect natures in Christ’s Person is exactly that which gives infinite value to His mediation and qualifies Him to be the very Mediator that sinners need. Our Mediator is One who can sympathize with us, because He is very MAN. And yet, at the same time, He is One who can deal with the Father for us on equal terms, because He is very GOD.”
No argument there. But, how do we translate that into our churches? Not our churches, us! The fault, my friends, is not in the stars, it is in us. Whether our churches survive or not, is in the hands of our Lord. We are not to fret about meeting expenses, paying our pastor, or what will happen to the ‘rainy-day’ fund if our church closes. All of that, too, is in the hands of the Lord.
Our role is our response to the invitation to “Come, follow me” and learning how to walk with Jesus within our homes, outside our doors, and, yes, when we gather for worship.
How do we imitate Christ? We have the manual, the text book, the answer book, the guide, the devotional, the Holy Writ right there near us. Open it anywhere, just let it fall open, read and learn. Amen.
From Murray Bodo – Pilgrim II:
You reach out, trying to find some point of contact with God.
You know he is reaching down to you
but your hands missed each other
somewhere in the darkness.
The darkness is your own and you look cat-eyed
through the night for him who is light.
You feel him all around you and inside you
but somehow you fail to meet.
Then you reach out to some stranger on a crowded bus
And your hand feels God’s grip
And His light shines in your eyes,
And you hear His human voice.
Learning to walk with Him? Take the first step.
Morning Prayer:
Reflection — A disciple is one who is increasingly submitting all of life to the lordship of Christ. Jesus said that all alternatives are basically attempts to save ourselves, but true life is found only in following Him. Moreover, true discipleship involves disciple making, which is the chief purpose Jesus gave us in His final address. The measure of the Christian life, then, is not a list of individual benefits, but a transforming call to follow Jesus and adopt His purpose for life.
Guided Prayer:
Pray in thanksgiving for God’s grace to redeem you and call you to Himself in love. In light of that truth, pray for a whole-life devotion to Jesus. Confess to God the area(s) of your life where you have neglected following and obeying Jesus.
Pray for the discipleship of your family, and ask God to give you an integral role in shaping the next generation for His sake. Beyond your family, pray also in the spirit of 2 Timothy 2:2, that God would use you to multiply your faith in others. Pray with hopeful expectation that your influence will reach to generations of people long after you are gone!
Pray that churches and Christians would see the Great Commission of Matthew 28 as our purpose for life. Everyone is being disciple, in some way of life, so pray that we would see an increasing commitment to the way of Jesus taking root in our communities. Surrender it all to our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
